Urine Microscopy Research Articles

Diagnostic Utility of Urine Microscopy in Kidney Diseases.

Urine sediment analysis is a highly valuable yet underutilized test in today's advanced medical landscape. The analysis of urine sediment is a simple, cost-effective, and powerful diagnostic tool in the hands of a skilled nephrologist, generally in all kidney diseases and particularly more so in the setting of acute kidney injury (AKI). The impact of AKI is far-reaching and encompasses elevated mortality rates, increased morbidity, longer hospital stays, and higher overall healthcare expenses. Timely and compartmental diagnosis of AKI with the use of a simple urine sediment analysis leads to targeted therapeutic strategies and also serves as a prognostic guide. The widespread use of automated analysis in recent times has its own set of limitations, as it fails to identify pathological casts, crystals, and dysmorphic red blood cells (RBCs). Hence, it is the need of the hour to learn this time-honored art of urine sediment analysis, to provide comprehensive patient care.

#3084 Familial nephropathy associated with a combined mutations of Alport and Nail Patella syndrome genes in the same family

Abstract Introduction Alport syndrome is a genetic condition stemming from mutation in Type IV collagen and is characterized by kidney disease and frequently hearing loss and ocular abnormalities. Renal involvement is from an abnormality of the glomerular basement membrane with hematuria and proteinuria progressing eventually to renal failure. In the vast majority, the inheritance is X- linked affecting the alpha 5 chain of type IV collagen while in about 15 percent of the patients the inheritance is autosomal recessive or dominant with mutations affecting alpha 3 or 4 chains of type IV collagen. Sensorineural deafness is common and ocular abnormalities may include lenticonus, corneal opacities, fleck retinopathy and temporal retinal thinning. Nail Patella syndrome (NPS) is a rare genetic condition from mutation in the LMX1B gene on chromosome 9 with an autosomal dominant inheritance. Glomerular disease is from characteristic glomerular basement membrane changes and is associated with nail, pelvic girdle and limb abnormalities. A forme fruste with glomerular lesions but lacking extrarenal features is recognized but uncommon. We present a family with mutations in both COL4A5 and LMX1B presenting with hematuria and proteinuria Case Presentation A 23 year old female was evaluated for hematuria and proteinuria. Her history was notable for kidney biopsy at the age thirteen showing focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). She was treated with tacrolimus for four years from age thirteen through seventeen. Patient was reportedly diagnosed with Nail Patella Syndrome after genetic testing. Her family history was notable for hematuria in her brother and hematuria and proteinuria in her mother. On physical examination she was noted to have no nail or skeletal abnormalities associated with Nail Patella Syndrome. Her labs were notable for a serum creatinine of 0.6 mg/dl and proteinuria of 155 mg/g creatinine of proteinuria. Urine microscopy revealed dysmorphic hematuria. Radiological imaging did not show skeletal abnormalities observed in Nail Patella Syndrome but genetic testing identified a pathogenic variant in COL4A5 c.919G>A (p.Gly307Ser) in addition to a variant of uncertain significance in LMX1B c.349G>A (p.Gly117Ser). Her brother aged 20 had a creatinine of 0.87 mg/dl with dysmorphic hematuria and no proteinuria. Genetic testing showed the same pathogenic variant in COL4A5 as in his sibling. His mother aged 55 was subsequently evaluated and had a creatinine 0.73 mg/dl with dysmorphic hematuria and 152 mg/g of proteinuria. Genetic testing was with the same variant in COL4A5 noted in her two children. Renal biopsy was extensive thinning and segmental lamellation of the glomerular basement membrane with eight percent FSGS. The typical “moth-eaten” appearance of the glomerular basement membrane characteristic of NPS was not evident. Segmental staining was observed with alpha 5 unit of Type IV collagen. Audiology and retinal optical coherence optometry studies are pending. Discussion Alport syndrome and Nail Patella Syndrome are rare genetic disorders that cause variable degrees of renal insufficiency from glomerular base membrane defects and are associated with characteristic extra renal manifestations. This is the first report of an inherited nephritis with combined mutations in COL4A5 and LMX1B. The clinical features and renal biopsy are compatible with Alport Syndrome and the significance of the mutation in LMX1B is uncertain. Conclusion This is the first case report of a combined mutation in COL4A5 and LMX1B gene presenting with hematuria and minimal proteinuria with preserved kidney function.

