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Rapid Diagnostic Test (rapid + diagnostic_test)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	83%

Selected Abstracts

The Use of a Rapid Diagnostic Test to Determine Malaria as a Cause of Death

JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2003
François Chappuis
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

A 15 - minute [13C]-urea breath test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia

JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 3 2000
Nan-Jing Peng
Abstract Background: Non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) accounts for the majority of dyspeptic patients and studies on the epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori infection in NUD depend on a non-invasive and rapid diagnostic test. This study was performed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of a 15-min simplified protocol of the [13C]-urea breath test ([13C]-UBT) for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection in patients with NUD. Methods: One hundred and thirty-six patients with a clinical and endoscopic diagnosis of NUD were included. The [13C]-UBT was modified from the European standard protocol. The baseline breath sample was collected 5 min after the patient took a test meal and the 13CO2 was collected 15 min after the patient drank 100 mg [13C]-urea. The gold standard used for comparison was either a positive culture or positive histology + positive rapid urease test sampled on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Results: The prevalence of H. pylori infection in NUD by the gold standard was 59.6%, whereas that calculated by the [13C]-UBT was 60.3%. The sensitivity and specificity of [13C]-UBT was 93.8 and 89.1% compared with the gold standard. The shortened collection time and simplification of the procedure may have led to a decline in specificity. Conclusion: The 15-min [13C]-UBT is a rapid but less specific protocol for detecting the presence of H. pylori infection in patients with NUD. © 2000 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd [source]

Performance of the Now Malaria rapid diagnostic test with returned travellers: a 2-year retrospective study in a French teaching hospital

CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 11 2005
F. Durand
Abstract Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum remains the major life-threatening parasitic infection in the world. The number of cases in non-endemic countries continues to increase, and it is important that misdiagnosis of malaria should not occur, especially in non-immune travellers, because of the high risk of a fatal outcome. In a retrospective study of 399 sera, the Now Malaria rapid test was compared with the quantitative buffy coat (QBC) test and microbiological examination of thin blood films. Compared with the QBC test and thin blood films, the Now Malaria test had sensitivity and specificity values of 96.4% and 97%, respectively, for the detection of pure P. falciparum infection. A negative predictive value of 99.4% allows this test to be included in diagnostic strategies for patients presenting with clinical suspicion of malaria. Two false-negative results were associated with low levels of parasitaemia in the specimens. Thus, use of the Now Malaria test alone to detect P. falciparum infection in non-endemic countries could lead to misdiagnosis of malaria. This rapid diagnostic test should therefore be performed in association with another prompt traditional method such as examination of thin blood films. [source]

Antifungal prophylaxis in adult stem cell transplantation and haematological malignancy

INTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL, Issue 6b 2008
M. A. Slavin
Abstract Antifungal prophylaxis can be recommended in patients undergoing induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia and treatment for grade 2 or greater or chronic extensive graft versus host disease. The evidence for prophylaxis is less clear in other clinical settings although certain groups such as patients with prolonged neutropenia after stem cell transplants using bone marrow or cord blood sources and with impaired cell mediated immunity secondary to treatments such as Alemtuzumab are at high risk. The decision to use prophylaxis and which agent to use will be influenced by effectiveness, number needed to treat and the likelihood of toxicity and drug interactions. The availability of rapid diagnostic tests for fungal infection and institutional epidemiology will also influence the need for and choice of prophylaxis. Whilst prophylaxis can be beneficial, it may impede the ability to make a rapid diagnosis of fungal infection by reducing the yield of diagnostic tests and change the epidemiology of fungal infection. As non-culture based diagnostic tests are refined and become more available there may be a shift from prophylaxis to early diagnosis and treatment. [source]

Detection of resistance to acetolactate synthase inhibitors in weeds with emphasis on DNA-based techniques: a review

PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 7 2006
Cheryl-Ann L Corbett
Abstract Resistance to herbicides inhibiting acetolactate synthase (ALS) has been increasing at a faster rate than in any other herbicide group. The great majority of these cases are due to various single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the ALS gene endowing target site resistance. Many diagnostic techniques have been devised in order to confirm resistance and help producers to adopt the best management strategies. Recent advances in DNA technologies coupled with the knowledge of sequence information have allowed the development of accurate and rapid diagnostic tests. While whole plant-based diagnostic techniques such as seedling bioassays or enzyme-based in vitro bioassays provide accurate results, they tend to be labour- and/or space-intensive and will only respond to the particular herbicides tested, making resolution of cross-resistance patterns more difficult. Successful DNA-based diagnosis of ALS inhibitor resistance has been achieved with three main techniques, (1) restriction fragment length polymorphism, (2) polymerase chain reaction amplification of specific alleles and (3) denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography. All DNA-based techniques are relatively rapid and provide clear identification of the mutations causing resistance. Resistance based on non-target mechanisms is not identified by these DNA-based methods; however, given the prevalence of target site-based ALS inhibitor resistance, this is a minor inconvenience. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry [source]