General Population Screening Research Articles

Emerging concepts and success stories in type 1 diabetes research: a roadmap for a bright future.

Type 1 diabetes treatment stands at a crucial and exciting crossroad since the 2022 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of teplizumab to delay disease development. In this Perspective article, we discuss four major conceptual and practical issues that emerged as key to further advance type 1 diabetes research and therapies. First, collaborative networks leveraging the synergy between the type 1 diabetes research and care community members are key to fostering innovation, know-how and translation into the clinical arena worldwide. Second, recent clinical trials in presymptomatic stage 2 and recent-onset stage 3 disease have shown the promise, and potential pitfalls, of using immunomodulatory and/or beta-cell protective agents to achieve sustained remission or prevention. Third, the increasingly appreciated heterogeneity of clinical, immunological, and metabolic phenotypes and disease trajectories is of critical importance to advance the decision-making process for tailored type 1 diabetes care and therapy. Fourth, the clinical benefits of early diagnosis of beta-cell autoimmunity warrant consideration of general population screening for islet autoantibodies, which requires further efforts to address the technical, organizational and ethical challenges inherent to a sustainable program. Efforts are underway to integrate these four concepts into the future directions of type 1 diabetes research and therapy.

Optimising Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening of 65 Year Old Men by Exploring Risk Factor Based Targeted Screening Strategies in Light of Declining Prevalence of the Disease

A decline in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) prevalence calls into question the credibility of general population screening of 65 year old men. Selectively targeting high risk individuals among this group could be more effective in preventing death from AAA rupture. This cross sectional study analysed risk factor data in a cohort of 65 year old men screened in the Swedish general population based AAA screening program, with the aim of exploring the effectiveness of hypothetical targeted screening strategies. All men attending AAA screening in four neighbouring counties in Sweden between 2006 and 2010 completed a health questionnaire on smoking habits and medical history. Abdominal aortic aneurysm was defined as measuring ≥ 30 mm. The sensitivity and specificity of different targeted screening strategies, with targeted subpopulations defined by duration of smoking with and without additional risk factors, were explored using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. A total of 16 232 men were screened, with 236 (1.5%) screening detected AAAs. A strategy combining smoking, presence of coronary artery disease (CAD), or both was associated with the mathematically optimal balance between sensitivity and specificity (optimal threshold) in the ROC analysis. The optimal threshold corresponded to targeting men having smoked for thirty years or more, a history of CAD, or both, where 74.0% of all AAAs could be detected by screening 33.0% of the population, compared with general screening. Targeting men that have smoked for ten years or more indicated that 84.0% of all AAAs could be detected by screening 55.0% of the population. A simplified strategy of targeting ever smokers resulted in detecting 85.0% of all AAAs by screening 61.0% of the population. Targeted screening of men at high risk of AAA, focusing on smoking history for inclusion, may be a safe and effective alternative to general population screening.

Mastalgia and Why It Should Be Evaluated With Imaging in Areas Where Use of Breast Cancer Screening Services are Unsatisfactory.

Mastalgia or breast pain is a very common symptom in women attending breast clinic. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether imaging for mastalgia leads to cancer detection in an area where routine breast cancer screening services are underutilized. This prospective study was performed between 1st March 2021 to 31st January 2023 at a tertiary care academic institution of central India. All patients underwent through clinical examination by a surgeon. Then patients were referred for ultrasound and/or X-ray mammography (MMG) depending on age. Cancer detection rate was calculated. The final cohort consisted of 176 patients with mastalgia and without any abnormality on clinical breast examination. Sixteen patients had mass lesion on radiology and core needle biopsy resulted as infiltrating duct carcinoma in 7 patients and benign phylloides tumor in one patient. Overall case detection rate for cancer was 4%. The breast cancer detection rate in patients presenting with mastalgia was low. However, in the absence of routine mammographic screening in the Indian general population, these would have been missed. Hence, diagnostic assessment for mastalgia is an appropriate strategy in countries where routine screening MMG is lacking.

