Clinical validation of the Roche cobas HPV test on the Roche cobas 5800 system for the purpose of cervical screening.

This study assessed the relative clinical sensitivity and specificity, as well as reproducibility, for high-risk HPV types of the Roche cobas HPV test when processed using the Roche cobas 5800 system. The results from this study demonstrate that the cobas HPV test using the cobas 5800 system fulfils the Meijer criteria for use in population-based cervical screening. This clinical validation study also examines the clinical sensitivity and specificity based on partial genotyping, with separate detection of HPV16 and HPV18, compared with the Roche cobas 4800 HPV test, a second-generation standard comparator assay.

Nationwide Harmonization Effort for Semi-Quantitative Reporting of SARS-CoV-2 PCR Test Results in Belgium.

From early 2020, a high demand for SARS-CoV-2 tests was driven by several testing indications, including asymptomatic cases, resulting in the massive roll-out of PCR assays to combat the pandemic. Considering the dynamic of viral shedding during the course of infection, the demand to report cycle threshold (Ct) values rapidly emerged. As Ct values can be affected by a number of factors, we considered that harmonization of semi-quantitative PCR results across laboratories would avoid potential divergent interpretations, particularly in the absence of clinical or serological information.

Distribution of HCV genotypes in Belgium from 2008 to 2015.

Background: The knowledge of circulating HCV genotypes and subtypes in a country is crucial to guide antiviral therapy and to understand local epidemiology. Studies investigating circulating HCV genotypes and their trends have been conducted in Belgium. However they are outdated, lack nationwide representativeness or were not conducted in the general population.

Optimal turnaround time for direct identification of microorganisms by mass spectrometry in blood culture.

Introduction: During the past few years, several studies describing direct identification of bacteria from blood culture using mass spectrometry have been published. These methods cannot, however, be easily integrated into a common laboratory workflow because of the high hands-on time they require. In this paper, we propose a new method of identification with a short hands-on time and a turnaround time shorter than 15min.

Structure-activity relationships and drug allergy.

Structure-activity relationships (SARs) refer to the relation between chemical structure and pharmacologic activity for a series of compounds. Since the pioneering work of Crum-Brown and Fraser in 1868, they have been increasingly used in the pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetic industries, especially for drug and chemical design purposes. Structure-activity relationships may be based on various techniques, ranging from considerations of similarity or diversity of molecules to mathematical relationships linking chemical structures to measured activities, the latter being referred to as quantitative SAR or QSAR.