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Background: Control of schistosomiasis (SCH) relies on the regular distribution of preventive chemotherapy (PC) over many years. For the sake of sustainable SCH control, a decision must be made at some stage to scale down or stop PC. These "stopping decisions" are based on population surveys that assess whether infection levels are sufficiently low. However, the limited sensitivity of the currently used diagnostic (Kato-Katz [KK]) to detect low-intensity infections is a concern. Therefore, the use of new, more sensitive, molecular diagnostics has been proposed.
Methods: Through statistical analysis of Schistosoma mansoni egg counts collected from Burundi and a simulation study using an established transmission model for schistosomiasis, we investigated the extent to which more sensitive diagnostics can improve decision making regarding stopping or continuing PC for the control of S. mansoni.
Results: We found that KK-based strategies perform reasonably well for determining when to stop PC at a local scale. Use of more sensitive diagnostics leads to a marginally improved health impact (person-years lived with heavy infection) and comes at a cost of continuing PC for longer (up to around 3 years), unless the decision threshold for stopping PC is adapted upward. However, if this threshold is set too high, PC may be stopped prematurely, resulting in a rebound of infection levels and disease burden (+45% person-years of heavy infection).
Conclusions: We conclude that the potential value of more sensitive diagnostics lies more in the reduction of survey-related costs than in the direct health impact of improved parasite control.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciae020 | DOI Listing |
Talanta
September 2025
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Electronic address:
Food spoilage poses a global challenge with far-reaching consequences for public health, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. Conventional analytical methods for spoilage detection though accurate are often cost-prohibitive, labor-intensive, and unsuitable for real-time or field-based monitoring. Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) have emerged as a transformative technology offering rapid, portable, and cost-effective solutions for food quality assessment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiosens Bioelectron
September 2025
College of Chemistry, Jilin Province Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Spectral Analytical Instruments, Jilin University, Qianjin Street 2699, Changchun, 130012, China. Electronic address:
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most prevalent form of thyroid cancer with a high incidence among endocrine malignancies. It tends to metastasize early in lymph nodes and differs markedly from other subtypes in biological behavior, clinical management, and prognosis. Therefore, accurately distinguishing PTC from other pathological subtypes is crucial for guiding diagnosis and treatment decisions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc
September 2025
Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China. Electronic address:
To achieve ultrasensitive and real-time detection of the H1N1 influenza virus, this study designed a nucleic acid-free fluorescent biosensor based on 3D spherical DNA nanostructure and CRISPR/Cas12a (3D-SDNC). The biosensor constructs a rigid 3D nano-framework via self-assembly of six oligonucleotide chains, with H1N1-specific nucleic acid aptamers and Cas12a activator strands strategically positioned at multi-spined vertices for precise spatial coupling between viral recognition and signal transduction. Upon aptamer-virus binding, the induced conformational change liberates the activator strand, thereby activating the trans-cleavage activity of the Cas12a/crRNA complex to efficiently cleave the HEX/BHQ1 double-labeled fluorescent probe and initiate cascade signal amplification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
September 2025
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Instrumental Analysis Center of Qingdao University, Qingdao Application Technology Innovation Center of Photoelectric Biosensing for Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment, Shandong Sino-Japanese Center for Collaborative Research of Carbon Nanomaterials, Qing
Silk fibroin (SF)-based flexible electronic/photonic materials have gained great attention in wearable devices and soft sensors. However, it remains challenging to understand the molecular interaction mechanisms and subsequently fabricate SF-based flexible materials that exhibit fluorescence, humidity sensitivity, and conductivity properties. In this study, by incorporating lanthanide europium ion (Eu), the design and fabrication of a flexible, fluorescent, and conductive SF membrane was proposed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJMIR Med Inform
September 2025
Department of Hepatobiliary and Vascular Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China.
Background: Primary liver cancer, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), poses significant clinical challenges due to late-stage diagnosis, tumor heterogeneity, and rapidly evolving therapeutic strategies. While systematic reviews and meta-analyses are essential for updating clinical guidelines, their labor-intensive nature limits timely evidence synthesis.
Objective: This study proposes an automated literature screening workflow powered by large language models (LLMs) to accelerate evidence synthesis for HCC treatment guidelines.