Pyuria in hospitalized general medical patients without urinary tract infection.

Urine microscopy for detecting pus cells is a common investigation ordered in hospitalized general medical patients as part of routine care. A few previous studies have shown that sterile pyuria is not uncommon in this population. We studied the prevalence of pyuria among patients hospitalized with non-urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnosis in the medical wards. We excluded patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). Pyuria was quantified in uncentrifuged urine using the chamber counting method, and ≥ 10 pus cells per mm 3 was considered significant. We also compared this method with the commonly used but less accurate method of counting pus cells/high power field using centrifuged urine (routine method). We studied 196 patients; 113 (57.7%) were males. Most (175[89.3%]) patients were hospitalized for an infection. We found that 18.4% of the study group had sterile pyuria, and it was strongly associated with the presence of concomitant microscopic hematuria (unadjusted odds ratio, 3.74 [1.65 to 8.50]; P=0.002). We found no association of pyuria with female gender, diabetes, acute kidney injury, or current antibiotic use. By routine method, 56 (28.6 %) patients had significant pyuria. In comparison to the chamber counting method, the routine method was 69.4(63-75.8) % sensitive and 80.6(75.1-86.2) % specific. The positive and negative predictive values were 44.6 (37.7- 51.6) % and 92.1 (88.4 - 95.9) %. We concluded that sterile pyuria and microscopic hematuria could be present in a proportion of hospitalized general medical patients without UTI or ASB. Clinical judgment is essential in interpreting the significance of abnormal urinalysis reports.

Unraveling the quivering dance: Trichomoniasis

This case report delves into an atypical presentation of trichomoniasis in a previously healthy 56-year-old female. Presenting with burning micturition and pruritus, the patient’s urine microscopy revealed characteristic twisting motility of Trichomonas vaginalis, confirming the diagnosis. Treatment with metronidazole resulted in prompt symptomatic improvement. This case underscores the importance of recognizing diverse presentations of Trichomoniasis for accurate diagnosis and timely intervention.

Comparison of Two Automated Urine Analyzers (URiSCAN Super + YD Diagnostics and Sysmex UC-3500–UF-5000 Urine Chemistry Analyzer) with Routine Microscopy

Background and Aim: Urinalysis is one of the most commonly performed screening tests in the clinical laboratory to diagnose and monitor various urological as well as systemic conditions. Newly developed automated urine analyzers are expected to routinely screen urine in less time compared to conventional routine microscopy and provide clinicians with prompt clinical information with a lower false-negative rate. The study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the two automated urine analyzers, URiSCAN Super + YD Diagnostics and Sysmex UC-3500–UF-5000 urine analyzer and compare them with microscopy. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study performed on 124 randomly selected samples of patients coming to the clinical pathology laboratory at a tertiary care hospital for 3 months between March 1, 2022 and May 30, 2022. Each sample was taken for both automated analyzer testing and microscopic evaluation. The results of urine examination consisting of cells, formed elements, and microorganisms were compared between both the automated urine analyzers and microscopy, and the degree of concordance was calculated utilizing Cohen’s kappa (κ) analysis to see the concordance between all three values. The statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25, developed by IBM Co, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The degree of concordance of red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), and epithelial cells (ECs) was good between the two automated analyzers, URiSCAN Super + YD Diagnostics and Sysmex UC-3500–UF-5000 urine analyzer and microscopy with P < 0.05. The concordance between the Sysmex UC-3500–UF-5000 urine analyzer and manual microscopy was better than between manual microscopy and URiSCAN Super + YD Diagnostics. There was no concordance between any of these methods for either crystals, cast, bacteria, and fungi with P > 0.05. Conclusion: The results from the automated analyzers for RBCs, WBCs, and ECs were similar to the result of manual microscopy, and the analyzers can be relied on for testing and can help in reducing turnaround time of routine urine examination. However, bacteria, fungi, dysmorphic red cells, casts, and crystals need to be analyzed by microscopic examination before giving a final diagnosis.

