Performance Of Test Research Articles

Comparative evaluation of rapid diagnostic test and PCR-based diagnostic assay for identification of trypanosomes in cattle of Apac and Kiryandongo districts, Uganda: A cross sectional study

BackgroundDiagnostic tests and knowledge of their diagnostic accuracies are important for animal trypanosomosis surveillance and treatment.Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2021 to compare the performance of rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and PCR-based assay for the detection of trypanosome infections. Random sampling and probability proportional to size sampling were used to sample study households and animals from the sampled household respectively. Animals were screened for the presence of trypanosomes using both tests. A total of 100 cattle (52 from Apac and 48 from Kiryandongo districts) were included in the study. The percentage of positive tests, sensitivity, and specificity of the tests using mini PCR as a reference were computed. Cohen’s kappa statistics was computed to assess how well the rapid diagnostic test agrees with the mini PCR. McNemar’s statistic assessed if the proportion of positive tests identified by mini PCR significantly differed from that identified by the rapid diagnostic test.ResultsThe mini PCR test detected 31.2% Trypanosome spp positive samples in Kiryandongo while it detected only 5.7% positive samples in Apac district. The rapid diagnostic test (RDT) analysis detected 91.6% Trypanosome spp positive samples in Kiryandongo district and only 46.1% in Apac district. T. congolense was the most common Trypanosoma species identified in Apac (36.5%) and Kiryandongo (47.9%) by the RDT. The percentage of each of the Trypanosome species (T.vivax, T.congolense, and mixed infection of T.vivax and T. congolense) detected by RDT differed significantly (p < 0.001) between the two districts. The RDT had a high sensitivity of 94.4% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 72.7–99.9) but a very low specificity of 36.6% (95% CI: 26.2–48.0). The kappa test showed evidence of only a slight agreement (kappa = 0.1547, Accuracy = 0.48 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.379,0.5822) between the two tests. The observed agreement between the tests was 47% while the expected agreement was 37.84%.ConclusionThis study found high sensitivity but low specificity of RDT using mini PCR as a reference.

The generic version of China Health Related Outcomes Measures (CHROME-G): psychometric testing and comparative performance with the EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 among the Chinese general population

ObjectivesThe CHROME-G is the first generic preference-based measure developed in China. This study aimed to validate and compare the psychometric properties of the CHROME-G with the EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 among the Chinese general population.MethodsA representative sample of the Chinese general population in terms of age, gender, education, and urban/rural residence was recruited for an online survey. During the survey, respondents completed three instruments (first the CHROME-G, then the EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 in random order), demographic and health-related questions. The retest survey was carried out after two weeks. Ceiling/floor effects were first assessed. Convergent and divergent validity was examined using Spearman’s rank correlation. Known-group validity was examined using the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis H test and effect size. Test–retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient and weighted Kappa statistics.ResultsOne thousand respondents (51.1% male, mean age 44.7 years) completed the first survey, with 378 also completing the retest survey. The mean ± SD completion time was 2.03 ± 0.58 min for the CHROME-G, and 1.37 ± 0.54 and 1.13 ± 0.38 min for the EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2. Only the EQ-5D-5L had a ceiling effect of 35.1%. The range of Spearman rank’s correlations was 0.45–0.62 for convergent validity and 0.14–0.46 for divergent validity. Among different health subgroups, the effect size for the CHROME-G, EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 was 1.348–3.416, 1.362–3.325 and 1.097–2.228, respectively. The ICC for test–retest was 0.791 for the CHROME-G, compared with 0.994 and 0.971 for the EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2.ConclusionsThe CHROME-G showed good and comparable psychometric properties with the EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2.

Classification performance of Spanish and English word recognition testing to identify cochlear implant candidates

Objective To explore the effects of language on word recognition ability and associated access to cochlear implants in Spanish- and English-speakers with hearing loss. Design Retrospective chart review. Study sample The study included 1411 English and Spanish-speaking adults with sensorineural hearing loss. Word recognition as a function of pure-tone average was evaluated by test language. Sensitivity and specificity of word recognition testing performed using the NU-6 and Spanish Bisyllables in discriminating between cochlear implant and non-cochlear implant candidates were analysed. Results Spanish-speakers had significantly poorer thresholds compared to English-speakers, yet significantly better word recognition, t(2763) = 1.86, p < 0.05. The effect of test language on word recognition increased with increasing hearing loss severity, F(3, 2762) = 6.03, p < 0.001, partial η2 = .007. The sensitivity and specificity of word recognition testing were 93% and 74% respectively for Spanish, and 95% and 75%, respectively, for English word recognition tests in meeting referral criteria for cochlear implant evaluation. Conclusions Based on classification performance analysis, Spanish and English word recognition measures exhibit comparable effectiveness in referring patients for cochlear implant evaluation. While Spanish-language measures yielded better performance, this does not result in a significant difference in referral rates for Spanish versus English speakers for unaided word recognition scores of 60% or less.

