Early Detection Of Infection Research Articles

Епідемічні показники щодо кору в Одеській області

Актуальність. З метою елімінації кору в усьому світі група експертів Всесвітньої організації охорони здоров’я рекомендує приділяти підвищену увагу поліпшенню системи імунізації загалом, проводити раннє виявлення випадків інфікування, оцінку рівня імунного захисту населення, а також поліпшувати мережу лабораторної служби для своєчасної діагностики та запобігання поширенню цієї інфекції. Мета — вивчення динаміки захворюваності на кір в Одеській області у 2010–2018 роках, визначення впливу на епідемічний процес кількості вакцинованих та серопозитивних осіб. Матеріали та методи. За допомогою аналітичних та статистичних підходів проведено епідемічний аналіз матеріалів звітної документації ДУ «Одеський обласний лабораторний центр» МОЗУ для дослідження матеріалів від хворих із підозрою на кір в Одеській області за 2010–2018 роки. Результати. Захворюваність на кір по Одесі та Одеській області з 2010 по 2018 рік загалом збігалась з періодичністю епідемічних підйомів захворюваності по Україні. Переважною більшістю захворілих були діти 1–4 та 5–9 років, а також особи з вікової групи понад 30 років. Частка наявності протикорового IgG у досліджуваних у 2018 році за усіма віковими групами становила в середньому 69,46 %. Висновки. Для забезпечення епідемічного благополуччя населення по Одесі та Одеській області слід підвищити частку вакцинованих осіб до 95 %, що зможе запобігти поширенню інфекції серед населення.

English

Distal femur fractures are about 7 % of all femur fractures.1 Being complex in nature management of these fractures is difficult; management is still a challenge in this technically advanced era. Fibular strut graft is one of the useful and simple options to manage defects in distal femur fractures. High velocity injuries causing open fractures may lead to infection and non-union of fracture if proper debridement and antibiotics are not used as per established protocol. Antibiotics can be given mixed with polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) cement formed in beads at the open fracture site or coated over a nail.2 This causes slow release of antibiotics and helps in control of infection. Local infection, damaged soft tissue, ischemia over fracture site, stabilisation of fracture, the hardware used and patient’s co morbidities all play a role in union and infection control of open fractures. Early detection of infection is important to avoid non-union and related complications. Distal femur juxta-articular fracture may develop infection due to fractures and unstable fixation more commonly. This may result in cavity formation and complications like osteomyelitis often leading to bone destruction and sequestrum formation. Its management becomes a challenging task for an orthopaedic surgeon.3- 9 The reconstructive methods are autogenous cortical bone, cancellous bone, allograft, bone substitutes like synthetic bone blocks and bone granules. Free bone transfer is crucial in reconstructing massive defects in distal femur fracture due to properties of rapid healing and being hypertrophic.7-13 Fibula is the best available option for grafting in massive defects of femur due to its characteristics like mechanical strength, length, minimum morbidity, and resistance to infection.3,11,13 A single fibula strut graft can give up to 26 cm of graft. The case reported here is of a patient of juxta-articular bone defect in an infected previously operated fracture distal femur using autologous fibular strut and iliac crest graft

Smart sensor implant technology in total knee arthroplasty

Innovations in computer technology and implant design have paved the way for the development of smart instruments and intelligent implants in trauma and orthopaedics to improve patient-related functional outcomes. Sensor technology uses embedded devices that detect physical, chemical and biological signals and provide a way for these signals to be measured and recorded. Sensor technology applications have been introduced in various fields of medicine in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of diseases. Intelligent ‘Smart’ implants are devices that can provide diagnostic capabilities along with therapeutic benefits. In trauma and orthopaedics, applications of sensors is increasing because of the advances in microchip technologies for implant devices and research designs. It offers real-time monitoring from the signals transmitted by the embedded sensors and thus provides early management solutions. Smart orthopaedic implants have applications in total knee arthroplasty, hip arthroplasty, spine surgery, fracture healing, early detection of infection and implant loosening. Here we have explored the role of Smart sensor implant technology in total knee arthroplasty. Smart sensor assisted can be used intraoperatively to provide objective assessment of ligament and soft tissue balancing whilst maintaining the sagittal and coronal alignment to achieve desired kinematic targets following total knee arthroplasty. It can also provide post-implantation data to monitor implant performance in natural conditions and patient's clinical recovery during rehabilitation. The use of Smart Sensor implant technology in total knee arthroplasty appears to provide superior patient satisfaction rates and improved functional outcomes.

