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A recurrent pandemic with unpredictable viral nature has implied the need for a rapid diagnostic technology to facilitate timely and appropriate countermeasures against viral infections. In this study, conductive polymer-based nanoparticles have been developed as a tool for rapid diagnosis of influenza A (H1N1) virus. The distinctive property of a conductive polymer that transduces stimulus to respond, enabled immediate optical signal processing for the specific recognition of H1N1 virus. Conductive poly(aniline-co-pyrrole)-encapsulated polymeric vesicles, functionalized with peptides, were fabricated for the specific recognition of H1N1 virus. The low solubility of conductive polymers was successfully improved by employing vesicles consisting of amphiphilic copolymers, facilitating the viral titer-dependent production of the optical response. The optical response of the detection system to the binding event with H1N1, a mechanical stimulation, was extensively analyzed and provided concordant information on viral titers of H1N1 virus in 15 min. The specificity toward the H1N1 virus was experimentally demonstrated via a negative optical response against the control group, H3N2. Therefore, the designed system that transduces the optical response to the target-specific binding can be a rapid tool for the diagnosis of H1N1. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material (Table S1 and Figs. S1–S8) is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s12274-021-3772-6.

Timely diagnosis is of great benefit to improve the survival rate of cancer patients. Body fluid cancer biomarker detection is a critical kind of noninvasive method for cancer diagnosis. Nevertheless, traditional methods for cancer biomarker detection always rely on a large-scale instrument and involve sophisticated operation. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas)-based in vitro diagnosis can simplify the detection procedures and improve sensitivity and specificity, holding great promise as the next-generation molecular diagnostic technology. In this Feature, we introduce the working mechanisms of different kinds of CRISPR/Cas systems for biosensing and CRISPR/Cas-mediated detection strategies for different kinds of cancer biomarkers including nucleic acids, proteins, and extracellular vesicles. In addition, the perspective and challenges of CRISPR/Cas-based strategies for cancer biomarkers are discussed.

Background: According to the current scenario with millions of deaths worldwide, the outbreak of COVID-19 has created global havoc. The vast spreading of COVID-19 has already challenged the healthcare system and economy of the world. Every country is now putting the best efforts to develop its standards, strategies, and policies to fight against this pandemic. Therefore, a huge amount of research grants is allocated for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 globally. Objective: Scientists/researchers around the world are working in different fields, i.e., biological, physical, and chemical sciences, and have collaborated for an effective outcome to combat this pandemic. In light of the above-mentioned challenges, the researchers of the nanotechnology community can also contribute significantly in this direction. Results: As team members of the nanotechnology community, we suggest various research targets that can be designed/improved, optimized, and developed by nanotechnologists. These research targets include Point-of-care diagnostics (POCD), Surveillance and monitoring, Therapeutics, Vaccine development, Improving existing drugs with potential therapeutic applications, Developing antiviral nanocoating/antimicrobial spray-based coating for PPE, Magnetic nanoparticles and viral RNA (Ribonucleic acid), and Rapid detection kits. Conclusion: It can be concluded that multiple areas, such as the development of nano-biosensor based diagnostic technology (capable to produce fast and accurate results), development of nanoencapsulated drugs/vaccines or other efficient systems, testing/improving existing drugs with potential therapeutic applications, developing antiviral nanocoating/antimicrobial spray-based coating for PPE, etc., need immediate attention.