Performance of the WID-qEC test to detect uterine cancers in black women with abnormal uterine bleeding: A prospective observational cohort study in Ghana.

The burden of uterine cancer is growing and, in the US and UK, mortality rates are poorest among black women. Early detection of these cancers is critical and poor performance of ultrasound in black women may contribute to adverse outcomes. Limited data on this topic are available from Africa. We assessed whether a simple DNA methylation test, the WID-qEC, enables detection of all epithelial uterine (endometrial and cervical) cancers in women presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in Ghana. Among 118 women ≥40 years presenting with AUB, 106 consented to the study and a cervicovaginal sample was obtained for WID-qEC testing. Subsequent to ultrasound assessment 102 women had a cervical or endometrial biopsy. Histopathology, ultrasound and WID-qEC testing were analyzed and compared. Among the 102 volunteers, 8 and 15 were diagnosed with endometrial and cervical cancer (EC and CC), respectively. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) was 0.56 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.25-0.86) for sonographic endometrial thickness (ET) and 0.98 (95% CI 0.94-1.00) for the WID-qEC test. Sensitivity and specificity of the prespecified ET ≥5 mm were 66.7% (95% CI 24.1-94.0) and 22.7 (95% CI 12.0-38.2) and for the prespecified WID-qEC SUM-PMR ≥ 0.3 were 100% (95% CI 56.1-100.0) and 76.1 (96%CI 60.9-86.9), respectively. In addition, 15 CCs were detected by the WID-qEC test [sensitivity 100% (95% CI 74.7-100.0)]. The WID-qEC test accurately detects both EC and CC in black women presenting with AUB.

EVALUATION OF BLOOD GAS INSTRUMENTS WITH 6 SIGMA METHODOLOGY

Purpose : 6 sigma is one of the most effective quality tools for demonstrating laboratory analytical performance. 6 sigma tells us what level we are at and what rules to follow in case of poor performance. Blood gas analysis plays an important role in the assessment of critical illness, determining the aetiology and severity of disease. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the test performance of blood gas instruments in our hospital with 6 sigma methodology. Methods : The study included pH, pO2, pCO2, glucose, lactate, ionised Ca, Na, K and Cl parameters analysed on Siemens RAPIDpoint 500e blood gas instruments in the emergency laboratory. In the sigma metric calculation TEa (total permissible error) rates, the values determined by RiliBAK (German Guidelines for Quality) were used. The causes of errors of poorly performing tests were evaluated with the quality goal index (QGI). Results : At the results, PCO2 (Level 2) in Instrument I, Lactate (Level 1-2) in Instrument II and pCO2 (Level 1-2) in Instrument III are the tests with sigma values below 4. When we look at the low performance problems, precision in Instrument I pCO2 (Level 2), accuracy in Instrument II lactate (Level 1-2) and accuracy in Instrument III pCO2 (Level 1-2) were detected. Conclusion : This study has allowed us to monitor laboratory blood gas testing performance very closely. With the 6 sigma methodology we have captured underperforming tests and investigated the reasons behind them

Disentangling the effects of intermittent faecal shedding and imperfect test sensitivity on the microscopy-based detection of gut parasites in stool samples.

