Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Clare R. Goyder, Andrea K. Roalfe, Nicholas R. Jones, Kathy S. Taylor, Charles D. Plumptre, Olivia James, Thomas R. Fanshawe, F. D. Richard Hobbs, Clare J. Taylor
Summary: Heart failure is a global health burden and NP testing can be used for screening, but the evidence on its performance is mixed. This study aimed to summarize the evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of NP screening for LVSD and estimate optimal screening thresholds.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Oumou Camara, Mamadou Camara, Laura Cristina Falzon, Hamidou Ilboudo, Jacques Kabore, Charlie Franck Alfred Compaore, Eric Maurice Fevre, Philippe Buscher, Bruno Bucheton, Veerle Lejon
Summary: This study assessed the diagnostic performance of various clinical presentations, rapid diagnostic tests, and reference laboratory tests on dried blood spots for the diagnosis of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) in Guinea. The results showed that the presence of swollen lymph nodes, important weight loss, severe itching, or motor disorders are simple but accurate clinical criteria for HAT referral. The diagnostic performances of HAT Sero-KSet and SD Bioline HAT are sufficient for referring positives to microscopy.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF POVERTY
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Andrew B. Dagens, Amanda Rojek, Louise Sigfrid, Annette Pluddemann
Summary: A systematic review assessed the diagnostic accuracy of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for Ebola virus disease (EVD). The results showed that lateral flow assays had a sensitivity of 86.1% and specificity of 97%, while rapid PCR devices had a sensitivity of 96.2% and specificity of 96.8%. These RDTs can be used as a 'rule in' test to expedite treatment and vaccination.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Allergy
Bernardo Sousa-Pinto, Isabel Tarrio, Kimberly G. Blumenthal, Luis Araujo, Luis Filipe Azevedo, Luis Delgado, Joao Almedia Fonseca
Summary: The diagnostic accuracy of skin tests and specific IgE quantification in identifying patients reporting a penicillin/B-lactam allergy is low, with low sensitivity and high specificity. More research is needed to assess the role of these tests in stratifying patients for delabeling.
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Basilua Andre Muzembo, Kei Kitahara, Anusuya Debnath, Keinosuke Okamoto, Shin-Ichi Miyoshi
Summary: This study systematically evaluated the accuracy of cholera rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and found that they have moderate sensitivity and specificity, especially when enriched with alkaline peptone water (APW). Although they are less useful for clinical management, the current generation of RDTs can be valuable for surveillance efforts if used in a principled manner.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Orthopedics
Armaghan Dabbagh, Joy C. MacDermid, Joshua Yong, Tara L. Packham, Luciana G. Macedo, Maryam Ghodrati
Summary: This study aimed to assess the accuracy of sensory and motor tests used for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The results suggest that there is currently no conclusive evidence on which sensory or motor test has the highest diagnostic accuracy for CTS, and clinicians should avoid relying on a single test for diagnosis.
BMC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
(2021)
Review
Acoustics
I. Garde, C. Paredes, L. Ventura, M. A. Pascual, S. Ajossa, S. Guerriero, J. Vara, M. Linares, J. L. Alcazar
Summary: This is a study evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of different ultrasound signs for diagnosing adnexal torsion using surgery as the reference standard. The presence of ovarian edema, adnexal mass, ovarian Doppler flow findings, the whirlpool sign, and pelvic fluid were analyzed as ultrasound signs. The results showed that ovarian edema, the whirlpool sign, and decreased or absent ovarian Doppler flow have good specificity but moderate sensitivity for detecting adnexal torsion, while the presence of an adnexal mass or pelvic fluid had poor diagnostic accuracy.
ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Giovanni Donato Aquaro, Elisabetta Corsi, Giancarlo Todiere, Crysanthos Grigoratos, Andrea Barison, Valerio Barra, Gianluca Di Bella, Michele Emdin, Fabrizio Ricci, Alessandro Pingitore
Summary: This study evaluates the diagnostic and prognostic role of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in patients with evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and/or electrocardiography (ECG). Results showed that CMR can change the initial echocardiographic diagnosis in almost half of LVH patients and can identify LVH in a majority of patients with abnormal ECG. CMR is valuable in characterizing the type, extent, and severity of LVH detected on echocardiography and suspected with ECG.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marta Araujo-Castro, Ana Garcia Cano, Lucia Jimenez Mendiguchia, Hector F. Escobar-Morreale, Pablo Valderrabano
Summary: The study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of different tests for autonomous cortisol secretion and related comorbidities in adrenal incidentalomas. Late-night salivary cortisol (LNSC) showed the highest accuracy in ACS identification, while the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) had the strongest association with comorbidities potentially related to ACS.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Anna S. Andrew, Tholasi Nadhan Navien, Tzi Shien S. Yeoh, Marimuthu Citartan, Ernest S. Mangantig, Magdline S. H. Sum, Ewe Seng S. Ch'ng, Thean-Hock Tang
Summary: This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of serological tests for Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection. The results showed that antigen or antibody-based serological tests can be reliably used to diagnose CHIKV infection depending on the time of sample collection. Antigen tests are suitable for acute-phase samples, while IgM and IgG tests can be used for convalescent-phase samples, distinguishing recent and past infections.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Tiara Josephine Gracienta, Ryan Herardi, Frans Santosa, Taufiq Fredrik Pasiak, Yanto Sandy Tjang
Summary: This systematic review study indicates that antibody-based rapid diagnostic tests are not suitable as primary diagnostic tests but have utility as a screening tool.
ARCHIVES OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Sam Jenkins, Samer Alabed, Andrew Swift, Gabriel Marques, Alisdair Ryding, Chris Sawh, James Wardley, Benoy Nalin Shah, Peter Swoboda, Roxy Senior, Robin Nijveldt, Vassilios S. Vassiliou, Pankaj Garg
Summary: Experienced operators can accurately diagnose cardiac diseases using handheld ultrasound devices, while inexperienced users can detect abnormalities with reasonable sensitivity and specificity. There is a significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between experienced and inexperienced users, especially in detecting LV dilatation, LVEF (moderate/severe), and WMA.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Pouya Motazedian, Jeffrey A. Marbach, Graeme Prosperi-Porta, Simon Parlow, Pietro Di Santo, Omar Abdel-Razek, Richard Jung, William B. Bradford, Miranda Tsang, Michael Hyon, Stefano Pacifici, Sharanya Mohanty, F. Daniel Ramirez, Gordon S. Huggins, Trevor Simard, Stephanie Hon, Benjamin Hibbert
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of FoCUS AI-assisted left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessment and compare its accuracy between novice and experienced users. The results showed that FoCUS AI-assisted LVEF assessments provided highly reproducible estimations in comparison to formal TTE, suggesting its applicability in various clinical settings.
NPJ DIGITAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Juan Jeferson Vilca-Alosilla, Mayron Antonio Candia-Puma, Katiusca Coronel-Monje, Luis Daniel Goyzueta-Mamani, Alexsandro Sobreira Galdino, Ricardo Andrez Machado-de-Avila, Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti, Eduardo Antonio Ferraz Coelho, Miguel Angel Chavez-Fumagalli
Summary: This paper presents a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the reliability of COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Ninety-nine scientific articles were analyzed to assess the specificity and sensitivity of these tests. Molecular tests, such as RT-PCR and CRISPR, performed better in terms of accuracy compared to serological tests. The study highlights the need to improve the performance of these diagnostic tests to effectively control COVID-19 outbreaks.
Review
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Hongbo Fu, Lei Wang, Wenyi Zhang, Jing Lu, Ming Yang
Summary: This review summarizes the current knowledge on the diagnostic accuracy of muscle ultrasound for the diagnosis of sarcopenia. The study found that muscle ultrasound shows a low-to-moderate diagnostic test accuracy for sarcopenia diagnosis depending on different ultrasound parameters, measured muscles, reference standards, and study populations.