Point-of-care tests for rapid diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections are useful and highly desirable. Supplemental digital content is available in the text., Background Point-of-care (POC) tests enable immediate diagnosis and targeted treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which could accelerate control of ongoing epidemics. Although older nucleic acid amplification tests have improved the accuracy of laboratory-based tests for STIs, newer POC tests can facilitate control efforts. We sought to review the performance and time to result of POC assays for STIs in the last 10 years. Methods The authors performed a PubMed, US National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information search for POC tests for STIs or sexually transmitted diseases. Results Diagnostic technology for POC assays for STIs has achieved high sensitivity and specificity (>90%) using recent molecular advances in the last 10 years. Three POC tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea and 2 for trichomonas have been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration and can provide rapid results during the clinical encounter. Two POC assays for syphilis are now cleared by the Food and Drug Administration. Other similar POC assays are in development. These “fast followers” have faster time to result and will extend the diagnostic armamentarium at POC. Conclusions New technology has improved the performance accuracy of STI POC diagnostics. Innovation in device format has resulted in accurate POC assays, which can decrease the time to result and accelerate the detection and treatment of STIs during the clinical encounter. The full implementation potential of these newer tests will depend on the ability of these tests to achieve Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments–waived status so they can be performed by nonlaboratorians with no previous training.

Backgrounds The laboratory plays a critical role in tuberculosis (TB) control by providing testing for diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and surveillance at each level of the health care system. Weak accessibility to TB diagnosric services still represents a big concern in many limited resources’ countries. Here we report the experience of Burkina Faso in implementing a comprehensive intervention packages to strengthen TB laboratory capacity and diagnostic accessibility. Methods The intervention lasted from October 2016 to December 2018 and focused on two main areas: i) development of strategic documents and policies; ii) implementation of TB diagnostic technology. National TB laboratory data were collected between 2016 and 2018 and evaluated according to five programmatic TB laboratory indicators: i) Percentage of notified new and relapse TB cases with bacteriological confirmation; ii) Percentage of notified new and relapse TB cases tested by Xpert MTB/RIF; iii) Percentage of notified, bacteriologically confirmed TB cases with a drug susceptibility testing (DST) result for rifampin; iv) Percentage of notified MDR-TB cases on the estimated number of MDR-TB cases; v) The ration between the number of smear microscopy and Xpert MTB/RIF tests. We compared these indicators between a 1 year (2016–2017) and 2 years (2016–2018) timeframe. Results From 2016 to 2018, the percentage of bacteriologically confirmed cases increased from 67 to 71%. The percentage of new and relapse TB cases notified tested by Xpert MTB/RIF increased from 18% in 2016 to 46% in 2018 and the percentage of bacteriologically confirmed cases with an available DST result for rifampicin increased from 27% in 2016 to 66% in 2018.. The percentage of notified MDR-TB cases on the estimated number of MDR-TB cases in 2018 increased from 43% in 2016 to 78% in 2018. In 2018, the ratio between the number of smear microscopy and Xpert MTB/RIF tests decreased from 53% in 2016 to 21% in 2018. Conclusion We demonstrated that the implementation of a comprehensive package of laboratory strengthening interventions led to a significant improvement of all indicators. External technical assistance played a key role in speeding up the TB laboratory system improvement process.

Xylella fastidiosa is the most damaging pathogen in many parts of the world. To increase diagnostic capability of X. fastidiosa in the field, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay were developed to mqsA gene of citrate-synthase (XF 1535) X. fastidiosa and evaluated for specificity and sensitivity. Both assays were more robust than current published tests for detection of X. fastidiosa when screened against 16 isolates representing the four major subgroups of the bacterium from a range of host species. No cross reaction with DNA from healthy hosts or other species of bacteria has been observed. The LAMP and PCR assays could detect 10-4 pmol and 100 copies of the gene, respectively. Hydroxynaphthol blue was evaluated as an endpoint detection method for LAMP. There was a significant color shift that signaled the existence of the bacterium when at least 100 copies of the target template were present.