Analytical and clinical evaluation of a novel assay for measurement of interleukin 6 in human whole blood samples.

BackgroundInterleukin 6 assays are useful in early detection of infections and risk stratification of critically ill patients, so an assay with a short turnaround‐time and near‐patient use is preferred. This study evaluated the performance of a new interleukin 6 assay, Pylon IL‐6 assay, and explored its potential use in near‐patient settings.MethodsWe carried out imprecision, linearity and comparison studies using serum and plasma samples according to CLSI EP guidelines. The stability of whole blood samples during storage was assessed. Furthermore, whole blood samples from pediatric patients with suspected infection were measured to evaluate the assay's diagnostic performance.ResultsThe within‐run CVs and total CVs of Pylon IL‐6 assay were determined as 1.8% and 3.0% at 159.3 pg/ml and 3.5% and 4.7% at 8009.9 pg/ml, respectively. The method showed linearity between 1.5 and 42,854 pg/ml. The results of serum samples measured by Pylon assays correlated to those measured by Roche assays, as well as to those of matched whole blood samples measured by Pylon assays. IL‐6 in whole blood was found stable for ~8 h at room temperature. Pylon IL‐6 results of whole blood samples from 179 pediatric patients with suspected infection showed an AUC of 0.842 in diagnosis of bacterial infection. The turnaround time of Pylon IL‐6 assay was only 1 h when using whole blood samples.ConclusionThe new assay demonstrated performance comparable to those performed on clinical laboratory instruments and can be used in near‐patient settings with whole blood to reduce turnaround times.

Experience with a mobile CT scanner as part of an airmobile hospital of the Ministry of Emergencies of Russia in the field conditions of the Far North to combat the outbreak of a new coronavirus infection

Background. Large-scale construction of industrial and transport facilities is underway in the Far North of Russia. The process involves more than 10,000 shift workers, and there was a Covid19 outbreak in this population. In order to contain the outbreak and prevent the spread of infection in this area the Russian Emergencies Ministry deployed an airmobile hospital.Purpose. The purpose is to present an experience of work with the mobile CT scanner as part of an airmobile field hospital deployed in the Far North of Russia to combat the Covid-19 outbreak.Materials and methods. On April 6, 2020, the construction site reported a “zero patient” who sought medical aid; the PCR test showed positive results of coronavirus. In the first half of April, over 300 rotation employees applied for medical care, most of them had a positive PCR test. On April 11, a state of emergency was declared in the construction site and, on April 17, 2020, airmobile hospital started operations. Its mission lasted 54 days. The mobile CT scanner (Brightspeed Elite Mobile, GE) was transported by land. The field hospital closely cooperated with the nearest medical institutions and the regional clinical hospital.Results. During its work the airmobile hospital examined 1,678 rotational workers and 408 employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Murmansk region, with 2,086 CT scans performed. The average age of the patients was 37.8 years, men predominated. In 91.2% of patients, fever was the first symptom of the disease. Blood saturation results ranged from 92% to 99%. The degree of lung involvement ranged from CT 0 to CT 4. During the work of the airmobile hospital, COVID-19 was diagnosed in 500 people, including 328 cases of mild form, 98 – moderate, 74 – severe, no mortalities.Conclusion. A positive experience of application of the mobile CT scanner as part of the AMH field hospital in unfavorable epidemiological conditions of the Far North of the Russian Federation was obtained. CT plays a key role in early detection of infection, differential diagnosis, and identification of complications. Determination of the severity of the disease based on CT data is crucial for patient routing.

