Sensitivity Rate Research Articles

Evaluation of Various Diagnostic Strategies for Bacterial Vaginosis, Including a New Approach Based on MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common dysbiosis of unclear etiology but with potential consequences representing a public health problem. The diagnostic strategies vary widely. The Amsel criteria and Nugent score have obvious limitations, while molecular biology techniques are expensive and not yet widespread. We set out to evaluate different diagnostic strategies from vaginal samples using (1) a combination of abnormal vaginal discharge and vaginal pH > 4.5; (2) the Amsel-like criteria (replacing the "whiff test" with "malodorous discharge"); (3) the Nugent score; (4) the molecular quantification of Fannyhessea vaginae and Gardnerella vaginalis (qPCR); (5) and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (we also refer to it as "VAGI-TOF"). Overall, 54/129 patients (42%) were diagnosed with BV using the combination of vaginal discharge and pH, 46/118 (39%) using the Amsel-like criteria, 31/130 (24%) using qPCR, 32/130 (25%) using "VAGI-TOF", and 23/84 (27%) using the Nugent score (not including the 26 (31%) with intermediate flora). Of the 84 women for whom the five diagnostic strategies were performed, the diagnosis of BV was considered for 38% using the combination of vaginal discharge and pH, 34.5% using the Amsel-like criteria, 27% using the Nugent score, 25% using qPCR, and 25% using "VAGI-TOF". When qPCR was considered as the reference, the sensitivity rate for BV was 76.2% for the combination of vaginal discharge and pH, 90.5% for the Amsel-like criteria, 95.2% for the Nugent score, and 90.5% for "VAGI-TOF", while the specificity rates were 74.6%, 84.1%, 95.3%, and 95.3%, respectively. When the Nugent score was considered as the reference, the sensitivity for BV was 69.6% for the combination of vaginal discharge and pH, 82.6% for the Amsel-like criteria, 87% for qPCR, and 78.7% for "VAGI-TOF", while the specificity rates were 80%, 94.3%, 100%, and 97.1%, respectively. Overall, the use of qPCR and "VAGI-TOF" provided a consistent diagnosis of BV, followed by the Nugent score. If qPCR seems tedious and for some costly, "VAGI-TOF" could be an inexpensive, practical, and less time-consuming alternative.

Cardiac abnormalities from 12‐Lead ECG signals prediction based on deep convolutional neural network optimized with nomadic people optimization algorithm

SummaryCardiovascular disease (CVD) is a most dangerous disease in the world. Early accurate and automated identification helps the medical professional make a correct diagnosis and administer fast treatment and saving many lives. Several studies have been suggested in this area, but no one yield the expected outcomes owing to data imbalance issue in the medical and healthcare industries. To overcome this problem, a Deep Convolutional Neural Network Optimized with Nomadic People Optimization for Cardiac Abnormalities from 12‐Lead ECG Signals Prediction (CCA‐12L ECG‐DCNN‐NPO) is proposed in this manuscript. At first, the input data is pre‐processed under Morphological filtering and Extended Empirical wavelet transformation (MF‐EEWT) for removing the noise. Then one hot encoding technique is used to improve the predictions and classification accuracy of the method. Afterward, Residual Exemplars Local Binary Pattern (RELBP) based Feature extraction is used to extract the morphological and statistical features. These extracted features are given to DCNN classifier. It contains fully convolutional neural network (FCN) and encoder with decoder framework, which activates pixel‐wise categorization to exactly identify Cardiac abnormalities from 12‐Lead ECG signals. The visual geometry group network (VGGNet) is considered as a backbone of FCN for end‐to‐end training. Generally, DCNN method does not adopt any optimization modes to define the optimum parameters and to assure exact detection. Therefore, Nomadic People Optimization (NPO) is considered to enhance the DCNN weight parameters. The CCA‐12L ECG‐DCNN‐NPO technique is implemented in python and the efficacy is analyzed under performance metrics, such as sensitivity, precision, F‐Score, specificity, accuracy and error rate. From the analysis, the proposed technique attains higher accuracy 27.5%, 10.32%, and 16.65%, higher f‐score 30.93%, 11.14% and 15.3%, lower error rate 36.31%, 15.78%, and 28.08% compared with the existing methods, such as Detecting Cardiac Abnormalities from 12‐lead ECG Signals Under Feature Selection, Feature Extraction, and deep Learning Classification (CCA‐12L ECG‐RFC), Channel self‐attention deep learning framework for multi‐cardiac abnormality diagnosis from varied‐lead ECG signals (CCA‐12L ECG‐CSA‐DNN) and Cardiac disease categorization by electrocardiogram sensing utilizing deep neural network (CCA‐12L ECG‐DNN) respectively.