With the continuous progress in the era of big data, artificial intelligence technology has begun to get more and more applications in medicine, and it is becoming more and more possible to use artificial intelligence in the diagnostic technology of digestive endoscopy images. This article mainly studies the progress of artificial intelligence technology in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal endoscopy. The main purpose is to add new vitality to the medical conditions that are not yet perfect. This article mainly uses digestive endoscopy to carry out a comprehensive examination of all aspects of the digestive tract under the conditions of accuracy, clarity, and other advantages. Randomly select 14 of the 50 registered patient images for corresponding gastrointestinal endoscopy. The premise is that the subjects must be tested under the same conditions. The ordinary manual detection technology adds 4 groups as the control group, and the start time of the test is the same; when conducting the experiment, the position of each group to be tested must be the same and the detection area is large enough. Finally, image simulation is carried out on the experiment. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of artificial intelligence used in the actual experiment is 95.1%, of which the most prominent data value is 97.6%. The accuracy of the digestive endoscopy is 96.6%. The sharpness of the image detected by artificial intelligence is also superior.

Background Central nervous system infections cause substantial morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients. However, in approximately half of the clinical cases, the etiology is unidentified. As an unbiased molecular diagnostic technology, next-generation sequencing is gradually being applied to investigate central nervous system infections. This review summarizes and critiques the literature on this new technology for etiologic identification of unexplained central nervous system infections in pediatric patients and discusses the future prospects for development of this technology in pediatrics. Methods A comprehensive PubMed search was conducted of articles published from January 1, 2008, to June 26, 2020 in order to retrieve all available studies on this topic. Other relevant articles were identified from recent reviews and the bibliographies of the retrieved full-text articles. Results Among the 441 studies retrieved, 26 pediatric studies, comprising 15 case reports and 11 case series, used next-generation sequencing as a diagnostic tool. In these 26 studies, next-generation sequencing was performed on cerebrospinal fluid samples from 529 pediatric patients, and potential causal pathogens were identified in 22.1% of the cases. Conclusion There is increasing evidence that next-generation sequencing can play a role in identifying the causes of unexplained encephalitis, meningoencephalitis, and meningitis in pediatric patients, although the diagnostic value of next-generation sequencing is difficult to quantify. There is an increasing need for close collaboration between laboratory scientists and clinicians. We believe that further clinical studies should be performed to evaluate the performance of next-generation sequencing for individual targets and in high-risk populations.

Patient-specific biomarkers form the foundation of precision medicine strategies. To realize the promise of precision medicine in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), access to cost-effective, convenient, and safe assays is critical. Improvements in diagnostic technology have enabled ultrasensitive and specific assays to identify cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from a routine blood draw. Clinicians are already employing these minimally invasive assays to identify drivers of therapeutic resistance and measure genomic heterogeneity, particularly when tumor tissue is difficult to access or serial sampling is necessary. As cfDNA diagnostic technology continues to improve, more innovative applications are anticipated. In this review, we focus on four clinical applications for cfDNA analysis in the management of CRC: detecting minimal residual disease, monitoring treatment response in the metastatic setting, identifying drivers of treatment sensitivity and resistance, and guiding therapeutic strategies to overcome resistance.

With the ever-stringent vehicles exhaust emission standard and higher requirements on on-board diagnostic technology, the importance of misfire detection in vehicle emission control is emerging. The performance of a traditional misfire detection algorithm predominantly depends on the features and classifier selected. Fixed and handcrafted features require either a reliable dynamic model of an engine or a large number of experiment data to define the threshold, and then, form a map. Since convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have an inherent adaptive design and integrate the feature extraction with classification functions into a compact learning framework, the misfire fault-sensitive features can be auto-discovered from raw speed signals. Furthermore, CNNs can detect the fault features of the misfire through network training with fewer engine operating conditions. In this paper, the theory and method of the misfire diagnosis based on CNNs are presented. The experimental data for network training and testing are sampled on a six-cylinder inline diesel engine. The misfire patterns containing every one-cylinder and two-cylinder misfire are tested under the wide speed and load conditions of the engine. The results show that when the engine operates under steady-state conditions, one-cylinder or two-cylinder complete misfires can be detected accurately by CNNs. In addition, one-cylinder partial misfire is employed to examine the adaptability of trained 1-D CNN. It turns out that when the partial misfire reaches the same level as half amount of the normal fuel injection quantity, one-cylinder partial misfire can be detected with accuracy more than 96%. At last, the misfire detection under the non-stationary conditions, such as acceleration or deceleration, is conducted. The results show the 1-D CNN performed well in a limited acceleration range, and network failure occurs when the absolute acceleration of the engine speed is more than 100 r/min/s.