Gut-parasite transmission often involves faecal shedding, and detecting parasites in stool samples remains the cornerstone of diagnosis. However, not all samples drawn from infected hosts contain parasites (because of intermittent shedding), and no test can detect the target parasites in 100% of parasite-bearing samples (because of imperfect sensitivity). Disentangling the effects of intermittent shedding and imperfect sensitivity on pathogen detection would help us better understand transmission dynamics, disease epidemiology, and diagnostic-test performance. Using paediatric Giardia infections as a case-study, here we illustrate a hierarchical-modelling approach to separately estimating the probabilities of host-level infection (Ψ); stool-sample-level shedding, given infection (θ); and test-level detection, given infection and shedding (p). We collected 1-3 stool samples, in consecutive weeks, from 276 children. Samples (413 overall) were independently examined, via standard sedimentation/optical microscopy, by a senior parasitologist and a junior, trained student (826 tests overall). Using replicate test results and multilevel hierarchical models, we estimated per-sample Giardia shedding probability at [Formula: see text] and observer-specific test sensitivities at [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Gender-specific infection-frequency estimates were [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Had we used a (hypothetical) Perfect Test with 100% narrow-sense sensitivity (pPT = 1.0), the average probability of detecting Giardia in a sample drawn from an infected child (Ψ = 1.0) would have been Pr(d|i,PT) = Ψ×θ×pPT≈1.0×0.44×1.0≈0.44. Because no test can be >100% sensitive, Pr(d|i) (which measures clinical sensitivity) can only be brought above ~ 0.44 by tinkering with the availability of Giardia in stool samples (i.e., θ); for example, drawing-and-pooling 3 replicate samples would yield [Formula: see text]. By allowing separate estimation (and modelling) of pathogen-shedding probabilities, the approach we illustrate provides a means to study pathogen transmission cycles and dynamics in unprecedented detail. Separate estimation (and modelling) of true test sensitivity, moreover, may cast new light on the performance of diagnostic tests and procedures, whether novel or routine-practice.

Performance of Afirma Genomic Sequencing Classifier in Binary Subcategories of Atypia of Undetermined Significance Thyroid Nodules: Single Versus Repeat Diagnosis.

Background: Afirma Genomic Sequencing Classifier (GSC) testing has been utilized for further risk stratification of thyroid nodules categorized as atypia of undetermined significance (AUS). The 2023 Bethesda system subcategorizes AUS diagnosis into AUS with nuclear atypia (AUS-N) and other atypia (AUS-O). The current study aims to determine if performance of GSC testing differs between the two AUS subcategories and between single AUS cohort and repeat AUS cohort. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed consecutive thyroid nodule fine-needle aspiration with a single or a repeat AUS diagnosis and a diagnostic GSC testing result (benign vs. suspicious). All AUS nodules were divided into AUS-N or AUS-O subcategory and followed by either surgical intervention or at least 12 months of clinical and/or ultrasound monitoring. We then assessed performance of GSC testing in each subcategory and subsequently compared the individual performance in AUS-N or AUS-O subcategory between single AUS cohort and repeat AUS cohort. Results: The study identified a total of 365 thyroid nodules subcategorized as AUS-N (N = 106) and AUS-O (N = 259). Both cohorts showed a significantly lower GSC benign call rate (BCR) in AUS-N nodules compared with AUS-O nodules (43% vs. 71% in single AUS, p = 0.001; 58% vs. 74% in repeat AUS, p = 0.02). The proportion of histology-proven malignancies associated with a suspicious GSC result tended to be greater in AUS-N nodules than AUS-O nodules (28% vs. 10% in single AUS, p = 0.09; 38% vs. 27% in repeat AUS, p = 0.3). Compared with AUS-N nodules, AUS-O cohorts demonstrated significantly higher specificity in the single AUS group (73% vs. 51%, p = 0.01). In both subcategories, the repeat AUS cohort yielded greater specificity, positive predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy compared with the single AUS group. However, the differences did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: GSC BCR and diagnostic performance of GSC testing may vary in AUS-N versus AUS-O subcategories. However, there were no statistically significant differences in GSC performance between single and repeat AUS cohorts.

Hiperplasia sebácea ectópica en el labio inferior

Ectopic sebaceous hyperplasia is a very rare condition that may be encountered in paediatric care or emergency care settings. It may be confused with more common clinical conditions, possibly resulting in misdiagnosis, performance of unnecessary tests or inadequate treatment. We present a case that demonstrates that the correct identification of the lesions and a watchful waiting approach allowed their spontaneous resolution without sequelae of any kind.

Diagnostic performance of 5 FITs varied for detection of advanced colorectal neoplasia.

Levy BT, Xu Y, Daly JM, et al. Comparative performance of common fecal immunochemical tests: a cross-sectional study. Ann Intern Med. 2024;177:1350-1360. 39222513.