General population screening for type 1 diabetes using islet autoantibodies at the preschool vaccination visit: a proof-of-concept study (the T1Early study)

ObjectiveType 1 diabetes (T1D) screening programmes testing islet autoantibodies (IAbs) in childhood can reduce life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis. General population screening is required to detect the majority of children with T1D,...

Protocol for the Australian Type 1 Diabetes National Screening Pilot: Assessing the feasibility and acceptability of three general population screening models in children.

One third of Australian children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes present with life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at diagnosis. Screening for early-stage, presymptomatic type 1 diabetes, with ongoing follow-up, can substantially reduce this risk (<5% risk). Several screening models are being trialled internationally, without consensus on the optimal approach. This pilot study aims to assess three models for a routine, population-wide screening programme in Australia. An implementation science-guided pilot study to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and costs of three screening models in children will be conducted between July 2022 and June 2024. These models are as follows: (1) Genetic risk-stratified screening using newborn heel prick dried bloodspots, followed by autoantibody testing from 11 months of age; (2) genetic risk-stratified screening of infant (6-12 months) saliva followed by autoantibody testing from 10 months of age; and (3) autoantibody screening using capillary dried bloodspots collected from children aged 2, 6 or 10 years. Cohorts for each model will be recruited from targeted geographic areas across Australia involving ≥2 states per cohort, with a recruitment target of up to 3000 children per cohort (total up to 9000 children). The primary outcome is screening uptake for each cohort. Secondary outcomes include programme feasibility, costs, parental anxiety, risk perception, satisfaction, well-being and quality of life, and health professional attitudes and satisfaction. This pilot is the first direct comparison of three screening implementation models for general population screening. Findings will provide evidence to inform a potential national screening programme for Australian children. ACTRN12622000381785.

Follow-up and monitoring programme in children identified in early-stage type 1 diabetes during screening in the general population of Italy.

To provide guidance for follow-up and monitoring of children and adolescents identified as positive to islet autoantibodies (IA) in the general population screening for type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Italy. Detection of IA helps to diagnose pre-symptomatic T1D, prevent diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and identify persons for new therapies to delay symptomatic diabetes. Italy recently became the first country to approve by law a general autoantibody screening program for T1D and celiac disease in all children and adolescents (age 1-17yr). A pilot study is currently underway in four Italian regions addressing feasibility issues to be used in the scale up to nationwide screening. Meanwhile, a group of experts developed guidance recommendations for follow-up and monitoring of identified IA positive persons. Ten key components have been identified: establishment of a registry for children and adolescents at risk; close collaboration with the national network of family paediatricians; creation of T1D centers with expertise in follow-up and monitoring; educational measures; assurance of solid IA tests; identification of appropriate metabolic tests; feed-back feasibility and acceptability questionnaires; potential access to available therapeutic interventions; valuable outcome measures including DKA incidence; costs monitoring. Distinctive features of this program include single (in addition to multiple) IA antibody-positive persons in follow-up and the use of CGM to assess risk progression, rather than the cumbersome OGTT. It is expected that the proposed follow-up and monitoring program will be effective, affordable and acceptable to children and families identified in general T1D screening in Italy.

A novel multi-cancer screening approach based on screening objectives, cancer occurrence mechanism, and cost modeling.

e22509 Background: The current cancer screening approach is relatively expensive and unable to cover all general population. Certain amount of information collected is possibly “overkill” at the expense of costs and technology complexity as statistically only 2-3 individuals in very one thousand individuals have cancer. We propose a novel multi-cancer screening for general population which is based on initial screening objectives, new cancer occurrence mechanism, and cost model. Since the step following cancer screening is cancer diagnosis in which significant tests will be carried out, we strongly believe that cancer screening should mainly focus on (1) separating high cancer risk individuals from low risk group, and (2) reduce screening costs and make screening available for everyone. Methods: We analyzed our own large size, multi-year, multi-cancer data as well as other reported studies. We have also studied new cancer occurrence mechanisms developed in recent years which included correlations between immune system and micro- environment change in human body (both of which could occur before the tumor is formed) and cancer occurrence. Finally, we have analyzed cost numbers for the new and traditional approaches. Results: In our extensive multi-year, multi-cancer general population screening of over 200,000 individuals and follow-up study, only 1.4% tested classified as high risk individuals, while this small group accounted for close to 92% of all cancer cases confirmed to date in the follow-up study when enrollment is normalize for all groups. This is very significant because this demonstrates that as long as screening is statistically meaningful and effective, a lot other information is not needed in screening as high risk people will undergo diagnosis anyway. The new screening approach does not require to obtain full information (for example, traceability (cancer location information), as over 98% of people do not likely have cancer) in order to reduce screening costs. The cost analysis results are shown in Table 1. Conclusions: We proposed a new cancer screening approach which is much more cost effective while it is still workable and meets screening objectives. [Table: see text]

