Comparison of the STANDARD M10 . , Xpert . , and BD MAX Cdiff assays as confirmatory tests in a two-step algorithm for diagnosing infection.

Current guidelines recommend a two-step algorithm rather than relying solely on a single test for diagnosing infection. This algorithm starts with enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for detecting glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and toxins A/B, followed by nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for GDH-positive but toxin-negative cases. This study compared the performance of three commercial NAATs: the STANDARD M10 , Xpert , and BD MAX Cdiff assays, utilized as confirmatory testing of the two-step algorithm.

Cutoff Values for Glycated Albumin, 1,5-Anhydroglucitol, and Fructosamine as Alternative Markers for Hyperglycemia.

Background: Glycated albumin (GA), 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG), and fructosamine have attracted considerable interest as markers of hyperglycemia. This study aimed to evaluate the optimal cutoff values for GA, 1,5-AG, and fructosamine and to determine their respective diagnostic efficacies in relation to hyperglycemia.

Methods: We enrolled 6012 individuals who had undergone fasting blood glucose (FBG) and Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) tests along with at least one alternative glycemic marker.

Comparative evaluation of the STANDARD M10 and Xpert . assays for detection of toxigenic in stool specimens.

This study compared the performance of two commercial molecular assays, the STANDARD M10 assay (M10) and the Xpert assay (Xpert), for detecting toxigenic in stool specimens. A total of 487 consecutive stool specimens submitted for routine testing between June and November 2023 were included. Following routine testing using C.

Performance Evaluation of MolecuTech REBA Myco-ID Using HybREAD480 for Identification of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria.

Background: Rapid and accurate identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of NTM disease. MolecuTech REBA Myco-ID (YD Diagnostics, Yongin, Korea) is a line probe assay for identification of NTM species and can be performed using HybREAD480, an instrument for automating the post-PCR steps. In this study, we assessed the performance of MolecuTech REBA Myco-ID using HybREAD480.

Performance Evaluation of the BACTEC MGIT 960 System for Rifampin Drug-Susceptibility Testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using the Current WHO Critical Concentration.

The World Health Organization recently lowered the rifampin (RIF) critical concentration (CC) for drug-susceptibility testing (DST) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) using the mycobacterial growth indicator tube (MGIT) 960 system. Here, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of the MGIT system with the revised CC for determining MTBC RIF resistance with 303 clinical MTBC isolates, including 122 isolates with mutations, of which 32 had single borderline-resistance mutations, and 181 wild-type isolates. The phenotypic RIF resistance was determined via the absolute concentration method (AC) and via MGIT using both previous (1 mg/L) and revised (0.

Evolution of Fluconazole Resistance Mechanisms and Clonal Types of Isolates from a Tertiary Care Hospital in South Korea.

We investigated the evolution of fluconazole resistance mechanisms and clonal types of Candida parapsilosis isolates from a tertiary care hospital in South Korea. A total of 45 clinical isolates, including 42 collected between 2017 and 2021 and 3 collected between 2012 and 2013, were subjected to antifungal susceptibility testing, sequencing of fluconazole resistance genes (, , , and ), and microsatellite typing. Twenty-two isolates carried Y132F (=21; fluconazole MIC = 2 to >256 mg/L) or Y132F+R398I (=1; fluconazole MIC = 64 mg/L) in and four isolates harbored N1132D in (fluconazole MIC = 16 to 64 mg/L).

Fatal Prototheca zopfii Algaemia in a Patient with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: a Case Report.

Background: Prototheca algaemia is a rare but life-threatening disease that occurs primarily in immunocompromised patients. We report a fatal case of Prototheca zopfii bloodstream infection in a 54-year-old woman receiving chemotherapy for relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Methods: The isolate was identified using an automated biochemical identification system (VITEK 2; bioMerieux) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (VITEK MS; bioMerieux).

Evaluation of molecular methods for plasma detection of EGFR mutations in non-small cell lung cancer.

Aim: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are detected in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and associated with responses to therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). We compared the analytical performances of two real-time PCRs and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to detect EGFR mutations using plasma.

Methods: Plasma EGFR tests were performed using 86 plasma samples from 75 prospectively enrolled NSCLC patients with early and advanced stages.

Azo-PROTAC: Novel Light-Controlled Small-Molecule Tool for Protein Knockdown.