Advancing Uterine Cancer Care: Transvaginal Ultrasonography in Preoperative Staging Analysis

Objective: To determine the role of transvaginal ultrasonography in the preoperative staging of uterine cancer. Methods: The research included 110 women who had been diagnosed with endometrial malignancy by histological confirmation, whichwas achieved through procedures such as dilation and curettage, hysteroscopy, or endometrial biopsy. Additionally, women who had ahigh suspicion of endometrial malignancy based on imaging results and were scheduled for surgery as their main therapy were alsoeligible to participate in the study. Results: A total of 110 individuals satisfied the criteria for inclusion in the research, with an average age of 49.89 ± 2.99 years. In relation to the extent of myometrial invasion, our study yielded sensitivity rates of 81%, 81%, and 69% for the subjective, Gordon, and Karlssontechniques, respectively. The corresponding specificity rates were found to be 67%, 60%, and 81% for the same approaches. The subjective, Gordon, and Karlsson techniques yielded corresponding overall accuracies of 74%, 70%, and 75%. The use of contrast-enhanced MRI yielded a sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of 94%, 72%, and 84%, respectively, in the assessment of myometrial invasion. In the assessment of cervical stromal invasion, the ultrasound subjective technique showed a sensitivity of 33% and a specificity of 99%. On the other hand, the objective method yielded a sensitivity of 52% and a specificity of 92%. The total accuracy for both methods was determined to be 90% and 83% respectively. The use of contrast-enhanced MRI yielded a sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of 69%, 100%, and 96% respectively in detecting cervical involvement. Conclusion: We concluded that the utilisation of pelvic ultrasound in the preoperative staging of endometrial cancer holds significantvalue. It demonstrates a notable sensitivity in evaluating myometrial invasion, exhibiting a reasonable to moderate level of concordancewith MRI. Furthermore, it exhibits a superior, albeit still moderate, level of agreement with MRI in assessing cervical invasion.

Aeroallergen sensitization patterns in children with allergic rhinitis from Guangzhou and Liuzhou in southern China

<sec><title>Background</title><p>The sensitization patterns of allergic rhinitis (AR) to allergens exhibit global variations, influenced by diverse geographical, climatic, cultural, and genetic determinants. We aimed to contrast the allergen profiles among children belonging to distinct ethnic groups residing in two disparate provinces of China, with the objective of elucidating the impact of environmental and genetic factors on the types of allergens.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>A comparative analysis was conducted on allergen sensitizations among children with allergic rhinitis (AR) in Guangzhou and Liuzhou from 2019 to 2023. The specific IgE response to a range of inhalant allergens was evaluated utilizing the ImmunoCAP 100 system. Statistical analysis was conducted using the SPSS 20 software package. For comparisons, the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was employed, depending on the nature of the data and the assumptions of each test.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>A total of 9684 AR children from Guangzhou and 1679 from Liuzhou were enrolled in the study. Notably, the sensitization rates toward D. <italic>farinae</italic>, <italic>D. pteronyssinus</italic>, cat dander, dog dander, common ragweed, and mugwort were significantly elevated in Guangzhou compared to Liuzhou. However, the sensitization rates to cockroaches exhibited no notable disparities between the two cities.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>The allergen composition in AR children is similar between Guangzhou and Liuzhou, with <italic>D. farina</italic> and <italic>D. pteronyssinus</italic> as the main allergens. However, the sensitization rates of all allergens except for cockroaches in Guangzhou are higher than those in Liuzhou. Our results suggest that the causes of allergen sensitization are complex, and genetic and environmental factors cannot be ignored.</p></sec>