A Study of Level of C-reactive Protein in Preterm Labor and Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes

Context: Preterm delivery is one of the most important causes of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Early detection of infection is most important during the conservative management of patients with preterm labor. CRP is one of the sensitive markers of systemic inflammation and hence, a suitable marker for predicting risk of preterm delivery. This study was thus planned with an aim to establish the association between maternal plasma CRP levels in pregnancy and risk of preterm delivery. Aims: To study the association between the level of CRP and preterm labor and PPROM. Methods and Materials: The study included 150 women with singleton pregnancy with gestational age between 28-36+6 weeks who experienced PTL and PPROM. The study was conducted over a period of 24 months from November 2018 – October 2020. Venous blood samples were drawn from these patients and Serum CRP level was estimated. Results: 103 (68.7%) out of 150 patients enrolled in the study had elevated levels of Serum CRP >/=7 mg/L thus showing a significant statistical relation between S.CRP and PTL, PPROM. The mean S.CRP value being 12.0 ± 5.9 mg/L. The relation between S.CRP and its variation with gestational age was also found to be highly significant, showing the mean value of S.CRP to be highest among gestational age between 28-30 weeks and lowest among 35-36 weeks. Conclusions: CRP can thus be established as a biochemical marker for prediction of PTL and can be used as a non-invasive screening tool to detect cases that are at risk of PTL and PPROM.

Detection of Helicobacter pylori infection by 14 C urea breath test in asymptomatic adults: A pilot study in Kanbauk village tract

As Helicobacter pylori infection is highly prevalent estimated to be affecting more than 50% of the world's populations and implicated in the pathogenesis of several gastric diseases including gastric cancer, early detection of infection even before symptoms appears to be one of the most important strategies in management. This study was aimed to detect infection by 14C urea breath test and to describe the risk factors in asymptomatic adults at Kanbauk village-tract, located in Southern Myanmar. It was a community-based, cross-sectional prevalence study conducted between 4 and 9 October 2019. After thorough history taking, physical examination, obtaining informed consent, and fasting for 5 h, H pylori infection was detected by 14C urea breath testing. Among 149 volunteers, infection was detected in 68.46% of the study population. The prevalence of H pylori infection in male patients was 66.7% and in female patients was 75%. There was no statistically significant association between H pylori infection and gender (P = 0.36). The mean age of H pylori infected patients was 37.4 years (SD ± 9.14) and it did not differ significantly (P = 0.421). Subjects who never attended government school were found out to have a significant association with H pylori infection (P = 0.006). Other factors such as family income, household numbers, smoking, betel chewing habit, alcohol consumption, BMI and blood groups were found to be no significant risk factors for H pylori infection. The prevalence of H pylori in Kanbauk village tract was comparable to two different community studies conducted in Myanmar.

Etching Time on Structural and Electrical Properties of Porous Silicon SERS Substrates for Non-Invasive Dengue-NS1 Detection

: Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a sensitive and specific analytical technique which has been explored in many applications, including disease detection. However, SERS performance is highly dependent on type of SERS substrate. This work is aimed to develop a SERS substrate that is sensitive to an early dengue virus biomarker known as Dengue virus nonstructural 1 (DENV-NS1) protein from saliva of infected patients. The new SERS substrate will allow non-invasive and rapid detection method for Dengue as early as day one of infection. Early detection of infection within the first five days is crucial to monitoring patients to help in reducing the fatality rate. Here, the electrochemical etching technique is employed to fabricate porous silicon (pSi) with variation in structural features to serve as the SERS substrate base. Variation in surface structural and electrical properties of pSi with etching time is recorded. Structural surface properties of the samples are investigated using the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). While the electrical properties are observed through I-V, resistivity and conductivity curve. From FESEM images, micro size cross-shaped porous structures are observed to have formed. Top-view reveals micro-size cross-shaped structures, while triangle-shaped structures from the cross-sectional view. The size of the structure formed increases with the etching time. Based on the structural and electrical properties an etching time between 20 to 28 minutes is found optimal for producing more uniform surface structures.

Early detection of COVID-19 in the UK using self-reported symptoms: a large-scale, prospective, epidemiological surveillance study

