Thursday 12th May 2016- The World Health Organisation:Rapid diagnostic test and shorter, cheaper treatment signal new hope for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients

‘New WHO recommendations aim to speed up detection and improve treatment outcomes for multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) through use of a novel rapid diagnostic test and a shorter, cheaper treatment regimen.

“This is a critical step forward in tackling the MDR-TB public health crisis,” said Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme. “The new WHO recommendations offer hope to hundreds of thousands of MDR-TB patients who can now benefit from a test that quickly identifies eligibility for the shorter regimen, and then complete treatment in half the time and at nearly half the cost.”’

‘At less than US$ 1000 per patient, the new treatment regimen can be completed in 9–12 months. Not only is it less expensive than current regimens, but it is also expected to improve outcomes and potentially decrease deaths due to better adherence to treatment and reduced loss to follow-up.

The conventional treatment regimens, which take 18–24 months to complete, yield low cure rates: just 50% on average globally. This is largely because patients find it very hard to keep taking second-line drugs, which can be quite toxic, for prolonged periods of time. They therefore often interrupt treatment or are lost to follow-up in health services.’

‘WHO’s recommendations on the shorter regimens are based on initial programmatic studies involving 1200 patients with uncomplicated MDR-TB in 10 countries . WHO is urging researchers to complete ongoing randomised controlled clinical trials in order to strengthen the evidence base for use of this regimen.’

‘The most reliable way to rule out resistance to second-line drugs is a newly recommended diagnostic test for use in national TB reference laboratories. The novel diagnostic test – called MTBDRsl – is a DNA-based test that identifies genetic mutations in MDR-TB strains, making them resistant to fluoroquinolones and injectable second-line TB drugs.’

‘This test yields results in just 24-48 hours, down from the 3 months or longer currently required. The much faster turnaround time means that MDR-TB patients with additional resistance are not only diagnosed more quickly, but can quickly be placed on appropriate second-line regimens. WHO reports that fewer than 20% of the estimated 480 000 MDR-TB patients globally are currently being properly treated.’

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Rapid diagnostic test and shorter, cheaper treatment signal new hope for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients

Sunday 17th January 2016- BBC News: Brazil Zika outbreak: New test kits for mosquito-borne viruses

‘The Brazilian Health ministry says it’s developed new testing kits to rapidly identify the presence of three viruses – Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya – all carried by the same mosquito.

Health Minister Marcelo Castro said priority for testing would be given to pregnant women.

Brazil has the largest known outbreak of Zika, which has been linked to a sharp spike in birth defects.

Mr Castro also announced extra funds to speed up finding a vaccine for Zika.

He said that the goal was to develop a vaccine “in record time”.

At the moment the only way to fight Zika is to clear standing water where mosquitoes breed.

The aim is that the tests will speed up diagnosis and ensure patients get correct medical treatment fast.’

‘Since October around 3,530 babies have been born with microencephaly, which can lead to small heads and under-developed brains.

Fewer than 150 cases of microencephaly were seen in Brazil throughout 2014.

The US State Department confirmed its first case of a baby born with brain damage because of infection by the Zika virus.

The baby was born in a hospital in Oahu, Hawaii.

The Hawaii State Department of Health said the mother was believed to have contracted Zika while living in Brazil in May 2015 and that the baby was most likely infected in the womb.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert on Friday advising pregnant women to avoid travelling to Brazil and other Latin American and Caribbean countries where outbreaks of Zika have been registered.

The travel alert applies to Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes species mosquito.’

See:

Brazil Zika outbreak: New test kits for mosquito-borne viruses

Friday 15th January 2016- The Independent: Down’s syndrome test which is ‘safer and highly accurate’ approved for pregnant women on NHS

‘A simple new blood test which identifies Down’s syndrome has been recommended for high-risk women on the NHS, reducing the need for examinations which complications.

The highly accurate, non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) reduces the need for expectant mothers to undergo invasive amniocentesis, which carries a 1 per cent risk of miscarriage and a one in 1,000 risk of serious infection.

The method, which can be processed in five days, also detects Patau’s and Edwards’ syndromes, which all occur when cells carrying an extra chromosome.

While most people with Down’s syndrome have learning difficulties, many babies with Edward’s and Patau’s die before or shortly after they are born.

Currently, women who are at 10 to 14 weeks are offered a blood test and ultrasound to check the foetus for abnormalities.

Government advisers at the UK National Screening Committee have now recommended that women with at least a one in 150 chance of their baby having Down’s, Patau’s or Edwards’ syndromes take the new test.

The examination uses the mother’s blood, which contains the foetus’ DNA, to screen for diseases. Studies show it has a 99 per cent accuracy for identifying Down’s.

Ministers must now approve the recommendations before they can be rolled out.

A study involving 2,500 high and medium risk women at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) last year showed that the test was safe and 99 per cent accurate.

However, Dr Anne Mackie, director of screening at Public Health England, said that while evidence suggest that NIPT is more accurate than current tests, questions remain about its use in real-life.

“We don’t know how good the test is for other genetic conditions – Edwards’ and Patau’s syndromes – that are currently part of the programme, and the evidence review also found that up to 13 per cent of the NIPTs carried out didn’t give any result at all.”