Clinical usefulness of urinary symptoms and urinalysis in diagnosis of Schistosoma haematobium infection in an endemic area in Southern Nigeria: descriptive study

Background: Schistosoma haematobium infection occurs worldwide with the largest number of cases seen in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the infections are acquired during childhood and are linked to urogenital diseases which contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality. A study on the use of urinary symptoms, signs and urinalysis in the diagnosis of S. haematobium infection might aid in providing early, prompt and rapid intervention that will limit associated complications. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional of 421 children aged 6-12 years in Ohaukwu LGA, Ebonyi State, recruited from four public primary schools using multistage sampling method. Urinary symptoms and signs were obtained using a questionnaire; urine samples were collected for urinalysis and urine microscopy. Simple proportions and odds ratio (CI) were used to analyze the data. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated for various symptoms and signs. The data was analyzed with IBM-SPSS 20. Significance was set at p<0.05. Results: The prevalence of S. haematobium infection among school children in Ohaukwu LGA was 30.17%. Visible blood in urine 71.77% and dysuria 70.16% were the predominant symptoms while liver tenderness 8.87% was the most common sign. The sensitivity vs specificity of visible blood in urine and microscopic haematuria were 71.77% vs 94.43% and 100.00% vs 97.21% respectively. Conclusions: Microscopic haematuria alone was highly sensitive and specific and can be a reliable alternative to the gold standard in making diagnosis of S. haematobium infection in children living in this endemic region.

Pyuria in hospitalized general medical patients without urinary tract infection

Urine microscopy for detecting pus cells is a common investigation ordered in hospitalized general medical patients as part of routine care. A few previous studies have shown that sterile pyuria is not uncommon in this population. We studied the prevalence of pyuria among patients hospitalized with non-urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnosis in the medical wards. We excluded patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). Pyuria was quantified in uncentrifuged urine using the chamber counting method, and ≥ 10 pus cells per mm3 was considered significant. We also compared this method with the commonly used but less accurate method of counting pus cells/high power field using centrifuged urine (routine method). We studied 196 patients; 113 (57.7%) were males. Most (175[89.3%]) patients were hospitalized for an infection. We found that 18.4% of the study group had sterile pyuria, and it was strongly associated with the presence of concomitant microscopic hematuria (unadjusted odds ratio, 3.74 [1.65 to 8.50]; P=0.002). We found no association of pyuria with female gender, diabetes, acute kidney injury, or current antibiotic use. By routine method, 56 (28.6 %) patients had significant pyuria. In comparison to the chamber counting method, the routine method was 69.4(63—75.8) % sensitive and 80.6(75.1—86.2) % specific. The positive and negative predictive values were 44.6 (37.7— 51.6) % and 92.1 (88.4 — 95.9) %. We concluded that sterile pyuria and microscopic hematuria could be present in a proportion of hospitalized general medical patients without UTI or ASB. Clinical judgment is essential in interpreting the significance of abnormal urinalysis reports.