SummaryBackgroundSelf-reported symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic have been used to train artificial intelligence models to identify possible infection foci. To date, these models have only considered the culmination or peak of symptoms, which is not suitable for the early detection of infection. We aimed to estimate the probability of an individual being infected with SARS-CoV-2 on the basis of early self-reported symptoms to enable timely self-isolation and urgent testing.MethodsIn this large-scale, prospective, epidemiological surveillance study, we used prospective, observational, longitudinal, self-reported data from participants in the UK on 19 symptoms over 3 days after symptoms onset and COVID-19 PCR test results extracted from the COVID-19 Symptom Study mobile phone app. We divided the study population into a training set (those who reported symptoms between April 29, 2020, and Oct 15, 2020) and a test set (those who reported symptoms between Oct 16, 2020, and Nov 30, 2020), and used three models to analyse the self-reported symptoms: the UK's National Health Service (NHS) algorithm, logistic regression, and the hierarchical Gaussian process model we designed to account for several important variables (eg, specific COVID-19 symptoms, comorbidities, and clinical information). Model performance to predict COVID-19 positivity was compared in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the test set. For the hierarchical Gaussian process model, we also evaluated the relevance of symptoms in the early detection of COVID-19 in population subgroups stratified according to occupation, sex, age, and body-mass index.FindingsThe training set comprised 182 991 participants and the test set comprised 15 049 participants. When trained on 3 days of self-reported symptoms, the hierarchical Gaussian process model had a higher prediction AUC (0·80 [95% CI 0·80–0·81]) than did the logistic regression model (0·74 [0·74–0·75]) and the NHS algorithm (0·67 [0·67–0·67]). AUCs for all models increased with the number of days of self-reported symptoms, but were still high for the hierarchical Gaussian process model at day 1 (0·73 [95% CI 0·73–0·74]) and day 2 (0·79 [0·78–0·79]). At day 3, the hierarchical Gaussian process model also had a significantly higher sensitivity, but a non-statistically lower specificity, than did the two other models. The hierarchical Gaussian process model also identified different sets of relevant features to detect COVID-19 between younger and older subgroups, and between health-care workers and non-health-care workers. When used during different pandemic periods, the model was robust to changes in populations.InterpretationEarly detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection is feasible with our model. Such early detection is crucial to contain the spread of COVID-19 and efficiently allocate medical resources.FundingZOE, the UK Government Department of Health and Social Care, the Wellcome Trust, the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the UK National Institute for Health Research, the UK Medical Research Council, the British Heart Foundation, the Alzheimer's Society, the Chronic Disease Research Foundation, and the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness.

Passive Sampling of SARS-CoV-2 for Wastewater Surveillance.

The shedding of pathogens by infected humans enables the use of sewage monitoring to conduct wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Although most WBE studies use data from large sewage treatment plants, timely data from smaller catchments are needed for targeted public health action. Traditional sampling methods, like autosamplers or grab sampling, are not conducive to quick ad hoc deployments and high-resolution monitoring at these smaller scales. This study develops and validates a cheap and easily deployable passive sampler unit, made from readily available consumables, with relevance to the COVID-19 pandemic but with broader use for WBE. We provide the first evidence that passive samplers can be used to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater from populations with low prevalence of active COVID-19 infections (0.034 to 0.34 per 10,000), demonstrating their ability for early detection of infections at three different scales (lot, suburb, and city). A side by side evaluation of passive samplers (n = 245) and traditionally collected wastewater samples (n = 183) verified that the passive samplers were sensitive at detecting SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. On all 33 days where we directly compared traditional and passive sampling techniques, at least one passive sampler was positive when the average SARS-CoV-2 concentration in the wastewater equaled or exceeded the quantification limit of 1.8 gene copies per mL (n = 7). Moreover, on 13 occasions where wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations were less than 1.8 gene copies per mL, one or more passive samplers were positive. Finally, there was a statistically significant (p < 0.001) positive relationship between the concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and the levels found on the passive samplers, indicating that with further evaluation, these devices could yield semi-quantitative results in the future. Passive samplers have the potential for wide use in WBE with attractive feasibility attributes of cost, ease of deployment at small-scale locations, and continuous sampling of the wastewater. Further research will focus on the optimization of laboratory methods including elution and extraction and continued parallel deployment and evaluations in a variety of settings to inform optimal use in wastewater surveillance.

Use of Immunochromatographic SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Testing in Eight Long-Term Care Facilities for the Elderly.

The clinical validation of the NADAL COVID-19 antigen test (Nal von Minden, Moers, Germany) started in eight Slovenian long-term health care facilities in October 2020. The purpose of clinical validation is to implement the test into the everyday working process in long-term care (LTC) facilities and demonstrate how it can be used to mitigate the spread of the virus in these environments. The facilities compared the results of antigen tests to the results obtained using Cobas 6800 SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (Roche, USA). Sensitivity (86.96%, 95% CI: 66.41–97.23%) and specificity (88.24%, 95% CI: 80.35–93.77%) of the NADAL COVID-19 antigen test were good. Rapid antigen testing served well for early detection of infection and helped to prevent and control spread of the SARS Cov2 in six out of eight LTCs. Moreover, mini-outbreaks were quickly resolved in all six LTCs. Locally validated immunochromatographic SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing can be used to contain the spread of the virus in LTCs. Antigen tests also deliver accurate information very quickly if used early with a low threshold. The NADAL COVID-19 antigen test proved to be a good screening tool to detect SARS-COV-2 in LTCs.