Risk factors associated with increasing prevalence of gonorrhea and the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Neisseria gonorrhoeae among adolescents: A decade-long, hospital-based study from India.

Gonorrhea is a significant cause of morbidity among sexually active population. Young adults and adolescents have a high risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to behavioral, biological, and cultural factors fuelling the epidemic among them. The Centers for Disease Control recommends annual STI screening for sexually active individuals under twenty-five and those at higher risk. The present study aims at determining the risk factors linked to the rising prevalence of gonorrhea among Indian adolescents and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Clinical samples from adolescents attending the STI clinics were collected over 10 years. The isolates were confirmed as N. gonorrhoeae and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed to various drugs using the minimum inhibitory concentration strip method. A total of 7308 genital discharge specimens were collected from STI clinic attendees, of which 417 samples were positive for gonorrhea (25 among male adolescents). Seventy six percent of positive adolescents had multiple sex partners, with only 4% using condoms. Nearly 20% practiced exchange of drugs for sex. Antimicrobial susceptibility rates were 96% sensitive for azithromycin, cefixime, and ceftriaxone. Gentamicin and spectinomycin reported 100% sensitivity rates. High resistance rates were reported to penicillin, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline at 80%, 88%, and 68%, respectively. Regular screening for STIs helps understand the trends and transmission of gonorrhea, which helps initiate appropriate control measures. The resistance to recommended treatment regimens such as azithromycin and cefixime seems to be escalating gradually, probably due to irrational use of antibiotics for non-STI cases and empirical treatment, which needs close monitoring.

Signaling high sensitivity: The roles of sensory processing sensitivity, assertiveness, and the dark triad

High-sensitivity signaling may be an attempt to adapt to an environment by sensitive individuals. However, it may also be a deceptive strategy of nonreciprocal resources extraction used by people with a highly exploitative interpersonal style. In their first study ( n = 102), the authors used a peer-rating design to investigate the associations between perceiving somebody as highly sensitivity and attributions of agency and communion. In their second study ( n = 102), they used a dyadic design (dyads of friends) to investigate the accuracy of high-sensitivity attributions (i.e., correlations of self-report and peer ratings of sensory processing sensitivity). In their third study ( n = 260), they used self-report questionnaires to investigate the location of high-sensitivity signaling in a nomological net of strategies for demanding special treatment (such as entitlement, person victimhood, etc.). The authors also examined the correlations between sensory processing sensitivity, assertiveness, and the dark triad. It was found that people who were perceived as highly sensitive were also regarded as displaying more unmitigated communion. However, people demonstrated poor accuracy in their perception of high sensitivity. High-sensitivity signaling was positively associated with, but distinguishable from, other strategies of demanding special treatment. Individuals with high sensory processing sensitivity signaled their sensitivity and were more eager to use the “highly sensitive person” label. These associations were stronger when individuals were highly assertive. Instrumental signaling of high sensitivity to influence others was, however, associated with narcissism. Signaling high sensitivity appeared to be associated with beneficial social attributions, but simultaneously it is easy to deceptively signal that one is highly sensitive. Signaling high sensitivity could thus be an honest signal given by people with high sensory processing sensitivity, but also used instrumentally by narcissistic individuals to exploit others. The findings are important not only for public understanding of the widely disseminated label of “highly sensitive person,” but also for clinicians and counsellors who encounter people who identify as being highly sensitive.