Diagnostic tests for human Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Accurate diagnosis is pivotal for implementing strategies for surveillance, control, and elimination of schistosomiasis. Despite their low sensitivity in low-endemicity areas, microscopy-based urine filtration and the Kato-Katz technique are considered as reference diagnostic tests for Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni infections, respectively. We aimed to collate all available evidence on the accuracy of other proposed diagnostic techniques. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and LILACS for studies published from database inception to Dec 31, 2022, investigating the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests for S haematobium and S mansoni infections against Kato-Katz thick smears or urine microscopy (reference tests) involving adults (aged ≥18 years), school-aged children (aged 7 to 18 years), or preschool-aged children (aged 1 month to 7 years). We extracted raw data on true positives, true negatives, false positives, and false negatives for the diagnostic tests and data on the number of participants, study authors, publication year, journal, study design, participants' age and sex, prevalence of Schistosoma infection, and treatment status. To account for imperfect reference tests, we used a hierarchical Bayesian latent class meta-analysis to model test accuracy. Overall, we included 121 studies, assessing 28 different diagnostic techniques. Most studies (103 [85%] of 121) were done in Africa, 14 (12%) in South America, one (1%) in Asia, and one (1%) in an unknown country. Compared with the reference test, Kato-Katz thick smears, circulating cathodic antigen urine cassette assay version 1 (CCA1, 36 test comparisons) had excellent sensitivity (95% [95% credible interval 88-99]) and reasonable specificity (74% [63-83]) for S mansoni. ELISA-based tests had a performance comparable to circulating cathodic antigen, but there were few available test comparisons. For S haematobium, proteinuria (42 test comparisons, sensitivity 73% [62-82]; specificity 94% [89-98]) and haematuria (75 test comparisons, sensitivity 85% [80-90]; specificity 96% [92-99]) reagent strips showed high specificity, with haematuria reagent strips having better sensitivity. Despite limited data, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs; eg, PCR or loop-mediated isothermal amplification [LAMP]) showed promising results with sensitivity estimates above 90%. We found an unclear risk of bias of about 70% in the use of the reference or index tests and of 50% in patient selection. All analyses showed substantial heterogeneity (I2>80%). Although NAATs and immunological diagnostics show promise, the limited information available precludes drawing definitive conclusions. Additional research on diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness is needed before the replacement of conventional tests can be considered. WHO and Luxembourg Institute of Health.

Male genitourinary schistosomiasis-related symptoms among long-term Western African migrants in Spain: a prospective population-based screening study

BackgroundSchistosomiasis is highly endemic in sub-Saharan Africa and frequently imported to Europe. Male urogenital manifestations are often neglected. We aimed to ascertain the prevalence of genitourinary clinical signs and symptoms among long-term African migrants in a non-endemic European country using a serology test.MethodsWe carried out a prospective, community-based cross-sectional study of adult male migrants from sub-Saharan Africa living in Spain. Schistosoma serology tests and microscopic urine examinations were carried out, and clinical data were obtained from an electronic medical record search and a structured questionnaire.ResultsWe included 388 adult males, mean age 43.5 years [Standard Deviation (SD) = 12.0, range: 18–76]. The median time since migration to the European Union was 17 [Interquartile range (IQR): 11–21] years. The most frequent country of origin was Senegal (N = 179, 46.1%). Of the 338, 147 (37.6%) tested positive for Schistosoma. Parasite eggs were present in the urine of only 1.3%. Nine genitourinary clinical items were significantly associated with positive Schistosoma serology results: pelvic pain (45.2%; OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.0–2.4), pain on ejaculation (14.5%; OR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.0–3.5), dyspareunia (12.4%; OR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.2–5.2), erectile dysfunction (9.5%; OR = 3.10, 95% CI: 1.3–7.6), self-reported episodes of infertility (32.1%; OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.0–2.8), haematuria (55.2%; OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.5–3.6), dysuria (52.1%; OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.3–3.1), undiagnosed syndromic STIs (5.4%), and orchitis (20.7%; OR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.0–3.1). Clinical signs tended to cluster.ConclusionsUrogenital clinical signs and symptoms are prevalent among male African long-term migrants with a positive Schistosoma serology results. Genital involvement can be frequent even among those with long periods of non-residence in their sub-Saharan African countries of origin. Further research is needed to develop diagnostic tools and validate therapeutic approaches to chronic schistosomiasis.Graphical

