Good Candidates For Screening Research Articles

Cost-effectiveness of screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip in Karachi, Pakistan using a universally applicable cost-effectiveness model

IntroductionDevelopmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a congenital anomaly of the hip socket that can lead to lifelong disability and pain when left untreated. DDH is a good candidate...

Place actuelle du dépistage du cancer du poumon en France et dans le monde

Lung cancer is a good candidate for screening. The NLST trial demonstrated that annual low-dose CT-scan in a high risk population of smokers reduced specific mortality by 20% and overall mortality by 6.7%.Current position of lung cancer screening in France and worldwide is presented in this review.In France, the topic is dominated by french heath autorithies skepticism. Worldwide there are deep differences: US and Canada have iplemented lung cancer screening in routine while Europe still waiting for NELSON results and pooled analysis of european trials.In practice, interval between two low-dose CT-scan ay be delayed at 2 years (but no more), in particular among individuals who have a negative CT-scan. Biomarkers and risk-prediction scores are clearly very interesting perpectives but need prospective validation.

The Combination of MiRNA-196b, LCN2, and TIMP1 is a Potential Set of Circulating Biomarkers for Screening Individuals at Risk for Familial Pancreatic Cancer.

Individuals at risk (IAR) of familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) are good candidates for screening. Unfortunately, neither reliable imaging modalities nor biomarkers are available to detect high-grade precursor lesions or early cancer. Circulating levels of candidate biomarkers LCN2, TIMP1, Glypican-1, RNU2-1f, and miRNA-196b were analyzed in 218 individuals with sporadic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC, n = 50), FPC (n = 20), chronic pancreatitis (n = 10), IAR with relevant precursor lesions (n = 11) or non-relevant lesions (n = 5), 20 controls, and IAR with (n = 51) or without (n = 51) lesions on pancreatic imaging. In addition, corresponding duodenal juice samples were analyzed for Glypican-1 (n = 144) enrichment and KRAS mutations (n = 123). The panel miR-196b/LCN2/TIMP1 could distinguish high-grade lesions and stage I PDAC from controls with absolute specificity and sensitivity. In contrast, Glypican-1 enrichment in serum exosomes and duodenal juice was not diagnostic. KRAS mutations in duodenal juice were detected in 9 of 12 patients with PDAC and only 4 of 9 IAR with relevant precursor lesions. IAR with lesions on imaging had elevated miR-196b/LCN2/TIMP1 levels (p = 0.0007) and KRAS mutations in duodenal juice (p = 0.0004) significantly more often than IAR without imaging lesions. The combination miR-196b/LCN2/TIMP1 might be a promising biomarker set for the detection of high-grade PDAC precursor lesions in IAR of FPC families.

Comparison of Three Screening Methods for Cervical Cancer in China - A Systematic Study of 3,300 Cases in Rural Areas of Shanxi Province

Objective: Reaching women in rural China is one of the major public health problem today and even though various methodologies were introduced they had limited or no success. The goal of our study was to investigate the usefulness of DNA quantitative assessment (ploidy) in comparison with conventional cytology (LBC) and HPV testing and its possible role in the clinical practice for rural women. Methods: In collaboration with Shanxi Women and Children Health Center we finished a study in Shanxi Province (3300 women) using Image cytometer. Each women underwent HPV testing, liquid based cytology screening (LBC) using manual and semi-automated analysis based on DNA ploidy and EA50 staining (on the same slide). All positive cases by any method were invited for colposcopy and biopsy. Results: Our results showed that DNA ploidy in combination with EA50 have superior performance in comparison with LBC or HPV method. Conclusion: Automated combined qualitative and quantitative image cytometry is a very good candidate for screening in low resource settings in China where the conventional cytology or LBC reading cannot be performed due to the lack of adequate infrastructure and trained cytotechnologists or cytopathologists. Furthermore digitalization of images open a door for data transfer and cloud computing which in turn can improve access to proper medical care in rural China.

Thermoacoustic imaging of human finger joints and bones

AbstractIn this study, we explore a new application of thermoacoustic tomography (TAT) for imaging human finger joints and bones. Three volunteers’ finger joints and bones were visualized with satisfying image contrast and spatial resolution by a TAT scanner. The recovered TAT images revealed apparent microwave absorption differences between the joint cavity and bone. Beyond the full single finger imaging, a volunteer’s four fingers were clearly and concurrently imaged. To confirm our observations, MRI images of two volunteers’ fingers were performed, and the TAT recovered shape/size of the fingers were consistent with the MRI findings. To further assess the feasibility of TAT for finger joint and bone imaging, we quantitatively calculated the conductivity of a case. This initial study suggests that TAT may be a good candidate for screening, diagnosing, and monitoring treatment of joint and bone diseases.

Let the Right One In: A Microeconomic Approach to Partner Choice in Mutualisms

One of the main problems impeding the evolution of cooperation is partner choice. When information is asymmetric (the quality of a potential partner is known only to himself), it may seem that partner choice is not possible without signaling. Many mutualisms, however, exist without signaling, and the mechanisms by which hosts might select the right partners are unclear. Here we propose a general mechanism of partner choice, "screening," that is similar to the economic theory of mechanism design. Imposing the appropriate costs and rewards may induce the informed individuals to screen themselves according to their types and therefore allow a noninformed individual to establish associations with the correct partners in the absence of signaling. Several types of biological symbioses are good candidates for screening, including bobtail squid, ant-plants, gut microbiomes, and many animal and plant species that produce reactive oxygen species. We describe a series of diagnostic tests for screening. Screening games can apply to the cases where by-products, partner fidelity feedback, or host sanctions do not apply, therefore explaining the evolution of mutualism in systems where it is impossible for potential symbionts to signal their cooperativeness beforehand and where the host does not punish symbiont misbehavior.

