Respiratory specimens and the diagnostic accuracy of Aspergillus lateral flow assays (LFA-IMMY™): real-life data from a multicentre study

ObjectivesProper diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis is challenging because conventional methods lack sensitivity and are complicated by time-consuming incubation processes. To meet the requirement for early diagnosis the new Aspergillus-specific point-of-care test LFA-IMMY™ was evaluated with respect to the ability to accurately detect Aspergillus in bronchoalveolar fluids and sputa, and to clarify the potential of cross-reactivity with other fungal pathogens.MethodsRespiratory specimens (n = 398) from non-selected patients (n = 390) underwent either fungal microscopy, culture or both before Aspergillus lateral flow assay (LFA-IMMY) testing.ResultsFor Aspergillus culture- and microscopy-positive samples, sensitivity (48/52) and specificity (44/48) were 92% (95% CI 8.0%–9.7%) and 91% (95% CI 7.9%–9.7%), respectively; cross-reactivity was documented with non-Aspergillus pathogens.ConclusionLFA-IMMY is a reliable diagnostic tool for the detection of Aspergillus in respiratory samples.     

The macroscopic and histomorphological properties of periosteal rib lesions and its relation with disease duration: evidence from the Luis Lopes Skeletal Collection (Lisbon,Portugal)

Periosteal new bone formation (PNBF) is a common finding in a large spectrum of diseases. In clinical practice, the morphology and location of periosteal lesions are frequently used to assist in the differential diagnosis of distinct bone conditions. Less commonly reported is the presence of PNBF on the ribs. This contrasts with the data retrieved from the study of skeletonized human remains that shows a high frequency of cases and a strong, albeit not specific, association between periosteal rib lesions and pulmonary conditions (e.g. tuberculosis). Despite that, an overall disagreement regarding the specificity and non‐specificity of periosteal reactions exists in the study of dry bone remains. The insufficient number of clinical models exploring the morphology and the pathophysiology of PNBF's and the lack of systematic studies of pathological samples with a known diagnosis are claimed as major reasons for the disagreements. This study aimed to describe and compare the macroscopic and the histomorphologic appearance of periosteal rib lesions and to discuss their usefulness as diagnostic indicators. To pursue this goal, an assemblage of 13 rib samples (males = 11, females = 2, mean age‐at‐death = 36.6 years old) was collected from the Luis Lopes Skeletal Collection (Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal). The assemblage belongs to individuals who died from pulmonary‐TB (group 1), non‐TB pulmonary infections (group 2) and other conditions (group 3). Prior to sample preparation, the ribs were visually inspected and the PNBF described according to its thickness, the degree of cortical integration and the type of new bone formed (e.g. woven, lamellar or both). After sampling, each bone sample was prepared for histological analysis under plane and polarized light microscopy. Macroscopically, the results showed no differences in the new bone composition between cause‐of‐death groups. Only slight differences in the degree of cortical integration, which was most frequently classified as mild to high in the pulmonary‐TB group, were observed. Histologically, no distinguishing features were identified by pathological group. However, new bone microarchitectures were observed compatible with (1) acute, fast‐growing processes (e.g. spiculated reactions), (2) long‐standing processes with a rapid bone formation (e.g. appositional layering of bone) and/or (3) chronic, slow‐growing processes (e.g. layers of compact lamellae). To some extent, these distinct rates of disease progression resonate with the cause‐of‐death listed for some individuals. Despite the small sample size, the results of this investigation are in agreement with previous studies, according to which the macroscopic and histological appearance of periosteal formations are not specific for a particular pathological conditions. Nevertheless, the results support the conclusion that the morphology of periosteal lesions is a good biological indicator for inferring the rate of progression and duration of pathological processes. This study provides important reference data regarding the histomorphology of periosteal lesions that can be used for comparative purposes, as well as to narrow down the differential diagnosis in unidentified skeletal remains.     