767 - Fractional excretion of urinary sodium and urinary sediment microscopy for prediction of response to vasoconstrictors in hepatorenal syndrome type 1

767 - Fractional excretion of urinary sodium and urinary sediment microscopy for prediction of response to vasoconstrictors in hepatorenal syndrome type 1

A prospective observational study on the efficacy of procalcitonin as a diagnostic test to exclude lower urinary tract infection and to minimize antibiotic overuse.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) stands out as the third-most common infection following gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections. Over the past decade, the biomarker procalcitonin (PCT) has gained prominence to facilitate the detection of bacterial infections and reduce excessive antibiotic exposure. The objective of this study was to mitigate the overuse of antibiotics, by promoting the noninitiation or early discontinuation of empirical antibiotics, which would significantly help minimize the proliferation of multidrug-resistant bacteria. A prospective observational study was carried out at the tertiary care center in the Department of General Medicine of Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, involving 200 patients with symptoms of lower UTI such as increased frequency, urgency, burning micturition, retention, and suprapubic tenderness with or without positive urinalysis. Detailed demographic profiles along with symptoms at the time of admission were recorded in a pretested structured format. To determine a positive diagnosis of UTI, signs and symptoms of UTI with or without urinary cultures were tested. The PCT level was estimated using enhanced chemiluminescence technique. Other routine tests such as complete blood count, renal function test, liver function test, urine routine microscopy, culture, chest X-ray, and ultrasonography abdomen pelvis were done and recorded. All patients, who had an initial serum PCT level of < 0.5 ng/mL, were kept under observation with only conservative and symptomatic treatments. Patients were further reviewed for improvement in symptoms and repeat urine microscopy. All patients, who had an initial serum PCT level of > 0.5 ng/mL, were initiated with antibiotics as per the culture and sensitivity reports. Patients were followed up for improvement in symptoms with reports of repeated urinalysis. Our study reported the fact that 9.5% of the patients with initial serum PCT ≥ 0.5 ng/mL showed no improvement in symptoms despite starting antibiotics while significantly higher number of symptomatic patients (60%) with initial serum PCT < 0.5 ng/ml showed improvement in symptoms with conservative treatment without antibiotics. A lower PCT level rules out bacterial invasion and thus can be used as a novel marker in antibiotic stewardship.

Urine Microscopy Finding in a Patient with Cirrhosis and AKI.

Urine Microscopy Finding in a Patient with Cirrhosis and AKI.

Urinary Vacuolar Casts Are a Unique Type of Casts in Advanced Proteinuric Glomerulopathies.

Identification of casts by urinary sediment microscopy is a valuable diagnostic clinical tool for the evaluation of kidney disease. Vacuolar casts are an unrecognized unique type of casts characterized by the presence of non-polarizable, clear vesicles of various sizes contained within a cast matrix, different from lipid casts, erythrocyte casts, or any other casts. We aimed to gain better understanding of the clinical relevance of these casts by establishing a multinational collaborative group to search for cases in which vacuolar casts were identified. Leveraging an educational social media platform, we conducted a multinational observational study extracting cases of patients who presented with urinary vacuolar casts during evaluation for impaired kidney function. Parameters assessed included degree of proteinuria and kidney dysfunction, clinical and histopathological diagnosis, and severity of renal parenchymal scarring on biopsy. A control group of cases without vacuolar casts was included for comparison. Forty-six cases with urinary vacuolar casts were compiled from 6 countries. Nephrotic range proteinuria (82%), glomerular etiology (98%) and advanced chronic kidney disease stage (62% 3B-5) were salient features. Histopathological diagnosis was available in 26 (57%) cases. Combining clinical and pathological diagnoses, diabetic nephropathy (48%), arterionephrosclerosis (30%), podocytopathies (15%) and proliferative glomerulonephritides (15%) accounted for most cases. Vacuolization of tubules or podocytes was present in 61% of the specimens. When compared to cases with histopathological diagnoses in which vacuolar casts were not found (n=186), cases with vacuolar casts more frequently had a glomerular etiology (100% vs 71%, p=0.002), had greater proteinuria (median urine protein-to-creatinine 10.3 vs 2.2 g/g, p<0.001) and had greater proportion of patients with ≥ 30% glomerular obsolescence (46% vs 20%, p = 0.003). Thus, urinary vacuolar casts are strongly associated with advanced glomerulopathies with severe proteinuria. Future studies should examine their origin, composition, and prognostic value.

