Simple Screening Technique Research Articles

THE PLACE OF SENSORY NEUROPATHY IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF CRITICAL LIMB ISCHEMIA IN DIABETIC PATIENTS

In the article peculiarities of sensory neuropathy in 47 diabetic patients with and without surgical complications of the lower extremities have been studied. The simple clinical screening technique for diabetic neuropathy which included four tests: tactile and pain sensation, vibration perception, presence and level of Achilles reflex was used. Manifestations of neuropathy included the most common symptoms such as numbness, prickling, aching, decreased thermal sensation and burning. Approximately 75 % of all study subjects had sensory neuropathy (47,1 % patients without surgical complications and 88,9 % patients with complications in the lower extremities). The pathogenesis of critical limb ischemia in general is complex and includes impaired glycemic control, microcirculation deterioration and neuropathy. The study established that sensory neuropathy is one of the main causative factors in critical limb ischemia and development of diabetic foot syndrome.

Resistance screening of breeding lines and commercial tomato cultivars for Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica populations (Nematoda) from Ethiopia

Soil and root samples were collected from major tomato growing areas of Ethiopia during the 2012/2013 growing season to identify root-knot nematode problems. DNA-based and isozyme techniques revealed that Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica were the predominant Meloidogyne species across the sampled areas. The aggressiveness of different populations of these species was assessed on tomato cultivars Marmande and Moneymaker. The two most aggressive populations of each species were selected and further tested on 33 tomato genotypes. The resistance screening and mechanism of resistance was performed after inoculation with 100 freshly hatched (<24 h) second-stage juveniles (J2). Eight weeks after inoculation the number of egg masses produced on each cultivar was assessed. For the resistance mechanism study, J2 penetration and their subsequent development inside the tomato roots were examined at 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks after inoculation. On both cultivars Marmande and Moneymaker all M. incognita and M. javanica populations formed a high number of egg masses indicating highly aggressive behaviour. Populations from ‘Jittu’ and ‘Babile’ for M. incognita and ‘Jittu’ and ‘Koka’ for M. javanica were selected as most aggressive. None of the 33 tomato genotypes were immune for these M. incognita and M. javanica populations. However, several tomato genotypes were found to have a significant effect on the number of egg masses produced indicating possible resistance. For M. javanica populations there were more plants from cultivars or breeding lines on which no egg masses were found compared to M. incognita populations. The lowest number of egg masses for both populations of M. incognita was produced on cultivars Bridget40, Galilea, and Irma while for M. javanica it was on Assila, Eden, Galilea, Tisey, CLN-2366A, CLN-2366B and CLN-2366C. Tomato genotypes, time (weeks after inoculation) and their interaction were significant sources of variation for J2 penetration and their subsequent development inside the tomato roots. Differential penetration was found in breeding lines such as CLN-2366A, CLN-2366B and CLN-2366C, but many of the selected tomato genotypes resistance for the tested M. incognita and M. javanica populations were expressed by delayed nematode development. Therefore, developing a simple screening technique to be used by local farmers or extension workers is crucial to facilitate selection of a suitable cultivar.

イタリアンライグラスの耐湿性に関する研究 : 第 2 報イタリアンライグラスの耐湿性簡易評価法

イタリアンライグラスの耐湿性に関する研究 : 第 2 報イタリアンライグラスの耐湿性簡易評価法

Study of Risk Factors for Foot Ulceration in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients with Special Reference to HBA1C