The tests will be introduced out across England to enable experts to alter the screening programme if necessary.  ‘

Related Articles:

Down’s syndrome test which is ‘safer and highly accurate’ approved for pregnant women on NHS

Non-invasive test for Down’s syndrome recommended for high-risk women- The Guardian

Hundreds of babies could be saved after Down’s Syndrome blood test is approved for NHS- The Telegraph

Safer Down’s test backed for NHS use- BBC News

Wednesday 30th December 2015- BBC News: London air ambulance trials hand-held brain scanner

‘London’s air ambulance is trialling a hand-held scanner which can detect potentially life-threatening brain injuries.

The device, called an “infrascanner”, can spot clots on the surface of the brain, which – if left untreated – can lead to disability or death.’

See:

London air ambulance trials hand-held brain scanner

Wednesday 18th November 2015- The Telegraph: Blood test detects ovarian cancer in nine out of 10 patients

‘A screening test with a 90 per cent accuracy rate for detecting potentially fatal ovarian cancer early is a major step closer.

Studying blood serum compounds led scientists to a set of biomarkers that may enable development of a highly accurate screening test for early-stage ovarian cancer. Early diagnosis is vital for treatment of ovarian cancer.

Researchers, using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry techniques coupled with machine learning computer algorithms, have identified 16 metabolite compounds that provided unprecedented accuracy in distinguishing 46 women with early-stage ovarian cancer from a control group of 49 women who did not have the disease.

Blood samples for the study were collected from Canada and the United States, but the researchers – whose findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports – say more extensive testing across a larger population will be needed to determine if the high diagnostic accuracy will be maintained across a larger group of women.’

See:

Blood test detects ovarian cancer in nine out of 10 patients

Wednesday 18th November 2015- BBC News: HIV home-test kit launched in England

‘A free HIV home-testing kit has been launched across England as the latest figures show 18,100 people in the UK are unaware they have the infection.

The test, which can be ordered online, uses a small droplet of blood that is sent to a laboratory.

Public Health England (PHE) is urging more people to check their HIV status.

It says four in 10 people in the UK are diagnosed late – meaning treatment may be less effective and the disease can be spread unwittingly.’

‘Official figures for 2014 show 103,700 people have HIV in the UK.

And though rates are falling overall, PHE warns it is still a growing problem in certain communities.

Experts say improved treatment means that if people are diagnosed early on, they can have a life-expectancy that almost matches those who are HIV free.

Prof Kevin Fenton, at PHE, added: “With national HIV-testing week approaching, I would encourage all those at higher risk of HIV, such as men who have sex with men or people from black African communities, to seriously consider testing, especially as they are now able to order a home sampling kit free online.”

The kit involves a finger-prick blood test that is sent off to be analysed. Three to five days later, people are contacted with results.

If the test suggests HIV is likely, patients are asked to attend a sexual health clinic for a confirmatory check.

The free test will be available to anyone in England until 1 January 2016.’

See:

HIV home-test kit launched in England

Thursday 8th October 2015- BBC News: Heart attack test ‘cuts hospital stays’

‘A blood test can more than halve the number of people admitted to hospital with a suspected heart attack, say doctors.

They say the rapid test, which looks for a chemical in the blood, would reduce stress for patients, save money and ease pressure on hospital wards.

Trials on 6,304 people, published in the Lancet medical journal, suggested it was 99.6% accurate.

The British Heart Foundation said the test would produce faster answers without affecting patient safety.’

See:

Heart attack test ‘cuts hospital stays’

Heart attack test ‘halves A&E visits’- BBC News Video Article

Thursday 16th April 2015- University of Copenhagen: New blood test can predict future breast cancer

‘By analysing a simple blood sample, scientists from the University of Copenhagen have succeeded in predicting if a woman will get breast cancer within two to five years. The method – a metabolic blood profile – is still in the early stages but over time the scientists expect it could be used to predict breast cancer and more generally to predict chronic disease.’

‘According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women both in the developed and less developed world, and in the long term the scientists hope that the new method will lead to better prevention and early treatment of the disease.

“The method is better than mammography, which can only be used when the disease has already occurred. It is not perfect, but it is truly amazing that we can predict breast cancer years into the future,” said Rasmus Bro, a professor of chemometrics in the Department of Food Science at University of Copenhagen. He stressed the method has been tested and validated only for a single population (cohort) and needs to be validated more widely before it can be used practically.’

See:

New blood test can predict future breast cancer

Thursday 30th October 2014- The Daily Mail: Saliva test for cancer hailed as holy grail for early detection of deadly disease: Analysis could also be used to spot diabetes and dementia

‘A simple saliva test was yesterday hailed as the holy grail in the early detection of deadly diseases such as cancer.

It could also apply to dementia, Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes and auto-immune diseases, the researchers said.

The study, the most comprehensive analysis ever conducted of a particular type of molecules in human saliva, reveals that saliva contains many of the same disease-revealing molecules that are in blood’.

Related Article:

Saliva test for cancer hailed as holy grail for early detection of deadly disease: Analysis could also be used to spot diabetes and dementia