Internal validation of Automated Visual Evaluation (AVE) on smartphone images for cervical cancer screening in a prospective study in Zambia.

Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) is a low-cost approach for cervical cancer screening used in most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) but, similar to other visual tests, is subjective and requires sustained training and quality assurance. We developed, trained, and validated an artificial-intelligence-based "Automated Visual Evaluation" (AVE) tool that can be adapted to run on smartphones to assess smartphone-captured images of the cervix and identify precancerous lesions, helping augment VIA performance. Prospective study. Eight public health facilities in Zambia. A total of 8204 women aged 25-55. Cervical images captured on commonly used low-cost smartphone models were matched with key clinical information including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) status, plus histopathology analysis (where applicable), to develop and train an AVE algorithm and evaluate its performance for use as a primary screen and triage test for women who are HPV positive. Area under the receiver operating curve (AUC); sensitivity; specificity. As a general population screening tool for cervical precancerous lesions, AVE identified cases of cervical precancerous and cancerous (CIN2+) lesions with high performance (AUC = 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.89-0.93), which translates to a sensitivity of 85% (95% CI = 81%-90%) and specificity of 86% (95% CI = 84%-88%) based on maximizing the Youden's index. This represents a considerable improvement over naked eye VIA, which as per a meta-analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) has a sensitivity of 66% and specificity of 87%. For women living with HIV, the AUC of AVE was 0.91 (95% CI = 0.88-0.93), and among those testing positive for high-risk HPV types, the AUC was 0.87 (95% CI = 0.83-0.91). These results demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing AVE on images captured using a commonly available smartphone by nurses in a screening program, and support our ongoing efforts for moving to more broadly evaluate AVE for its clinical sensitivity, specificity, feasibility, and acceptability across a wider range of settings. Limitations of this study include potential inflation of performance estimates due to verification bias (as biopsies were only obtained from participants with visible aceto-white cervical lesions) and due to this being an internal validation (the test data, while independent from that used to develop the algorithm was drawn from the same study).

Abstract PO2-17-11: Management guidelines for epithelial atypia diagnosed in breast screening, based on an analysis of a large prospective cohort study (Sloane Project)

