Good Screening Test Research Articles

The Evidence Against Cardiac Screening Using Electrocardiogram in Athletes.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes is publicly remarkable and tragic because of the loss of a seemingly healthy young person. Because many of the potential etiologies may be identified with a preparticipation electrocardiogram (ECG), the possible use of an ECG as a screening tool has received much attention. A good screening test should be cost-effective and should influence a disease or health outcome that has a significant impact on public health. The reality is that the prevalence of SCD is low and no outcome-based data exist to determine whether early detection saves lives. Further, there is insufficient screening infrastructure, and the risk of screening and follow-up may be higher than that of the actual disease. Until outcomes data demonstrate a benefit with regard to SCD, universal screening cannot be recommended.

Chlamydia antibody testing helps in identifying females with possible tubal factor infertility

Chlamydia is an important cause of sexually transmitted diseases leading to tubal factor infertility. This study aims to define the role of chlamydial antibody detection in predicting presence, nature and type of tubal pathology in laparoscopy. A prospective study was conducted on 200 consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopy as a part of infertility work-up. Preoperatively, serological determination of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) specific antibodies against Chlamydia Trachomatis was done by Enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Findings of laparoscopy were evaluated against presence or absence of chlamydial antibodies in serum. Out of 200 patients,10 patients tested positive for chlamydial antibody. Chlamydial antibody was found positive in 20% and 22.7% of patients with tubal pathology and peri-hepatic adhesions of patients, respectively. The sensitivity of chlamydial antibody for diagnosing tubal pathology was found to be 20%, while specificity was 100%. The positive chlamydial antibody test was not statistically associated with involvement of one or both tubes and site of tubal block. Chlamydia antibody test does not appear to be good screening test for tubal pathology especially in Indian subcontinent. In view of its high specificity, this test can be used to identify patients with higher chances of tubal pathology requiring operative intervention.

Evaluation of modified Dennis parasitological technique for diagnosis of bovine fascioliasis.

Bovine fascioliasis causes important economic losses, estimated at COP$ 12,483 billion per year; its prevalence is 25% in dairy cattle. Parasitological techniques are required for it diagnosis. The Dennis technique, modified in 2002, is the one used in Colombia, but its sensitivity, specificity and validity are not known. To evaluate the validity and performance of the modified Dennis technique for diagnosis of bovine fascioliasis using as reference test the observation of parasites in the liver. We conducted a diagnostic evaluation study. We selected a convenience sample of discarded bovines sacrificed between March and June, 2013, in Frigocolanta for the study. We collected 25 g of feces from each animal and their liver and bile ducts were examined for Fasciola hepatica. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive value, predictive negative value, and validity index were calculated with 95% confidence intervals. The post-mortem evaluation was used as the gold standard. We analyzed 180 bovines. The sensitivity and specificity of the modified Dennis technique were 73.2% (95% CI=58.4% - 87.9%) and 84.2% (95% CI= 77.7% - 90.6%), respectively. The positive predictive value was 57.7% (95% CI= 43.3% - 72.1%) and the negative one 91.4% (95% CI= 86.2% - 96.6%). The prevalence of bovine fascioliasis was 22.8% (95% CI= 16.4% - 29.2%). The validity and the performance of the modified Dennis technique were higher than those of the traditional one, which makes it a good screening test for diagnosing fascioliasis for population and prevalence studies and during animal health campaigns.

Contribution of alpha-fetoprotein in liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the main tumor biomarker available for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although it is neither a good screening test nor an accurate diagnostic tool for HCC, it seems to be a possible prognostic marker. However, its contribution in liver transplantation for HCC has not been fully determined, although its use to predict recurrence after liver transplantation has been underlined by international societies. In an era of organ shortages, it could also have a key role in the selection of patients eligible for liver transplantation. Yet unanswered questions remain. First, the cut-off value of serum AFP above which liver transplantation should not be performed is still a subject of debate. We show that a concentration of 1000 ng/mL could be an exclusion criterion, whereas values of < 15 ng/mL indicate patients with an excellent prognosis whatever the size and number of tumors. Monitoring the dynamics of AFP could also prove useful. However, evidence is lacking regarding the values that should be used. Today, the real input of AFP seems to be its integration into new criteria to select patients eligible for a liver transplantation. These recent tools have associated AFP values with morphological criteria, thus refining pre-existing criteria, such as Milan, University of California, San Francisco, or "up-to-seven". We provide a review of the different criteria submitted within the past years. Finally, AFP can be used to monitor recurrence after transplantation, although there is little evidence to support this claim. Future challenges will be to draft new international guidelines to implement the use of AFP as a selection tool, and to determine a clear cut-off value above which liver transplantation should not be performed.

