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Introducing BMC Biomedical Engineering’s Collection: Point-of-care diagnostics
© CIPhotos / Getty Images / iStock Point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, defined as diagnostics at or near the site of patient care, has recently gained increased popularity due to its quicker turnaround and comparable accuracy to standard laboratory testing. It enables fast clinical decision-making, leading to improved clinical outcome and patient service. It can also be…
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Molecular detection of multiple schistosome species and their hybrids using a single PCR assay
Schistosomiasis is a disease of global medical and veterinary importance, caused by parasitic flatworms of the genus Schistosoma. Around 200 million people, and an untold number (possibly in the billions) of animals are estimated to be infected, globally. Certain schistosome species can infect humans (e.g. Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium), others animals (S. bovis, S.…
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Pilot clinical trial to test the function of a diagnostic sensor in predicting impending urinary catheter blockage in long-term catheterized patients
Doctor holding a urine sample GladkovPhoto / Stock.adobe.com Sensor shown within the drainage bag A diagnostic sensor to detect impending catheter blockage has been developed as a medical device to aid long-term urinary catheter users. Urinary catheter blockage can occur because of urease-positive infections – the urease metabolizes urea into two molecules of ammonia and…
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Diagnosis of scabies in LMICs: validation of the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies Consensus Criteria
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarcoptes-scabiei-adult-mite-2.JPG Scabies Scabies is a severe itchy skin disease caused by infection with the microscopic human itch mite Sarcoptes scabei var hominis. Scabies is found worldwide with over 400 million cases of scabies each year. Scabies is also one of the most common skin issues encountered by healthcare providers in low-income settings. In 2017,…
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Mobilizing research to defeat Neglected Tropical Diseases: A World NTD Day special
World NTD Day was announced by the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi at the Reaching the Last Mile Forum on 19 November. Since then, more than 280+ partners around the world have signed on to celebrate the Day https://worldntdday.org/ Today is World NTD Day. Committed Bugbitten followers will know that our blog posts are…
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Answering the call for real-time plant disease diagnostics in resource-poor regions
Erumpent yellow rust pustules seen on wheat leaves in Ethiopia. Photography by Matt Heaton, John Innes Centre. Plant pests and diseases are a major threat to global food security and have the potential to destroy whole crops if left untreated. It is estimated that halting the spread of fungal diseases in the top five food…