Abstract Background: Epithelial atypia in the breast is most frequently detected through breast screening. Internationally, guidelines differ between advising diagnostic surgical excision of screen-detected atypia versus vacuum-assisted excision (VAE), often with annual follow up surveillance mammography. Prospective data with detailed follow-up and outcomes for subsequent cancer events is lacking. We evaluated a large prospective cohort of screen-detected atypia (Sloane Project) and an expert consensus meeting to develop management recommendations. Methods: We undertook an observational analysis of women with screen-detected epithelial atypia (Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia (ADH), Flat Epithelial Atypia (FEA), Lobular In Situ Neoplasia (LISN), or mixed atypia) reported to the National Health Service (NHS) Breast Screening Programme (BSP) between 01/04/03 and 20/06/18. We estimated cumulative incidence of invasive cancers per 1000 women within 1 and 2 subsequent screening rounds using cumulative incidence functions and repeated these by women’s age, type of atypia and year of diagnosis. Flexible parametric modelling produced hazard ratios (HR). The results were presented at a consensus meeting with clinical experts, patient representation, national decision-makers and commissioners from the NHS in England. A consensus on management recommendations was reached. Results: Among 3238 women (19088 person-years of follow up) with screen-detected atypia, diagnoses increased from 2010 (n=119) to 2015 (n=502). This coincided with the introduction of digital mammography into English screening centres from 2010 and changes in biopsy technique. A total of 141 invasive breast cancers were detected up to December 2018. Cumulative incidence of invasive breast cancer per 1000 women with atypia (ADH, FEA, LISN or mixed) was 14.2 (95% CI 10.3, 19.1) and 45.0 (36.3, 55.1) at 3- and 6-years post atypia based on 40 and 94 cancers, respectively. Women diagnosed with atypia during 2013-2018 had an invasive cancer detected less frequently within 3 years than women with an atypia diagnosis between 2003-2007 or 2008-2012 (6.0 invasive cancers (3.1, 10.9) per 1000 women in 2013-2018 Vs 24.3 (13.7, 40.1) and 24.6 (14.9, 38.3) in 2003-2007 and 2008-2012), suggesting that atypia diagnosis may increasingly contribute to ‘overdiagnosis’. Cancers detected were similar to the general screening population regarding grade, size and nodal involvement. Ipsilateral and contralateral cancers were detected in equal numbers, supporting the concept that atypia represents a risk factor rather than precursor of invasive cancer in the short term. Results by age and type of atypia did not suggest a need for risk-stratified management. Considering subsequent invasive cancer, VAE appeared to be as safe as diagnostic surgical excision of atypia (HR 0.75 (0.45, 1.25)). The expert consensus considered that increased screening of women with screen-detected atypia over and above routine 3-yearly screening was not beneficial, given the overall low numbers of cancers at three years. This applied to all types of atypia and all women who received digital mammography and diagnosis of atypia on core or vacuum-assisted biopsy followed by VAE within a quality assured NHS BSP. Conclusions: Breast atypia represents a risk factor for invasive cancer and does not necessitate surgical excision. Changes to mammography (digital vs plain film) and biopsy techniques (gauge of needle and use of vacuum-assistance) may lead to detection of atypia which is then ‘over-managed’. Current recommendations for annual mammography for 5 years after a diagnosis of epithelial atypia may be overly cautious. We suggest that women with screen detected atypia should be followed up with routine screening appointments. Citation Format: Karoline Freeman, David Jenkinson, Karen Clements, Matthew Wallis, Sarah E Pinder, Elena Provenzano, Hilary Stobart, Nigel Stallard, Olive Kearins, Nisha Sharma, Abeer Shaaban, Cliona Kirwan, Bridget Hilton, Alastair Thompson, Sian Taylor-Phillips. Management guidelines for epithelial atypia diagnosed in breast screening, based on an analysis of a large prospective cohort study (Sloane Project) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO2-17-11.

Detection of Islet Autoantibodies in Whole Blood by Antibody Detection by Agglutination-PCR (ADAP) Technology Is Sensitive and Suitable for General Population Screening Programs

Background. Detection of type 1 diabetes (T1D) at the preclinical stage is possible by detecting islet autoantibodies (IAs) years before the appearance of symptomatic diabetes. The Antibody Detection Israeli Research is a general population screening program searching for children with multiple IAs who are at risk of developing T1D. IAs are measured in capillary or venous whole blood (WB) samples using the novel ultrasensitive antibody detection by agglutination-PCR (ADAP) technology. Objective. To assess the accuracy and reliability of the ADAP assay in venous and capillary WB. Materials and Methods. In total, 50 children with T1D and 50 healthy controls participated in the study. Venous and capillary blood samples were drawn from participants with T1D, while only venous blood was drawn from the controls. The ADAP assay in venous and capillary blood was compared to the currently used assays in their ability to detect glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), islet antigen-2 (IA-2A), and insulin autoantibodies (IAAs). Results. The area under the curve using the receiver operating characteristic curves was comparable between the ADAP assay in WB and standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)/radioimmunoassay (RIA) for all three IAs GADA 0.946 (95% CI: 0.900–0.991) vs. 0.949 (0.906–0.992), P=0.873; IA-2A 0.747 (0.649–0.844) vs. 0.666 (0.587–0.744), P=0.106; IAA 1.000 (1.000–1.000) vs. 1.000 (1.000–1.000), P=1.000. The correlation between the levels of IA in venous and capillary WB using ADAP was R2 = 0.958 (P &lt;0.01), R2 = 0.943 (P &lt;0.01), and R2 = 0.711 (P &lt;0.01) for GADA, IA-2A, and IAA, respectively. IA levels in venous and capillary WB using ADAP were comparable without a proportional bias in Bland–Altman’s plots of agreement, suggesting the two methods may be used interchangeably. Conclusions. The ADAP assay is reliable in detecting IA in venous and capillary WB samples with comparable performance to standard RIA and ELISA. These findings open avenues for widespread use of the ADAP assay in future general population screening programs to detect children at risk of developing T1D.

