Specificity of the Point-of-Care Urine Strip Test for Schistosoma Circulating Cathodic Antigen (POC-CCA) Tested in Non-Endemic Pregnant Women and Young Children

The point-of-care urine based strip test for the detection of circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) in schistosome infections is a frequently used tool for diagnosis and mapping of Schistosoma mansoni in school-aged children. Because of its ease of use, the test is increasingly applied to adults and preschool-aged children (PSAC), but its performance has not been specifically evaluated in these target groups. Recent observations have raised concerns about possible reduced specificity, in particular in pregnant women (PW) and PSAC. We thus explored specificity of the POC-CCA urine strip test (Rapid Medical Diagnostics, Pretoria, South Africa) in a non-endemic, nonexposed population of 47 healthy nonpregnant adults (NPAs), 52 PW, and 58 PSAC. A total of 157 urines were tested with POC-CCA, of which five (10.6%) NPAs, 17 (32.7%) PW, and 27 (46.5%) PSAC were positive. The highest scores were found in the youngest babies, with an infant of 9 months being the oldest positive case. On measuring pH, it appeared that all POC-CCA strongly positive urines were acidic (pH range 5–5.5), whereas addition of pH-neutral buffer to a subsample reversed the false positivity. We conclude that the POC-CCA test has reduced specificity in PW and infants younger than 9 months, but that the false positivity might be eliminated by modifications in the buffers used in the test.

Tuberculosis: Diagnostic Challenges in Rural Africa

Tuberculosis (TB) remains among the top 10 infectious diseases with highest mortality globally since the 1990s despite effective chemotherapy. Among 10 million patients that fell ill with tuberculosis in the year 2017, 36 % were undiagnosed or detected and not reported; the number goes as high as 55 % in Tanzania, showing that the diagnosis of TB is a big challenge in the developing countries. There have been great advancements in TB diagnostics with introduction of the molecular tests such as Xpert MTB/RIF, loop-mediated isothermal amplification, lipoarabinomannan urine strip test, and molecular line-probe assays. However, most of the hospitals in Tanzania still rely on the TB score chart in children, the WHO screening questions in adults, acid-fast bacilli and chest x-ray for the diagnosis of TB. Xpert MTB/RIF has been rolled-out but remains a challenge in settings where the samples for testing must be transported over many kilometers. Imaging by sonography – nowadays widely available even in rural settings of Tanzania – has been shown to be a useful tool in the diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Despite all the efforts and new diagnostics, 30–50 % of patients in high-burden TB countries are still empirically treated for tuberculosis. More efforts need to be placed if we are to reduce the death toll by 90 % until 2030.

Perbandingan Pengaruh Pemberian Jus Semangka dan Minuman Isotonik terhadap Status Hidrasi Atlet Futsal

Status hidrasi merupakan salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi kerja fisik atlet futsal. Komposisi cairan elektrolit yang seimbang dan jumlah yang cukup akan dapat menjaga status hidrasi atlet. Hal tersebut diantisipasi dengan menggunakan bahan alami sebagai minuman olahraga. Buah semangka merupakan buah yang mengandung banyak sekali kandungan air. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh pemberian jus semangka dan minuman isotonik yang di kombinasikan dengan program latihan futsal. 10 orang atlet futsal putra Kota Cimahi berpartisipasi sebagai sampel dalam penelitian ini. Metode yang digunakan yaitu metode eksperimen dengan desain penelitian 2x2 cross over design. Penelitian ini terbagi menjadi 2 periode dengan masing-masing periode dilakukan 3 kali percobaan dengan masa washout 2 hari. Sampel dibagi 2 kelompok dengan kelompok 1 diberi treatment jus semangka dan kelompok 2 diberi minuman isotonik lalu pada periode selanjutnya disilangkan. Jus semangka dan minuman isotonik diminum setiap 20 menit sekali selama 2 jam latihan. Instrumen pengambilan data menggunakan Urinalysis Multisticks Urine Strip Test Stick Strips dengan metode pengukuran berat jenis urin. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukan tidak ada perbedaan nilai rata-rata antara sebelum dan sesudah treatment pada kedua minuman (p>0,05). Dari hasil tersebut dapat disimpulkan bahwa pemberian jus semangka dan minuman isotonik dapat mencegah terjadinya dehidrasi.Keywords : semangka, minuman isotonik, latihan, status hidrasi