Background And Objectives:India, one of the largest countries in the Southeast Asian region, has more than 67 million people with diabetes. With an aging population and the increase in prevalence of DM in the younger age group, the secondary complications are common. Foot problems in diabetes needs increasing attention in view of the fact that they account for 85% of the non- traumatic lower extremity amputations and cause significant morbidity and mortality. The aim is to study the risk factors for foot ulceration in type 2 DM patients in Basaveshwara Teaching & General Hospital (BTGH), Gulbarga. and to educate patients with risk factors regarding foot care. Methods:A total of 50 type 2 DM patients from Basaveshwara Teaching & General Hospital (BTGH), Gulbarga over a period of 1 year formed the study population. Detailed clinical examination including of the feet was done. Risk factors were assessed by l0g/5.07 monofilament and ABI (ankle brachial index) for peripheral sensory neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease respectively . Glycemic control was assessed by HBA1c. Results:The prevalence of neuropathy, PVD, foot deformities are 48.0%, 16.0%, 18.0% respectively. 6.0% had a history of previous ulcer or amputation. 64.0% are unaware that diabetes can cause foot problems and 56.0% of the study population walk bare foot. Statistically significant association (P<0.05) was found between increasing duration of diabetes, worsening glycemic control, increasing age and the prevalence of neuropathy, PVD and foot deformities. Interpretation And Conclusion :Use of simple screening techniques such as monofilament testing and ABI can help in identifying the foot at risk. Patient education, glycemic control, and regular foot examination by a trained health professional can prevent the occurrence of foot ulcers and amputations.

Screening of individuals of age group 25 years and above for hypertension and diabetes in urban slum community, Sion, Mumbai

Background: The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes is showing an increasing trend. In India, majority of individuals are not aware of presence of these conditions in self, as they do not undergo regular health checkups. Majority are diagnosed when they undergo routine investigations for surgical procedures or medical examination for some other health problem. These conditions can be detected early, by simple screening techniques such as measuring blood pressure and blood sugar level which can be carried out by trained individuals, leading to reduction in the morbidity and mortality. Hence an initiative was taken to identify and train adolescent volunteers from the community to educate and screen the individuals of urban slum area Pratikshanagar, Sion, Mumbai. Objectives of the study were to screen individuals ≥25 years of age for hypertension and diabetes; to find the level of risk factors like alcohol, tobacco consumption, obesity. Methods: It is a cross – sectional type of study. Results: Out of 1119 individuals, 113 (10.09%) were aware of their hypertensive status, thus from the rest 1006 individuals screened, 147 (14.61%) were detected with raised blood pressure. Out of these 147, 86 (8.54%) were confirmed as hypertensive. With regards to diabetes, out of 1119 individuals, 82 (7.32%) were aware of their diabetic status. On screening the rest 1037, 23 (2.21%) were detected with raised blood sugar. Out of these 23, 13 (1.25%) were confirmed as diabetics. Conclusions: Volunteers from community can be trained for screening individuals in their locality thus ensuring early detection of hypertension and diabetes.

Evaluation of Different Radish (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Raphanus sativus&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;) Genotypes under Different Saline Regimes

An effective and simple screening technique for identification of salt tolerant and salt sensitive radish genotypes was observed. Sand is used as potting media. Six genotypes of radish were used for screening against four salinity levels (0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 dS/m-1). Twenty days old seedlings of radish were salinized with salt solution (NaCl). Morphological, physiological and ionic parameters were studied. Radish genotypes Laal-Pari and 40 Days executed the best performance in all the measured attributes and categorized as salt tolerant genotype while Green Neck was the poorest in retaining normal functioning at higher salinity levels thus grouped under salt sensitive cultivar.

Identification of groundnut genotypes and wild species resistant to stem rot using an efficient field screening technique

Stem rot of groundnut caused by S. rolfsii Sacc. is one of the major constraint to groundnut production in many countries. The fungus is ubiquitous, soil in habitant and non-target. Screening of groundnut genotypes for resistance to stem rot under field conditions is complicated by the non-uniform spatial distribution of the pathogen. While development and maintenance of artificial sick plot with optimum inoculums load under field conditions are also difficult because of sensitivity of the pathogen to temperature, humidity, soil type, cropping system and host preference. In the present study a simple screening technique under field conditions with high disease pressure and greater repeatability has been reported. Twenty-five wild Arachis accessions and 178F3progenies were screened under pot and field conditions, respectively for resistance to stem rot. Two wild Arachis accessions and threeF3 lines were found resistant to stem rot with disease scoring less than 20% and 10%, respectively.

Portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy as a rapid screening technique for analysis of TiO2 and ZnO in sunscreens

This investigation reports a rapid and simple screening technique for the quantification of titanium and zinc in commercial sunscreens using portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF). A highly evolved technique, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) was chosen as a comparative technique to pXRF, and a good correlation (r2>0.995) with acceptable variations (≤25%) in results between both techniques was observed. Analytical figures of merit such as detection limit, quantitation limit, and linear range of the method are reported for the pXRF technique. This method has a good linearity (r2>0.995) for the analysis of titanium (Ti) in the range of 0.4–14.23wt%, and zinc (Zn) in the range of 1.0–23.90wt%. However, most commercial sunscreens contain organic ingredients, and these ingredients are known to cause matrix effects. The development of appropriate matrix matched working standards to obtain the calibration curve was found to be a major challenge for the pXRF measurements. In this study, we have overcome the matrix effect by using metal-free commercial sunscreens as a dispersing media for the preparation of working standards. An easy extension of this unique methodology for preparing working standards in different matrices was also reported. This method is simple, rapid, and cost-effective and, in comparison to conventional techniques (e.g., ICP-MS), did not generate toxic wastes during sample analysis.

High Dimensional Ordinary Least Squares Projection for Screening Variables

Summary Variable selection is a challenging issue in statistical applications when the number of predictors p far exceeds the number of observations n. In this ultrahigh dimensional setting, the sure independence screening procedure was introduced to reduce the dimensionality significantly by preserving the true model with overwhelming probability, before a refined second-stage analysis. However, the aforementioned sure screening property strongly relies on the assumption that the important variables in the model have large marginal correlations with the response, which rarely holds in reality. To overcome this, we propose a novel and simple screening technique called high dimensional ordinary least squares projection which we refer to as ‘HOLP’. We show that HOLP has the sure screening property and gives consistent variable selection without the strong correlation assumption, and it has a low computational complexity. A ridge-type HOLP procedure is also discussed. Simulation study shows that HOLP performs competitively compared with many other marginal correlation-based methods. An application to a mammalian eye disease data set illustrates the attractiveness of HOLP.

A telemedicine network for remote paediatric cardiology services in north-east Brazil.

ProblemProviding health care for children with congenital heart diseases remains a major challenge in low- and middle-income countries.ApproachIn October 2011, the Government of Paraíba, Brazil, established a paediatric cardiology network in partnership with the nongovernmental organization Círculo do Coração. A cardiology team supervised all network activities, using the Internet to keep in contact with remote health facilities. The network developed protocols for screening heart defects. Echocardiograms were performed by physicians under direct online supervision of a cardiologist; alternatively, a video recording of the examination was subsequently reviewed by a cardiologist. Cardiovascular surgeons came to a paediatric hospital in the state capital once a week to perform heart surgeries.Local settingUntil 2011, the State of Paraíba had no structured programme to care for children with heart disease. This often resulted in missed or late diagnosis, with adverse health consequences for the children.Relevant changesFrom 2012 to 2014, 73 751 babies were screened for heart defects and 857 abnormalities were identified. Detection of congenital heart diseases increased from 4.09 to 11.62 per 1000 live births (P < 0.001). Over 6000 consultations and echocardiograms were supervised via the Internet. Time to diagnosis, transfers and hospital stays were greatly reduced. A total of 330 operations were carried out with 6.7% (22/330) mortality.Lessons learntAccess to an echocardiography machine with remote supervision by a cardiologist improves the detection of congenital heart disease by neonatologists; virtual outpatient clinics facilitate clinical management; the use of Internet technology with simple screening techniques allows resources to be allocated more efficiently.