Evidence for colorectal cancer screening

The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been increasing during the past decades, and the lifetime risk for CRC in industrialised countries is about 5%. CRC is a good candidate for screening, because it is a disease with high prevalence, has recognised precursors, and early treatment is beneficial. This paper outlines the evidence for efficacy from randomised trials for the most commonly used CRC screening tests to reduce CRC incidence and mortality in the average-risk population. Four randomised trials have investigated the effect of guaiac-based fecal occult blood screening on CRC mortality, with a combined CRC mortality risk reduction of 15-17% in an intention-to-screen analysis, and 25% for those people who attended screening. Flexible sigmoidoscopy screening has been evaluated in three randomised trials. The observed reduction in CRC incidence varied between 23 and 80%, and between 27 and 67% for CRC mortality, respectively (intention-to-screen analyses) in the trials with long follow-up time. No randomised trials exist in other CRC screening tools, included colonoscopy screening. FOBT and flexible sigmoidoscopy are the two CRC screening methods which have been tested in randomised trials and shown to reduce CRC mortality. These tests can be recommended for CRC screening.

Testing for CHEK2 in the cancer genetics clinic: ready for prime time?

The 1100delC mutation of the CHEK2 gene was found to be a cause of breast cancer in 2002. The lifetime risk of breast cancer among women with a mutation and with a family history of breast cancer is approximately 25%. These women are good candidates for screening with MRI and for chemoprevention with tamoxifen. It is reasonable to test for this single mutation when women undergo testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Mental health screening in armed forces before the Iraq war and prevention of subsequent psychological morbidity: follow-up study

Objective To assess whether screening for mental disorder before the start of the 2003 Iraq war would have predicted subsequent mental disorders. Design Longitudinal cohort study of the United Kingdom...

A potential novel source of information for screening and monitoring the impact of exotic plants on ecosystems

Exotic invasive species often affect the pools and fluxes of carbon, nutrient elements, and energy, but there are few sources of information that permit these effects to be anticipated. Some plant traits, such as growth rates and tissue nutrient content, are known to influence the ecosystem process, but information about these traits is often not available. I propose that plant secondary chemistry may be a useful trait for assessing the likelihood of ecosystem (and community) impacts. Information about such traits is readily available from several sources, rendering it a good candidate for screening and monitoring programs. Plant secondary chemicals affect a variety of ecosystem processes, largely through their direct and indirect impacts on soil microbial community composition and function. They also have well-known effects on human physiology, as evidenced in the numerous plant-derived bioactive compounds used for their medicinal and other physiological effects. There is a large amount of information available about plant secondary chemistry due to its role in herbal medicine, dietary supplements and the emerging field of nutraceuticals. This information includes databases and traditional texts in ethnobotany, plant chemistry, and alternative medicine. I review evidence that secondary compounds are widespread in invasive species and affect soil microbial communities and microbially-mediated ecosystem processes. Invasion ecology may profit from collaborations with a novel group of scientists, including those in ethnobotany, nutraceuticals, plant chemistry and alternative medicine.

Epidemiology of Homocysteine as a Risk Factor in Diabetes

Patients with diabetes mellitus are prone to cardiovascular disease, and risk factors presumably unrelated to diabetes, such as hyperhomocysteinemia, may be involved in the atherothrombotic process in these subjects. Plasma homocysteine levels are usually normal in diabetes, although both lower and higher levels have been reported. This has been ascribed to hyperfiltration and renal dysfunction or low folate status, respectively. Insulin resistance does not appear to be a major determinant of plasma homocysteine level. Hyperhomocysteinemia has been associated with microalbuminuria and retinopathy in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In patients with type 2 diabetes, plasma homocysteine concentration has also been shown to be related to macrovascular disease and death. This relation seems to be stronger in subjects with diabetes than without. The underlying pathophysiological mechanism of this increased vascular risk remains unexplained, but may relate to worsening of endothelial dysfunction or structural vessel properties. Because homocysteine and diabetes have an apparent synergistic detrimental vascular effect, patients with diabetes are good candidates for screening and treatment with folic acid until the results of ongoing clinical trials are available.

Diabetes Mellitus and Hyperhomocysteinemia

Patients with diabetes mellitus are prone to cardiovascular disease and risk factors presumably unrelated to diabetes, such as hyperhomocysteinemia, may be involved in the atherothrombotic process in these subjects. Plasma homocysteine levels are usually normal in diabetes, although both lower and higher levels have been reported. This has been ascribed to hyperfiltration and renal dysfunction or low folate status, respectively. Insulin resistance does not appear to be a major determinant of plasma homocysteine level. Hyperhomocysteinemia has been associated with microalbuminuria and retinopathy in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In patients with type 2 diabetes, plasma homocysteine concentration has also been shown to be related to macrovascular disease and death. This relation seems to be stronger in diabetics than in subjects without diabetes. The underlying pathophysiological mechanism of this increased vascular risk remains unexplained but may relate to worsening of endothelial dysfunction or structural vessel properties. Because homocysteine and diabetes have an apparent synergistic negative vascular effect, patients with diabetes are good candidates for screening and treatment with folic acid until the results of ongoing clinical trials are available.