SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “diagnostics”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

PubMed1977

[Diagnostic and differential diagnostic value of cytological findings in toxoplasmic lymphadenitis].

The cytologic investigation of needle biopsy material from lymphomas of unclear genesis may give valuable diagnostic references in patients with lymphadenitis toxoplasmotica. Findings of 19 patients are explained. Suspicious for a toxoplasmogenic genesis are colouredness of the cell picture with large basophilic roundnuclear cells, conspicious macrophagocytosis in reticulum cells and small-focal proliferation of the epitheloid cell. In own material these 3 criteria only 5 times appeared together. Two simultaneously existing, suspicious for Piringer's lymphadenitis findings, were shown in 11 patients. Most frequently was found the coloured picture of the round-nuclear cells (16/19). A conspicuous RHS-phagocytosis was to be observed in 12 smears. In careful clinical and serological controls only in 4 out of 19 patients a histological investigation was necessary. In the cytological findings also other lymphomatous processes must differential-diagnostically be taken into consideration.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1981

Comparative studies on detergents - chlorhexidinum gluconicum, ditalan wo hc, sodium-laurylsulphate, laurosept, nekal bx - used for homogenization of diagnostic specimens in the microbiological diagnostic of tuberculosis.

Between 1974 and 1978 there were carried out comparative studies concerning the value of several detergents used to homogenization of diagnostic specimens in six countries (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Poland, The Soviet Union and Yugoslavia). In the first study it was confirmed that the homogenization of diagnostic materials by detergents gives good results and is more economical than conventional Petroff's method. In the majority of centers the highest detection of tubercle bacilli was found after homogenization by Sodium-Laurylsulphated-technique. Remarkable differences in the time of growth of tubercle bacilli after homogenization of the same samples by Laurylsulphate, Laurosept and Petroff's lye method were not observed. While, after homogenization by Nekal BX the time of growth was a little bit retarded. In the lowest percentage of contamination was observed after homogenization by Nekal BX. In the second study the value of Polish detergents (Chlorhexidinum gluconicum and Laurosept) was compared with Ditalan OW hc made in GDR and with other routinely in the participating laboratories used techniques. The best results were obtained after homogenization of specimens by Chlorhexidinum gluconicum. But the comparison to Laurosept and Ditalan WO hc showed no significant differences. Homogenization of sputa was better and number of contaminations lower after using laurosept or Ditalan WO hc than by means of Chlorhexidinum gluconicum.

Chlorhexidine↗

PubMed1982

[Clinical diagnostic value and diagnostic possibilities of visualization of the thoracic lymphatic duct using 113mIn-coind in cancer patients].

The diagnostic value of lymphoductoscintigraphy for involvement of mediastinal lymph nodes was assessed by intracutaneous injection of 113mIn-coind into interdigital spaces of feet of 82 patients with Hodgkin's disease and tumors of the uterus, breast, lung and testis. Disturbances in lymph flow in mediastinal lymph duct were detected in 39 cases. In 35 out of them, involvement of mediastinal lymph nodes was detected by X-ray examination. In 2 cases, metastatic lesions in lymph nodes were found during surgery, although X-ray examination failed to establish them. Application of 113mIn-coined lymphoductoscintigraphy should be recommended as a diagnostic procedure, because it provides sufficient information, does not interfere with main physiological functions, is simple and can be performed as often as required.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Pediatricians' diagnostic approach to pharyngitis and impact of CLIA 1988 on office diagnostic tests.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors associated with an optimal diagnostic approach to a child with pharyngitis, characterize office laboratory methods for throat swab culture and group A streptococcal rapid antigen testing, and assess the potential impact of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988 on the performance of these tests. DESIGN AND SETTING: Mailed survey to all board-certified primary care pediatricians from seven western states with telephone follow-up for nonrespondents. OUTCOME MEASURES: Differences in practice characteristics and use of office laboratory tests for physicians who usually (> 80%) diagnose pharyngitis using a recommended approach vs those who follow this approach less often (< 50%); characteristics of physicians who indicate that they intend to discontinue office throat culture because of CLIA and those who will continue to perform this test also are compared. RESULTS: Responses from 531 pediatricians were analyzed. Forty-four percent diagnosed pharyngitis appropriately for more than 80% of patients, and 17% did so for fewer than 50%. Optimal diagnosis was significantly more common among physicians who cultured throat swabs in their office (relative risk, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.19 to 1.66) and less common among solo practitioners (relative risk, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.56 to 0.88). Factors that may decrease the sensitivity of office throat culture include short duration of incubation (59%), lack of quality control (51%), and limited education of the persons reading results (6%). With implementation of CLIA, 24% of pediatricians reported that they already have discontinued or will discontinue office throat culture, and 23% have discontinued or will discontinue antigen detection testing for group A streptococci. Those most likely to stop office culture include solo practitioners and practitioners who do not currently perform quality control of culture methods. CONCLUSIONS: Office culture for group A streptococci is strongly associated with an optimal diagnostic approach. Implementation of CLIA regulations may substantially decrease the number of physicians who perform this test. The balance between potential improvements in the quality of office culture with CLIA implementation and the decreased availability of this test needs to be assessed.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