LITHOTRIPTIC AND ANTI-LITHOGENIC EFFECT OF TILA-DHATRI KSHARA ALONG WITH GOKSHURA KASHAYA IN ETHYLENE GLYCOL-INDUCED NEPHROLITHIASIS IN ADULT MALE CHARLES FOSTER RATS

Objectives: Thirty-five adult Charles Foster rats were taken in the study to assess the lithotriptic and anti-lithogenic activity of the Trial drug. Methods: Thirty-five were divided into seven groups of five animals each. One group was kept as normal control; one group was given ethylene glycol 0.75% alone for 28 days. In the next three groups, Trial drug, kshara with distilled water, and the Standard drug were given, respectively, for 28 days after induction of calculi using ethylene glycol. In the next two groups, to assess the anti-lithogenic activity, simultaneously stone inducing agents and trial/standard drugs were given for 28 days. At the end, blood, urine, and histopathology of rat kidneys were done. Results: Tila-Dhatri kshara with Gokshura Kashaya and standard drug, Potassium Magnesium Citrate B6 showed equal lithotriptic and anti-lithogenic activity as depicted from blood, urine biochemistry, urine microscopy, and histopathology of rat kidneys. Trial drug-treated group showed more diuresis than other groups. Furthermore, serum LDH values were significantly reduced in trial drug-treated group. Conclusion: The trial drug showed significant nephroprotective property when compared to the standard drug as depicted from the serum LDH values and histopathological evaluations.

A Prospective Study to Identify Asymptomatic Bacteriuria: The Causative Organisms, Antibiotic Sensitivity and its Safety in Pregnant Females

Introduction: The common procedure of urinary catheterization during childbirth may introduce bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections. Immune function is relatively compromised during pregnancy. The current study was aimed to identify antenatal patients with bacteriuria, the causative organism and its antibiotic sensitivity in patients with bacteriuria. Materials and Methods: The current prospective crosssectional study involved antenatal patients who were being admitted to the delivery room. A clean catch midstream urine sample was collected in a sterile container of which 5 to 10 mL of the sample was obtained in a separate sterile vial (container 1) for screening tests for leucocyte esterase and nitrite, and the remaining sample (container 2) was taken for routine microscopy, culture, and sensitivity. The reports were collected and tabulated, and bacteriuria was confirmed and statistically analyzed. Results: A total of 200 patients were evaluated, and 40 of them had asymptomatic bacteriuria. In this study positive leukocyte esterase test and nitrite test results were considerably higher in the cases than the controls (p &lt; 0.05) at 10.0 and 47.5%, respectively. Escherichia coli was found to be the most prevalent bacteria in this study, followed by, Pseudomonas, Enterococcus faecalis, Candida albicans, and coagulasenegative Streptococcus and Klebsiella. Most of the E. coli isolates (100.0%) were sensitive to amikacin, a category D drug. The majority of Pseudomonas isolates (100.0%) were sensitive to colistin, a category C drug. Amongst category A drugs, Pseudomonas was sensitive to – cefoperazone-sulbactam, meropenem and piperacillin-tazobactam. Conclusion: It is a standard practice to send urine routine and microscopy test in antenatal patients. As most patients are asymptomatic, investigations are required for early diagnosis of significant bacteria like leucocyte esterase, nitrite and culture and sensitivity. This will help us to institute appropriate treatment and improve maternal and fetal outcomes.