Dynamic Relationship Between Environmental Policy and Technological Innovation: Evidence from Firms in Korean Emission Trading Scheme

To cope with radical global environmental regulation, it is necessary to find efficient ways to decrease carbon emissions with a low burden on firms and to design valid policies for a sustainable economy. This study investigates the link between the carbon emissions market and firms’ innovation activities and examines the impact of R&amp;D investment caused by the carbon emissions market on the financial performance of firms participating in the Korean Emission Trading Scheme (KETS). This study assumes that a well-designed carbon emissions market can amplify the effect of R&amp;D investment on improving the financial performance of firms and tests the efficiency of this market based on the KETS data. The results show that the indirect R&amp;D elasticity that affects financial performance is simultaneously negative in the short and long run, except in Phase 1 (2015–2018). From this result, this study concludes that the carbon emissions market cannot induce technological innovation to increase financial performance in Korea, and the dynamic efficiency of the market is low. The industry comparison results confirm that the emissions market has a statistically significant effect on financial performance only in carbon-intensive industries. This study thus shows that the impact of technological innovation induced by the carbon emissions market varies depending on industrial characteristics.

Analisis Laporan Harian Kegiatan Ipal Rusun Damkar Cengkareng dengan Algoritma Decision Tree

Analyzing the activities of an agency or company is important in the running of each agency or company, because by looking at each parameter resulting from each activity analyzed, it can be a consideration for making improvements in the future. Based on the results of the author's interview with employees who work at the wastewater treatment plant of the damkar flat in West Jakarta, the ipal has been established since 2017, then the wastewater treatment technology applied at that place is Membrane Bioreactor (MBR). The author's data collection is based on checking and repair activities carried out by WWTP employees. After obtaining the daily activity report data, the author creates a dataset with attributes from the ipal parts of the damkar cengkareng flat. based on the performance of testing with the decision tree algorithm, the resulting accuracy value is 86,67% with a standard deviation result (+/-) of 23.31%.Based on the results of the analysis of the dataset of daily activity reports that the authors conducted using the decision tree algorithm, that the aerobic biofilter basin is the first or often problematic component of the ipal damkar cengkareng flat. To maximize the wastewater treatment process in the cengkareng damkar flat, it is necessary to add aerobic biofilter tanks to adjust the production of liquid waste from residents

Antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Patients with Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis Confirmed by Both Polymerase Chain Reaction and Culture

Background/AimsSera from patients from a single medical institution in New York State with human granulocytic anaplasmosis established by a positive polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) for Anaplasma phagocytophilum were used to assess the performance of serologic testing. All cases were also confirmed by culture in order to eliminate any false positive PCR samples. MethodsA nested PCR was performed targeting the heat shock operon of A. phagocytophilum. Culture was done using the HL-60 promyelocytic cell line. Serologic testing was performed to detect IgG/A/M using an indirect immunofluorescence assay that incorporated a human isolate of A. phagocytophilum as the source of the antigen. ResultsFrom 1997-2009, 38 human granulocytic anaplasmosis patients were evaluated. On the baseline serum sample 21 (55.3%; 95% CI: 38.3% to 71.4%) had a positive serologic test; 7 samples (33.1%) were positive at a titer of 80-320 and 14 samples (66.7%) at a titer of at least 640. Sixteen (94.1%) of the 17 with a negative baseline test had follow-up testing performed. All 16 tested positive on a convalescent phase serum sample obtained from 6 to 45 days later. ConclusionPCR testing is the most commonly used direct diagnostic test to diagnose human granulocytic anaplasmosis. Our findings demonstrate that only approximately 55% of the PCR and culture positive cases were also seropositive on blood samples obtained at the same time point, indicating that serologic testing performed at the time of presentation has limited sensitivity. However, all of the 16 evaluable seronegative patients developed antibodies to A. phagocytophilum during convalescence.

FIRST-TRIMESTER NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE-BASED METABOLOMIC PROFILING INCREASES THE PREDICTION OF GESTATIONAL DIABETES MELLITUS.