PubMed1996

[Diagnostic invasive procedures in the diagnosis of primary lung cancer. Diagnostic value and complications].

The invasive procedures used in the diagnosis of primary lung cancer are reviewed based on the literature. The choice of method should be related to its diagnostic accuracy, complications and cost. The chest x-ray provides the background for the further choice of diagnostic method. In central tumors, bronchoscopy meets the requirements and in peripheral lesions percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy fulfils the conditions. In some centres, mediastinoscopy is preferred in all cases preoperatively, while others only perform this examination if a CT-scan shows mediastinal lymph nodes larger than 1 cm in diameter. If the latter procedure is followed, 10-30% of the patients will have lymph node metastases. Thoracoscopy is used when a pleural effusion remains undiagnosed after pleuracentesis. A considerable amount of patients will be shown to have pleural neoplastic spread even though cytological examination of the pleural fluid did not demonstrate malignant cells. The complication rates in all methods are low.

Biopsy, Needle↗

PubMed2002

Assessing the gain in diagnostic performance when combining two diagnostic tests.

Combining dichotomous (or dichotomized) results of two diagnostic tests will result in a trade-off in sensitivity and specificity of the combined test relative to the component tests. Because of this inherent trade-off, likelihood ratios provide a clinically relevant means of comparing the combined test with one of its components. The likelihood ratios depend on both sensitivity and specificity and hence take into account the trade-off between them. A graphical approach is used to assess whether the combined test is superior to a component test, or vice versa. Asymptotic standard errors are derived for comparing likelihood ratios when a paired study design is used. The trade-off in the expected number of additional true positive and false positive results (or true negative and false negative results) is used as the basis for deciding whether to use tests in combination when neither the combined nor a component test shows superior test performance based on their likelihood ratios. These methods are illustrated with an example that considers the combined use of Pap and HPV testing.

Diagnostic Tests, Routine↗

PubMed2005

Diagnostic categories or dimensions? A question for the Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders--fifth edition.

The question of whether mental disorders are discrete clinical conditions or arbitrary distinctions along dimensions of functioning is a long-standing issue, but its importance is escalating with the growing recognition of the frustrations and limitations engendered by the categorical model. The authors provide an overview of some of the dilemmas of the categorical model, followed by a discussion of research that addresses whether mental disorders are accurately or optimally classified categorically or dimensionally. The authors' intention is to document the importance of this issue and to suggest that future editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders give more recognition to dimensional models of classification. They conclude with a dimensional mental disorder classification that they suggest provides a useful model.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disord↗

PubMed1992

Diagnostic model for local temporal thermal change at the skin of the breast during extended application of diagnostic ultrasound.

A biophysical model is derived to account for the temporal thermal change at the skin of the breast as a result of ultrasound stimulation at the suspect lesion for seven minutes, with responses recorded using an infrared camera. Twenty-two patients were studied. The observed temporal responses for malignant cases have a different pattern from those of the benign cases studied and a mathematical model is used to investigate the controlling parameters. A new method is used to estimate the coefficients of the resulting difference equation which allows more useful diagnostic parameters to be computed than the corresponding continuous bioheat equation. The model is used to fit the experimental data. The results suggest that this method might be a rapid and noninvasive aid for distinguishing between benign and malignant breast tumours.

Biophysical Phenomena↗

PubMed2001

Assessment of the usefulness of a diagnostic test: a survey of patient preference for diagnostic techniques in the evaluation of intestinal inflammation.