Association between admission serum procalcitonin and the occurrence of acute kidney injury in patients with septic shock: A retrospective cohort study.

Procalcitonin (PCT) is an effective and sensitive diagnostic biomarker that can facilitate the early detection of infection and septicemia, but whether it can similarly be utilized to predict the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients suffering from septic shock remains to be established. Herein, the relationship between serum PCT at admission and the onset of AKI in septic shock patients was thus evaluated following adjustment for other potential covariates. This was a retrospective cohort study of 303 septic shock patients treated in a Chinese hospital between May 2015 and May 2019. All patients in whom PCT levels were measured on admission and who did not exhibit AKI or chronic kidney disease at the time of admission were assessed for AKI development within one week following intensive care unit (ICU) admission as per the KDIGO criteria. The relationship between serum PCT at admission and AKI incidence was then assessed for these patients. These 303 patients were an average of 64 years old, and were 59.7% male. Of these patients, 50.5% developed AKI within the first 7 days following ICU admission. A dully-adjusted binary logistic regression analysis revealed PCT levels at admission to be associated with AKI following adjustment for potential confounding factors (odds ratio (OR) = 1.01, 95%CI (1.01,1.02), p = 0.0007). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis further indicated that a PCT cutoff level of 52.59 ng/ml at admission was able to predict the incidence of AKI with respective sensitivity and specificity values of 50% and 84%. Interaction analysis revealed no significant interactive relationship between PCT and AKI, suggesting that serum PCT levels represent an early predictor of AKI incidence in septic shock patients. Serum PCT at the time of admission can be used as a predictor of AKI in patients suffering from septic shock.

The Assessment of Pentraxin 3: A Novel Biomarker in Early Detection of Infection in Newborns.

Introduction As the clinical manifestation of neonatal infection is nonspecific and characterised by varied clinical features, it is highly problematic to establish an early diagnosis. Recently, hopes have been raised by the new acute-phase protein—pentraxin 3 (PTX3). PTX3 belongs to the family of long pentraxins, which is synthesized in numerous cells like endothelial cells, macrophages, and monocytes infiltrating sites of inflammation. Material and Methods. In our research, we have enrolled 29 newborns with infection as the study group and 47 healthy ones as the control group, as well as their mothers. The C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and PTX3 levels were determined in venous blood samples from all investigated neonates and their mothers. Moreover, PTX3 concentrations were assessed in the umbilical cord. Results There were statistically significant differences in PTX3 levels between healthy and sick newborns both in the umbilical cord (p = 0.02) and venous blood (p = 0.01). The highest PTX3 concentrations were observed in children with infection in the presence of premature rupture of membranes (PROM). PTX3 concentrations in this group were significantly higher compared to those in healthy children without PROM. We observed elevated PCT levels in newborns with infection. No differences in CRP levels in 12 hours of life were noticed between the investigated groups. A comparison of ROC curves for PTX3 and PCT concentrations revealed similar sensitivity and specificity in the prediction of infection in neonates. Conclusions Serum PTX3 is an important and specific biomarker of early infection. It is already elevated in the umbilical cord, so measuring PTX3 concentration might be useful in the early prediction of infection in newborns.

