Prevalence Of Specimens Research Articles

Diversity of Foraminifera from the Indian Coast

Foraminifera, members of the class Granuloreticulosa, are marine protozoans distributed across both pelagic and benthic zones of the ocean. After the death of these microscopic organisms, their shells are washed along the intertidal sandy shores along with sand granules. This organism's shell is called a test which is composed of calcium carbonate, silica, or agglutinated materials that characterize the genera of Foraminifera. In the present study, the sand samples were collected along the different sites of the Indian coastline viz. Juhu Beach (Mumbai), Alibaug Beach (Raigad), Palolem Beach (Goa), Kanyakumari Beach (Tamil Nadu), and Puri Beach (Odisha). In this study, samples from Juhu Beach showed the highest foraminiferan diversity (24%) followed by Alibaug (21%) > Kanyakumari = Puri (19%) > Goa (17%). Across all selected study sites, the prevalence of specimens from the Globothalamea class was notable, comprising 39% of the total foraminiferans. This was followed by Monothalamae (26%), Fusulinata (13%), Tubothalamea (11%), and Nodosariata (11%). 13 extinct genera were also documented in the study.

Alterations in Glomerular Filtration Rates Using Different Algorithms in the Korean Population Visiting Local Clinics and Hospitals.

We retrospectively reviewed the estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) calculated by three equations: (1) Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study (MDRD), (2) Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) using serum creatinine in 2009 (CKD-EPI 2009), and (3) CKD-EPI suggested in 2021 (CKD-EPI 2021), in an adult Korean population visiting local clinics and hospitals for health check-ups between 2019 and 2021 to investigate the effect of changes in the prevalence of chronic kidney diseases using those equations. During the study period, serum creatinine tests were performed on 442,566 subjects (205,236 men and 237,330 women). The overall prevalence rates of decreased eGFR (<60 mL/min/1.73 m2) at baseline measurement were as follows: 3.4% using MDRD, 2.8% using CKD-EPI 2009, and 2.1% using CKD-EPI 2021. The prevalence of decreased eGFR increased with age. Among 442,566 tests, specimens having simultaneously measured random urine dipstick tests for proteinuria represented 6.0% of the population, and the albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) was 0.3%. The prevalence of specimens having both decreased eGFR and proteinuria was significantly different among equations (p < 0.05). Among the three equations, MDRD and CKD-EPI 2009 had a similar specimen prevalence of decreased eGFR and proteinuria (≥1+) using a dipstick test or albuminuria (urine ACR > 30 mg/g creatinine), while those based on CKD-EPI 2021 were about half of those based on MDRD and CKD-EPI 2009. Future studies are needed to clarify the clinical impact of the changes in the calculations for eGFR.

2023P - Evaluating the prevalence of the expression of PD-L1 in NSCLC specimens with short-duration formalin fixation using IHC 22C3 pharmDx

