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Specific Tests (specific + test)
Selected AbstractsDetection of Helicobacter pylori DNA by a Simple Stool PCR Method in Adult Dyspeptic PatientsHELICOBACTER, Issue 4 2005Nazime ABSTRACT Introduction.,Helicobacter pylori is the major agent causing peptic ulcer, gastric cancer and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) gastric lymphoma. A simple stool polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was performed and compared with the gold standards for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. Material and methods., A total of 54 adult patients (mean age, 46.41 ± 13.12 years) with dyspeptic symptoms from Gastroenterology at Dokuz Eylül University Hospital between May and November 2003 were included. Two antrum and corpus biopsies were taken from each patient. Infection by H. pylori was defined as positivity and negativity of the gold standards. DNA extraction of stool specimens was done using QIAamp DNA Stool Mini Kit (QIAGEN) and PCR conditions included amplification and reamplification steps using the H. pylori ureA gene specific primers (HPU1, HPU2) and were visualized on 1% agarose gel stained with ethidium bromide. Results., Forty-six of 54 patients (85.2%) were diagnosed positive and eight (14.8%) were negative for H. pylori infection by the gold standard methods. Thirty-two patients were positive (59.3%) and 22 of them (40.7%) were detected negative by stool PCR method. The stool PCR method and gold standard methods showed a statistical difference for the detection of H. pylori infection (p < .0001). Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio, and positive and negative predictive values were 65.22%, 75%, 2.61%, 93.75%, and 27.7%, respectively. Discussion., The PCR on the stool specimens resulted as being a very specific test. We suggest that a simple stool PCR method that we developed can be used to detect H. pylori, virulence genes, and in drug resistance studies either first line diagnostic methods in the laboratory or in the clinical management of dyspeptic patients. [source] Characterization of the bone marrow immunofluorescence test in childhood autoimmune neutropeniaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2009S. W. LANE Summary The bone marrow immunofluorescenece test (BMIFT) demonstrates autoantibodies to granulocytes and their precursors on fresh-frozen bone marrow slides. It may be used to differentiate childhood autoimmune neutropenia (AIN) from other causes of childhood neutropenia, even when circulating neutrophil counts are low. We sought to characterize the diagnostic utility of the BMIFT in childhood AIN. All BMIFT requests for investigation of children with neutropenia between January 1998 and May 2007 were reviewed. Patients were classified as AIN or nonautoimmune causes. Baseline demographic data, results of BMIFT, granulocyte immunofluorescence testing and bone marrow findings were collected from clinical records and the institutional laboratory database. Seventy-six children had BMIFT performed for investigation of neutropenia. There were 45 patients diagnosed with AIN, 28 with nonimmune neutropenia and three failed tests. The median age of children with AIN was 1.2 years (range 0.3,15.3), compared with 3.6 years (range 0.1,15.7) in the nonautoimmune group. The median neutrophil count in AIN was 0.3 × 109/l (0.9 × 109/l in nonautoimmune). BMIFT was positive in 24 of 45 patients with AIN and 0 of 28 with nonautoimmune neutropenia (sensitivity 53%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) 100%, negative predictive value 57%). Ten patients had other autoimmune diatheses at diagnosis. The BMIFT is a simple, highly specific test with excellent PPV and thus is a clinically useful test to confirm AIN in children. [source] Simple and specific test for the diagnosis of aspiration into the airways using a corn flour-milk mixture in a hamster modelPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 5 2003Chaim Springer MD Abstract Aspiration into the airways is one of the major causes of lung disease in infants and young children. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of aspiration is often delayed due to unawareness and low sensitivity and specificity of existing diagnostic tests. We tested the efficacy of a new method, using a mixture of corn flour in milk instilled into the trachea, to diagnose aspiration in a hamster model. Forty-five female hamsters were used for the experiments. Twenty hamsters underwent tracheal instillation of 0.1 ml of a mixture of 7.5% corn flour (containing starch granules with a diameter of 2,30 ,m) in milk. Twenty control animals underwent tracheal instillation of saline. Five hamsters served as naive controls. Five animals from the corn flour and saline groups underwent bronchoalveolar lavage on days 1, 3, 7, and 14 after tracheal instillation. Starch granules were identified under light microscopy, using both iodine and Diff-Quik staining in all the corn flour-instilled animals and during all days after tracheal instillation. No starch granules were detected in naive or saline-treated animals. Starch granules were detected over 14 days following tracheal instillation, with a half-life rate of disappearance of about 6 days. Corn flour aspiration in hamsters can be easily identified by light microscopy, using simple laboratory techniques. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2003; 35:400,404. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Airway hyperresponsiveness: the usefulness of airway hyperresponsiveness testing in epidemiology, in diagnosing asthma and in the assessment of asthma severityTHE CLINICAL RESPIRATORY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007Celeste Porsbjerg MD Abstract The present PhD thesis was conducted at the Respiratory Research Unit at the Pulmonary Department L in Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark and describes airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma patients in four studies. The first study concerned risk factors for the development of asthma in young adults in a 12-year prospective follow-up study of a random population sample of 291 children and adolescents from Copenhagen, who were followed up from the age of 7,17 years (1986) until the age of 19,29 years (1998). During follow-up, 16.1% developed asthma, and in these subjects, the most important predictor of asthma development was airway hyperresponsiveness to histamine at baseline. Airway hyperresponsiveness is associated with more severe asthma and a poorer prognosis in terms of more exacerbations and less chance of remission of the disease. The second study described the relation between airway hyper-responsiveness to methacholine and the quality of life in 691 asthma patients: In asthma patients with airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine, the quality of life measured with a validated questionnaire (Junipers Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire) was significantly reduced compared to asthma patients who did not respond to bronchial provocation with methacholine. Airway hyperresponsiveness is not uncommonly observed in non-asthmatics, and the response to bronchial provocation with methacholine is therefore relatively non-specific. The mannitol test is a relatively new bronchial provocation test that acts indirectly on the smooth airway muscle cells through the release of mediators from inflammatory cells in the airways; the mannitol could consequently be a more specific test compared with methacholine. The third study showed that out of 16 non-asthmatics with airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine, 15 did not respond to bronchial provocation with mannitol Because of the mechanism of action of mannitol, it seems plausible that the response to mannitol is more closely correlated to airway inflammation in asthma compared with the response to methacholine. The fourth study showed that in 53 adult asthma patients, who did not receive treatment with inhaled steroids, there was a positive correlation between the degree of airway inflammation and the degree of airway responsiveness to mannitol as well as to methacholine. The mannitol does, however, have the advantage of being a faster and simpler test to perform, requiring no additional equipment apart from a spirometer. Conclusions:, Airway hyperresponsiveness in children and in adolescents without asthma predicts asthma development in adulthood. Asthma patients with airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine have a poorer quality of life as well as more severe disease and a poorer prognosis compared with asthma patients without airway hyperresponsiveness. Bronchial provocation with mannitol as well as with methacholine were useful for evaluating the severity of asthma and the degree of airway inflammation, and accordingly for determining the need for steroid statement. The mannitol test does, however, have practical advantages over the methacholine test that make it preferable for clinical use. [source] General measures of cognition for the preschool childDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 3 2005Elizabeth O. LichtenbergerArticle first published online: 13 SEP 200 Abstract Preschool-age children who are experiencing delays in physical, cognitive, communication, social, emotional, or adaptive development are often referred for a comprehensive assessment to make diagnostic determinations and to help develop appropriate interventions. Typically cognitive assessment has a key role in a comprehensive evaluation of a young child. In this article, five individually administered tests of cognitive ability, normed for the preschool-age child, are reviewed. These specific tests include the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 2nd edition, the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition, the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, 3rd edition, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, 5th edition, and the Differential Abilities Scales. The following is provided for these cognitive instruments: a description of the test procedures, information on scoring systems, highlights of the technical qualities, and a summary of the general meaning of test results. The article concludes with strengths and limitations of the instruments. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. MRDD Research Reviews 2005;11:197,208. [source] Identification, assessment and intervention,implications of an audit on dyslexia policy and practice in ScotlandDYSLEXIA, Issue 3 2005Gavin Reid Abstract This article reports on research commissioned by the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED). It aimed to establish the range and extent of policy and provision in the area of specific learning difficulties (SpLD) and dyslexia throughout Scotland. The research was conducted between January and June 2004 by a team from the University of Edinburgh. The information was gathered from a questionnaire sent to all education authorities (100% response rate was achieved). Additional information was also obtained from supplementary interviews and additional materials provided by education authorities. The results indicated that nine education authorities in Scotland (out of 32) have explicit policies on dyslexia and eight authorities have policies on SpLD. It was noted however that most authorities catered for dyslexia and SpLD within a more generic policy framework covering aspects of Special Educational Needs or within documentation on ,effective learning'. In relation to identification thirty-six specific tests, or procedures, were mentioned. Classroom observation, as a procedure was rated high by most authorities. Eleven authorities operated a formal staged process combining identification and intervention. Generally, authorities supported a broader understanding of the role of identification and assessment and the use of standardized tests was only part of a wider assessment process. It was however noted that good practice in identification and intervention was not necessarily dependent on the existence of a dedicated policy on SpLD/dyslexia. Over fifty different intervention strategies/programmes were noted in the responses. Twenty-four authorities indicated that they had developed examples of good practice. The results have implications for teachers and parents as well as those involved in staff development. Pointers are provided for effective practice and the results reflect some of the issues on the current debate on dyslexia particularly relating to early identification. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Executive functioning in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 6 2010B. McGuinness Abstract Objective To compare performance of patients with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) on tests of executive functioning and working memory. Methods Patients with AD (n,=,76) and VaD (n,=,46) were recruited from a memory clinic along with dementia free participants (n,=,28). They underwent specific tests of working memory from the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) battery and pen and paper tests of executive function including CLOX 1 & 2, EXIT25 and a test of verbal fluency (COWAT). All patients had a CT brain scan which was independently scored for white matter change/ischaemia. Results The AD and VaD groups were significantly impaired on all measures of working memory and executive functioning compared to the disease free group. There were no significant differences between the AD and VaD groups on any measure. Z- scores confirmed the pattern of impairment in executive functioning and working memory was largely equivalent in both patient groups. Small to moderate correlations were seen between the MMSE and the neurocognitive scores in both patient groups and the pattern of correlations was also very similar in both patient groups. Conclusions This study demonstrates sizeable executive functioning and working memory impairments in patients with mild-moderate AD and VaD but no significant differences between the disease groups. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Working memory in early Alzheimer's disease: a neuropsychological reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2010J. D. Huntley Abstract Background Reports of the extent of working memory (WM) impairment in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been inconsistent. Using the model of WM proposed by Baddeley, neuropsychological evidence for the impairment of WM in early AD is evaluated. Method Literature searches were performed using Medline, PsycINFO and Embase databases. Individual papers were then examined for additional references not revealed by computerised searches. Results Phonological loop function is intact at the preclinical and early stages of AD, becoming more impaired as the disease progresses. In mild AD, there is impairment on tasks assessing visuospatial sketchpad (VSS) function; however, these tasks also require executive processing by the central executive system (CES). There is evidence that the CES is impaired in mild AD and may be affected in the earlier preclinical stage of the disease. Episodic buffer function may be impaired but further research is required. Conclusions Future research into central executive functioning at the earliest stages of the disease, combined with further longitudinal studies, needs to be carried out. Tasks to assess the proposed functions of the episodic buffer and specific tests of the VSS suitable for AD subjects need to be developed and validated. Learning more about these processes and how they are affected in AD is important in understanding and managing the cognitive deficits seen in the early stages of AD. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Myth and reality: practical test system for the measurement of anti-DNA antibodies in the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)JOURNAL OF CLINICAL LABORATORY ANALYSIS, Issue 2 2010Laura J. McCloskey Abstract The myth persists that only the labor intensive Farr radioimmunoassay and Crithidia luciliae immunofluorescence (CL-IFA) are systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-specific tests. We compared them to ELISA with bacteriophage , DNA (EL-dsDNA) and denatured calf thymus DNA (EL-ssDNA). By percentile ranking, the specificity cut-off level was set both out of clinical context (SOCC) on 100 blood bank donors, and in clinical context (SICC) on 100 patients with either rheumatoid arthritis or scleroderma (50/50). Clinical sensitivity was calculated on 100 random SLE patients. At 95% SICC, the sensitivity of Farr, CL-IFA, EL-dsDNA, and EL-ssDNA was similar (95%CI): 76% (66,84), 76% (66,84), 63% (53,72), and 75% (65,83), respectively; 87% of the patients were positive by at least one method and 55%by all methods. At 99% SICC, the sensitivity was also similar (95% CI): 57% (47,67), 47% (37,57), 58% (47,67), and 43% (33,53), respectively. The areas under ROC curve were similar (95% CI) when patients were used as controls for specificity. At 99% SOCC, EL-ssDNA identified 89% positive, 2 negative but positive by another method at 95% SICC, and 9 negative (i.e. 89/2/9), followed by CL-IFA (80/6/14), Farr (76/12/12), and EL-dsDNA (64/23/13). Thus, at relatively low cost and easy automation, under the same conditions of specificity, the two ELISA tests combined were at least as good, if not superior, to CL-IFA or Farr: they showed similar clinical sensitivity and also identified more patients with anti-DNA antibodies. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 24:77,84, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The ubiquitous role of zinc in health and diseaseJOURNAL OF VETERINARY EMERGENCY AND CRITICAL CARE, Issue 3 2009DACVIM, Julia E. Cummings DVM Abstract Objective , To review zinc physiology and pathophysiology and the importance of zinc toxicity and deficiency in veterinary patients. Data Sources , A review of human and veterinary medical literature. Human Data Synthesis , There is a significant amount of original research in humans and animals on the role of zinc in multiple organ systems. There is also significant data available on human patients with zinc abnormalities. Veterinary Data Synthesis , Zinc deficiency has been studied in dogs with genetic disease and dietary deficiency leading to dermatological disease and immune deficiency. Zinc toxicity has been described after ingestion of metallic foreign bodies containing zinc. Conclusions , Historically, the role of zinc in health and disease has been studied through patients with toxicity or severe deficiency with obvious clinical signs. As the ubiquitous contribution of zinc to structure and function in biological systems was discovered, clinically significant but subtle deficiency states have been revealed. In human medicine, mild zinc deficiencies are currently thought to cause chronic metabolic derangement leading to or exacerbating immune deficiency, gastrointestinal problems, endocrine disorders, neurologic dysfunction, cancer, accelerated aging, degenerative disease, and more. Determining the causal relationships between mild zinc deficiency and concurrent disease is complicated by the lack of sensitive or specific tests for zinc deficiency. The prevalence of zinc deficiency and its contribution to disease in veterinary patients is not well known. Continued research is warranted to develop more sensitive and specific tests to assess zinc status, to determine which patients are at risk for deficiency, and to optimize supplementation in health and disease. [source] The assessment of fatigue damage on short-fiber-glass reinforced polyamides (PA) through the surface roughness evolutionPOLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 4 2006J.A. Casado This paper analyses quantitatively the surface damage generated by the fatigue micromechanisms of the polyamide 6.6 (PA 6.6) reinforced with short fibre glass, with a series of specific tests for determining the surface roughness (RA) of the normalised specimens previously fatigue tested. The study has demonstrated that when the viscoelastic material is deformed in the fatigue process at a constant speed (d2,/dN2 = 0), crazing phenomena start to appear, distributed uniformly throughout its core. The