How Sensitive Is Urine Dipstick Analysis in Predicting Urinary Tract Infections in Symptomatic Adults in a Primary Care Setting ?

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common clinical problem in the primary care setting. Urine dipstick analysis is a quick, cheap and widely used test to predict UTI in clinically suspected patients. Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity of urine dipstick analysis as a screening test in predicting UTI in symptomatic adults in the primary care setting. Methods: A total of 420 culture-positive urine samples from patients with symptomatic UTI, who had dipstick urinalysis in a primary care center were the materials of this study from March to October 2015. The sensitivity of urine dipstick nitrites (NT), leukocyte esterase (LE) and blood was calculated and compared with positive culture samples either individually or in combination. Results: The sensitivity of dipstick NT alone was the lowest of all tests (20.7%), while LE alone was marginally higher than NT (31.42%), whereas dipstick blood test when considered alone was the highest sensitive (61.9%). In combination, NT and/ or LE were marginally higher than either test alone (41.2%), while NT and/or blood were (64.5%). The highest sensitivity of dipstick is obtained when all the three parameters were considered together (NT and/or LE and/or Blood, sensitivity 81.4%). Conclusion: Dipstick NT, LE, and blood are poor screening tests when used individually. Dipstick sensitivity significantly increases, and it could be considered a good screening test to predict UTI in symptomatic adults in the primary care setting when its three components are considered together. However, negative dipstick analysis should not rule out UTI in symptomatic adults, and urine culture is necessary for accurate diagnosis.

Semantic Verbal Fluency Pattern, Dementia Rating Scores and Adaptive Behavior Correlate With Plasma Aβ42 Concentrations in Down Syndrome Young Adults.

Down syndrome (DS) is an intellectual disability (ID) disorder in which language and specifically, verbal fluency are strongly impaired domains; nearly all adults show neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including amyloid deposition by their fifth decade of life. In the general population, verbal fluency deficits are considered a strong AD predictor being the semantic verbal fluency task (SVFT) a useful tool for enhancing early diagnostic. However, there is a lack of information about the association between the semantic verbal fluency pattern (SVFP) and the biological amyloidosis markers in DS. In the current study, we used the SVFT in young adults with DS to characterize their SVFP, assessing total generated words, clustering, and switching. We then explored its association with early indicators of dementia, adaptive behavior and amyloidosis biomarkers, using the Dementia Questionnaire for Persons with Intellectual Disability (DMR), the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-Second Edition (ABAS-II), and plasma levels of Aβ peptides (Aβ40 and Aβ42), as a potent biomarker of AD. In DS, worse performance in SVFT and poorer communication skills were associated with higher plasma Aβ42 concentrations, a higher DMR score and impaired communication skills (ABAS–II). The total word production and switching ability in SVFT were good indicators of plasma Aβ42 concentration. In conclusion, we propose the SVFT as a good screening test for early detection of dementia and amyloidosis in young adults with DS.

Evaluation of 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in rat models with hepatocellular carcinoma with liver cirrhosis.

Liver cirrhosis is a predominant risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the exact mechanism of the progression from cirrhosis to cancer remains unclear. The uptake of 2-[(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) is widely used as a marker of increased glucose metabolism to monitor the progression of cancer with positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT). Here we investigated the feasibility of using (18)F-FDG PET/CT in the diethylnitrosamine (DEN) mediated experimental hepatocellular carcinoma model. Rats received weekly intraperitoneal injections of DEN for 16 weeks for induction of HCC. We recorded starting from 0 days or 0 weeks after the last DEN injection. The weight and survival rate of rats were then measured. Also, an (18)F-FDG PET scan and serum analysis were performed at minus 2, 0, plus 2, and plus 4 weeks after the last DEN injection. The body weight of rats was maintained between 350 g and 370 g during 14 and 20 weeks, and the rats were euthanized at 35 days after the last DEN injection. The serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and alkaline phosphate (ALP) were significantly higher at zero weeks after the last DEN injection. The (18)F-FDG uptake for the quantitative evaluation of HCC was done by measuring the region of interest (ROI). At minus two weeks after the last DEN injection, the ROI of rats had significantly increased compared to the normal group, in a time-dependent manner. These results suggest that FDG uptake serves as a good screening test to evaluate the feasibility of DEN-induced HCC.