C Reactive Protein Response in Severe Acute Malnutrition with Infection

Background: Nearly half of all deaths in children under-five are attributable to malnutrition, translating into the loss of about 3 million young lives a year. The interaction between malnutrition and infection can create a potentially lethal cycle of worsening illness and deteriorating nutritional status. They have altered defense mechanisms during an early infections process, with an increased synthesis of some acute phase proteins including CRP.&#x0D; Objectives: Objective of the study was to identify whether CRP response is helpful in early detection of infection in severe SAM. It may also help to reduce childhood mortality associated with SAM.&#x0D; Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with total 50 SAM patients who were admitted in the Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition unit of Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital from October 2010 to March 2011. Immediately after admission, clinical evaluation and management was started after sending several investigations along with serum CRP. Re-evaluation of serum CRP was done approximately after 7 days. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 24.&#x0D; Results: Among the 50 SAM patients, 29 patients were presented with oedema(group-A) and 21 patients were without oedema (group-B). Majority (40) were below 2 years of age with male predominance. Thirty-five patients were partially immunized [69% in group-A and 71.4% in group-B]. During initial assessment, 46% children were hypothermic and76% were hypoglycemic. Nutritional status (z score) weight-for-age, height/length-for-age, weight for height/length in group-A were -4.56±1.00, -4.27±1.97, -2.71±0.97 and in group- B were -4.65±0.78, -5.06±2.34, -2.58±1.00 respectively. Pneumonia (42%) and diarrhoea (36%) were more common. Increased WBC count was found in 80% patients; and only 10% had low hemoglobin level (&lt;5 gm/dl). Majority (44%) of them had pulmonary infection which was found in their chest X-rays. Immediately after admission serum CRP were high [mean CRP 39.44(±16.04)] in all most all patients, irrespective of their types of malnutrition. After 7 days of management, their CRP became normal [07.24 (± 2.75)], p=&lt;0.001. Mean CRP was less [34.90 (±16.60)] in group-A than in group-B [45.72 (±13.16)] on admission and the finding was statistically significant, p=&lt;0.001.&#x0D; Conclusion: Plasma level of CRP constitute a good screening test for the presence of infection in malnourished children and act as a sensitive indicator of recovery from infection and malnutrition.&#x0D; DS (Child) H J 2020; 36(2): 125-133

Using Omics Approaches in the Discovery of Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Johne's Disease in Sheep and Goats.

Simple SummaryJohne’s disease (JD) is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and is an important and emerging problem in livestock. Most JD research has been carried out on cattle, but interest in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of this disease in sheep and goats is greatest in developing countries. Sheep and goats are also a relevant part of livestock production in Europe and Australia, and these species provide an excellent resource to study and better understand the mechanism of survival of MAP and gain insights into possible approaches to control this disease. This review gives an overview of the literature on paratuberculosis in sheep and goats, highlighting the immunological aspects and the potential for “omics” approaches to identify effective biomarkers for the early detection of infection. Johne’s disease (JD) is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and is an important and emerging problem in livestock; therefore, its control and prevention is a priority to reduce economic losses and health risks. Most JD research has been carried out on cattle, but interest in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of this disease in sheep and goats is greatest in developing countries. Sheep and goats are also a relevant part of livestock production in Europe and Australia, and these species provide an excellent resource to study and better understand the mechanism of survival of MAP and gain insights into possible approaches to control this disease. This review gives an overview of the literature on paratuberculosis in sheep and goats, highlighting the immunological aspects and the potential for “omics” approaches to identify effective biomarkers for the early detection of infection. As JD has a long incubation period before the disease becomes evident, early diagnosis is important to control the spread of the disease.

Secretory microRNA Profiles of Third- and Fourth-Stage Dirofilaria immitis Larvae with Different Macrocyclic Lactone Susceptibility: In Search of Biomarkers for Early Detection of Infection.

The canine heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, is among the most important parasites of dogs in the United States and worldwide, and may cause severe and potentially fatal disease. Current diagnostic recommendations rely on serological detection of an adult female antigen, and visualization of microfilariae in the blood. Therefore, a reliable diagnosis can be only performed approximately six months post-infection. There is a growing need to characterize novel diagnostic markers that are capable of detecting the early stages of heartworm infection, in special markers associated with third-stage larvae (L3) and fourth-stage larvae (L4). The early detection of infection would guide medical interventions that could impede the development of patent infections and further parasite transmission. We cultured D. immitis L3 and L4 of two laboratorial strains with different susceptibility statuses to macrocyclic lactone drugs in vitro. Excretory/secretory microRNAs were sequenced and analyzed. We identified two miRNA novel candidates secreted abundantly by both L3 and L4 of both strains. These candidates were previously detected in the secretions of other D. immitis stages and one of them was found in the blood of D. immitis-infected dogs. These miRNAs have not been found in the secretions of other nematodes and could be D. immitis-specific diagnostic biomarkers, which could allow for the early detection of infection.

Optimizing SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in the United States: Insights From the National Football League Occupational Health Program.