BACKGROUND: In order to assess the usefulness of radiolabeled white cell scanning in the diagnosis of intestinal inflammation, subjects were asked to rank several dimensions of preference for white cell scanning in relation to other diagnostic tests. Two groups were surveyed: one known to have inflammatory bowel disease and the second not familiar in most cases with the tests. Subjects were asked to rank preference for each of seven tests: radiolabeled white cell scan, colonoscopy, barium enema, sigmoidoscopy, enteroclysis, stool analysis and laparotomy for the diagnosis of IBD and impressions of discomfort, embarrassment, inconvenience and danger related to each test. Mean rank scores were calculated, test ranks compared within groups and significance determined by the Wilcoxon rank test. RESULTS: Significant differences were seen in overall preference for white cell scan over barium enema and colonoscopy (p < 0.01) in both survey groups. Perceived discomfort and embarrassment demonstrated similar rankings. CONCLUSION: This patient preference combined with the reported accuracy of white cell scanning further establishes the usefulness of this means of IBD diagnosis.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

[Diagnostic value of C-reactive protein in comparison with erythrocyte sedimentation as routine admission diagnostic test].

In a prospective study the diagnostic relevance of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a screening parameter for inflammatory diseases was compared to the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). At time of hospitalization CRP, ESR and other routine laboratory tests were performed. After taking history and clinical examination, the responsible physician had to answer a first questionnaire and a second at the time of patient discharge. At the time of admission, elevation of CRP was expected by the treating physician in 40.3% of patients, and elevation of ESR in 43.2%. An unexpected elevation of CRP or ESR was found in 38/303 cases (12.5%). In 22/38 patients only CRP was elevated, but ESR only was elevated in 13/38 cases. In summary, measurement of CRP and/or ESR was felt by the treating physician to have been helpful in 25.1% of all patients. Due to the fast rise of CRP, all patients with bacterial pneumonia showed increased CRP at the time of hospitalization (23/23), but the ESR was still in normal range in some of these patients (normal ESR in 5/23). Also in patients with COPD or asthma and clinical evidence for infection, or patients with bacterial gastroenteritis, CRP turned out to be the more sensitive parameter. In conclusion, CRP is a valuable screening test in acutely ill patients, has a higher sensitivity and (as shown by other authors) higher specificity than ESR. In addition, the short half-life of CRP makes it a useful parameter for the follow-up of patients with e.g. infections under antibiotic treatment.

Acute-Phase Reaction↗

PubMed2003

Diagnostic delays in laryngeal carcinoma: professional diagnostic delay is a strong independent predictor of survival.

BACKGROUND: Clinical stage at the time of diagnosis is the most important determinant of prognosis in cancers of the head and neck. Accordingly, delay in diagnosis could worsen survival in laryngeal cancer, although this hypothesis has not been verified in previous studies. METHODS: To determine the effects of patient and professional diagnostic delays on survival in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), a population-based sample of 66 patients with LSCC in Northern Finland between 1990 and 1995 was investigated. In addition to clinical data from tertiary care units and mortality data from the national death register, we collected data about the first medical visit in primary care that resulted, subsequently, in the diagnosis of malignancy. RESULTS: Long professional delay in diagnosis (>or=12 months) was an independent and statistically significant determinant of worsened prognosis (adjusted relative hazard of death 4.74, p =.05). There was no correlation between patient delay and prognosis. Another significant factor related to impaired prognosis was advanced stage (IV vs I-III, adjusted relative hazard of death 5.18, p =.02). Long professional delay was not significantly related to any of the demographic or clinical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: A long professional delay is a marked and independent determinant of impaired survival in laryngeal carcinoma and equals the effect of advanced stage. However, unlike in most other cancers, early symptoms and slow tumor growth give the physician a fairly long time to reach the correct diagnosis before the delay turns out to be fatal.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[Diagnostics for diseases of the gallbladder and biliary tract from the viewpoint of the internist and surgeon. Demands made on radiological diagnostics].

Jaundice and colic pain of the right upper quadrant are the main symptoms of biliary diseases. Gallstone-related diseases often lead to hospital admission. The evaluation of a patient with biliary symptoms requires a combination of history taking, physical examination, laboratory analysis, and imaging modalities. A high-quality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scan is usually sufficient to evaluate a patient with painless jaundice. Ultrasonography is helpful as an initial screening test to guide the diagnostic work-up. Invasive methods (e.g., ERCP) are mainly used for palliation of patients with incurable disease.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Viral diseases of the liver in children: diagnostic and differential diagnostic considerations.

This review summarizes the general histologic features of acute and chronic hepatitides and highlights those morphologic findings that may suggest or be diagnostic of a specific agent or etiology. The main epidemiologic, clinical, and pathologic features of the hepatotropic viruses are discussed, with an emphasis on pediatric studies and the differential diagnosis of hepatitis in childhood.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule: revised algorithms for improved diagnostic validity.

Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) Modules 1-3 item and domain total distributions were reviewed for 1,630 assessments of children aged 14 months to 16 years with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or with heterogeneous non-spectrum disorders. Children were divided by language level and age to yield more homogeneous cells. Items were chosen that best differentiated between diagnoses and were arranged into domains on the basis of multi-factor item-response analysis. Reflecting recent research, the revised algorithm now consists of two new domains, Social Affect and Restricted, Repetitive Behaviors (RRB), combined to one score to which thresholds are applied, resulting in generally improved predictive value.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Assessment of diagnostic ECG results using information and decision theory. Results from the CSE diagnostic study.

Information and decision theory were applied to assess the interpretation results of 15 computer programs (9 electrocardiogram and 6 vectorcardiogram) and 9 cardiologists; 8 of whom analyzed the electrocardiogram and 5 the vectorcardiogram, using a database of 1,220 clinically validated cases. The study demonstrates that information content and utility indices, by providing a comprehensive view of diagnostic performance, can enhance the insight given by the more classic statistical performance measures.

Cardiology↗

PubMed1980

Diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia: prognostic implications and diagnostic overlap.

The files of 120 hospitalized patients who had participated in drug studies between 1964 and 1966 were examined without knowledge of the patient's subsequent history. These patients, who had originally been diagnosed by DSM-II criteria, were retrospectively diagnosed by New York Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), the New Haven Schizophrenia Index (NHSI), the St. Louis criteria, Bland and Orn's modification of the St. Louis critera, Schneider's first rank symptoms (FRS) criteria, and the 12-point "Flexible" system developed by the Washington field center of the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia. By RDC criteria, 12 patients were diagnosed as major depressive disorders and the remaining 108 patients were diagnosed either schizophrenias, schizoaffective disorders, or unspecified functional psychoses. Of these 108, 97 were also diagnosed schizophrenic or schizoaffective by at least three other sets of critera. Ten-year followups were obtained on 82 (68%) of the 120 patients. Outcome was not significantly predicted by either presence or number of FRS, by an NHSI diagnosis of schizophrenia, or by a diagnosis of schizophrenia using the 12-point Flexible system with a 5-point cutoff. However, a significant relationship was found with the St. Louis criteria and the Bland-Orn score obtained from these criteria. An even higher correlation was found between followup and the Stephens-Astrup scale and the Strauss-Carpenter prognostic scale. RDC and DSM-II diagnoses were also significantly correlated with followup but to a lesser degree.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Popperian everyday diagnostics--the growth of diagnostic knowledge in the particular case.

In an earlier paper the Bayesian model for everyday diagnostics of disease in the particular patient and the Bayesian decision model was criticized. Here a Popperian model is applied and its presumptions and consequences are investigated. Abandoning calculable probabilities as Popper suggests in science, and substituting them with degrees of corroboration, is realistic.

Decision Theory↗

PubMed2006

[Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections: retrospective study in Basse-Normandie, 1997-2005. Epidemiology--diagnostic utility of serology and PCR for a rapid diagnostic].

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mpn) infections in Basse-Normandie by a retrospective analysis of serological and PCR data, and to confirm the diagnostic utility of PCR and serology. METHODS: From 1997 to August 2005, 6156 serum samples and 6123 respiratory tract samples were collected from hospitalised patients and evaluated for the diagnosis of Mpn infection by PCR, serological assays, or by the two tests. During the epidemic period (2004-2005), the results of 1489 patients were analysed. RESULTS: Over the 9-y period, the seroprevalence was 40,4% and we reported on 525 cases with serologically or/and PCR proven Mpn infection, according a cyclic pattern spaced out 7 years. During the epidemic period, the seroprevalence increased to 50,2% and the rate of infections was 8.3%. The analysis of the 124 cases of Mpn infection showed typical epidemiological characteristics: a peak of incidence among the children and young adults, a summer-winter pattern and some coinfections with viral strains. For diagnosis of Mpn infection, the comparison of PCR and serological assays among 36 patients showed a concordance of only 41.7%. CONCLUSION: Mpn infections were endemic and outbreaks were observed according cyclic pattern with a high incidence specially in the children. Sensitive and specific tests were now available for early and reliable diagnosis. In children, the combination of the PCR on nasopharyngeal samples and the IgM EIA serology test were recommended. In adults, the PCR was privilegiated.

France↗