Mask‐associated dry eye syndrome according to sex

Aims/Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the mask on the ocular symptoms of dry eye, Mask‐Associated Dry Eye Syndrome (MADE syndrome); according to sex.Methods: The population was divided into two groups: wearers, and non‐wearers of masks. Then, these groups were divided by sex. The group without mask was obtained from a database of control subjects. The group of subjects with a mask were people who use it for at least 3 h in a row every day. Subjects with pathologies with ophthalmological repercussion or previous surgeries were excluded. Subjective questionnaires were performed: OSDI, SANDE and CLEDQ‐8 tests adapted to the use of a mask. Psychological symptoms were also studied with the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). In addition, objective clinical signs were evaluated with Keratograph 5 M®, taking measurements of tear meniscus height, NIBUT and ocular redness.Results: Subjects without masks showed statistically significant differences between men and women in the values of ocular redness (p‐value < 0.01); and in the rates of depression and interpersonal sensitivity (p‐value < 0.01). The group of subjects with a mask show significant differences between men and women in the values of CLEDQ‐8 and OSDI (p‐value < 0.05) and SANDE (p‐value < 0.01). Differences were also observed in tear meniscus height (p‐value < 0.05) and ocular redness (p‐value < 0.01); and in somatization and interpersonal sensitivity (p‐value < 0.05); obsession‐compulsion, depression and psychoticism (p‐value < 0.01).Conclusions: The group of women with mask obtained an increase in the symptomatic tests compared to the group of men. The group of men showed higher values of ocular redness in mask carriers; but without the mask, the group of women showed the greatest redness. Finally, it was also observed that the group of women had an increase in BSI rates with and without wearing a mask; the first case being the most pronounced.

A Comparative Study of Z-Score and Min-Max Normalization for Rainfall Classification in Pekanbaru

Data preprocessing plays a crucial role in enhancing the performance of machine learning algorithms for classification tasks. Among the essential preprocessing stages is data normalization, which aims to standardize data into a comparable range of values. This study focuses on normalizing rainfall data in Pekanbaru from 2019 to 2023. The objective is to compare various data normalization techniques, including Min-Max Normalization and Z-Score Normalization. The comparison of these particular strategies is justified becausethey are widely applied and have different approaches. Min-max normalizationis an easy-to-implement technique that makes the data sensitive to outliers by scaling it to a specific range, often from 0 to 1. However, Z-Score Normalization, sometimes referred to as Standardization, standardizes the data by dividing by the standard deviation and subtracting the mean, maintaining the shape of the distribution and making it resistant to outliers.The findings demonstrate that applying normalization techniques effectively enhances classification performance compared to using unnormalized data. Specifically, the optimal classification performance is achieved through Z-Score Normalization, yielding accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity rates of 74.59%, 82.48%, and 63.92%, respectively

Comparison of Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 Assay Compared with Standard M nCoV Real-Time PCR: Prospective Study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can be diagnosed using rapid real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR), or rapid antigen testing. Among these, rRT-PCR is considered the gold standard assay. The Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 assay is a rapid, real-time PCR test; approved by the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency in 2020. Current performance of the Xpert assay (Xpert) with the STANDARD M nCoV Real-Time Detection kit (SD) were determined. All samples used by the SD test team were immediately transferred to the Xpert test team within 24 hours. Both tests were conducted between April 2023 and July 2023. Exclusion criteria were studies which show either inconclusive, invalid, or erroneous results. Positive rate, sensitivity, specificity, overall concordance rate, positive concordance rate, discordance rate, false-positive rate, and false-negative rates of the Xpert assay with the STANDARD M nCoV Real-Time Detection kit were determined. Samples from 347 patients (174 men and 173 women) with a median age of 60 years (range; 6 - 90 years) were included. Positive rate, sensitivity, specificity, overall concordance rate, positive concordance rate, discordance rate, false-positive rate, and false-negative rates of the Xpert assay were 11.2%, 82.1%, 95.0%, 93.9%, 6.6%, 6.1%, 41.0%, and 1.6%, respectively. COVID-19 results from Xpert should be confirmed through rRT-PCR because of low sensitivity (82.1%) and high false-positive rate (41.0%).