Utility of the Military Acute Concussion Evaluation as a screening tool for mild traumatic brain injury in a civilian trauma population

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) constitutes 75% of more than 1.5 million traumatic brain injuries annually. There exists no consensus on point-of-care screening for mTBI. The Military Acute Concussion Evaluation (MACE) is a quick and easy test used by the US Army to screen for mTBI; however, its utility in civilian trauma is unclear. It has two parts: a history section and the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) score (0-30) previously validated in sports injury. As a performance improvement project, our institution sought to evaluate the MACE as a concussion screening tool that could be used by housestaff in a general civilian trauma population. From June 2013 to May 2014, patients 18 years to 65 years old with suspected concussion were given the MACE within 72 hours of admission to our urban Level I trauma center. Patients with a positive head computed tomography were excluded. Demographic data and MACE scores were recorded in prospect. Concussion was defined as loss of consciousness and/or posttraumatic amnesia; concussed patients were compared with those nonconcussed. Sensitivity and specificity for each respective MACE score were used to plot a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. An ROC curve area of 0.8 was set as the benchmark for a good screening test to distinguish concussion from nonconcussion. There were 84 concussions and 30 nonconcussed patients. Both groups were similar; however, the concussion group had a lower mean MACE score than the nonconcussed patients. Data analysis demonstrated the sensitivity and specificity of a range of MACE scores used to generate an ROC curve area of only 0.65. The MACE showed a lower mean score for individuals with concussion, defined by loss of consciousness and/or posttraumatic amnesia. However, the ROC curve area of 0.65 highly suggests that MACE alone would be a poor screening test for mTBI in a general civilian trauma population. Diagnostic study, level II.

Use of a microchip flow-chamber system as a screening test for platelet storage pool disease.

Platelet storage pool disease (SPD) is a platelet function disorder characterized by a reduction in the number or content of α-granules, dense granules, or both, and is diagnosed by specialized tests. Patients with SPD often present with prolonged bleeding time (BT), but the sensitivity and reproducibility of this test have limitations, often resulting in false negatives. It has recently been reported that an automated microchip flow-chamber system (T-TAS(®)) is useful in the assessment of anti-platelet therapy, and could have potential as a screening test for SPD. We examined the utility of T-TAS in three individuals from one family diagnosed with δ-SPD. The propositus had a mildly prolonged BT, and the standard tests for platelet function were close to the normal range. Whole blood samples were anti-coagulated with hirudin and applied to T-TAS microchips coated with collagen (PL-chips) at shear rates of 1000 and 2000s(-1). Platelet thrombus formation (PTF) was monitored with a pressure sensor. Markedly depressed PTF was observed in all cases at both shear rates. These findings indicate that T-TAS is highly sensitive to the defect in these patients with SPD, and may represent a good candidate screening test for a wide range of platelet function disorders.

Validación del ultrasonido como prueba diagnóstica para circular de cordón durante el trabajo de parto. Estudio preliminar

OBJETIVO: Comparar la capacidad diagnóstica del ultrasonido abdominal en la detección de circular de cordón. DISEÑO: Estudio clínico analítico. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se estudió 57 pacientes con gestación a término y en trabajo de parto. Previo, a su hospitalización, a cada paciente se le efectuó ultrasonografía abdominal obstétrica (USO), para identificar la presencia o ausencia de circular de cordón, lo que fue comparado con los hallazgos al momento del parto o la cesárea (estándar de oro). RESULTADOS: La prevalencia de circular de cordón en embarazos a término diagnosticados por USO fue 21,1%. La sensibilidad de la prueba fue 80% (IC 95%, 72,7 a 87,3), la especificidad 96% (IC 95%, 92,9 a 99,1) y los valores predictivos, positivos y negativos fueron 87% y 94%, respectivamente. La exactitud de la prueba fue de 92%. La Xi cuadrada de McNemar para el análisis de las discordancias entre las dos pruebas no fue significativo (p=0,7236). Las razones de verosimilitud para resultados positivos y negativos fueron 20 y 0,20, respectivamente. CONCLUSIONES: El estudio ultrasonográfico durante el trabajo de parto para el diagnóstico de circular de cordón es altamente específico (96%), la cual le permite ser utilizado como prueba de tamizaje para identificar los embarazos de riesgo alto con circular de cordón.

Urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in asphyxiated neonates: a prospective cohort study.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the most common complication of perinatal asphyxia. Recent research indicates that urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is an early marker for AKI; yet, there is a paucity of data about its use in term neonates with perinatal asphyxia. A prospective cohort study was conducted on 108 term babies in the new-born unit of Pumwani Maternity Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital. Urine NGAL and serum creatinine were measured in 108 term asphyxiated neonates on days 1 and 3 of life. One-hundred and eight patients were recruited (male:female 1.4:1). At a cut-off of 250 ng/ml, urine NGAL had an acceptable discriminative capability of predicting AKI (area under the curve 0.724). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and likelihood ratios were 88, 56, 30, 95%, 2 and 0.2 respectively. Urine NGAL levels were significantly higher in patients with AKI compared with those without AKI. An NGAL level greater than 250 ng/ml on day 1 was significantly associated with severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE); odds ratio = 8.9 (95% CI 1.78-37.69) and mortality; odds ratio = 8.9 (95% CI 1.78-37.69). Urine NGAL is a good screening test for the early diagnosis of AKI. It is also a predictor of mortality and severity of HIE in asphyxiated neonates.

Urodynamics in Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men are due to bladder dysfunction or bladder outlet disorders such as benign prostatic enlargement and bladder neck or urethral sphincter dysfunction. Men with lower urinary tract symptoms prefer shared problem-solving and decision making during treatment planning. Urodynamic studies (UDS) in male LUTS (MLUTS) are useful for both diagnosis and prognosis. UDS help both the clinician and the patient in shared decision making regarding treatment of these men. The AUA/SUFU guidelines and EAU guidelines are helpful in cost-effective selection of patients with MLUTS for urodynamic evaluation. UDS are indicated in the subset of patients with MLUTS being considered for invasive and potentially morbid therapy. Uroflowmetry and post-void residual (PVR) volume measurement by bladder ultrasound scan are good screening tests in MLUTS. Urodynamic evidence of bladder outlet obstruction has been correlated with better outcomes following invasive therapy.

Utility of light-emitting diode microscopy for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in HIV infected patients

ObjectiveTo determine the utility of light-emitting diode fluorescent microscopy (LED-FM) for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in HIV-infected patients. Material and methodsA cross-sectional study was performed on 400 HIV-infected, clinically or radiologically suspected PTB patients. Two sputum specimens were collected from each patient. Two direct smears were prepared from each sputum specimen. One was stained by ZN method and another by auramine-O method and reported as per the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) guidelines. LED-FM stained smears were reported by two readers. All specimens were cultured on LJ medium after digestion and decontamination. Address and contact details of all the patients were recorded in case record form. They were contacted for follow-up if required. ResultsOf the 800 sputum specimens processed, 130 were positive by LED-FM method and 33 were positive by ZN method; 77 specimens showed growth of MTB on LJ medium. When compared with solid culture as a reference standard, LED-FM has a sensitivity of 67.53%, specificity of 88.71%, PPV of 40% and NPV of 96.08%. Seventy-eight LED-FM positive and culture negative specimens had scanty grading. Of these, 15 were confirmed as having PTB as they responded to anti-TB treatment. The concordance between two readers was 98.75%. ConclusionLED-FM can be a good screening test for the diagnosis of PTB in HIV-infected patients. However, all scanty grade positive smears need to be confirmed by WHO approved gold standard.