Developing a Brief Neuropsychological Battery for Early Diagnosis of Cognitive Impairment

ObjectivesEarly diagnosis of cognitive impairment is increasingly emphasized in the literature to facilitate timely preventive interventions. Although bedside cognitive tests such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are widely used for such early diagnostic purposes, they may not have comparable performance to a full neuropsychological battery (FNB) in diagnosing early cognitive impairment. This study investigated whether a small subset of neuropsychological tests can be added on to MoCA to match its performance to that of the FNB in discriminating mild cognitive impairment and dementia (MCI/dementia) from normal cognition.DesignCross-sectional diagnostic study.SettingAlzheimer's Disease Centers across the United States.ParticipantsOlder participants (≥50 years) who completed MoCA and the FNB (N = 9187).MeasuresThe study sample was split into two: the derivation sample (n = 1837) was used to develop a brief neuropsychological battery that best discriminated MCI/dementia (using the best-subset approach with 10-fold cross-validation); while the validation sample (n = 7350) verified its actual performance in discriminating MCI/dementia.ResultsA 3-item neuropsychological battery was identified, comprising MoCA, Benson Complex Figure Recall, and Craft Story 21 Delayed Recall. It had excellent performance in discriminating MCI/dementia from normal cognition (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC] 90.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 89.2%-90.7%), which was comparable to that of the FNB (AUROC 88.4%, 95% CI 87.6%-89.2%). By contrast, MoCA alone had significantly worse AUROC (86.9%, 95% CI 86.0%-87.7%) than that of the FNB.Conclusions/ImplicationsUsing rigorous methods, this study developed a brief neuropsychological battery that maintained the brevity of a bedside cognitive test, while rivaling the diagnostic performance of an FNB in early cognitive impairment. This brief battery offers a viable alternative when the FNB is needed but cannot be feasibly administered in nonspecialty clinics. It can have a wider health systems effect of improving patients’ access to accurate diagnosis in early cognitive impairment and facilitating timely interventions to delay the progression of cognitive impairment.     

2018—2019年度河北省城市结直肠癌筛查结果分析CSCD

目的分析2018—2019年河北省城市癌症早诊早治项目结直肠癌筛查结果。方法按照河北省城市癌症早诊早治中结直肠癌筛查流程,在石家庄市和唐山市选定社区中年龄40~74岁的当地居民,通过问卷调查后采用国家统一评估模型评估出高危人群,进一步通过结肠镜检查,发现早期结直肠病变,必要时通过病理进行确诊。结果 2018—2019年度,河北省城癌项目共计37849人完成结直肠癌危险因素问卷调查,评估结直肠癌高危人群6938例,总体高危率为18.33%。其中共有1230人参加了结肠镜检查,并完成病理检查465例(37.80%)。进行病理诊断者年龄主要分布在50~64岁。经结肠镜检查及病理诊断,共检出6例(0.49%)结直肠癌患者,其中结肠癌4例(0.33%)、直肠癌2例(0.16%)。结直肠癌癌前病变190例(15.45%),非进展期腺瘤/息肉250例(20.33%),炎性反应性肠道疾病168例(13.66%)。结论开展人群结肠镜筛查可以有效检出结直肠癌和癌前病变,实现结直肠癌的早期发现、早期诊断和早期干预。     

目标教学在前列腺超声诊断技术带教中的应用价值研究

目的探讨目标教学在前列腺超声诊断技术带教中的应用效果。方法选择2017年1月-2018年12月于我院进行前列腺超声诊断技术培训的影像学专业学生80例,根据入院时间先后顺序分为研究组与对照组,每组40例。对照组医学生采用常规教学法带教,研究组医学生采用目标教学法带教,比较两组带教效果。结果研究组医学生的超声诊断仪使用(94.12±2.73)分、超声扫查技巧(92.81±5.06)分、操作技能(90.83±5.11)分、超声图像表现掌握(91.96±3.67)分均高于对照组(P<0.05)。研究组医学生的总体满意度CEQ评分(8.22±0.24)分高于对照组的(5.25±0.30)分,两组比较差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论目标教学在前列腺超声诊断技术带教中的应用效果良好,可有效提高医学生的操作能力,提高医学生对带教模式的肯定度。     

新型冠状病毒肺炎的中西医防治研究进展

新型冠状病毒肺炎(简称新冠肺炎)归属中医"疫病",主要病位在肺,主要病机为"湿、毒",治疗上解毒化湿贯穿始终。新冠肺炎的主要诊断方法为核酸检测,《新型冠状病毒肺炎诊疗方案(试行第七版)》新增加了血清学检测。中医药在新冠肺炎的预防方面具有很大优势,如中医预防方、香囊、针灸、中国传统功法、食疗、足浴、熏蒸等。在新冠肺炎的治疗过程中,中西医结合疗法效果明显,在缓解患者早期临床症状,减少患者轻症向重症、重症向危重症转化的发生率方面具有重要价值。目前尚无治疗新冠肺炎的特效药,对新冠肺炎的认识尚不完整,因此,文章从新冠肺炎的诊断、预防和治疗3个角度出发,探讨了对新冠肺炎中西医方面的认识,为进一步明确新冠肺炎的诊疗提供参考。