Authentication of Specialty Coffees from the Fluminense Northwest and Caparaó Regions (Brazil) Using UV-Vis Spectroscopy and Synthetic Samples Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (SS-PLS-DA)

Caparaó and the Fluminense northwest regions are nationally recognized by the important contribution on coffee production and exportation. Adulterations involving specialty coffees result in a decrease in the quality of the final product. However, obtaining many different samples from the same region is unfeasible in some cases, needing strategies to work with a limited number of samples for pattern recognition. Thus, this work is the first to use the construction of synthetic samples (SS) for analysis of coffees, and its objective is to identify adulterations in specialty coffees with bark, straw and low-quality beans, using UV-Vis spectroscopy, associated with chemometric methods. The synthetic samples partial least square discriminant analysis (SS-PLS-DA) showed better specificity, sensitivity and reliability rates than the Hard PLS-DA models. One-class methods (soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) and data driven soft independent modeling of class analogy (DD-SIMCA)) showed low specificity and reliability. The discriminant methods together with the synthetic samples proved to be adequate to identify adulterations in specialty coffees.

A Framework for Cardiac Arrest Prediction via Application of Ensemble Learning Using Boosting Algorithms

Cardiovascular diseases are a major setback for human life and a critical problem in hospitals for public health. The sedentary lifestyle of every individual lead to various heart diseases. Cardio diseases malfunction the electrical beating of the heart and result in sudden death. Thus, a novel early warning system needed to be developed for cardio patients with higher sensitivity and lower false positive rates. This work helps in the early detection of cardiac arrest by analyzing the dataset. Our work has mainly two aspects: analyzing the dataset and deriving relations among features and early diagnosis of cardiac arrest with enhanced F1-score. A number of Machine Learning algorithms were applied to conduct the experiment. The work also compares various boosting algorithms named AdaBoost, LightGBM, CatBoost and XgBoost. We used different Machine Learning algorithms in which CatBoost gave an enhanced and best prediction score 98.08%. In the case of CatBoost the predicted positive value is 98 % and Sensitivity is 97.8%.

Predictors of Myelosuppression for Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma After Induction Chemotherapy.

Induction chemotherapy (ICT) has become an initial treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, myelosuppression, an unavoidable side effect of ICT, significantly impacts follow-up treatment and prognosis. The main objective of this study is to identify the risk factors and predictors of myelosuppression and its different severity after ICT for ICT. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 102 patients with hypopharyngeal cancer or oropharyngeal cancer who received initial ICT from 2013 to 2022. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for myelosuppression. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated using the results of multiple logistic regression analysis to identify data with the highest sensitivity and lowest false-negative rate. Pretreatment lymphocyte count (PLC) and the pretreatment platelet count (PPC) were identified as independent risk factors of myelosuppression (P < .05). Pretreatment hemoglobin count (PHC) was an independent risk factor for predicting myelosuppression in patients with grades III to IV disease. Patients with myelosuppression after ICT are more sensitive to chemotherapy. The PLC and PPC predicted myelosuppression in patients with HNSCC-administered ICT, and the PHC predicted grades III to IV myelosuppression. Myelosuppressed patients were more chemosensitive after ICT.

MaterniCode: New Bioinformatic Pipeline to Detect Fetal Aneuploidies and Rearrangements Using Next-Generation Sequencing.

