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Chembiochem : a European Journal of... Oct 2020Fast and widespread diagnosis is crucial to fighting against the outbreak of COVID-19. This work surveys the landscape of available and emerging biosensor technologies... (Review)
Review
Fast and widespread diagnosis is crucial to fighting against the outbreak of COVID-19. This work surveys the landscape of available and emerging biosensor technologies for COVID-19 testing. Molecular diagnostic assays based on quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction are used in most clinical laboratories. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed testing capacity and motivated the development of fast point-of-care tests and the adoption of isothermal DNA amplification. Antigenic and serological rapid tests based on lateral-flow immunoassays suffer from low sensitivity. Advanced digital systems enhance performance at the expense of speed and the need for large equipment. Emerging technologies, including CRISPR gene-editing tools, benefit from high sensitivity and specificity of molecular diagnostics and the easy use of lateral-flow assays. DNA sequencing and sample pooling strategies are highlighted to bring out the full capacity of the available biosensor technologies and accelerate mass testing.
Topics: Betacoronavirus; Biosensing Techniques; COVID-19; COVID-19 Testing; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Coronavirus Infections; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Humans; Immunoassay; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 32367615
DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000250 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Dec 2017Dengue detection strategies involve viral RNA, antigen, and/or antibody detection. Each strategy has its advantages and disadvantages. Optimal, user-friendly, rapid... (Review)
Review
Dengue detection strategies involve viral RNA, antigen, and/or antibody detection. Each strategy has its advantages and disadvantages. Optimal, user-friendly, rapid diagnostic tests based on immunochromatographic assays are pragmatic point-of-care tests (POCTs) in regions where dengue is endemic where there are limited laboratory capabilities and optimal storage conditions. Increasingly, there is a greater public health significance for a multiplexing assay that differentiates dengue from Zika or pathogens with similar clinical presentations. Although there have been many assay/platform developments toward POCTs, independent validation and implementation remain very limited. This review highlights the current key progress and challenges toward the development of a dengue POCT.
Topics: Dengue; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Humans; Point-of-Care Systems
PubMed: 28904181
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00707-17 -
Theranostics 2016DNA methyltransferases (MTases), a family of enzymes that catalyse the methylation of DNA, have a profound effect on gene regulation. A large body of evidence has... (Review)
Review
DNA methyltransferases (MTases), a family of enzymes that catalyse the methylation of DNA, have a profound effect on gene regulation. A large body of evidence has indicated that DNA MTase is potentially a predictive biomarker closely associated with genetic disorders and genetic diseases like cancer. Given the attention bestowed onto DNA MTases in molecular biology and medicine, highly sensitive detection of DNA MTase activity is essential in determining gene regulation, epigenetic modification, clinical diagnosis and therapeutics. Conventional techniques such as isotope labelling are effective, but they often require laborious sample preparation, isotope labelling, sophisticated equipment and large amounts of DNA, rendering them unsuitable for uses at point-of-care. Simple, portable, highly sensitive and low-cost assays are urgently needed for DNA MTase activity screening. In most recent technological advances, many alternative DNA MTase activity assays such as fluorescent, electrochemical, colorimetric and chemiluminescent assays have been proposed. In addition, many of them are coupled with nanomaterials and/or enzymes to significantly enhance their sensitivity. Herein we review the progress in the development of DNA MTase activity assays with an emphasis on assay mechanism and performance with some discussion on challenges and perspectives. It is hoped that this article will provide a broad coverage of DNA MTase activity assays and their latest developments and open new perspectives toward the development of DNA MTase activity assays with much improved performance for uses in molecular biology and clinical practice.
Topics: DNA; DNA Modification Methylases; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Humans; Molecular Biology
PubMed: 26909112
DOI: 10.7150/thno.13438 -
AIDS Reviews 2016HIV infection and viral hepatitis due to HBV and HCV infection are major causes of chronic disease worldwide, and share some common routes of transmission, epidemiology,... (Review)
Review
HIV infection and viral hepatitis due to HBV and HCV infection are major causes of chronic disease worldwide, and share some common routes of transmission, epidemiology, initial barriers faced in treatment access, and in strategies for a global public health response. Testing and diagnosis of HIV, HBV, and HCV infection is the gateway for access to both care and treatment and prevention services, and crucial for an effective HIV and hepatitis epidemic response. In this review article, we first summarize the common goals and guiding principles in a public health approach to HIV and hepatitis testing. We summarize the impressive global progress in HIV testing scale-up and evolution of approaches, with expansion of provider-initiated testing and counseling in clinical settings (particularly antenatal and tuberculosis clinics), the introduction of more community based testing services, and use of rapid diagnostic tests enabling provision of same-day test results. However, 46% of all people living with HIV are still unaware of their serostatus, and many continue to be diagnosed and start antiretroviral therapy late. As testing and treatment scale-up accelerates for an "treat all" approach, other challenges to address include how to better focus testing and reach those yet undiagnosed and most at risk, especially key populations, men, adolescents, and children. We summarize future directions in HIV testing to speed scale-up and close gaps that are addressed in the WHO 2015 consolidated HIV testing guidelines. In contrast to HIV, action in hepatitis testing and treatment has been fragmented and limited to a few countries, and there remains a large burden of undiagnosed cases globally. We summarize key challenges in the hepatitis testing response, including lack of simple, reliable, and low-cost diagnostic tests, laboratory capacity, and testing facilities; inadequate data to guide country specific hepatitis testing approaches and who to screen; stigmatization and social marginalization of those with or at risk of viral hepatitis; and lack of international or national guidelines on hepatitis testing for resource-limited settings. We highlight some of the key lessons applicable to hepatitis from the experience of expansion and diversification of HIV testing approaches over the last 30 years of the HIV response; in addition to forthcoming WHO tools to support the hepatitis global response. This includes a new 2016-2020 global hepatitis health sector strategy with testing and diagnosis targets, and 2016 WHO guidelines on hepatitis testing.