Pregnancy-associated asymptomatic bacteriuria and antibiotic resistance in the Maternity and Children's Hospital, Arar, Saudi Arabia.

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia provides comprehensive antenatal care for all pregnant women with all required investigations. However, it does not include urine culture for diagnosis of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). This is the first study to evaluate the prevalence of ASB among pregnant females, identify the causative organisms and determine their antibiotic susceptibility patterns in the Maternity and Children's Hospital, Arar, Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study included 400 pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic. Two midstream urine samples were aseptically collected and screened using standard microbiological techniques including microscopic examination, dipstick testing, and urine culture. In order to interpret the urine culture results, ≥ 105 CFUs/mL was considered significant bacteriuria. Identification of the isolates and their antibiotic sensitivity testing was performed using the Vitek 2 system (BioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) with the available test kits. The prevalence of ASB was 8.25% (35/400). Significant positive correlations (p ˂ 0.05) were detected between positive urine culture results and random blood sugar, leucocytes, nitrites, pus cells, urine red blood cells, epithelial cells, and mucus. Escherichia coli was the most common causative organism (45.7%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (22.9%). Klebsiella pneumoniae represented 11.4% of the isolates. Most of the isolated Gram-positive organisms were sensitive to many of the tested antibiotics; most of the detected Gram-negative isolates were resistant. ASB caused by antibiotic resistant organisms is alarming. Screening for ASB during pregnancy using urine culture and sensitivity testing is of vital importance to improve the maternal and neonatal outcome.

Microscopic urinary particle detection by different YOLOv5 models with evolutionary genetic algorithm based hyperparameter optimization

The diagnosis of kidney disease often involves analysing urine sediment particles. Traditionally, urinalysis was performed manually by collecting urine samples and using a centrifuge, which was prone to manual errors and relied on labour-intensive processes. Automated urine sediment microscopy, based on machine learning models, requires segmentation and feature extraction, which can hinder model performance due to intrinsic characteristics of microscopic images. Deep learning models based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) often rely on a large number of manually annotated data, making the system computationally complex. This study propose an advanced deep learning model based on YOLOv5, which offers faster performance and requires comparatively less data. The proposed model used five variants of the YOLOv5 model (YOLOv5n, YOLOv5s, YOLOv5m, YOLOv5l, and YOLOv5x) to detect six categories of urine particles (erythrocyte, leukocyte, crystals, cast, mycete, epithelial cells) from microscopic urine sediment images. The dataset involved 5376 images of urine sediments with 6 particles. There are 30 sets of hyperparamreteres are employed in the YOLOv5 model. To optimize the hyperparameters and fine-tune with the urine sediment dataset and for training each model, the system employed a genetic algorithm (GA) based on evolutionary principles named as Evolutionary Genetic Algorithm (EGA). Among the six categories of detected particles mycete achieved maximum performance with a mAP of 97.6 % and crystals achieved minimum performance with a mAP of 81.7 % with YOLOv5x model compared to other particles. To optimize the hyperparameters for training each model, the system employed a genetic algorithm (GA) based on evolutionary principles named as Evolutionary Genetic Algorithm (EGA). Among all the models, YOLOv5l and YOLOv5x performed the best. YOLOv5l achieved a mean average precision (mAP) of 85.8 % while YOLOv5x achieved a mAP of 85.4 % at an IoU threshold of 0.5. The detection speed per image was 23.4 ms for YOLOv5l and 28.4 ms for YOLOv5x. The proposed method developed a faster and better automated microscopic model using advanced deep learning techniques to detect urinary particles from microscopic urine sediment images for kidney disease identification. The method demonstrated strong performance in urinalysis.