Dilemma in TB diagnostic testing; phenotypic or genotypic testing

Testing for tuberculosis (TB) is difficult because there are so many tests available. Except for the culture-based tests, all others are for screening or add-on tests. On the other hand, there is an urgent need to develop a rapid TB diagnostic test with good sensitivity and specificity.The introduction of liquid culture medium in 1980 (BACTEC 460 radiometric) and later MGIT was a great improvement in a definitive diagnosis, but still results are not as fast as needed. After the discovery of IS6110 sequence and the whole genome sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) many rapid diagnostic tests have been developed based on the molecular platform. This brought hope that these molecular tests will be the answer to the need for an ideal rapid test for diagnosis and drug susceptibility testing (DST). Among these notable molecular tests are Hain’s LPA and Cepheid’s GeneXpert–GeneXpert being the leading one. Time to results for detection and DST, which used to take 6–8weeks with solid media, was reduced to 4weeks by the BACTEC method and now to 2h by the GeneXpert.Despite significant improvement in the time to report, molecular-based tests still face many challenges. Sensitivity and specificity of a diagnostic test is critical in infectious diseases. For molecular tests lack of sensitivity in smear-negative TB cases is a great concern. In case of DST it is important to have a test which can detect resistance to first-line and most of the second-line drugs with high sensitivity and specificity. At present the genotypic tests are applicable for only a few drugs, while GeneXpert detects only Rifampicin resistance. Because of these limitations, genotypic tests are considered as good screening tests. Until the molecular tests are made more sensitive for the detection of TB and more knowledge is acquired on molecular mechanisms of drug resistance, these tests will remain as screening tools.Sustainability is another issue. Presently, funding agencies are supporting the high cost of the genotypic tests, but what if these funds dry out? This overall situation has created a dilemma of what should be the right option in choosing a TB diagnostic test. Efforts are being made to improve the sensitivity and specificity of molecular tests. Until then, it appears that phenotypic tests, especially using liquid medium, still remain as the only one offering a comprehensive solution in TB diagnosis and DST. There is still a need for a diagnostic test which is simple, rapid and affordable for the low-income, high-TB prevalence countries, and as comprehensive, sensitive and specific as the liquid culture for TB diagnosis and DST.

Renal involvement and its detection in sickle cell disease children

Background: Sickle cell disease is common in this part of India. Study tries to find extent of renal involvement, risk factors and screening tests in sickle cell disease. Methods: Convenient Prospective, cross sectional, observational study among known sickle cell anemia (homo and heterozygous) children and Fifty controls. Demographic and clinical findings were recorded. Renal function tests including serum sodium and potassium, eGFR were studied. Presence of microalbuminuria was checked and renal Doppler study was performed. Results: Total 110 homozygous (SS type), 55 heterozygous (AS type) and 50 normal children were recruited. Majority belonged to low socioeconomic state with male preponderance. More patients in crisis had high Urea (23%) and Creatinine (43%) than in steady state (high urea 3.38%, high creatinine 15%). In AS type children also high urea (3.6%) and creatinine (11%) was found. A subgroup in SS and AS type had lower than normal urea and creatinine. Sodium and potassium abnormality also was found in both groups. eGFR was high below 5 years and then came down. All parameters worsened with age. Renal Doppler was better indicator of renal damage than microalbuminuria. Conclusions: Renal involvement is common in sickle cell anemia. Increasing age, male sex and homozygous state were risk factors. Renal Doppler and micro-albuminuria are good screening tests. Renal Doppler was marginally superior.

Comparative Evaluation of Different Test Combinations for Diagnosis of Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis Infecting Dairy Herds in India.

A total of 355 cows were sampled (serum, n = 315; faeces, n = 355; milk, n = 209) from dairy farms located in the Punjab state of India. Faeces and serum/milk samples were screened by acid fast staining and “indigenous ELISA,” respectively. IS900 PCR was used to screen faeces and milk samples. Bio-load of MAP in dairy cows was 36.9, 15.6, 16.3, and 14.4%, using microscopy, serum ELISA, milk ELISA and milk PCR, respectively. Estimated kappa values between different test combinations: serum and milk ELISA, faecal microscopy and faecal PCR, milk ELISA and milk PCR, faecal PCR and serum ELISA were 0.325, 0.241, 0.682, and 0.677, respectively. Estimation of the relative sensitivity and specificity of different tests in the present study indicated that “serum ELISA” and “milk ELISA” were good screening tests, add “milk PCR” was “confirmatory test” for MAP infection. Combination of milk ELISA with milk PCR may be adopted as a model strategy for screening and diagnosis of JD in lactating/dairy cattle herds in Indian conditions.

Value of screening endoscopy in evaluation of esophageal, gastric and colon cancers.

Esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers are deadly diseases that continue to plague our world today. The value of screening endoscopy in evaluating these types of cancers is a critical area of discussion due to a potential reduction in morbidity and mortality. This article describes how to identify a good screening test and explains what are important criteria in the field of screening endoscopy. Furthermore, the current status and progress of screening endoscopy for esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancer will be evaluated and discussed. Mass screening programs have not been implemented for esophageal and gastric carcinomas in those with average or low risk populations. However, studies of high-risk populations have found value and a cost-benefit in conducting screening endoscopy. Colorectal cancer, on the other hand, has had mass screening programs in place for many years due to the clear evidence of improved outcomes. As the role of endoscopy as a screening tool has continued to develop, newer technology and techniques have emerged to improve its utility. Many new image enhancement techniques and computer processing programs have shown promise and may have a significant role in the future of endoscopic screening. These developments are paving the way for improving the diagnostic and therapeutic capability of endoscopy in the field of gastroenterology.

