Finger Prick Test Research Articles

Forearm blood glucose testing in diabetes mellitus

Aims: To compare the accuracy and acceptability of capillary blood glucose testing from the forearm with finger prick testing in diabetic children. Methods: Blood glucose measurements from samples taken from...

Sensitivity and specificity of rapid HIV testing of pregnant women in India.

Efforts to prevent HIV transmission from mother to infants in settings like India may benefit from the availability of reliable methods for rapid and simple HIV screening. Data from India on the reliability of rapid HIV test kits are limited and there are no data on the use of rapid HIV tests for screening of pregnant women. Pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic and delivery room in Pune agreed to participate in an evaluation of five rapid HIV tests, including (a) a saliva brush test (Oraquick HIV-1/2, Orasure Technologies Inc.), (b) a rapid plasma test (Oraquick HIV-1/2) and (c) three rapid finger prick tests (Oraquick HIV-1/2; HIV-1/2 Determine, Abbott; NEVA HIV-1/2 Cadila). Results of the rapid tests were compared with three commercial plasma enzyme immunoassay (EIA) tests (Innotest HIV AB EIA, Lab systems/ELISCAN HIV AB EIA, UBI HIV Ab EIA). Between September 2000 and October 1, 2001, 1258 pregnant women were screened for HIV using these rapid tests. Forty-four (3.49%) of the specimens were HIV-antibody-positive by at least two plasma EIA tests. All of the rapid HIV tests demonstrated excellent specificity (96-100%). The sensitivity of the rapid tests ranged from 75-94%. The combined sensitivity and specificity of a two-step algorithm for rapid HIV testing was excellent for a number of combinations of the five rapid finger stick tests. In this relatively low HIV prevalence population of pregnant women in India, the sensitivity of the rapid HIV tests varied, when compared to a dual EIA algorithm. In general, the specificity of all the rapid tests was excellent, with very few false positive HIV tests. Based upon these data, two different rapid HIV tests for screening pregnant women in India would be highly sensitive, with excellent specificity to reliably prevent inappropriate use of antiretroviral therapy for prevention of vertical HIV transmission.

From the Feds: Research, programs, and products

From the Feds: Research, programs, and products

Accurate Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori: Serologic Testing

Serologic testing is a useful noninvasive testing strategy for H. pylori. It is particularly useful in areas where the prevalence of H. pylori is high and inexpensive point-of-contact fingerprick tests are used. Sensitive tests are valuable ways of excluding H. pylori infection and can be used in conjunction with a direct test (urease histology culture or breath test) to confirm absence of H. pylori if the two methods are concordant. Serologic testing is more definitive and differentiating if the antigenic epitopes of H. pylori can be differentiated based on the antigenic epitopes that specifically associate with gastric cancer, peptic ulcer, and nonulcer dyspepsia. A study by Kawahara's group reported that Hsp 60 may be involved in the development of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue based on ELISA. The idea of differentiating antigens for H. pylori may open a new area for use of serologic testing in the diagnostic approach of H. pylori infections.

Helicobacter pylori: an assessment of public awareness and acceptance of screening.

Research studies involving population screening could be important in assessing short and long-term benefits of eradicating H. pylori. Compliance with screening is an important factor to be considered. Two population studies sought to assess public awareness of H. pylori, interest in screening for the bacterium, and the acceptability of two blood tests. One hundred adults were interviewed in a street survey in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. Although only 4-14% of those interviewed had heard of H. pylori, 73% expressed an interest in screening. In the second study, a population sample of 50 men and women aged 21-55 years, from a general practice in the same town, were offered screening. This sample was divided into two matched groups of 25; one group was offered a test involving venepuncture and the other group was offered a 'near-patient' finger prick test. To confirm results, this exercise was subsequently repeated with a further two groups of 25 subjects. There was an overall acceptance rate of 41% for the actual offer of screening. Overall, 28/50 subjects (56%) accepted venepuncture, but only 13/50 (26%) accepted the finger prick test.

Protein offers target for antimalarial drugs

By probing the role of histidine-rich proteins unique to the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum , a team of researchers at Washington University's Howard Hughes Medical Institute, St. Louis, has opened a route to new drugs to combat the disease [ Science , 271 , 219 (1996)]. The histidine-rich proteins, which contain as many as 51 repeating sequences of histidine-histidine-alanine, circulate in the bloodstream of people stricken with malaria. Their presence in blood is the basis for a finger-prick diagnostic test for the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, roughly 300 million cases of the disease are diagnosed each year and between 2 million and 3 million people die from it annually. About 1,000 people in the U.S. contract malaria through travel each year, says Trenton K. Ruebush, CDC's chief of malaria epidemiology. The malaria parasite has become increasingly resistant to chloroquine, the main drug used to treat the disease, notes Ruebush. Resis...

Discovering anaemia at child health clinics.

Children at three inner city child health clinics were offered haemoglobin estimation by fingerprick blood test when attending for immunisation against measles. Of the 98 immunised, 92 (94%) participated in the study, together with 58 other children. Anaemia (haemoglobin concentration less than 110 g/l) was found in 33 of 130 overall (25%), and in 17 of 44 Asian children (39%). The method of testing was acceptable to parents and staff.

Patient evaluation of a pen‐sized glucose meter

AbstractA pensized glucose meter has been developed which uses electrochemistry to give a digital glucose read out 30 seconds after the application of whole blood. We describe here an evaluation of its use among 51 diabetic patients who used the meter at home for two weeks and made duplicate recordings from a finger prick test. The coefficient of variation was 9.2% between duplicate values. The response to a questionnaire suggested that most patients were enthusiastic about this fast and portable method of home blood glucose monitoring.

Effectiveness of mass screening for diabetes mellitus using random capillary blood glucose measurements.

The results of 23 228 finger-prick capillary blood glucose tests (the taking of which was coordinated by the Diabetic Association of New South Wales) were reviewed. All non-diabetic persons (n = 860) with a blood glucose result of greater than or equal to 8.0 mmol/L were surveyed and 459 responded (53.4%). The responders were typical of the surveyed group with respect to age and capillary blood glucose level. Sixty-four new cases of diabetes were detected, representing 15.8% of the replies from persons who were not known to have diabetes and 0.28% of the total number of persons screened.