To investigate whether nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomic profiling of maternal blood can be used for first-trimester prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This was a prospective study of 20,000 women attending for routine pregnancy care at 11-13 weeks' gestation. Metabolic profiles were assessed using a high-throughput NMR metabolomics platform. To inform translational applications, we focused on a panel of 34 clinically validated biomarkers for detailed analysis and risk modelling. All biomarkers were used to generate a multivariable logistic regression model to predict GDM. Data were split using random seed into a 70%-30% training and validation set, respectively. Performance of the multivariable models was measured by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and detection rates (DRs) at fixed 10% and 20% false positive rates. Calibration for the combined risk model for all GDM was assessed visually through a figure showing the observed incidence against the predicted risk for GDM. A sensitivity analysis was carried out excluding the 64 women in our cohort who were diagnosed with GDM prior to 20 weeks' gestation. The concentration of several metabolomic biomarkers, including cholesterols, triglycerides, fatty acids, and amino acids, were different in the group that developed GDM, compared to those without GDM. Addition of biomarker profile improved the prediction of GDM provided by maternal demographic characteristics and elements of medical history alone (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve [AUROC] 0.790 and detection rate (DR) of 50%, 95%CI 44.3%-55.7%, at 10% false positive rate (FPR) and 63%, 95%CI 57.4%-68.3%, at 20% FPR, to 0.840, 56%, 95%CI 50.3%-61.6% and 73%, 95%CI 67.7%-77.8%, respectively). The performance of combined testing was better for GDM treated by insulin (ROC AUC 0.905, DR 76%, 95%CI 67.5%-83.2%, at 10% FPR and DR 85%, 95%CI 77.4%-90.9%, at 20%) than GDM treated by diet alone (ROC AUC 0.762, DR 47%, 95%CI 37.7%-56.5%, at 10% FPR and DR 64%, 95%CI 54.5%-72.7%, at 20% FPR). In the calibration plot there was good agreement between the observed incidence of GDM against that predicted from the combined risk model. In the sensitivity analysis excluding the women diagnosed with GDM prior to 20 weeks' gestation, there was a negligible difference in ROC AUC in comparison to the results from the entire cohort combined. Addition of NMR-based metabolomic profiling to risk factors can provide first-trimester prediction of GDM.

Using random forests to explore the feasibility of groundwater knowledge transfer between the contiguous US and Denmark

Abstract Groundwater is our largest freshwater reservoir, playing an important role in the global hydrologic cycle. Lack of reliable groundwater data restricts the development of global groundwater monitoring systems linking observations with modeling at spatial scales relevant for local decision making. Despite the growing interests in machine learning (ML) for groundwater resource modeling, taking ML models to the global scale is still outstanding due to sparse groundwater data. The contiguous US (CONUS) has extensive groundwater information covering a wide range of hydrogeologic settings. We hypothesize that a ML model trained on the CONUS is transferable to other regions, and thus can be used to produce a global water table depth (WTD) map within the bounds of transferability. To test this hypothesis, we conduct a study on transferring groundwater knowledge between the CONUS and Denmark, using several random forest models trained against ∼30 m resolution long-term mean WTD data. The joint model trained on data from the CONUS and Denmark outperforms the individual models trained separately, implying similarities within global groundwater systems. The largest improvement occurs in Denmark, where the testing Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency rises from 0.68 to 0.95. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values are utilized to express the importance of input variables. While annual mean precipitation plays a key role in the joint model and the model for the CONUS, it is the second least important input variable in the model for Denmark where local processes dominate. Moreover, Köppen-Geiger climate classification shows a significant impact on the model testing performance and the importance ranking of input variables, which might be a missing input variable in the applied random forest models. This study provides unique insights into future ML model developments towards global groundwater monitoring and improves our confidence in producing a hyper-resolution global WTD map for sustainable freshwater management.

Кривая запоминания и позиционные эффекты в Тесте слухоречевой памяти Рея: диагностическое значение при шизофрении

&lt;p&gt;Impairments of verbal episodic memory are a central component of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, and their investigation is important for solving diagnostic, expert and rehabilitation tasks. The study aimed to test the ability of learning slope and serial position effects to differentiate schizophrenia patients from non-psychiatric controls. Schizophrenia patients (n=618; mean age 30.31&amp;plusmn;7.46 years; 54% female) were compared to 425 healthy people (24.15&amp;plusmn;5.44 years; 60% female) and 121 individuals with the postoperative fatigue (31.56&amp;plusmn;6.20 years; 42% female) on the performance of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). The participants&amp;rsquo; age range was 18&amp;ndash;45 years. Covariate analysis adjusted for sex and age showed a decrease in all four studied learning slope measures (all p&amp;lt;0.001) and an increase in the recency effect (F=35.26; p&amp;lt;0.001; &amp;eta;&amp;sup2;p=0.06) in schizophrenia patients compared to both control groups. Logistic regression differentiating patients and controls demonstrated that only the recency measure explained more variance above and beyond the total recall (p&amp;lt;0.001). In the schizophrenia group, a correlation analysis conditioned on total recall revealed an association between the recency and the RAVLT retroactive interference indicator (&amp;rho;=0.13; p=0.001), but not with symptoms, processing speed, or executive functions. Thus, an increased recency effect, which is likely arises, in part, due to a heightened retroactive interference, may have diagnostic significance for schizophrenia, in addition to the overall poor learning efficiency.&lt;/p&gt;

Method selection affects the estimates of residency and site fidelity in bottlenose dolphins: testing sensitivity and performance of different methods using mark-resight data.