effects of this damage, which is permanent and can be detected using sweep electron microscopy techniques (SEM), have been quantified through the measurement of the surface roughness of the specimens. In this way, the evolution of the roughness of the material is established as a qualitative index of the development of the nucleation of crazes and, thus, of irreversible damage, as these emerge towards the surface of the material. POLYM. COMPOS., 27:349,359, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Performance of Phonoelectrocardiographic Left Ventricular Systolic Time Intervals and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels in the Diagnosis of Left Ventricular DysfunctionANNALS OF NONINVASIVE ELECTROCARDIOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Brian Moyers M.D. Background: Systolic time intervals measured by echocardiography and carotid artery tracings are validated methods of assessing left ventricular function. However, the clinical utility of phonoelectrocardiographic systolic time intervals for predicting heart failure using newer technology has not been evaluated. Methods: We enrolled 100 adult patients undergoing left heart catheterization. Participants underwent computerized phonoelectrocardiographic analysis, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) measurement, transthoracic echocardiographic measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) testing. The heart rate-adjusted systolic time intervals included the time from the Q wave onset to peak S1 (electromechanical activation time, EMAT), Q wave onset to peak S2 (electromechanical systole, Q-S2), and peak S1 to peak S2 (left ventricular systolic time, LVST). Left ventricular dysfunction was defined as the presence of both LVEDP >15 mmHg and LVEF <50%. Results: EMAT (r =,0.51; P < 0.0001), EMAT/LVST (r =,0.41; P = 0.0001), and Q-S2 (r =,0.39; P = 0.0003) correlated with LVEF, but not with LVEDP. An abnormal EMAT ,15 (odds ratio 1.38, P < 0.0001) and EMAT/LVST ,0.40 (OR 1.13, P = 0.002) were associated with left ventricular dysfunction. EMAT ,15 had 44% sensitivity, 94% specificity, and a 7.0 likelihood ratio for left ventricular dysfunction, while EMAT/LVST ,0.40 had 55% sensitivity, 95% specificity, and a 11.7 likelihood ratio. In patients with an intermediate BNP (100,500 pg/mL), the likelihood ratio increased from 1.1 using the BNP result alone to 11.0 when adding a positive EMAT test for predicting left ventricular dysfunction. Conclusions: Phonoelectrocardiographic measures of systolic time intervals are insensitive but highly specific tests for detecting abnormalities in objective markers of left ventricular function. EMAT and EMAT/LVST provide diagnostic information independent of BNP for detecting patients with left ventricular dysfunction. [source] Quantifying Genomic Imprinting in the Presence of LinkageBIOMETRICS, Issue 4 2006Quentin Vincent Summary Genomic imprinting decreases the power of classical linkage analysis, in which paternal and maternal transmissions of marker alleles are equally weighted. Several methods have been proposed for taking genomic imprinting into account in the model-free linkage analysis of binary traits. However, none of these methods are suitable for the formal identification and quantification of genomic imprinting in the presence of linkage. In addition, the available methods are designed for use with pure sib-pairs, requiring artificial decomposition in cases of larger sibships, leading to a loss of power. We propose here the maximum likelihood binomial method adaptive for imprinting (MLB-I), which is a unified analytic framework giving rise to specific tests in sibships of any size for (i) linkage adaptive to imprinting, (ii) genomic imprinting in the presence of linkage, and (iii) partial versus complete genomic imprinting. In addition, we propose an original measure for quantifying genomic imprinting. We have derived and validated the distribution of the three tests under their respective null hypotheses for various genetic models, and have assessed the power of these tests in simulations. This method can readily be applied to genome-wide scanning, as illustrated here for leprosy sibships. Our approach provides a novel tool for dissecting genomic imprinting in model-free linkage analysis, and will be of considerable value for identifying and evaluating the contribution of imprinted genes to complex diseases. [source] 4223: Neuro-ophthalmic considerations and investigationsACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010FX BORRUAT Functional non-organic patients can be a challenge to the clinical practitioner. Most likely they will complain of decreased visual acuity and/or of altered visual field. However some patients can complain of oculomotility disturbances (diplopia, oscillopsia, ophthalmoplegia), can present with relative eyelid ptosis, or will exhibit anisocoria. This presentation will highlight certain typical findings of such patients as well as which specific tests can be used in order to detect the non-organic nature of their complaints. [source] | ||||||||||