5-Aminolevulinic acid induced photodynamic inactivation on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The aim of the present study was to develop a simple and fast screening technique to directly evaluate the bactericidal effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-mediated photodynamic inactivation (PDI) and to determine the optimal antibacterial conditions of ALA concentrations and the total dosage of light in vitro. The effects of PDI on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the presence of various concentrations of ALA (1.0 mM, 2.5 mM, 5.0 mM, 10.0 mM) were examined. All bacterial strains were exponentially grown in the culture medium at room temperature in the dark for 60 minutes and subsequently irradiated with 630 ± 5 nm using a light-emitting diode (LED) red light device for accumulating the light doses up to 216 J/cm2. Both bacterial species were susceptible to the ALA-induced PDI. Photosensitization using 1.0 mM ALA with 162 J/cm2 light dose was able to completely reduce the viable counts of S. aureus. A significant decrease in the bacterial viabilities was observed for P. aeruginosa, where 5.0 mM ALA was photosensitized by accumulating the light dose of 162 J/cm2. We demonstrated that the use of microplate-based assays—by measuring the apparent optical density of bacterial colonies at 595 nm—was able to provide a simple and reliable approach for quickly choosing the parameters of ALA-mediated PDI in the cell suspensions.

Role of Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emission Beyond Screening of Hearing Impairment: A Study of 400 Cases

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the potential role of transient-evoked Otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) beyond screening for hearing impairment in different middle/inner ear disorders in 3-65years age group. Because TEOAEs are present in ears with normal cochlear and middle ear function and typically are absent or reduced in ears with cochlear and/or middle ear disorders of even mild degree. This was a prospective study of four hundred cases. Out of these 364 cases were having problems related to otology and 36 were healthy volunteers who attended the department of otorhinolaryngology of our institute. All the cases were kept in different eight groups and then subjected to Otoacoustic emission testing with the 'GSI AUDIO screener' equipment installed in our ENT department. The data obtained in all groups were analyzed and conclusion was made. TEOAEs is a reliable, simple and cost effective screening technique for hearing disorders with sensitivity varying from 72 to 96.42% among the study groups and 88% in composite group comprising all study groups.

Accessing Autonomic Function Can Early Screen Metabolic Syndrome

BackgroundClinical diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome is time-consuming and invasive. Convenient instruments that do not require laboratory or physical investigation would be useful in early screening individuals at high risk of metabolic syndrome. Examination of the autonomic function can be taken as a directly reference and screening indicator for predicting metabolic syndrome.Methodology and Principal FindingsThe EZSCAN test, as an efficient and noninvasive technology, can access autonomic function through measuring electrochemical skin conductance. In this study, we used EZSCAN value to evaluate autonomic function and to detect metabolic syndrome in 5,887 participants aged 40 years or older. The EZSCAN test diagnostic accuracy was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curves. Among the 5,815 participants in the final analysis, 2,541 were diagnosed as metabolic syndrome and the overall prevalence was 43.7%. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome increased with the elevated EZSCAN risk level (p for trend <0.0001). Moreover, EZSCAN value was associated with an increase in the number of metabolic syndrome components (p for trend <0.0001). Compared with the no risk group (EZSCAN value 0–24), participants at the high risk group (EZSCAN value: 50–100) had a 2.35 fold increased risk of prevalent metabolic syndrome after the multiple adjustments. The area under the curve of the EZSCAN test was 0.62 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61–0.64) for predicting metabolic syndrome. The optimal operating point for the EZSCAN value to detect a high risk of prevalent metabolic syndrome was 30 in this study, while the sensitivity and specificity were 71.2% and 46.7%, respectively.Conclusions and SignificanceIn conclusion, although less sensitive and accurate when compared with the clinical definition of metabolic syndrome, we found that the EZSCAN test is a good and simple screening technique for early predicting metabolic syndrome.