Topics: Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Global Health; HIV Infections; Health Resources; Hepatitis; Humans; Mass Screening; Public Health; Time Factors; World Health Organization
PubMed: 26991825
DOI: No ID Found -
Clinical Gastroenterology and... Nov 2018The widespread adoption of high-resolution manometry (HRM) has led to a restructuring in the classification of esophageal motility disorder classification summarized in... (Review)
Review
The widespread adoption of high-resolution manometry (HRM) has led to a restructuring in the classification of esophageal motility disorder classification summarized in the Chicago Classification, currently in version 3.0. It has become apparent that the cardinal feature of achalasia, impaired lower esophageal sphincter relaxation, can occur in several disease phenotypes: without peristalsis, with premature (spastic) distal esophageal contractions, with panesophageal pressurization, or even with preserved peristalsis. Furthermore, despite these advances in diagnostics, no single manometric pattern is perfectly sensitive or specific for idiopathic achalasia and complimentary assessments with provocative maneuvers during HRM or interrogating the esophagogastric junction with the functional luminal imaging probe during endoscopy can be useful in clarifying equivocal or inexplicable HRM findings. Using these tools, we have come to conceptualize esophageal motility disorders as characterized by obstructive physiology at the esophagogastric junction, smooth muscle esophagus, or both. Recognizing obstructive physiology as a primary target of therapy has become particularly relevant with the development of a minimally invasive technique for performing a calibrated myotomy of the esophageal circular muscle, the POEM procedure. Now and going forward, optimal management is to render treatment in a phenotype-specific manner: e.g. POEM calibrated to patient-specific physiology for spastic achalasia and spastic disorders of the smooth muscle esophagus, more conservative strategies (pneumatic dilation) for the disorders limited to the sphincter.
Topics: Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Disease Management; Esophageal Motility Disorders; Esophagoscopy; Gastroenterology; Humans; Manometry
PubMed: 29702296
DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2018.04.026 -
American Journal of Audiology Sep 2023This study examined current auditory processing disorder (APD) protocols and audiologists' perspectives on the active debate seen in the literature regarding the status...
PURPOSE
This study examined current auditory processing disorder (APD) protocols and audiologists' perspectives on the active debate seen in the literature regarding the status of APD as a unique disorder.
METHOD
This study used a cross-sectional, nonexperimental survey design. The participants were 134 U.S. audiologists, representing diversity across experience level and work setting.
RESULTS
Popular APD tests from prior surveys remain popular, and a few new tests have emerged. Most audiologists use diverse strategies to identify potential comorbid disorders as part of their APD protocol, including multidisciplinary assessment and referral to other specialists. Most participants disagreed with the assertion that APD is not a unique disorder; however, many also pointed out that patients' struggles with listening need to be the primary focus of APD assessment and management, regardless of the label of the disorder. Qualitative analysis of participant comments on the controversy yielded six themes: Clinical Experience, Comorbidity, Listening Skills, Literature Support, Overdiagnosis, and More Information Needed.
CONCLUSION
Most participants consider APD to be a unique disorder, citing clinical experience and the literature for support; however, many also indicated APD is complicated by comorbidity and APD may be overdiagnosed.
Topics: Humans; Audiologists; Auditory Perceptual Disorders; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Referral and Consultation; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 37625132
DOI: 10.1044/2023_AJA-23-00035 -
Journal of Neuro-ophthalmology : the... Dec 2020
Topics: Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Eye Diseases; Humans; Neurology; Ophthalmologists; Ophthalmology
PubMed: 33186263
DOI: 10.1097/WNO.0000000000001149 -
The Journal of Infectious Diseases Apr 2015To accelerate the fight against tuberculosis, major diagnostic challenges need to be addressed urgently. Post-2015 targets are unlikely to be met without the use of... (Review)
Review
To accelerate the fight against tuberculosis, major diagnostic challenges need to be addressed urgently. Post-2015 targets are unlikely to be met without the use of novel diagnostics that are more accurate and can be used closer to where patients first seek care in affordable diagnostic algorithms. This article describes the efforts by the stakeholder community that led to the identification of the high-priority diagnostic needs in tuberculosis. Subsequently target product profiles for the high-priority diagnostic needs were developed and reviewed in a World Health Organization (WHO)-led consensus meeting. The high-priority diagnostic needs included (1) a sputum-based replacement test for smear-microscopy; (2) a non-sputum-based biomarker test for all forms of tuberculosis, ideally suitable for use at levels below microscopy centers; (3) a simple, low cost triage test for use by first-contact care providers as a rule-out test, ideally suitable for use by community health workers; and (4) a rapid drug susceptibility test for use at the microscopy center level. The developed target product profiles, along with complimentary work presented in this supplement, will help to facilitate the interaction between the tuberculosis community and the diagnostics industry with the goal to lead the way toward the post-2015 global tuberculosis targets.
Topics: Biomarkers; Biomedical Research; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Health Priorities; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Sputum; Tuberculosis
PubMed: 25765104
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiu821 -
Journal of General Internal Medicine Jul 2018
Topics: Diagnostic Errors; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Humans
PubMed: 29713882
DOI: 10.1007/s11606-018-4454-2 -
Indian Journal of Pathology &... 2015
Topics: Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Editorial Policies; Humans; Microbiological Techniques; Pathology; Periodicals as Topic; Plagiarism
PubMed: 25673581
DOI: 10.4103/0377-4929.151152