We surveyed pediatric infectious disease physicians through the Infectious Disease Society of America’s Emerging Infections Network regarding the diagnosis and management of encephalitis. We identified practice variations, particularly with the use of new diagnostic modalities and management of autoimmune encephalitides. These findings may inform the creation of updated management guidelines.

Background During a fast-moving epidemic, timely monitoring of case counts and other key indicators of disease spread is critical to an effective public policy response. Methods We describe a nonparametric statistical method, originally applied to the reporting of AIDS cases in the 1980s, to estimate the distribution of reporting delays of confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York City during the late summer and early fall of 2020. Results During August 15–September 26, the estimated mean delay in reporting was 3.3 days, with 87% of cases reported by 5 days from diagnosis. Relying upon the estimated reporting-delay distribution, we projected COVID-19 incidence during the most recent 3 weeks as if each case had instead been reported on the same day that the underlying diagnostic test had been performed. Applying our delay-corrected estimates to case counts reported as of September 26, we projected a surge in new diagnoses that had already occurred but had yet to be reported. Our projections were consistent with counts of confirmed cases subsequently reported by November 7. Conclusion The projected estimate of recently diagnosed cases could have had an impact on timely policy decisions to tighten social distancing measures. While the recent advent of widespread rapid antigen testing has changed the diagnostic testing landscape considerably, delays in public reporting of SARS-CoV-2 case counts remain an important barrier to effective public health policy.

In the UK around 80% of all antibiotics are prescribed by GP surgeries and in other community settings. Diagnostic technology has the potential to enable transformative change to antimicrobial stewardship in these settings. Current diagnostics are limited in terms of the information they can provide prescribers and the speed they can provide it. We need to develop diagnostics that are cheap enough for mass application, rapid enough to change prescribing decisions and able to detect bacteria which are causing disease rather than simply resident in the host. To be successful in creating change these diagnostics need to be appropriately funded and embedded in practice in ways which encourage change in prescribing behaviours. Collaboration between academia and industry is key in developing tests which are fit for purpose, well evidenced and appropriately funded in these settings.

Most of the current plans for Alzheimer’s interventions to improve nursing interventions for patients are designed by clinical nurses themselves, which lack a theoretical basis and are not professional enough. Moreover, cognitive training only addresses a single aspect of rehabilitation for patients with cognitive dysfunction, so it lacks integrity. This study combines MRI and image recognition segmentation technology, adopts multi-party combined interventions for nursing rehabilitation, and uses image recognition technology to conduct experimental research. In addition, this study uses a team of doctors, nurses, and rehabilitators to form a team therapy model, which actively echoes the concept of multidisciplinary cooperation and has a solid medical and theoretical basis. The results show that occupational therapy has a significant effect on slowing the deterioration of patients’ cognitive function, improving their daily living ability, and ultimately improving the quality of life of patients.

Deformity and tissue loss involving the craniomaxillofacial region occurs frequently as a result of trauma, oncologic resection, or a congenital malformation. In order to maximize the patient's quality of life, reconstruction of the craniomaxillofacial skeleton must seek to restore aesthetics as well as function. Advances in diagnostic technology, surgical technique, instrumentation, and innovative biomaterials used have transformed the way reconstructive surgeons approach their patients' needs. From the advent of alloplastic reconstruction, surgeons have sought the ideal material for use in craniomaxillofacial surgery. Substances such as metals, ceramics, glasses, and more recently resorbable polymers and bioactive materials have all been utilized.While autologous bone has remained widely-favored and the gold standard, synthetic alternatives remain a necessity when autologous reconstruction is not readily available. Today, alloplastic material, autografting via microvascular tissue transfer, hormone and growth factor-induced bone formation, and computer-aided design and manufacturing of biocompatible implants represent only a fraction of a wide range of options used in the reconstruction of the craniomaxillofacial skeleton. We present a brief review of the materials used in the repair of deformities of the craniomaxillofacial skeleton as well as a look into the potential future direction of the field.

Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine malignancy and affects millions of people worldwide [1]. It is estimated that in the United States alone, over 52,890 adults will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer this year [2]. With recent advances in medicine over the last couple of years, access to more efficient imaging and diagnostic technology has led to a staggering increase in the number of people being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. In this paper, we will review the recent advances in thyroid cancer diagnosis and treatment through the use of novel diagnostic approaches and explore recently approved clinical drugs and trials for treatment.

Purpose of review The traditional approach to sepsis treatment utilizes broad-spectrum antibiotics. Unfortunately, a significant proportion of infected patients have 'culture-negative' sepsis despite appropriate microbiologic assessment. Recent findings There has been increased interest in the past decade on the treatment of culture-negative sepsis. Outcome data comparing culture-negative sepsis with culture-positive sepsis are mixed and it is unclear if culture-negative sepsis is a distinct entity. Recent recommendations promoting antibiotic de-escalation in culture-negative sepsis can be difficult to implement. A variety of strategies have been suggested for limiting antibiotic courses among patients with negative cultures, including limiting antibiotic durations, use of antibiotic stewardship programs, early consideration of narrow antibiotics, rapid diagnostic technology, and eliminating anti-MRSA therapy based on surveillance swabs. Summary Owing to the difficulty inherent in studying the lack of positive data, and to the uncertainty surrounding diagnosis in patients with culture-negative sepsis, prospective data to guide antibiotic choices are lacking. However, antibiotic de-escalation in culture-negative sepsis is both recommended and feasible in patients showing clinical signs of improvement. Increased use of rapid diagnostics, careful consideration of antibiotic necessity, and antibiotic stewardship programs may result in less antibiotic days and better outcomes.

Cross-sectional study in 4786 live births prospective study of surviving infants born scope and clinical manifestations of congenital malformations. It was noted that a total of 4786 live births, the number of infants with a congenital malformation of 100 stillbirths, infant mortality and child morbidity are significantly detected by the abnormal impact. The number of infant birth defects, due to the advanced diagnostic technology, especially the increase USG prenatal and neonatal period. In the current study, 2753 (57.5%) and 2033 (42.5%), male and female fertility. Congenital male fertility in the baby was observed to be relatively high (68) as compared to comparative female (32) cases, as per the chi-square test (p

Dangerous viral infectious diseases pose a serious threat to human life and health, as their uncontrolled spread leads to the development of major outbreaks and epidemics. Rapid and accurate detection of the pathogen is an essential component of the fight against infectious diseases. This review is devoted to loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), which is one of the simplest and most reliable methods of molecular-genetic research that meets modern requirements. The simplicity of the analysis and registration of the obtained results, which is necessary under conditions with minimal laboratory capacities, makes it possible to consider this type of diagnostic technology as the most promising, which allows us to identify genetic markers (DNA or RNA) of pathogens of dangerous infectious diseases in the shortest possible time. Objective of the review is to summarize and systematize the data available to date on the use of LAMP for detecting RNA of dangerous infectious diseases caused by the Ebola,Marburg and Lassa viruses. The paper discusses the basic principles of the loop isothermal amplification reaction, the components that make up the reaction mixture and are used for the analysis, as well as methods for detecting the results obtained. When studying the information available in the literature sources about the advantages and disadvantages of LAMP, it is shown that in many cases, isothermal amplification is not inferior in sensitivity and specificity to the main molecular-genetic diagnostic methods currently used. Modifications that can be used for accelerated diagnostics of RNA-containing viruses are also considered.