Development of a Dot-Immunoenzyme Filtration Assay for the Detection of Enterovirus 71 Antigen in Human Serum via Immunoglobulin M

This study evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of a rapid, sensitive dot-immunoenzyme filtration assay to detect enterovirus 71 (EV71) antigen in serum samples from paediatric patients with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), through detection of anti-EV71 immunoglobulin (Ig)M. Serum samples from HFMD patients and healthy adult controls were evaluated for the presence of anti-EV71 IgM using a dot-immunoenzyme filtration assay (DIEFA). The results were compared with those obtained using a dot-immunogold filtration assay (DIGFA). The EV71 structural protein VP1 was used as the antigen for both assays. Serum samples from 72 HFMD patients and 54 healthy controls were evaluated. The DIGFA procedure showed a sensitivity of 98.5% and a specificity of 100%, whereas the DIEFA procedure showed a sensitivity of 98.6% and a specificity of 98.0%. There were no significant differences between the assays in either specificity or sensitivity. The DIEFA procedure developed in this study has potential as a rapid, simple, sensitive and cost-effective screening technique for detecting EV71 antigen in serum samples from patients with HFMD.

A screening test for capsaicin-stimulated salivary flow using filter paper: a study for diagnosis of hyposalivation with a complaint of dry mouth

The purpose of this study was to develop a simple screening technique for diagnosis of hyposalivation with dry mouth by estimation of capsaicin-stimulated salivary flow using filter paper. An assay system comprising 5 spots containing starch and potassium iodide on filter paper incorporating or without capsaicin and a coloring reagent was designed. We investigated whether the number of colored spots using the filter paper incorporating capsaicin could distinguish between healthy subjects and subjects with hyposalivation and dry mouth. In the healthy group (>200 μL/min; n = 33), the capsaicin-stimulated salivary flow significantly increased as compared with the resting salivary flow, from 1.2 ± 1.4 to 2.9 ± 1.3 colored spots (P < .05). In contrast, the hyposalivation group with dry mouth (<100 μL/min; n = 32) hardly changed (4.4 ± 1.0 vs 4.9 ± 0.2), except for 3 subjects who had considerable elevated secretion on capsaicin stimulation. By measuring resting and stimulated salivary flows, this method should be useful for evaluating retained functional ability of salivary glands and screening of hyposalivation with dry mouth.

A nonlinear regression model estimating single source concentrations of primary and secondarily formed PM2.5

Various approaches and tools exist to estimate local and regional PM2.5 impacts from a single emissions source, ranging from simple screening techniques to Gaussian based dispersion models and complex grid-based Eulerian photochemical transport models. These approaches either lack a realistic chemical and physical representation of the atmosphere for secondary PM2.5 formation or in the case of photochemical models may be too resource intensive for single source assessments. A simple non-linear regression model has been developed to estimate annual average downwind primary and secondarily formed PM2.5 nitrate and sulfate from single emissions sources. The statistical model is based on single emissions sources tracked with particulate source apportionment technology in a photochemical transport model. This non-linear regression model is advantageous in that the underlying data is based on single emissions sources modeled in a realistic chemical and physical environment of a photochemical model and provides downwind PM2.5 impact information with minimal resource burden. Separate regression models are developed for primary PM2.5, PM2.5 sulfate ion, and PM2.5 nitrate ion. Regression model inputs include facility emissions rates in tons per year and the distance between the source and receptor. An additional regression model input of receptor ammonia emissions is used to account for the variability in regional ammonia availability that is important for PM2.5 nitrate ion estimates.

