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Diagnostic Methods
Free air flow
Issue Date: Oct 15, 2008
Interpreting maladies online
Plague is spreading to new areas
@vibhavarshney Issue Date: Mar 15, 2008
plague cases are on the rise and are afflicting countries more frequently than before. A who report says there were around 1,900 cases worldwide in 2002, which increased to 2,100 cases in 2003. In India, 16 cases of pneumonic plague were identified in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, in 2002--after a gap of 20 years.
A prick-free test for diabetes
Issue Date: Mar 15, 2008
diabetics can now now keep the needles at bay. They have an option--non-invasive semiconductor sensors--to test blood sugar levels. The sensor will tap acetone levels in the body, say researchers in Kolkata.
Acetone, derived form the breakdown of fat, is a volatile organic compound found in the breath of a person. Its concentration in a healthy individual ranges from 0.5-0.9 ppm (parts per million). The concentration increases in diabetics.
New diagnostic kit distinguishes between dengue & chikungunya virus.
Issue Date: Dec 31, 2007
a new diagnostic kit can distinguish dengue from chikungunya virus faster. Developed by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, the kit helps in distinguishing between the two viruses within two to three days of symptoms showing up. Symptoms of the two diseases are more or less similar and regular tests take at least a week to detect. The test was conducted only in chikungunya-affected districts in Kerala. The scientists tested 120 samples, of which 65 per cent tested positive for chikungunya.
Diagnosis of Down's Syndrome can be more precise now
Issue Date: Sep 30, 2007
scientists have developed a non-invasive method for diagnosing Down's Syndrome--a genetic disorder that is caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome in the foetus.
The method, named relative chromosome dosage (rcd), examines nucleic acids (that contains genetic materials) of the foetus present in mother's blood. It scores over traditional non-invasive diagnostic methods such as ultrasound in terms of accuracy.
Sex-ratio gap on a constant high
Issue Date: Sep 15, 2007
census data attributes the falling sex ratio in India to the use of ultrasound tests. But three factors--foeticide,
infanticide and death in childhood due to neglect--contribute to the decline of the sex ratio reported by the census.
Researchers suggest data gathered from hospitals would help better understand the effects of prenatal diagnostic methods. "These factors will not
WHO's Stop TB partnership programme
Issue Date: Jul 31, 2007
the World Health Organization (who) along with its Stop tb
partnership programme, announced on June 22 guidelines to curb two forms of tuberculosis multidrug resistant tuberculosis (mdr-tb) and the more harmful extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (xdr-tb).
India advances in cancer diagnosis, treatment
Issue Date: Jun 30, 2007
india has reported two new advances in cancer diagnostics and treatment. The reports were among the top three presented at the 'Asia and cancer management' conference held in the last week of April in Singapore on 21st century developments in cancer care.
Low-cost, faster test for chikungunya
Issue Date: May 31, 2007
indian researchers have developed a rapid test for chikungunya virus, which they claim to be "more sensitive" and "more specific" than current diagnostic techniques. The test will detect the viral gene in serum samples of patients.
Device to screen patients from lung cancer
Issue Date: May 31, 2007
us scientists have produced a device that could potentially screen patients for lung cancer.
The new device works from a known principal lung cancer cells give off different chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (vocs), that healthy cells don't.