Objective: The present study is aimed at introducing and evaluating MaterniCode, a state-of-the-art bioinformatic pipeline for noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) that leverages the Ion Torrent semiconductor sequencing platform. The initiative strives to revolutionize prenatal diagnostics by offering a rapid and cost-effective method without sacrificing accuracy. Methods: Two distinct bioinformatic strategies were employed for fetal sex determination, one of which achieved 100% accuracy. We analyzed 1225 maternal blood samples for fetal aneuploidies, benchmarking against the industry standard Illumina VeriSeq™ NIPT Solution v2. The capability of MaterniCode to detect and characterize complex chromosomal anomalies was also assessed. Results: MaterniCode achieved near-perfect accuracy in fetal sex determination through chromosome Y (chrY )-specific gene analysis, whereas the alternative method, employing the ratio of high-quality mapped reads on chrY relative to all reads, delivered 100% accuracy. For fetal aneuploidy detection, both the integrated WisecondorX and NIPTeR algorithms demonstrated a 100% sensitivity and specificity rate, consistent with Illumina VeriSeq™ NIPT Solution v2. The pipeline also successfully identified and precisely mapped significant chromosomal abnormalities, exemplified by a 2.4 Mb deletion on chromosome 13 and a 3 Mb duplication on chromosome 2. Conclusion: MaterniCode has proven to be an innovative and highly efficient tool in the domain of NIPT, demonstrating excellent sensitivity and specificity. Its robust capability to effectively detect a wide range of complex chromosomal aberrations, including rare and subtle variations, positions it as a promising and valuable addition to prenatal diagnostic technologies. This enhancement to diagnostic precision significantly aids clinicians in making informed decisions during pregnancy management.

Raman and Surface Enhanced Raman spectroscopy analysis of breast cancer cell lines with different HER2 expression profiles

Assessing HER2 expression in breast cancer cells holds significant diagnostic and prognostic importance. Traditional methods like immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization suffer from low sensitivity and misclassification rates. In this frame, techniques such as vibrational microscopies can ensure, together with low costs and analytical speed, both high accuracy and precision. Herein, we propose a combined Raman and SERS approach for characterizing 4 breast cancer cell lines and normal cells with varying HER2 expression levels. We show that Raman spectroscopy offers a promising alternative, providing unique molecular fingerprints for cell types based on their biochemical signatures. Its non-invasive nature and ability to detect subtle changes in cellular metabolism make it ideal for cancer cell analysis. Coupled with machine learning techniques like PCA and LDA, Raman spectroscopy can classify different breast cancer subcategories accurately. Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) further enhances sensitivity, allowing the detection of single molecules like HER2 receptors. Overall, our results enable fast screening of cancer subpopulation in terms of HER2 concentration and macromolecule cell content. Integration of Raman spectroscopy with SERS offers precise identification and opens avenues for personalized therapies.

PET/CT-aided biopsy of lung lesions enhances diagnostic efficacy, especially for lesions >3cm.

The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic efficacy of PET/CT-aided CT-guided and routine CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy for lung lesions. A total of 458 patients with suspicious lung lesions were referred for CT-guided biopsy, with 227 patients assigned to the PET/CT group and 231 patients assigned to the CT group. The clinical characteristics and diagnostic yield were compared between the two groups. Furthermore, conducting subgroup analysis to evaluate the differences of diagnostic success or failure between the two groups. The sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy rate differed significantly (P = 0.035, P = 0.048). In the PET/CT group, the values were 95.7% and 96.3%, respectively, while in the CT group, they were 90.1% and 91.9%. When considering non-diagnostic cases, the overall diagnostic success rate increased markedly in PET/CT group (93.0% vs. 83.1%, P = 0.001). In our subgroup analysis, the PET/CT group demonstrated superiority in detecting lesions larger than 3 cm (OR, 4.81; 95CI%, 2.03 - 11.36), while showing a moderate effect in lesions smaller than 3 cm (OR, 1.09; 95CI%, 0.42 - 2.81). Significant effect modification was observed in large lesions in the PET/CT group (P for interaction = 0.023). 18F-FDG-PET/CT enhances the diagnostic efficacy of CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy for lung lesions, and the incremental value can be modified by lesion size, particularly when the diameter is larger than 3 cm.

