HEALTH 1.2

Health
Direct real-time PCR examination for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in respiratory samples can be cost effective
Bryan Joseph Renton1, Patricia Denise Morrell2, Richard Peter Davidson Cooke2, Peter David Owen Davies1
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Comparison between static and dynamic warm-up exercise regimes on lower limb muscle power
J. Shelton, G. V. P. Kumar…….……………………………………………………………………………………117
Vol.1, No.2, 63-126 (2009)
Health
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volume 1, Number 2, September 2009
Direct real-time PCR examination for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in respiratory samples can be cost effective
Ceruloplasmin levels in human sera from various diseases and their correlation with patient’s age and gender
V. Lopez-Avila, W. H. Robinson, K. Lokits…………………………………………………………………………104
A comparison study of two breathing exercise techniques in tetraplegics
S. J. Winser, J. George, P. Stanley, G. Tharion………………………………………………he inclusive payment system based on the diagnosis procedure combination with respect to cataract operations in Japan
1 2
Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool; Correspondence author: bjrenton@ Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool
Received 5 June 2009; revised 15 July 2009; accepted 18 July 2009.
ABSTRACT
Aim: To assess whether the use of direct realtime polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on smear-positive sputa can be cost-effective, by speciating mycobacteria earlier than current methods and thereby preventing unnecessary screening tests as part of the contact tracing process. Methods: A retrospective study of all patients with smear-positive sputa in a Liverpool teaching hospital between 2004 and 2007. All the PCRs performed on these patients were reviewed and compared them with their mycobacterial culture results. Unit costs for PCR, chest X-ray (CXR), tuberculin skin test (TST), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and medical/nursing time were conservatively estimated at £50, £11, £10, £40 and £30 respectively. The total PCR costs were compared with the costs of unnecessary follow up of patients, negative for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) by PCR, subsequently confirmed to be MTB culture negative. Results: 203 smear-positive patients underwent direct PCR testing. 126 (62%) patients grew Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), 74 (37%) had environmental mycobacterial infection (EMI) and 3 (1%) were culture negative. Of the 126 patients’ culture positive MTB patients, 123 were PCR positive and 3 PCR negative. Of the 77 patients that were culture negative for MTB, 75 were PCR negative and 2 PCR positive The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for direct PCR versus MTB culture were 98%, 96%, 98% and 97% respectively. Total costs of all PCRs performed amounted to £10,150. The cost of contact procedures for PCR-negative and MTB culturenegative index cases was estimated at £19,650. This equated to a total saving of £9,500 in conSciRes Copyright © 2009
—A comparison of lengths of hospital stay and medical payments among hospitals K. Nawata, M. Ii, H. Toyama, T. Takahashi.…………………………………………………………………………93
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Pattern recognition of surface electromyography signal based on wavelet coefficient entropy
X. Hu, Y. Gao, W. X. Liu…….……………………………………………………………………………………121
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Vol.1, No.2, 63-66 (2009)
doi:10.4236/health.2009.12011
Non-invasive foetal heartbeat rate extraction from an underdetermined single signal
R. Acharyya, N. L. Scott, P. D. Teal…………………………………………………………………………………111
B. J. Renton, P. D. Morrell, R. P. D. Cooke, P. D. O. Davies………………………………………………………63
Electrospun nanofiber-based drug delivery systems
D. G. Yu, M. Z. Li, K. White, C. Branford-White……………………………………………………………………67
Serum homocysteine concentrations of Chinese intellectuals and the influential factors concerned
Y. Hou, Y. Y. Cheng, Y. Hong, W. Q. Chen, D. L. Wang………………………………………………………………83
An ion-based chromogenic method of detecting for inorganic phosphate in serum and milk
C. X. Yin, J. Su, F. J. Huo, P. Yang…………………………………………………………………………………76
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