Cost-effectiveness of HCV testing strategies for hepatitis C elimination in general population in China

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of hepatitis C screening in general population in China, and find the age group in which hepatitis C screening can achieve the best cost-effectiveness. Methods: A decision-Markov model was constructed by using software TreeAge pro 2019 to simulate the outcomes of hepatitis C disease pregression of 100 000 persons aged 20-59 years. The cost-effectiveness of the strategies were evaluated from societal perspectives by using incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and net monetary benefit (NMB). One-way sensitivity analysis and probability sensitivity analysis were used to evaluate the uncertainty of parameters and model. Results: Hepatitis C screening was cost-effective in people aged 20- 59 years and the cost effectiveness was best in age group 40-49 years. Compared with non-screening strategy of hepatitis C in people aged 20-59 years, the incremental cost was 161.24 yuan, the incremental utility was 0.003 6 quality adjusted life years (QALYs)/per person, ICER was 45 197.26 yuan/QALY, ICER was less than the willing payment threshold. The ICER and NMB in all age groups were 42 055.06-53 249.43 yuan/QALY and 96.52-169.86 yuan/per person. Hepatitis C screening in people aged 40-49 years had the best cost-effectiveness. The results of one-way sensitivity analysis showed that the discount rate, anti-HCV detection cost, anti-HCV infection rate and the cost of direct antiviral agents were the main factors influencing economic evaluation. The results of the probability sensitivity analysis indicated that the model analysis was stable. Conclusions: Implementing hepatitis C screening based on medical institutions is cost-effective in people aged 20- 59 years, especially in those aged 40-49 years. Implementing the HCV screening strategy of be willing to test as far as possible in general population can reduce hepatitis C disease burden in China.

Developing a General Population Screening Programme for Paediatric Type 1 Diabetes: Evidence from a Qualitative Study of the Perspectives and Attitudes of Parents

Introduction. With reliable tests and preventative treatments now available the United Kingdom has introduced a prototype population-based paediatric (ages 3–13) screening programme for type 1 diabetes (T1D). To aid its ethical and sustainable implementation this work explores parental views around the concept of this programme to determine how their involvement might be encouraged and supported. Research Design and Methods. Qualitative interviews were undertaken with 38 parents and the data were analysed using a purposely developed “Burden of Screening” framework, which presented the data within three domains describing the various elements of screening participation; pre-screening tasks designated to participants; factors influencing engagement with screening; and consequences of screening participation. Results. Regarding pre-screening tasks designated to participants, the importance of clear communication about the condition were apparent with parents expressing uncertainty of the benefits of screening against the potential anxiety engendered. In factors influencing their engagement with screening participants described their preference for less invasive testing techniques, the reassurance of structured support from healthcare professionals inherent within the programme, and the potential benefit of peer support. Regarding the consequences of screening participation parents described how a positive result might lead to overly protective behaviours, and anxiety from watching and waiting for the onset of symptomatic T1D. Conclusions. The benefits of T1D screening need to be clearly communicated to facilitate uptake. To this end the use of decision-support tools and better targeted educational materials should be explored. Post-testing, parents expressed preferences for peer support and access to psychological counselling.

Accuracy of C-Reactive Protein for Tuberculosis Detection in General-Population Screening and Ambulatory-Care Triage in Uganda.