JOURNAL OF CACHEXIA SARCOPENIA AND MUSCLE
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Maeve Malone, Pamela Ferguson, Amy Rogers, Isla S. Mackenzie, David A. Rorie, Thomas M. MacDonald
Summary: The lack of specific regulations for direct-to-patient postal supply of clinical trial medications in Europe calls for increased efficiency of patient-centred multi-country remote clinical trials. Switzerland provides legal clarity for conditional legality of such supply, highlighting the need for specific national legislation to support innovative patient-centred research for multi-country remote clinical trials.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
J. Hancox, K. Ayling, L. Bedford, K. Vedhara, J. F. R. Roberston, B. Young, R. das Nair, F. M. Sullivan, S. Schembri, F. S. Mair, R. Littleford, D. Kendrick
Summary: The Early CDT(R)-Lung antibody blood test has positive effects in reducing late-stage lung cancer presentation, but it also leads to some negative psychological outcomes, although these effects are short-lived and small.
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Sumeet Kalia, Olli Saarela, Tao Chen, Braden O'Neill, Christopher Meaney, Jessica Gronsbell, Ervin Sejdic, Michael Escobar, Babak Aliarzadeh, Rahim Moineddin, Conrad Pow, Frank Sullivan, Michelle Greiver
Summary: This study demonstrates the application of machine learning algorithms in estimating diabetes care using electronic health records. The results indicate that the use of common diabetes medications may improve the quality of diabetes care.
IEEE JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH INFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Primary Health Care
Ann S. Doherty, Fiona Boland, Frank Moriarty, Tom Fahey, Emma Wallace
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the cumulative incidence and severity of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in older adults in the community, and their association with patient characteristics. The study found that over one-quarter of older adults experienced ADRs over a 6-year period, and polypharmacy was independently associated with ADR risk.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF GENERAL PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Sumeet Kalia, Olli Saarela, Braden O'Neill, Christopher Meaney, Rahim Moineddin, Frank Sullivan, Michelle Greiver
Summary: Considerable effort has been made to generate clinical evidence for diabetes treatment through randomized controlled experiments. However, large observational databases, like electronic health records collected in routine primary care, offer an alternative source to achieve causal objectives due to cost and time constraints. This study used a Canadian primary-care data repository to replicate a randomized experiment and evaluate the effectiveness of SGLT-2i medications for diabetes patients. The findings showed a reduction in HbA1c levels with the initiation of SGLT-2i medications, consistent with earlier clinical trials.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Michelle L. Gumz, Daichi Shimbo, Marwah Abdalla, Ravi C. Balijepalli, Christian Benedict, Yabing Chen, David J. Earnest, Karen L. Gamble, Scott R. Garrison, Ming C. Gong, John B. Hogenesch, Yuling Hong, Jessica R. Ivy, Bina Joe, Aaron D. Laposky, Mingyu Liang, Eric J. MacLaughlin, Tami A. Martino, David M. Pollock, Susan Redline, Amy Rogers, R. Dan Rudic, Eva S. Schernhammer, George S. Stergiou, Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Xiaoling Wang, Jacqueline Wright, Young S. Oh
Summary: Healthy individuals experience variation in blood pressure over a 24-hour period, with higher levels during wakefulness and lower levels during sleep. Disruption of the blood pressure circadian rhythm has been associated with negative health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, and chronic kidney disease. Current approaches to diagnosis and treatment do not adequately consider the circadian rhythmicity of blood pressure. This review summarizes findings from a workshop held by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to identify knowledge gaps and research opportunities related to the study of blood pressure circadian rhythm and chronotherapy for hypertension.