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors mediated by PD-1 and PD-L1 are promising treatments for various tumors. The PD-L1 expression in tumor cells was found to be correlated with the likelihood of a response to PD-1- or PD-L1-targeted therapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). For PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC), 22C3 pharmDx is the only companion diagnostic assay that can identify NSCLC patients suitable for pembrolizumab treatment. Specimens are scored and divided into 3 categories (<1%, 1-49%, ≥50%) based on the tumor proportion score (TPS). The PD-L1 prevalence in NSCLC patients screened for the KEYNOTE-024 trial was 31% with TPS <1%, 39% with TPS 1-49%, and 30% with TPS ≥50%. While specimens used for the IHC 22C3 assay are recommended to be formalin-fixed for 12-72h, the specimens were fixed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin for less than 6h in our institution. Thus, we retrospectively assessed the PD-L1 prevalence in NSCLC patients to determine whether the PD-L1 TPS differs according to the duration of formalin fixation. MethodsWe screened consecutive NSCLC patients who underwent tumor biopsy by bronchoscopy between January 2017 and June 2018 at National Hospital Organization Fukuokahigashi Medical Center. In the present study, we only included 70 patients whose tumors were formalin-fixed for less than 6h and whose PD-L1 expression had been evaluated by IHC with antibodies to human PD-L1 (22C3 pharmDx). ResultsThe PD-L1 prevalence in patients with NSCLC in our hospital was 26 (37%) with TPS<1%, 23 (33%) with TPS 1-49%, and 21 (30%) with TPS ≥50%, suggesting that small biopsy samples obtained by bronchoscopy that were formalin-fixed for <6h are suitable for PD-L1 IHC. We also performed analyzed in 35 surgically-resected NSCLC specimens that had been formalin-fixed for 1-7 days by PD-L1 IHC. The PD-L1 prevalence was 20 (57%) for TPS < 1%, 9 (26%) for TPS 1-49%, and 6 (17%) for TPS ≥50%. ConclusionsThe PD-L1 prevalence in specimens with short-duration formalin fixation was consistent with the results of the KEYNOTE-024 trial. We will present our conclusion regarding these results, including the characteristics of patients and the PD-L1 prevalence in specimens fixed for 12-72h in our institution, from July 2018 onward. Legal entity responsible for the studyNational Hospital Organization Fukuokahigashi Medical Center. FundingJSPS KAKENHI JP18K15927. DisclosureAll authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Prevalence and confounders of chronic endometritis in premenopausal women with abnormal bleeding or reproductive failure

In this retrospective cohort study, a consecutive series of 1551 premenopausal women underwent hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy. Chronic endometritis was diagnosed when plasma cell in endometrial tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry using CD138 epitope. The overall prevalence of chronic endometritis in the population studied was 24.4% The prevalence was significantly increased in the following conditions: recurrent implantation failure (40.8%; P < 0.001), abnormal uterine bleeding (40.7 %; P < 0.001), endometrial hyperplasia (50.0%, P < 0.05) and submucosal fibroid (59.1%; P < 0.001) than those without the respective conditions. The prevalence in specimens obtained from the proliferative phase (26.0%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those from the luteal phase (17.5%). Logistic regression analysis showed three significant factors affecting the prevalence, in descending order of importance: clinical presentation, endometrial hyperplasia and stage of the cycle from which the specimen was obtained. The confounding variables identified in this study may account for the wide range of published prevalence of the condition, and should be considered in the analysis of prevalence data relating to chronic endometritis.

Association of Cardiomegaly with Coronary Artery Histopathology and its Relationship to Atheroma

Hypertrophied hearts at autopsy often display excessive coronary artery atherosclerosis, but the histopathology of coronary arteries in hearts with and without cardiomegaly has rarely been compared. In this study, forensic autopsies provided hearts with unexplained enlargement plus comparison specimens. Right coronary artery was opened longitudinally and flattened for formalin fixation and H&E-stained paraffin sections were cut perpendicular to the endothelial surface. The micro-scopically observed presence or absence of a necrotic atheroma in the specimen was recorded. At multiple sites far removed from any form of atherosclerosis, measurements were taken of intimal thickness, numbers of smooth muscle cells (SMC) and their ratio, the thickness per SMC, averaged over the entire nonatheromatous arterial length. When the mean thickness per SMC exceeded a certain cutoff point, the artery was declared likely to contain a necrotic atheroma. The prevalence of specimens with necrotic atheromas increased stepwise with increasing heart weight, equally with fatal or with incidental cardiomegaly, and equally with hypertension- or obesity-related hypertrophy, rejecting further inclusion of appreciable age, race, or gender effects. The prevalence of specimens with thickness per SMC exceeding the cutoff point was almost always nearly identical to the prevalence of observed necrotic atheroma, showing the two variables to be tightly linked to each other with quantitative consistency across group comparisons of every form. In summary, cardiomegaly, irrespective of the specific cause, seems to accelerate the risk of atheromas, and to do so by first altering the arterial architecture, especially by increasing intimal thickness per SMC.