Rationale: C-reactive protein (CRP) has demonstrated utility as a point-of-care triage test for tuberculosis (TB) in clinical settings, particularly among people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but its performance for general-population TB screening is not well characterized. Objective: To assess the accuracy of CRP for detecting pulmonary TB disease among individuals undergoing community-based screening or presenting for evaluation of TB symptoms in Kampala, Uganda. Methods: We pooled data from two case-control studies conducted between May 2018 and December 2022 among adolescents and adults (⩾15 yr) in Kampala, Uganda. We conducted community-based screening for TB, regardless of symptoms. We enrolled people with Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra-positive (including trace) sputum results and a sample of people with Ultra-negative results. We also enrolled symptomatic patients diagnosed with TB and controls with negative TB evaluations from ambulatory care settings. Participants underwent further evaluation, including sputum culture, CRP, and HIV testing. We assessed the accuracy of CRP alone or with symptom screening against a bacteriologic reference standard. Our primary analysis evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of CRP at a cutoff of 5 mg/L. Diagnostic performance was summarized by calculating the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC). Results: In the community setting (n = 544), CRP ⩾ 5 mg/L had a sensitivity of 55.3% (95% confidence interval, 47.0-63.4%) and specificity of 84.7% (79.7-88.8%) for confirmed TB; AUC was 0.75 (0.70-0.79). Screening for CRP ⩾ 5 mg/L or positive symptoms increased sensitivity to 92.0% (86.4-95.8%) at the expense of specificity (57.1% [50.8-63.2%]). In the ambulatory care setting (n = 944), sensitivity of CRP ⩾ 5 mg/L was 86.7% (81.8-90.7%), specificity was 68.6% (64.8-72.2%), and AUC (0.84 [0.81-0.87]) did not differ significantly by HIV status. CRP ⩾ 5 mg/L was >90% sensitive among individuals with a medium or high semiquantitative Xpert result in both settings. Conclusions: Although CRP did not meet World Health Organization (WHO) TB screening benchmarks in the community, it demonstrated high specificity, and sensitivity was high among individuals with high sputum bacillary burden who are likely to be most infectious. In ambulatory care, estimated sensitivity and specificity were each within 4 percentage points of WHO benchmarks, with no meaningful difference in performance by HIV status.

Patterns of Rising HIV Positivity in Northern Madagascar: Evidence of an Urgent Public Health Concern.

Despite over two decades of progress against HIV/AIDS in adjacent sub-Saharan Africa, HIV rates and deaths due to AIDS are exponentially rising in Madagascar. Furthermore, a growing body of evidence suggests that, due to a scarcity of general-population screening data, even the startling increase demonstrated by official models vastly underestimates the true population prevalence of HIV. We aimed to implement a real-world HIV screening and treatment protocol to serve a general population stemming from across northern Madagascar. In collaboration with the Malagasy Ministry of Health, we provided point-of-care HIV screening and confirmatory testing for over 1000 participants from 73 towns, villages, and cities. We recorded an overall HIV prevalence of 2.94%. Notably, we observed a 13.1% HIV prevalence rate among urban populations and showed that proximity to a major route of travel was significantly associated with HIV risk. We also observed a link between HIV risk and various occupations, including those associated with increased mobility (such as mining). Importantly, all HIV-positive individuals were initiated on antiretroviral therapy in concordance with local health authorities. To our knowledge, this study marks the largest primary test data-based HIV study to date among Madagascar's general population, showing a greatly higher HIV prevalence (2.9%) than previously reported modeling-based figures (0.4%). Our rates aligned with the pattern of higher prevalence demonstrated in smaller general-population screening studies occurring more commonly prior to political strife in the mid-2000s. These findings demonstrate evidence of a growing HIV epidemic in northern Madagascar and underscore the need for future investment into more comprehensive HIV screening and control initiatives in Madagascar.

Glaucoma Screening Guidelines Worldwide.