Macrohematuria in children and adolescents

Hematuria is usually only noticed early in the case of macrohematuria. In around half of affected children, macrohematuria is caused by aurinary tract infection. In all other cases, acareful diagnosis is required. In addition to adetailed medical history, this builds upon aprecise examination of the urine (microscopy, quantitative determination of proteinuria [mgalbumin/gcreatinine in spontaneously voided urine]) and measurement of blood pressure. The work-up usually includes sonography as the primary imaging modality. Invasive diagnostic tests using cystoscopy are only necessary in exceptional cases. If there is evidence of glomerulonephritis, akidney biopsy may be indicated. Careful attention should be given to persisting microhematuria (> 6months) and Alport syndrome should be confirmed or ruled out. Heterozygotic Alport syndrome can also be apossible cause of chronic renal failure.

Comparison of Sensitivity and Specificity of Direct Microscopy and Culture Methods as Diagnostic Tool for for Diagnosing Trichomoniasis among Females of Reproductive Age, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted parasitic disease caused by Trichomonas vaginalis and is distributed worldwide. This study was a comparison of direct microscopy and culture methods in diagnosis of trichomoniasis in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study was adopted involving the detection of Trichomonas vaginalis using culture and direct microscopy techniques among females attending Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Port Harcourt after ethical approval was sought and obtained. Samples were analyzed using direct wet preparation and culture technique. Sociodemographic data were obtained using well-structured questionnaires. A total of 650 specimens were examined, 450 were urine samples and 200 were high vaginal swab (HVS) samples which were examined directly under the microscope and cultured in Trichomonas medium (Oxoid CM0161) at 37ºc for 7 days. Out of 450 urine specimens examined, 4 were positive using direct microscopy with a prevalence of 0.9% (P&gt;0.05), while 22 were positive using culture technique with a prevalence of 4.9% (P&lt;0.05). 5 out of 200 HVS were positive using direct microscopy with a prevalence of 2.5% (P&gt;0.05), while 18 were positive using culture technique with a prevalence of 9% (P&lt;0.05). Direct microscopy and culture techniques recorded a moderate agreement (κ=0.412) and was statistically significant (P&lt;0.05). Culture of HVS recorded the highest sensitivity of 94.44% with specificity of 99.45%, while direct microscopy of HVS recorded a sensitivity of 80% with specificity of 99.49%. Culture of urine recorded a sensitivity of 90.91% with specificity of 99.53%, while direct microscopy of urine recorded a sensitivity of 75% with specificity of 99.78%.&#x0D; Conclusion: It is recommended that culture should be incorporated as an additional method for routine testing of Trichomonas vaginalis in our health care centres for improved monitoring and control of the disease.

Diagnostic Value of Dipstick Test (Leukocyte Esterase and Nitrite) in Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection

Background: The accurate UTI diagnosis is crucial in the laboratory. Objective: The objective was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the nitrite test, leukocyte esterase, both nitrite and leukocyte esterase, and urine microscopy in UTI diagnosis. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study in which 100 adult patients, who were suspected to have UTI and did not receive antibiotics for at least 1 week, were included in this study performed in Shahabuddin Medical College and Hospital, Gulshan-2, Dhaka. Urine samples were collected and sent to laboratory for urine analysis and urine culture. Nitrite and leukocyte esterase dipsticks tests were done as well. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were measured for nitrite, leukocyte esterase, both nitrite and leukocyte esterase. Results: According to the results of the urine dipstick test, microscopy, and urine culture, nitrite was positive in 17.0% of the cases, leukocyte esterase was positive in 53.0% of the cases, both nitrite and leukocyte esterase were positive in 17.0% of the cases, urine microscopy was positive in 71.0% of the cases, and urine culture was positive in 41.0% of the cases. In the detection of urinary tract infections, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of leukocyte esterase were 87.8%, 71.2%, 67.9%, and 89.4% respectively, using urine culture as the gold standard test. Based on urine culture as gold standard test, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of both nitrite and leukocyte esterase were 34.1%, 94.9%, 82.4%, and 67.5% respectively, in detecting urinary tract infections. Conclusions: Efficacy of leukocyte esterase was found better in detecting UTI comparing nitrite test. Escherichia coli is the most common isolated organism. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Microbiology, July 2023;17(2):55-59