WHO Approves First Self-Test for Hepatitis C

In July, the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalified the first hepatitis C virus (HCV) self-test. The product, called OraQuick HCV self-test, is an extension of the OraQuick HCV Rapid Antibody test that the agency prequalified in 2017 for professional use. This self-test kit is designed as a convenient and stigma-free way to reach people who might not otherwise get tested for HCV and therefore go undiagnosed.

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Settembre 2024

Diagnosis of Brugada Syndrome With a Sodium-Channel-Blocker Test: Who Should Be Tested? Who Should Not?

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue 8, Page 642-650, August 20, 2024. Intravenous infusion of sodium-channel blockers (SCB) with either ajmaline, flecainide, procainamide, or pilsicainide to unmask the ECG of Brugada syndrome is the drug challenge most commonly used for diagnostic purposes when investigating cases possibly related to inherited arrhythmia syndromes. For a patient undergoing an SCB challenge, the impact of a positive result goes well beyond its diagnostic implications. It is, therefore, appropriate to question who should undergo a SCB test to diagnose or exclude Brugada syndrome and, perhaps more importantly, who should not. We present a critical review of the benefits and drawbacks of the SCB challenge when performed in cardiac arrest survivors, patients presenting with syncope, family members of probands with confirmed Brugada syndrome, and asymptomatic patients with suspicious ECG.

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Agosto 2024

Diagnostic performance of an albuminuria point-of-care test in screening for chronic kidney disease among young people living with HIV in Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Objectives
The main aim was to determine the diagnostic performance of an albuminuria point-of-care test (POC) for diagnosis of chronic kidney disease among young people living with HIV (YPLHIV) in Uganda.

Design
We conducted a cross-sectional study comparing the diagnostic performance of MicroalbuPHAN (Erba Lachema, Czech Republic), an albuminuria POC test against the laboratory-measured albumin and creatinine as the reference standard.

Setting
The study was set in seven HIV clinics in Kampala, Uganda that provide antiretroviral therapy to adults and children living with HIV. The study took place from April to August 2023.

Participants
497 YPLHIV aged 10–24 years who were diagnosed with HIV before 10 years of age were randomly selected from the HIV clinics. Pregnant YPLHIV were excluded.

Procedures
Participants provided a spot urine sample that was tested for albumin and creatinine using the POC and in the laboratory and proteinuria using urine dipstick. The sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values (NPV, PPV) of the POC versus the laboratory test were calculated, and factors associated with having a positive POC test were estimated using logistic regression.

Outcome measures
The primary outcome was a diagnosis of albuminuria defined as an albumin creatinine ratio above 30 mg/g.

Results
Of the 497 participants enrolled, 278 (55.9%) were female and 331 (66.8%) were aged 10–17 years. The POC test had a sensitivity of 74.5% (95% CI 70.6% to 78.4%) and specificity of 68.1% (95% CI 63.9% to 72.3%). The PPV was 21.5% (95% CI 17.8% to 25.1%) and the NPV was 95.8% (95% CI 94.0% to 97.6%), with an accuracy of 68.8%. There was strong evidence that a positive POC test was associated with having proteinuria (OR 2.82; 95% CI 1.89 to 4.22, p

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Agosto 2024

Trends in urine sampling rates of general practice patients with suspected lower urinary tract infections in England, 2015-2022: a population-based study

Objectives
Inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to describe urine sampling rates and antibiotic prescribing for patients with lower urinary tract infections (UTIs) in English general practice.

Design
A retrospective population-based study using administrative data.

Setting
IQVIA Medical Research Database (IMRD) data from general practices in England, 2015–2022.

Participants
Patients who have consulted with an uncomplicated UTI in England general practices captured in the IMRD.

Outcome measures
Trends in UTI episodes (episodes were defined as UTI diagnosis codes occurring within 14 days of each other), testing and antibiotic prescribing on the same day as initial UTI consultation were assessed from January 2015 to December 2022. Associations, using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions, were examined between consultation and demographic factors on the odds of a urine test.

Results
There were 743 350 UTI episodes; 50.8% had a urine test. Testing rates fluctuated with an upward trend and large decline in 2020. Same-day UTI antibiotic prescribing occurred in 78.2% of episodes. In multivariate modelling, factors found to decrease odds of a urine test included age ≥85 years (0.83, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.84), consultation type (remote vs face to face, 0.45, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.46), episodes in London compared with the South (0.74, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.75) and increasing practice size (0.77, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.78). Odds of urine tests increased in males (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.13), for those episodes without a same-day UTI antibiotic (1.10, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.16) for episodes for those with higher deprivation status (Indices of Multiple Deprivation 8 vs 1, 1.51, 95% CI 1.48 to 1.54). Compared with 2015, 2016–2019 saw increased odds of testing while 2020 and 2021 saw decreases, with 2022 showing increased odds.

Conclusion
Urine testing for UTI in general practice in England showed an upward trend, with same-day antibiotic prescribing remaining consistent, suggesting greater alignment to national guidelines. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted testing rates, though as of 2022, they began to recover.

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Agosto 2024