Recommendations for glaucoma screening vary significantly from organization to organization, and while worldwide screening is currently not recommended, there is support in many organizations for screening at-risk subgroups of the general population. To summarize and compare current glaucoma screening protocols of major national and international, governmental, and non-governmental organizations. A general review of the major medical, and more specifically ophthalmic, organizations within North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa was undertaken. Protocols from recent international and regional meetings were reviewed and summarized and a comparative analysis was employed to highlight differences between national and regional policies. In general, it was found that worldwide screening for glaucoma is currently of limited clinical utility and unlikely to be cost-effective. However, a more targeted approach is recommended by some major organizations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology, and the International Council of Ophthalmology in conjunction with a group of prominent ophthalmologists based in Sub-Saharan Africa recommend a targeted approach to screening specific populations that are deemed to be at higher risk of developing glaucoma. General population screening for glaucoma has been adopted as a recommendation by only a few organizations and only in specific situations. It is the screening of high-risk populations that has been demonstrated to be not only clinically useful in diagnosing and treating larger proportions of the general population benefiting from a higher positive-predictive value for screening protocols in these groups but also cost-effective. Further research is needed to create cost-effective protocols to successfully screen these high-risk populations for glaucoma using methods that are sufficiently sensitive and specific.

Validation of the "Perceptions Regarding pRE-Symptomatic Alzheimer's Disease Screening" (PRE-ADS) Questionnaire in the German Population: Attitudes, Motivations, and Barriers to Pre-Symptomatic Dementia Screening.

Attitudes, motivations, and barriers to pre-symptomatic screening for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the general population are unclear, and validated measurement tools are lacking. Translation and validation of the German version of the "Perceptions regarding pRE-symptomatic Alzheimer's Disease Screening" (PRE-ADS) questionnaire. A convenience sample (N = 256) was recruited via an online platform. Validation of the PRE-ADS-D consisted of assessments of reliability, structural validity using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and construct validity using known-group tests. A subscale "Acceptability of Screening", with 5 PRE-ADS-D items, was extracted to measure acceptance of screening in clinical practice. The STROBE checklist was used for reporting. EFA revealed a three-factor model for the PRE-ADS-D. Acceptable to good internal consistency was found for the 25-item scale (α= 0.78), as well as for the three factors "Concerns about Screening" (α= 0.85), "Intention to be Screened" (α= 0.87), and "Preventive Health Behaviors" (α= 0.81). Construct validity was confirmed for both the 25-item PRE-ADS-D and the "Acceptability of Screening" scale (α= 0.91). Overall, 51.2% of the participants showed a preference for screening. Non-parametric tests were conducted to further explore group differences of the sample. The PRE-ADS-D is a reliable and valid tool to measure attitudes, motives, and barriers regarding pre-symptomatic dementia screening in the German-speaking general population. Additionally, the subscale "Acceptability of Screening" demonstrated good construct validity and reliability, suggesting its promising potential as a practical tool in clinical practice.

Implementation study of a Web-App, which facilitates dementia screening for general and multicultural population in primary care settings

Health screening is a key component in disease prevention framework [1]. Although the vast majority of older people worry about their memory and their cognitive ability, though they hesitate to discuss their concerns with their general practitioner.

Post-conization surveillance in an organized cervical screening program with more than 23,000 years of follow-up

BackgroundCervical cancer is preventable through screening and vaccination against high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV). For a screening program to be successful it is vital that the clinical management and follow-up regime of patients with abnormal screening results is well developed and that the attendance rate for follow-up is high. The aim of the study was to analyze how effective conization with recommended follow-up was in preventing subsequent cervical cancer, and to evaluate how clinical follow-up recommendations are obeyed in the region of Skåne, Sweden.MethodsAll women (n = 8835) who had undergone conization in the region of Skåne, Sweden, between the years of 2015 and 2021 were identified. Individuals with confirmed cervical cancer in the conization material were referred for additional treatment (n = 114), leaving 8721 included in the follow-up. Adherence to follow-up and cytological, histopathological and HPV status at follow-up were collected at eight, 12 and 24 months post-conization. The total follow-up time was from January 1, 2015, to January 30, 2023.ResultsWithin 12 months post-conization, 90% of the patients conducted a cytological cervical sample. The rates of a negative test of cure (HPV negative and normal cytology) were 69.7%, 76.3% and 84.4% at eight, 12 and 24 months post-conization respectively. The clearance of HPV was 79.6%, 80.8% and 87.8% at eight, 12 and 24 months post-conization respectively. Out of 5613 patients with a negative test of cure within one year after conization, no cervical cancer was found during follow-up and 11 (0.2%) women developed high-grade intraepithelial lesions/adenocarcinoma in situ (HSIL/AIS) with an average time from conization to new diagnosis of 42 months. The mean follow-up time was 32.1 months.ConclusionsThe clearance rate of hr-HPV post cervical conization due to dysplasia appears to be high within eight months. With a negative test of cure post cervical conization, the risk of cervical cancer within the following three years seems to be extremely low and the risk of developing HSIL/AIS was lower than the incidence of HSIL/AIS in the general screening population.