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Keith R. R. Moffat, Wen Shi, Paul Cannon, Frank Sullivan
Summary: Recruiting enough participants for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is a common challenge. Improving recruitment is a priority area in trials to reduce wasted resources. This study conducted a systematic review to identify factors associated with recruitment to RCTs in general practice.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mary Abed Al Ahad, Urska Demsar, Frank Sullivan, Hill Kulu
Summary: This study investigates the impact of air pollution on health in the UK, using longitudinal data and considering the variation among ethnic groups. The findings suggest that air pollution is associated with poorer health, and the effect is stronger for ethnic minorities compared to the British-white population.
Article
Psychiatry
Braden O'Neill, Abban Yusuf, Paul Kurdyak, Tara Kiran, Frank Sullivan, Tao Chen, Sumeet Kalia, David Eisen, Elizabeth Anderson, Peter Selby, David Campbell
Summary: This study assessed diabetes care and comorbidity management among patients with and without schizophrenia. The results showed that patients with diabetes and schizophrenia achieved similar blood glucose and blood pressure levels to those without schizophrenia, but had less blood pressure monitoring and lower prescription of recommended medications.
GENERAL HOSPITAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Janet A. Wilson, James O'Hara, Tony Fouweather, Tara Homer, Deborah D. Stocken, Luke Vale, Catherine Haighton, Nikki Rousseau, Rebecca Wilson, Lorraine Mcsweeney, Scott Wilkes, Jill Morrison, Kenneth Mackenzie, Kim Ah-See, Sean Carrie, Claire Hopkins, Nicola Howe, Musheer Hussain, Hisham Mehanna, Christopher Raine, Frank Sullivan, Alexander von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, M. Dawn Teare
Summary: This study compares the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of conservative management and tonsillectomy in adults with recurrent acute tonsillitis. The results show that immediate tonsillectomy is more effective in reducing sore throat days and has better cost-effectiveness compared to conservative management.
Meeting Abstract
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kenneth Boyd, Devesh Dhasmana, Frank Sullivan, Mara van Beusekom
PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Muireann de Paor, Fiona Boland, Xinyan Cai, Susan Smith, Mark H. Ebell, Eoin Mac Donncha, Tom Fahey
Summary: This study aimed to derive and externally validate clinical prediction rules (CPRs) for infectious mononucleosis (IM) caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The study found that in patients with enlarged/tender posterior cervical lymph nodes and presence of exudate on the pharynx, the predictive models for diagnosing IM had moderate accuracy. These models, in combination with serological and immunoglobulin testing, can enhance diagnostic decision-making for IM in community settings.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
David Byrne, Ciaran Prendergast, Tom Fahey, Frank Moriarty
Summary: This study describes the characteristics of clinical study report (CSR) documents published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and quantifies the timeliness of access to trial results from CSRs compared with conventional published sources for pivotal trials. The findings indicate that most submissions to the EMA are for initial marketing authorisations and almost half of these submissions are based on a single pivotal trial. CSRs provide earlier access to clinical trial results compared to other publication sources.
Article
Demography
Joseph Harrison, Katherine Keenan, Frank Sullivan, Hill Kulu
Summary: Previous research shows that Pakistani immigrants in the UK have conservative family behavior compared to natives, including earlier marriages, fewer dissolutions, and higher fertility. This study aims to identify differences in family trajectories between Pakistanis and natives, determine if these patterns are consistent across immigrant generations, and explore variations in family trajectories by birth cohorts and education levels.
DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Nav Persaud, Michael Bedard, Andrew Boozary, Richard H. Glazier, Tara Gomes, Stephen W. Hwang, Peter Juni, Michael R. Law, Muhammad Mamdani, Braden Manns, Danielle Martin, Steven G. Morgan, Paul Oh, Andrew D. Pinto, Baiju R. Shah, Frank Sullivan, Norman Umali, Kevin E. Thorpe, Karen Tu, Fangyun Wu, Andreas Laupacis
Summary: In a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial, eliminating out-of-pocket medication expenses for patients with cost-related nonadherence in primary care was associated with lower health care spending over 3 years. These findings suggest that eliminating out-of-pocket medication costs for patients could reduce overall costs of health care.