Biofilms in chronic wounds

Chronic wounds including diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, and venous leg ulcers are a worldwide health problem. It has been speculated that bacteria colonizing chronic wounds exist as highly persistent biofilm communities. This research examined chronic and acute wounds for biofilms and characterized microorganisms inhabiting these wounds. Chronic wound specimens were obtained from 77 subjects and acute wound specimens were obtained from 16 subjects. Culture data were collected using standard clinical techniques. Light and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to analyze 50 of the chronic wound specimens and the 16 acute wound specimens. Molecular analyses were performed on the remaining 27 chronic wound specimens using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and sequence analysis. Of the 50 chronic wound specimens evaluated by microscopy, 30 were characterized as containing biofilm (60%), whereas only one of the 16 acute wound specimens was characterized as containing biofilm (6%). This was a statistically significant difference (p<0.001). Molecular analyses of chronic wound specimens revealed diverse polymicrobial communities and the presence of bacteria, including strictly anaerobic bacteria, not revealed by culture. Bacterial biofilm prevalence in specimens from chronic wounds relative to acute wounds observed in this study provides evidence that biofilms may be abundant in chronic wounds.

LC-(TOF) MS Analysis of Benzodiazepines in Urine from Alleged Victims of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault

The present study employs a recently reported liquid chromatography-(time of flight) mass spectrometry procedure for the simultaneous analysis of 22 benzodiazepines in human urine specimens. The analysis focused on the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines and/or their metabolites. Using this method, the limit of quantitation for the benzodiazepines tested ranged from 2 to 10 ng/mL, while the limit of detection range was 0.5 to 3.0 ng/mL. Urine specimens collected from alleged victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault (156 specimens) were tested. Only 19 out of the 22 benzodiazepines analyzed were detected in these specimens. These same specimens were previously screened for benzodiazepines by various immunoassay techniques using a 50 ng/mL cut-off level and confirmed by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method after acid hydrolysis to their benzophenone skeletons, thus making the identification of the specific benzodiazepine(s) involved impossible for most specimens. This study aims to offer an alternative methodology that would allow such identification for similar specimens. Additionally, the distribution of the individual benzodiazepines of interest among the 156 specimens as well as their prevalence in specimens originating in different U.S. states is presented.

A comparison of sampling methods with respect to cattle-visiting Muscidae and their nematode infections

Cattle-visiting Muscidae were sampled with a handnet from a blood-smeared Masonite panel as well as grazing heifers and dairy cows in south-central Sweden. All flies were examined in search of nematodes. Only Musca autumnalis was infected with nematodes (Parafilaria bovicola, Thelazia spp. and Heterotylenchus autumnalis). The only mixed infections found involved P. bovicola and Thelazia spp. Most M. autumnalis infected with P. bovicola and Thelazia spp. were found during the two first months of the grazing season, whereas the prevalence of specimens infected with H. autumnalis remained about the same throughout the sampling period. Musca autumnalis was caught in significantly smaller numbers from heifers (P < 0.05) than from panel and cows. The catches of nematode-infected M. autumnalis were similarly distributed. Catches of other cattle-visiting Muscidae did not differ significantly among the methods used. Handnet sampling off a panel is therefore considered to be a convenient and accurate method when investigating the abundance of cattle-visiting Muscidae and the prevalence of their nematode infections.

Faecal klebsiellae in rheumatoid arthritis and spondylitis and in controls--incidence or prevalence in specimens or patients?

Faecal klebsiellae in rheumatoid arthritis and spondylitis and in controls--incidence or prevalence in specimens or patients?

On Some Specimens of Fossiliferous Sandstone from Pahang, Malay Peninsula

In 1900 Mr. R. Bullen Newton described the casts and impressions of some lamellibranch shells, in blocks of fossiliferous sandstone from Kuala Lipis, Pahang.1 On account of the prevalence of specimens which he assigned to the genus Myophoria, Mr. Newton called the rock “Myophorian Sandstone”. Amongst other species identified by Mr. Newton Chlamys valoniensis has a wide distribution, “and is characteristic of the Ehaetic or uppermost Trias. It is to this horizon, therefore, that the Myophorian Sandstone must be referred”.