Audiometric notching at 4 kHz: Good screening test for assessment of early onset of occupational hearing loss

Context: In noise induced hearing loss (NIHL), cochlear hair cells are damaged by exposure to loud sound. The basilar membrane is tonotopically organized with the lowest frequencies preferentially transduced at the apex and the highest frequencies at the base. On the basilar membrane, the outer hair cells area corresponding to the 4 kHz and the adjacent areas of 3 and 6 kHz are most susceptible to damage. Aims: To screen the factory workers for early onset of NIHL. Subjects and Methods: Study was done over a period of 2 years that is, from September 01, 2011 to August 31, 2013 on 341 steel factory workers. Workers having a minimum of 5 years of noise exposure were included whereas workers having age >45 years or with conductive hearing loss that is, air-bone gap >10 dB were excluded from the study. Results: It was found that factory workers showed normal hearing, when calculated as average of 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz but they have started developing the early changes of NIHL in the form of notching at 4000 Hz frequency described as threshold shifts. It was seen that 198 right ears out of the total 341 studied showed threshold shifts >25 dB in 4 kHz frequency, even then 70 (35.35%) right ears showed hearing in normal range. In case of left ears 198 out of the total 341 studied showed threshold shifts >25 dB in 4 kHz frequency, even then 97 (48.99%) left ears showed hearing in normal range.

Immunohistochemical detection of promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger and histone 1.5 in uterine leiomyosarcoma and leiomyoma.

The accurate distinction of leiomyoma from leiomyosarcoma is essential for patient management. However, the distinction can be difficult to make, particularly in tissue biopsy samples. Immunohistochemistry has been established as a useful technique to aid in the diagnosis of malignancies. The advantages of immunohistochemical studies are their ease of use and interpretation. This study is the first to evaluate the utility of the promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF) protein and the histone 1.5 (H1.5) protein as potential diagnostic immunohistochemical markers for distinguishing leiomyosarcoma from leiomyoma. Tissue samples from 21 leiomyosarcomas and 26 leiomyomas were studied. The student t-test and the Fisher exact test were used to calculate the differences in staining between the 2 groups. Statistically significant differences were found in the staining indices of anti-PLZF and anti-H1.5 when comparing benign and malignant tumors (P < .0001 and P < .0001, respectively). The mean H1.5 staining score in leiomyosarcomas was 158.3, compared to 28.3 in leiomyomas. The mean PLZF score in leiomyosarcomas was 1.5 in contrast to 71.5 in leiomyomas. For H1.5 at a score ≥60, the sensitivity and specificity were 90.5% and 84.6%, respectively. For PLZF, a score ≤15 had a test sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 80.8%, respectively. This suggests that staining for H1.5 or PLZF can serve as a good screening test. Additionally, combining the 2 immunostains results in a sensitivity and specificity of 90.5% and 97.5%, respectively, in differentiating between leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma. We describe immunostaining for PLZF and H1.5 in benign and malignant uterine smooth muscle tumors. Statistically significant differences in staining patterns were found, suggesting utility in distinguishing leiomyosarcomas from leiomyomas.

Screening people in the waiting room for vestibular impairments.

Primary care physicians need good screening tests of the vestibular system to help them determine whether patients who complain of dizziness should be evaluated for vestibular disorders. The goal of this study was to determine whether current, widely used screening tests of the vestibular system predict subsequent performance on objective diagnostic tests of the vestibular system (ENG). Of 300 subjects who were recruited from the waiting room of a primary care clinic and were screened there, 69 subjects subsequently volunteered for ENGs in the otolaryngology department. The screening study included age, history of vertigo, head impulse tests, Dix-Hallpike maneuvers, and the Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance with the head still and the head pitching at 0.33 Hz. The ENG included Dix-Hallpike maneuvers, vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials, bithermal water caloric tests, and low-frequency sinusoids in the rotatory chair in darkness. The scores on the screening were related to the total ENG, but odds ratios were not significant for some variables, probably because of the small sample size. A larger sample may have yielded stronger results, but in general the high odds ratios suggest a relation between the ENG score and Dix-Hallpike responses and between the ENG scores and some Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance responses.