Residency (R) and site fidelity (SF) are important parameters in population ecology, yet their quantification poses challenges in marine mammals. Based on a previous review, this study used simulated and empirical mark-resight data to assess the variations and performance of the most used R (n=8) and SF (n=11) indices in peer-reviewed literature under different scenarios. We applied the Jolly-Seber model to simulate thousands of bottlenose dolphin populations varying resighting (p) and survival (Phi) probabilities, and performed calibration, sensitivity, and validation analyses. Our results underscore the effects of p and Phi on individual categorization within the diverse simulated conditions, representing the often-overlooked heterogeneity in residency classification for Tursiops populations. All SF indices showed similar and consistent performance (>0.70 Gower's distance) across the simulated scenarios, even when compared to field study data from wild dolphin populations (i.e., Savannah, USA, and Alvarado, Mexico); thus, SF should be a critical parameter for interstudy comparisons. Conversely, R indices were remarkably different based on their definitions and classification criteria. The different thresholds among definitions largely biased the proportion of residents and transient individuals (or occasional visitors) even leading to counterintuitive outcomes. This emphasizes the importance of considering trade-offs in R index selection aligned with project goals, specific sampling efforts, and population dynamics. For instance, the simplified binomial categorization of R defined by Conway (2017) (https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/etd/10/) easier to interpret but R indices incorporating temporal components (e.g., monthly, seasonal, and annual) outperformed (>0.70 Gower's distance) other R indices lacking such criteria. This allowed for a more detailed representation of the temporal structure of the population, and higher consistency and accuracy while classifying individuals. Also, although the residency categories proposed by Möller, Allen & Harcourt (2002) (DOI 10.1071/AM02011) did not perform as well, these seemed to fit better when dealing with data gaps across spatial and temporal scales. Our results contribute to the ongoing discussion on methodological implications for the interpretation of ecological patterns, facilitating a nuanced understanding of population dynamics, aiding scientists, and conservation agencies in making informed decisions for bottlenose dolphin populations worldwide.

Research Note: Testing the validity of latency-to-lie tests without water for objective on-farm assessment of walking ability of broiler chickens

The latency-to-lie (LTL) test is an objective method for assessing walking ability of broiler chickens which has traditionally consisted of placing a bird into a tub of shallow water and measuring how long it takes the standing bird to sit, with duration being negatively associated with gait score. Unfortunately, this method is impractical for use on commercial farms. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the performance of LTL tests without the addition of water, making them more practical for use on farm. In total, 159 Ross 308 and 186 Rustic Gold broilers were assessed. Following receiving a gait score (Bristol scale), birds were placed individually into a litter lined clear plastic storage box and the LTL was conducted with a maximum test duration of 300 s. Following a 120 s period of rest, the bird was then placed on the litter near a group of flockmates, and the LTL test was repeated. This allowed for the assessment of whether containment of the bird was necessary. Latencies to lie were negatively correlated with gait score (With box: ρ=−0.44 , P < 0.001; Without box: ρ=−0.46 , P < 0.001). The latencies to lie (mean ± SD) when using a box were 129.0 ± 82.0, 114.0 ± 78.8, 71.9 ± 54.9, 45.8 ± 35.8, and 7.9 ± 14.0 s and without a box were 104.0 ± 97.2, 52.2 ± 53.8, 27.9 ± 29.9, 22.8 ± 27.0, and 14.0 ± 19.4 s for gait scores 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. There was no effect of hybrid on the performance of either of the tests. Results suggest that the LTL tests without water could serve as an objective and valid measure of walking ability on farm, with the LTL test with a box showing better ability at distinguishing between specific gait scores compared to the LTL test without a box, though possible impacts of fatigue due to study design should be considered.