Vinegar Activity against Clinically Isolated Escherichia Coli

Abstract Background: Antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli (E. coli) has become a worrying issue been increasingly observed worldwide in recent decades. E. coli intrinsically has a great capacity to accumulate resistance, making them difficult to treat with standard therapies. So, using alternative strategies to treat it is urgent. Material and Methods: The bacteria were isolated from urinary tracts and wounds, and then cultured in three media (blood agar, MacConkey agar, and eosin methylene blue agar). They were incubated for 24 h at a temperature of 37oC to grow. The well diffusion method was used to evaluate the activity of vinegar, and the disk diffusion method was used for antibiotic sensitivity test of gentamicin as a control agent after overnight incubation. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 26 software. Results: Out of the 24 participants in the study, 66.6% were women, while 33.4% were men with significant differences (P &lt; 0.05). Isolated E. coli (75%) were sensitive to vinegar, while 70.80% of isolates were sensitive to gentamycin. The mean inhibition zone for vinegar was 13 ± 6.04 mm compared to 15 ± 6.43 mm for gentamicin with no significant differences (P = 0.27). Conclusions: Vinegar shows 75% sensitivity to clinically isolated E. coli, and thus it can be a promising treatment option. Gentamicin with high rate of sensitivity can be used as an empirical treatment for E. coli infections. Vinegar has similar activity to gentamicin (P &gt; 0.05).

The Antibacterial Activity of Lactophenol, Safranin, and Methyl Red Dyes Against Clinically Isolated Escherichia Coli

Abstract Background: Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a type of bacteria commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals that can be pathogenic and develop resistance to various antibiotics through different mechanisms, making them difficult to treat with standard therapies. So using alternative strategies to treat E. coli is urgent, such as utilizing certain dyes that may be a promising branch in microbial therapy. Materials and Methods: The bacteria (E. coli) were isolated from the urinary tract and cultured in three media (blood agar, macConkey agar, and EMB agar), then they were incubated for 24-h at a temperature of 37°C to grow. Well diffusion method used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of lactophenol, methyl red, and safranin stains. The antibiotic discs (Gentamicin) were used by the disc diffusion method. All the statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 26 software and the Excel app. Results: The participants in this study were 66.67% women, while 33.33% were men, with significant differences (P &lt; 0.05). Gentamicin showed high a rate of sensitivity (88.89%). All isolates of E. coli (100%) were sensitive to lactophenol; in contrast, all isolates (100%) were resistant to methyl red dye. E. coli isolates revealed 55.56% resistance to safranin. Conclusions: Lactophenol inhibition zone was 20.78 ± 5.40 mm, which revealed a great inhibition zone compared to gentamicin’s 17.22 ± 6.55 mm with no significant differences (P = 0.22). That means lactophenol is equal in activity to gentamicin to treat E. coli.

Свойства бактерий, вызывающих инфекции мочевыводящих путей у пациентов в медицинских учреждениях Болгарии

Pathogenic microorganisms of urinary tract infections are mainly representatives of different bacterial species with a wide variety of virulence factors and multi-drug resistant strains. In connection with determining the empirical therapy of urinary tract infections, it is necessary to know the prevalence and incidence of uropathogens in the region. Objective. To determine the etiological structure of urinary tract infections among Bulgarian patients in the outpatient healthcare setting and their antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance. Patients and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 763 outpatients. There were applied microbiological procedures – urine sample culture and antimicrobial susceptibility test. The principles of the Disc Diffusion Method were applied in determining the sensitivity of microorganisms to antimicrobial chemotherapeutics. Results. The leading contingent were mostly women (75.6%). Predominant working diagnoses as the reason for microbiological analysis were cystitis or tubulointestinal nephritis. A positive urine culture was reported in a significant part of the respondents (46.26%) referred by specialists from primary and secondary health care. Among the isolated strains, Escherichia coli was identified in more than half of the examined individuals (53.3%), with high rates of sensitivity to most antibiotics used in medical practice. 17% and 12.2% were the representations of Enterococcus faecalis and Klebsiella pneumonia in the sample, in which increasing levels of resistance and respectively disturbingly high ones to some of the widely applied antimicrobial agents were measured. Conclusion. E. coli is the most common gram-negative bacteria causing urinary tract infections in the outpatient medical care. An alarming trend of high levels of resistance was reported in E. faecalis, which was the second most common uropathogen of urinary tract infections in the sample. There was a tendency towards significantly increased rates of resistance in less frequently isolated uropathogens in outpatient medical care. Referring to the obtained results of the study, the authors emphasize the need to grade various antimicrobial resistance bacterial profiles in the outpatient healthcare setting. Key words: urinary tract infections, etiology, antibiotic susceptibility