The experience and reflections of GC labs as an independent clinical laboratory to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

BackgroundAmid the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive testing was undertaken by independent clinical laboratories (ICLs), yet limited research exists on this matter. Drawing from Green Cross Laboratories (GC Labs)' pandemic response experience, this study seeks to offer insights for preparation for the next pandemic.MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed the outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (SARS-CoV-2 rRT PCR) tests administered by GC Labs for COVID-19 diagnosis, upon request by different organizations, between February 2020 and April 2022. The distribution of institutions that requested the tests, the type of tests, and the positive rate were analyzed. We investigated resource allocation details.ResultsICLs were responsible for conducting 85.6% of all tests carried out under South Korea’s COVID-19 testing policy during the pandemic. The availability of free testing regardless of symptoms led to a significant increase in the use of pooled tests, which accounted for more than 80% of all tests conducted after August 2021. The gender and age distribution of COVID-19 cases nationwide and GC Labs’ positive cases were similar. When we analyzed the positive rate by requesting organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite an overall nationwide positivity rate of 35%, high-risk facilities exhibited a positivity rate of less than 5% by maintaining preemptive testing. The most notable increase in resources during the pandemic was seen in human resource input.ConclusionsSouth Korea's ICLs were able to conduct large volumes of testing during the COVID-19 pandemic because of their logistics and computer systems, scalable testing space, and trained testing personnel. They also had the flexibility to bring in additional resources to expand testing capacity because they are specialized testing organizations. Hence, ICLs could execute the pooled test that the government had introduced for extensive general population screening. The preemptive periodic testing of high-risk populations kept the positive rate much lower than in the general population. This study's findings will aid in refining mass testing-based policies for the next pandemic.

Enhanced NIR-II Fluorescent Lateral Flow Biosensing Platform Based on Supramolecular Host-Guest Self-Assembly for Point-of-Care Testing of Tumor Biomarkers.

Point-of-care detection of tumor biomarkers with high sensitivity remains an enormous challenge in the early diagnosis and mass screening of cancer. Fluorescent lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) is an attractive platform for point-of-care testing due to its inherent advantages. Particularly, a fluorescent probe is crucial to improving the analytical performance of the LFA platform. Herein, we developed an enhanced second near-infrared (NIR-II) LFA (ENIR-II LFA) platform based on supramolecular host-guest self-assembly for detection of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a model analyte. In this platform, depending on the effective supramolecular surface modification strategy, cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7])-covered rare-earth nanoparticles (RENPs) emitting in the NIR-II (1000-1700 nm) window were prepared and employed as an efficient fluorescent probe (RENPs-CB[7]). Benefiting from its superior optical properties, such as low autofluorescence, excellent photostability, enhanced fluorescence intensity, and increased antibody-conjugation efficiency, the ENIR-II LFA platform displayed a wide linear detection range from 0.65 to 120 ng mL-1, and the limit of detection was down to 0.22 ng mL-1 for PSA, which was 18.2 times lower than the clinical cutoff value. Moreover, the testing time was also shortened to 6 min. Compared with the commercial visible fluorescence LFA kit (VIS LFA) and the previously reported NIR-II LFA based on a RENPs-PAA probe, this ENIR-II LFA demonstrated more competitive advantages in analytical sensitivity, detection range, testing time, and production cost. Overall, the ENIR-II LFA platform offers great potential for the highly sensitive, rapid, and convenient detection of tumor biomarkers and is expected to serve as a useful technique in the general population screening of the high-incidence cancer region.