Point of care creatinine testing for early detection of renal dysfunction in Tanzanian HIV patients: a study protocol

BackgroundRenal dysfunction (RD) is more prevalent among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) due to factors such as co-infections, hypertension, diabetes, and nephrotoxic antiretroviral drugs like tenofovir. Early detection of RD is critical but limited by resource constraints in many SSA countries, including Tanzania. Point-of-care (POC) tests, such as the Stat-Sensor Creatinine test by Nova Biomedical, present a cost-effective and non-invasive option for early detection. This study will evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Stat-Sensor creatinine test in detecting renal dysfunction in HIV care and treatment clinics (CTCs) in Tanzania. It will be conducted for a period of six months, from November 2024 to April 2025.MethodologyThe study will measure point-of-care creatinine using a rapid creatinine dipstick against the standard serum creatinine test. The diagnostic performance and agreement to diagnose renal dysfunction will be assessed using a standardized statistical approach: Bland-Altman analysis and linear mixed-effects models to test agreement between creatinine dipstick tests with serum creatinine. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) statistics will be used to test the diagnostic performance of the creatinine dipstick test to diagnose renal dysfunction.DiscussionWe hypothesize that POC creatinine testing will show strong diagnostic performance, providing a reliable, rapid, and cost-efficient alternative for RD detection, leading to better patient outcomes and integration of POC tests into routine HIV care.Ethical clearanceThe study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences Research and Publication committee in June 2024 with reference number, MUHAS-REC-05-2024-2275.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices concerning prostate cancer and its prevention in the Lebanese population

Prostate cancer (PC) is a frequent neoplasm among men. This study aimed to determine the awareness level of Lebanese men on PC in terms of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP). This was a cross-sectional online based survey, conducted on Lebanese men between April and December 2021. We collected data regarding socio-demographic characteristics, habits, and patient/family history of PC, and assessed the level of knowledge (27 items), attitudes (6 items) toward PC, and the level of practice related to the prostate exam and PSA test. We evaluated 844 responses. Only 4.6% of our participants demonstrated an adequate Knowledge level about PC. A greater score was achieved with participants of higher educational levels (p < 0.001) and those who had previously heard about PC (p = 0.002). Around 40% of responders displayed an adequate attitude toward PC. Higher educational level (p < 0.001), being informed by the physician and/or urologist about the PSA test (p < 0.001), having previously heard about PC (p = 0.001), being advised to be screened for PC (p = 0.006), and being employed (p = 0.007), improved attitude level toward PC. As for practice, PSA testing and prostate exam performance significantly increased with age, monthly income, being employed, history of prostate problems, being informed by a physician and/or urologist about the advantages and disadvantages of having the PSA test, and attitude towards PC. With unsatisfactory KAP levels toward PC, tailored awareness campaigns according to the identified predictors of PC KAP are needed in Lebanese men to prevent and alleviate their disease progression.

Performance Assessment of ELISA Using the Trypanosoma cruzi-Specific Antigen Tc323 for the Diagnosis of Chronic Chagas Disease.

In the chronic phase of Chagas disease (CCD), diagnosis relies on detecting specific IgG antibodies due to the low or absent presence of the parasiteTrypanosoma cruzi in human blood. However, the performance of current serological tests is highly variable, lacking a "gold standard" assay with 100% sensitivity and specificity, which challenges the exploration of new biomarkers. In the present study, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of an optimized ELISA using the predicted immunogenic domains (called TcD3 and TcD6) of Tc323, a protein highly conserved among T.cruzi strains but absent in other clinically significant parasites such as Leishmania spp. This study was conducted using plasma or serum samples from CCD individuals with different clinical manifestations and living in endemic regions in Latin America, subjects with unrelated infectious diseases, and noninfected donors. The sensitivity and specificity of recombinant TcD3 were 90.8% and 92.6%, respectively, while rTcD6 displayed values of 93.1% and 93.6% for the same parameters. Area under curve (AUC) values were 0.949 for rTcD3 and 0.954 for rTcD6. The receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curve showed a highly significant difference between CCD individuals and noninfected donors. Cross-reactivity was 10.2% for rTcD3 and 8.2% for rTcD6 in subjects infected with leishmaniasis or with toxoplasmosis. In addition, the reactivity against rTcD3 differed among some geographical areas while no significant difference was found using both domains for the detection of T.cruzi-infected individuals with or without cardiac symptoms. Our findings show that the recombinant antigens rTcD3 and rTcD6 could be used as highly potential biomarkers for the serological diagnosis of CCD.