Diagnostic accuracy of microvascular flow imaging ultrasound for endoleak detection after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The objective was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of microvascular flow imaging ultrasound (MVUS) for the detection of endoleak after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. A systematic search of the literature published until January 2024 was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses of Diagnostic Test Accuracy (PRISMA-DTA) guidelines. The pooled rates of sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio of MVUS in endoleak detection with computed tomography angiography as the reference standard were estimated using univariate random-effect analysis with 95% confidence intervals. Three studies were considered eligible for inclusion. Superb micro-vascular imaging (SMI) was used as an MVUS technique in all cases. The total number of paired scans was 209. Sensitivity and specificity of the individual studies ranged 0.75-1.00 and 0.93-1.00, respectively. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of the SMI method was 0.91 (CI: 0.82-0.96) and 0.98 (CI: 0.94-1.00), respectively. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 635 (95% CI: 128-3140). The findings of the present study support the use of the MVUS for endoleak detection. However, further research is warranted to explore the broader application of MVUS, providing a more comprehensive understanding and establishing robust criteria for its role in clinical practice.

Four-year variation in pathogen distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of urosepsis: a single-center retrospective analysis.

Urosepsis is a common disease in urology, which is characterized by high treatment costs and high mortality. In the treatment of sepsis, anti-infection therapy is the most important means. However, the effect of empirical anti-infection therapy is often not ideal. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously monitor the prevalence of bacterial isolates in the blood culture of patients with urinary sepsis and their sensitivity to antibacterial drugs. This is of great significance to improve the efficacy of empirical antibiotic therapy for urosepsis. To elucidate the landscape of prevailing bacterial profiles and their antimicrobial susceptibilities in urosepsis cases, and to furnish robust clinical evidence to underpin the timely initiation of empirical antibiotic treatment. Collect the basic information and blood culture results of patients with urosepsis hospitalized from 2017 to 2020. Retrospective analysis of bacterial species and antimicrobial susceptibility in urosepsis and changes over 4 years. Gram-negative bacteria (178 isolates, 75.11%) constituted the main pathogens causing urosepsis, followed by Gram-positive bacteria (46 isolates, 19.41%) and fungus (13 isolates, 5.48%). The sensitivity of ertapenem, meropenem, amikacin, and imipenem to Gram-negative bacteria all exceeded 85%. The sensitivity rates of levofloxacin, gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin are decreasing every year (p < 0.05). Tigecycline, vancomycin, and linezolid exhibited excellent sensitivity against Gram-positive bacteria. Among fungi, fluconazole demonstrated universal sensitivity, while itraconazole-resistant isolates have been found, and amphotericin B is still effective. Analysis of blood culture results of patients more accurately reflected the etiology of urosepsis, mainly Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. If there are no definitive blood culture results, empiric treatment of urosepsis should not include fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Cefepime, cefoxitin, and ceftazidime are the most sensitive antibiotics to Gram-negative bacteria besides carbapenem antibiotics. In addition, the current situation regarding extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing bacteria and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae bacteria resistance is extremely concerning with limited therapeutic options available. Strengthening antibiotic management practices and exploring novel antibacterial agents can help mitigate this issue.