PROMPT RETROSPECTIVE AIR SAMPLE ANALYSIS—A COMPARISON OF GROSS-ALPHA, BETA-TO-ALPHA RATIO, AND ALPHA SPECTROSCOPY TECHNIQUES

The long-standing problem related to prompt analyses in continuous air sampling or monitoring has been the well-known interference of the radon- and thoron-progeny co-deposited on the filtration media with any potential suspect radionuclides. The solutions to this problem have been quite diverse, and have included, for example, simple gross-alpha screening, the use of beta-to-alpha ratios, and/or the use of alpha spectral analyses. In the context of week-long retrospective continuous air sampling, this paper will explain, in detail, the technical basis for the use of the simple gross-alpha screening, beta-to-alpha ratio, and alpha spectrometry techniques and demonstrate the efficacy (or lack thereof) of these methods with simple examples. Although the most sensitive analysis technique for week-long retrospective continuous air samples is no doubt a long-lived count performed typically after at least a four-day decay period, when necessary, certain prompt and semi-prompt techniques discussed here can approach a sensitivity that is within about an order of magnitude of the long-lived count.

Autoantibody heritability in thyroiditis: IgG subclass contributions

Using a simple screening technique called regression of offspring on mid-parent (ROMP) to examine the role of IgG subclasses in affected and unaffected siblings of children and adolescents with autoimmune thyroid disease and their parents, both total-restricted and subclass-restricted autoantibodies to thyroglobulin (Tg) were assayed quantitatively for each of the IgG subclasses. There was a significant correlation of anti-Tg titer of probands with parental titers in thyrotoxicosis (TT), (R2 = 0.569, p = 0.001), but not in chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. The most striking correlation was in TT patients of African-American ancestry, (R2 = 0.9863, p = 0.0007). Additional insight is provided by examining the contributions of the IgG subclasses individually, particularly those whose concentrations appear not to have direct influence on the total IgG titers. Thus, using small numbers of patients, and assaying the IgG subclass distributions, as well as any other immunoglobulin isotypes that are significantly altered in autoantibody assays, ROMP can be performed rapidly to ascertain which quantifiable parameters may be usefully extended to predict disease onset and progression.

Arithmetic approach for complex PSA cycle scheduling

An algebraic model was derived for obtaining complex pressure swing adsorption (PSA) cycle schedules. This new approach involves a priori specifying the cycle steps, their sequence and any constraints, and then solving a set of analytical equations. The solution identifies all the cycle schedules for a given number of beds, the minimum number of beds required to operate the specified cycle step sequence, the minimum number and location of idle steps to ensure alignment of coupled cycle steps, and a simple screening technique to aid in identifying the best performing cycles that deserve further examination. The methodology was tested successfully against 10, 12 and 16 bed PSA systems in the literature that all utilized the same 13 step cycle sequence that has four pressure equalization steps. It completely resolved all the corresponding cycle schedules for these 13 step multi-bed PSA systems with ease, and showed that the number of cycle schedules was hundreds to thousands of times greater than the few ever reported in the literature for each one. Overall, this new methodology for complex PSA cycle scheduling can be applied to any number of cycle steps, any corresponding cycle step sequence, and any number of constraints, with the outcome being the complete set of cycle schedules for any number of beds greater than or equal to the minimum number it determines.

Qualitative screening for volatile organic compounds in human blood using solid‐phase microextraction and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry

A fast and simple screening procedure using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) in full-scan mode for the determination of volatile organic compounds (VOC) is presented. The development of a fast and simple screening technique for the simultaneous determination of various volatiles is of great importance, because of their widespread use, frequent occurrence in forensic toxicological questions and the fact that there is often no hint on involved substances at the crime scene. To simulate a screening procedure, eight VOC with different chemical characteristics were chosen (isoflurane, halothane, hexane, chloroform, benzene, isooctane, toluene and xylene). To achieve maximum sensitivity, variables that influence the SPME process, such as type of fiber, extraction and desorption temperature and time, agitation and additives were optimized by preliminary studies and by means of a central composite design. The limits of detection and recoveries ranged from 2.9 microg/l (xylene) to 37.1 microg/l (isoflurane) and 7.9% (chloroform) to 61.5% (benzene), respectively. This procedure can be used to answer various forensic and toxicological questions. The short time taken for the whole analytical procedure may make its eventual adoption for routine analysis attractive.