Evaluation of Xpert MTB/RIF for the Diagnosis of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in China

We evaluate the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF for the diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis （EPTB） in China. The performance of Xpert was evaluated compared to the composite reference standard （CRS）, drug susceptibility testing （DST）, and imaging examination. The overall sensitivity and specificity of Xpert were 64.1% （195/304） and 100% （24/24）, respectively, using CRS as the gold standard. The sensitivity was significantly higher than that of culture for pus （P〈0.05）. The proportion of EPTB-positive cases diagnosed by imaging was two times more than that diagnosed using Xpert; however, 6 out of 19 cases may have been overdiagnosed by imaging.

CLINICAL EVALUATION OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES AGAINST ALDOLASE-A IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF HEPATO-CELLULAR CARCINOMA

Serum ALD-A of 57 patients with HCC and 43 of other diseases were measured by ALD-A-McAb linked with 425I-staphylococcus A protein. The results showed that the ALD-A in patient with HCC was significantly elevated as compared with controls and that in patients with cholangiocarcinoma, gastrointestinal cancer without hepatic metastasis, cirrhosis. CAH and benign GI diseases. There was no statistical difference between ALD-A in patients with HCC and that in cases of cirrhosis with liver failure and that in cases of metastatic liver carcinoma. It was noted that diagnostic sensitivity of ALD-A in AFP (+) HCC was 73.9% and that in AFP (-) HCC was 81.8% 1-6 patients with HCC were treated by hepatic arterial embolization combined with chemotherapy. ALD-A in patients after the treatment decreased significantly than that before treatment, furthermore, advantages of the method are discussed.

Evaluation of Radiographic Diagnosis on Osteoarthrosis of the Temporomandibular Joint.

Eight-four cadaver specimens of temporomandibular joint were used for the comparison of the results shown in standard lateral tomographs and Shuller’s position films with the macroscoopic observations on the bone and cartilage changes. The results and conclusions were as follows: 1. The

Determination of specific IgG4 for diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation of cerebral cysticercosis

To probe the significance of specific IgG4 in sera of patients with cerebral cys ticercosis for diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation Methods Specific IgG4 in sera of patients with cerebral cysticercosis was assessed using colloidal gold labeled mouse anti human IgG4 McAb as probe The results wer e compared with the CT image manifestation Results The specific IgG4 positive rate in sera of patients with cerebral cysticercosis was 97 8%, whereas sera from patients with other kinds of parasitosis or centra l nerve system disease and the control group were all negative, except for a wea k cross reaction of sera from patients with hepatic echinococoosis The determ ination of specific IgG4 in sera of patients with cerebral cysticercosis during different times of treatment showed that along with an increase in treatment tim e and improvement of clinical symptoms, specific IgG4 level gradually decreased The positive rate and intensity of specific IgG4 in sera from patients with c erebral cysticercosis were consistent with the number of cysticercus parasites i n the brain and pathologic changes, such as survival, disintegration, death and calcification Survival of cysticercus in the brain was ABSTRACTly evaluated u sing this technique Conclusions The determination of specific IgG4 in sera is a practical method for diagnosis a nd therapeutic evaluation of cerebral cysticercosis

Evaluation of ECL Labeled DNA Probe for the Diagnosis of Falciparum Malaria

A commercially available non—radioactive DNA labelling kit "enhanced chemiluminescence"(ECL) was evaluated for the diagnosis of falciparum malaria. The results showed that ECL labeled probe successfully detected as little as 25 pg. Purified DNA of 0.001％ parasitemia of cultured Plasmodium falciparum and did not react with human