Evidence to understand effective strategies for surveillance and early detection of SARS-CoV-2 is limited. To describe the results of a rigorous, large-scale COVID-19 testing and monitoring program. The U.S. National Football League (NFL) and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) instituted a large-scale COVID-19 monitoring program involving daily testing using 2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) platforms (Roche cobas and Thermo Fisher QuantStudio), a transcription-mediated amplification platform (Hologic Panther), and an antigen point-of-care (aPOC) test (Quidel Sofia). 32 NFL clubs in 24 states during the 2020 NFL season. NFL players and staff. SARS-CoV-2 test results were described in the context of medically adjudicated status. Cycle threshold (Ct) values are reported when available. A total of 632370 tests administered across 11668 persons identified 270 (2.4%) COVID-19 cases from 1 August to 14 November 2020. Positive predictive values ranged from 73.0% to 82.0% across the RT-PCR platforms. High Ct values (33 to 37) often indicated early infection. For the first positive result, the median Ct value was 32.77 (interquartile range, 30.02 to 34.72) and 22% of Ct values were above 35. Among adjudicated COVID-19 cases tested with aPOC, 42.3% had a negative result. Positive concordance between aPOC test result and adjudicated case status increased as viral load increased. Platforms varied by laboratory, and test variability may reflect procedural differences. Routine RT-PCR testing allowed early detection of infection. Cycle threshold values provided a useful guidepost for understanding results, with high values often indicating early infection. Antigen POC testing was unable to reliably rule out COVID-19 early in infection. The NFL and the NFLPA.

Radionuclide Imaging of Fungal Infections and Correlation with the Host Defense Response.

The human response to invading fungi includes a series of events that detect, kill, or clear the fungi. If the metabolic host response is unable to eliminate the fungi, an infection ensues. Some of the host response’s metabolic events to fungi can be imaged with molecules labelled with radionuclides. Several important clinical applications have been found with radiolabelled biomolecules of inflammation. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose is the tracer that has been most widely investigated in the host defence of fungi. This tracer has added value in the early detection of infection, in staging and visualising dissemination of infection, and in monitoring antifungal treatment. Radiolabelled antimicrobial peptides showed promising results, but large prospective studies in fungal infection are lacking. Other tracers have also been used in imaging events of the host response, such as the migration of white blood cells at sites of infection, nutritional immunity in iron metabolism, and radiolabelled monoclonal antibodies. Many tracers are still at the preclinical stage. Some tracers require further studies before translation into clinical use. The application of therapeutic radionuclides offers a very promising clinical application of these tracers in managing drug-resistant fungi.

Investigation of Deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) approaches’ accuracy for the detection of COVID-19

Abstract— the world those days focuses on protecting human health and combating the irruption of coronavirus patients (COVID-19). As results of its extra ordinarily contagious infection that have caused a disturbance in everyone's lives in various ways. For early screening, Reverse Transcription Protein Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test is used to examine the onset of the patients by detecting the RNA material of the virus among the patients’ samples. Recent results indicate that the applying of X-ray images and X-radiation (CT) improves the detection accuracy of this disease. However, the classification task of medical images is tough due to several factors such as lack of dataset for COVID-19, and difficulty in identifying type of infection. Recent research works have been proposed for COVID-19 detection that has been applied on specific datasets. Thus, it is vital to validate their performance on various datasets with different imaging disease conditions. The paper presents a comparison study between top performer CNN models that recorded the very best detection accuracy in image detection and classification: COVID-Net, VGG16, ResNet, Bayesian, DenseNet, and DarkNet. Such CNN approaches can assist medical staff in the early detection of infection. Additionally, we improved dataset in terms of quality, clarity, and quantity using augmentation technique. The quantitative results show that Darknet and COVID-net yield high detection accuracy when applied on CT and X-ray dataset. We validated our results by training the models on multiple different datasets, using CPU and GPU with various bach sizes and optimizers.

Rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases: The role of giant African pouched rats, dogs and honeybees

Early detection of infection in an individual is an important strategy to prevent transmission and spread of the infection – in the community or among patients admitted in a health care facility. Over the past decade, there have been rapid advances in technology in an attempt to provide rapid, accurate tests for diagnosis of infectious diseases. With this in perspective, the use of animals’ superior olfactory sensitivity to sniff out infectious diseases holds promise.