Reversibly altering endogenous protein levels are persistent issues. Herein, we designed photoswitchable azobenzene-proteolysis targeting chimeras (Azo-PROTACs) by including azobenzene moieties between ligands for the E3 ligase and the protein of interest. Azo-PROTACs are light-controlled small-molecule tools for protein knockdown in cells.

Overexpression of miR-150 Inhibits the NF-κB Signal Pathway in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration through Targeting P2X7.

Objective: To elaborate the mechanism of miR-150 in the regulation of the NF-κB signal pathway in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) by targeting P2X7.

Methods: The degenerative and normal intervertebral disc tissues were collected to detect the expressions of miR-150 and P2X7. Nucleus pulposus cells were transfected and divided into different groups.

Effects of different interventions on animal models of ischemic stroke: Protocol for an overview and a network meta-analysis.

Background: Ischemic stroke often leads to lifelong disability or death in stroke patients. It is one of the most common causes of death and disability worldwide, so it is a global health problem. The objective of this protocol is to provide the methods for using overview and network meta-analysis to identify the more effective intervention for infarct volume and neurobehavioral score in animal models of ischemic stroke.

Evaluation of the Elecsys Syphilis electrochemiluminescence immunoassay as a first-line screening test in the reverse algorithms for syphilis serodiagnosis.

Objectives: With the development of the automated treponemal test, new syphilis serodiagnosis algorithms, reverse algorithm, and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) algorithm have been recommended recently. We investigated the efficacy of an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) as an initial screening test in the reverse and ECDC algorithms.

Methods: Samples from 4,771 subjects were included in this study.

Biliary Taeniasis with Cholecystitis: An Unusual Case of Infection with a Literature Review.

Taeniasis is a cosmopolitan helminthic disease caused by species, which included , , and . These parasites typically infect the small intestine, but cases of aberrant migration have been reported. We treated a 70-year-old man who presented with vomiting and colicky abdominal pain.

Urine Cotinine level with smoking history predicts a risk of coronary artery calcification.

We investigated whether urine cotinine level, alone or combined with smoking status and cumulative smoking amount, could predict coronary calcium (CAC) score increase over time. The study population included 10,980 subjects. We analysed an association between CAC score increase over time and single or combined smoking-related factors.

Evaluation of the URiSCAN 2 ACR Strip to estimate the urine albumin/creatinine ratios.

Background: The urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) test is used to screen patients with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases that put them at an increased risk of developing kidney disease. Here, we evaluated the performance of the URiSCAN 2 ACR Strip (URiSCAN; YD diagnostics, Yongin, Korea), a semiquantitative point-of-care testing (POCT) assay, and we compared to an existing POCT assay and a quantitative assay.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1,020 random urine specimens were analyzed using the semiquantitative URiSCAN 2 ACR Strip and semiquantitative CLINITEK Microalbumin 2 Strip (CLINITEK; Siemens, New York, USA).

Novel Tetrahydropyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidines as Potent Inhibitors of Chaperone Heat Shock Protein 90.

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a potential target for oncology therapeutics. Some inhibitors have shown antitumor effects in clinical trials, spurring the discovery of small molecule Hsp90 inhibitors. Here, we describe the structural optimization studies of a hit compound, tetrahydropyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidine-based Hsp90 inhibitor 15, which exhibits inhibitory activity against Hsp90.

Analysis of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Status According to Age, Gender, and Seasonal Variation.

Background: The effects of age, gender, and seasonal variation on human levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) are not well understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate 25(OH)D status according to these factors in a Korean population.

Methods: A total of 303,943 serum 25(OH)D levels were measured using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay between October 2011 and May 2014.

Concept of scientific wildlife conservation and its dissemination.

In recent years, wildlife conservation has attracted great public attention. However, substantial distinctions can be found in the prevailing concepts of wildlife conservation, particularly with the recent notion that emphasizes animal rights. Wildlife welfare and wildlife rights are not synonymous, with welfare more compatible with the reasonable and legal utilization of wildlife.

Optimization and biological evaluation of celastrol derivatives as Hsp90-Cdc37 interaction disruptors with improved druglike properties.

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) as a molecular target for oncology therapeutics has attracted much attention in the last decade. The Hsp90 multichaperone complex has important roles in the growth and/or survival of cancer cells. Cdc37, as a cochaperone, associates kinase clients to Hsp90 and promotes the development of malignant tumors.