Due to the strong infectivity of COVID-19, it spread all over the world in about three months and thus has been studied from different aspects including its source of infection, pathological characteristics, diagnostic technology and treatment. Yet, the influences of control strategies on the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 are far from being well understood. In order to reveal the mechanisms of disease spread, we present dynamical models to show the propagation of COVID-19 in Wuhan. Based on mathematical analysis and data analysis, we systematically explore the effects of lockdown and medical resources on the COVID-19 transmission in Wuhan. It is found that the later lockdown is adopted by Wuhan, the fewer people will be infected in Wuhan, and nevertheless it will have an impact on other cities in China and even the world. Moreover, the richer the medical resources, the higher the peak of new infection, but the smaller the final scale. These findings well indicate that the control measures taken by the Chinese government are correct and timely.

The autonomous under water vehicle (AUV) system uses sensors which have a very important role in this field, even work in very complex environment. In order to improve the reliability of the AUV systems it important to know about the sensor failure diagnostic technology. In this paper two methods has been proposed they are combining phase space reconstruction and extreme learning machine(ELM).They are mostly being used to predict the sensor output in order to achieve the sensor fault diagnosis for AUVS. This stimulation experiments based on sea trial data shows the proposed method can be diagnosed by the sensor faults and recover the signals after the faults occur in a period of time

Point-of-care (POC) devices have shown a promising response in healthcare and diagnosis due to their accurate response, low cost, portability, and nonrequirement of specialized equipment. These devices have changed the traditional diagnostic platform to new and advanced diagnostic technology. The main objective is to develop a small chip-based, miniaturized device that can be used for the immediate detection of different pathogens. So to carry out detection of analytes having low volumes and with higher sensitivity, POC devices can be made with microfluidic technologies. Microfluidics integrated with biosensor technology allows the detection of small volumes of liquid in a channeled and automated way to improve POC-based diagnostics. Recently, considerable progress has been noticed in the development of miniaturized devices including miniaturized wearable diagnosis devices. So the present chapter summarizes the development, applications of different microfluidic-based miniaturized devices, and their limitations.

The paper describes diagnostic technology for inflammatory changes in the spine and sacroiliac joints using magnetic resonance imaging if axial spondyloarthritis is present or during a followup.

The article discusses the results of the impact of WorldSkills International Movement on the development of national higher education. The authors analyze the main stages of its development, the results of the implementation of WorldSkills standards in the Russian higher education system, dwell on the procedure for the formation of the system of competences that increase the competitiveness of modern specialists. The article includes algorithms for conducting demonstration WorldSkills standards exam, and makes the case for integrated studies to identify trends in the formation and development of professionalism in various activities, develop models of successful specialist, as well as use diagnostic technology to assess his/her personal and professional qualities. In addition, the authors show the relevance of educational innovation through the adaptation of WorldSkills system in conjunction with the modification of training system, and multiplying a promising experience and transfer it to different occupations.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness globally. Performing retinal examinations on all diabetic patients is an unmet need, and detection at an early stage can provide better control of the disease. The objective of this study is to provide an optical coherence tomography (OCT) image based diagnostic technology for automated early DR diagnosis, including at both grades 0 and 1. This work can help ophthalmologists with evaluation and treatment, reducing the rate of vision loss, and enabling timely and accurate diagnosis. In this work, we developed and evaluated a novel deep network – OCTD_Net, for early-stage DR detection. While one of the networks extracted features from the original OCT image, the other extracted retinal layer information. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity was 0.92, 0.90 and 0.95, respectively. Our analysis of retinal layers and the features learned by the proposed network suggests that grade 1 DR patients present with significant changes in the thickness and reflection of certain retinal layers. However, grade 0 DR patients do not have such significant changes. The heatmaps of the trained network also suggest that patients with early DR showed different textures around the myoid and ellipsoid zones, inner nuclear layers, and photoreceptor outer segments, which should all receive dedicated attention for early DR diagnosis.