Search results for "diagnostic techniques"

Gynecological Manifestations, Histopathological Findings, and Schistosoma-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction Results Among Women With Schistosoma hae…

2015

Schistosoma haematobium may cause pathology in the urinary and genital tracts. In the urinary tract, morbidity is correlated with intensity of infection, as indicated by the number of eggs excreted in the urine [1]. Up to 75% of women excreting S. haematobium ova in the urine may have ova in the lower genital tract. However, female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) may also occur in the absence of urinary egg excretion [2, 3]. FGS is rarely seen without use of a colposcope and is often overlooked even by those who have this tool. In remote areas, where most patients live, the cost of the equipment, the logistical difficulties associated with light sources, electricity, and clean instruments, as…

Accuracy of the water-siphon test associated to barium study in a high prevalence gastro-oesophageal reflux disease population: a novel statistical a…

2010

Abstract RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is 'a condition which develops when the reflux of gastric content causes troublesome symptoms or complications'. Instrumental diagnostic tests generally used for GORD are 24-hour pH-metry and upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy but barium study associated with provocative manoeuvres such as the water-siphon test (WST), has also been used for GORD. The aim of this paper was to estimate the accuracy of several tests in patients with GORD in a tertiary care setting, focusing on WST, which is rapid and non-invasive, simple to perform and well-tolerated by patients. METHOD: A total of 172 consecutive patients, sy…

Monocular versus binocular pupillometry.

2004

Purpose To quantify differences between monocular and binocular pupil size measurement under scotopic and mesopic conditions. Setting Department of Ophthalmology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, and Department of Medical Biometry, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany. Methods Computerized dynamic pupillometry (P2000 SA, Procyon Instruments Ltd.) was used at 3 illumination levels: scotopic at 0.03 lux, mesopic low at 0.82 lux, and mesopic high at 6.4 lux. One hundred forty eyes of 70 healthy volunteers without ocular pathology were examined. The subjects were divided into 2 groups. In the first group, the pupil diameter was measured binocularly first. In the secon…

Simplified criteria for the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis

2008

Diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) may be challenging. However, early diagnosis is important because immunosuppression is life-saving. Diagnostic criteria of the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group (IAIHG) were complex and purely meant for scientific purposes. This study of the IAIHG aims to define simplified diagnostic criteria for routine clinical practice. Candidate criteria included sex, age, autoantibodies, immunoglobulins, absence of viral hepatitis, and histology. The training set included 250 AIH patients and 193 controls from 11 centers worldwide. Scores were built from variables showing predictive ability in univariate analysis. Diagnostic value of each score was assesse…

Evaluation of saliva as a complementary technique to the diagnosis of COVID-19:a systematic review

2021

Background Infectious disease coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and it mainly affects the upper respiratory tract. The gold standard for its diagnosis is real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) performed on a nasopharyngeal swab. In contrast, testing saliva has significant advantages as a diagnostic method. Material and Methods We searched for articles evaluating saliva as a diagnostic method for COVID-19 on the PUBMED/MEDLINE, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE, and SCIELO platforms. We initially found 233 articles and 20 were selected for inclusion following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol: 18 c…

Changes in Body Composition in Anorexia Nervosa : Predictors of Recovery and Treatment Outcome

2015

The restoration of body composition (BC) parameters is considered to be one of the most important goals in the treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, little is known about differences between AN diagnostic subtypes [restricting (AN-R) and binge/purging (AN-BP)] and weekly changes in BC during refeeding treatment. Therefore, the main objectives of our study were twofold: 1) to assess the changes in BC throughout nutritional treatment in an AN sample and 2) to analyze predictors of BC changes during treatment, as well as predictors of treatment outcome. The whole sample comprised 261 participants [118 adult females with AN (70 AN-R vs. 48 AN-BP), and 143 healthy controls].…

Clinical Practice Guideline on Melanoma From the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV)

2020

El diagnóstico y tratamiento del melanoma en atención especializada es un campo en el que se han producido numerosos cambios. El objetivo de esta guía es ofrecer a los dermatólogos españoles una referencia para resolver las dudas clínicas más frecuentes basándose en la evidencia actual. Para la realización de esta guía se escogió a miembros del Grupo Español de Dermato-Oncología y Cirugía con experiencia en el tratamiento de estos tumores y con interés en participar en la elaboración de la guía. Se hizo una adaptación de las guías de práctica clínica existentes mediante el método ADAPTE: inicialmente se resumió el proceso de atención y se elaboraron las preguntas clínicas relevantes. Se sel…

IDENTIFICATION OF THE MAIN DESTRUCTIVE PLANT-VIRUS-DISEASES OF HORTICULTURAL CROPS IN SICILY AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES

2014

Development and validation of two PCR tests for the detection of and differentiation between Anaplasma ovis and Anaplasma marginale

2012

Anaplasma ovis and Anaplasma marginale are tick-transmitted bacteria that cause anaplasmosis in domestic and wild animals. Recent results show that some domestic and wild animals and ticks are susceptible to both A. ovis and A. marginale, thus supporting the need to differentiate between these species in hosts and ticks diagnosed with Anaplasma infection. However, although anaplasmosis is one of the most common diseases of grazing animals worldwide, rapid and effective tests are not available for the detection of and discrimination between these 2 Anaplasma species. The objective of this research was to develop an easy and reliable method to identify and discriminate between the closely rel…

Epigenetic biomarkers: Current strategies and future challenges for their use in the clinical laboratory

2017

Epigenetic modifications and regulators represent potential molecular elements which control relevant physiological and pathological features, thereby contributing to the natural history of human disease. These epigenetic modulators can be employed as disease biomarkers, since they show several advantages and provide information about gene function, thus explaining differences among patient endophenotypes. In addition, epigenetic biomarkers can incorporate information regarding the effects of the environment and lifestyle on health and disease, and monitor the effect of applied therapies. Technologies used to analyze these epigenetic biomarkers are constantly improving, becoming much easier…