BackgroundIn India, tuberculosis is an endemic disease. Delay in diagnosis results in poor prognosis and fast spread of the disease. The objective of the present study is to look for an effective and acceptable diagnostic test, which may be helpful to initiate early treatment to improve prognosis and reduce spread.MethodsThree hundred and thirty patients with pleural, ascitic, meningeal and synovial effusion were selected and divided depending upon the etiology and the involvement of serosal membranes. Serosal aspirated fluid was subjected to biochemical tests and adenosine deaminase estimation. Cutoff taken is above 40 for pleural, peritoneal or synovial fluid and above 10 for CSF.ResultsIn cases of pulmonary and extra-pulmonary disease, sensitivity was 92.80% and 94.29%; specificity 90.00% and 92.16%; positive predictive value 92.86% and 89.00%; and negative predictive value 90.00% and 95.92% respectively.ConclusionsAdenosine deaminase estimation is not only a fairly sensitive and specific test (more than 90%), helpful in differentiating tubercular from non-tubercular etiology both in pulmonary and extra-pulmonary disease, but is also simple, inexpensive and rapid. For this reason this test may help in early diagnosis, improve the prognosis and reduce spread of disease and sequlae.KeywordsAdenosine deaminase; Serosal effusion; Tubercular; Non-tubercular; Pulmonary; Extra-pulmonary

BackgroundTuberculosis kills five lakh patients in India every year, out of which 7-12 % are with meningeal involvement. Delay in its diagnosis and in initiation of treatment results in poor prognosis and sequlae in up to 25% of cases. The aim of the present study is to look for a simple, rapid, cost effective, non-invasive and fairly specific test in differentiating tubercular etiology from other causes.MethodsForty patients between the age of 6 - 24 months attending hospital with symptoms and signs of meningitis were selected and divided into two groups: tubercular and non-tubercular, depending upon the accepted criteria. CSF was drawn and ADA estimated.ResultsOut of 19 tubercular patients, 18 had CSF ADA at or above the cutoff value while one had below. Out of 21 non-tuberculous patients, two had ADA levels at or above the cutoff value while 19 had below this value. Results of our study indicate that ADA level estimation in CSF is not only of considerable value in the diagnosis of TBM, CSF ADA level 10 U/L as a cutoff value exhibited 94.73% sensitivity and 90.47% specificity in differentiating tuberculous from non-tuberculous meningitis; it also has 90.00% positive predictive value and 95.00% negative predictive value.ConclusionsIt can be concluded that ADA estimation in CSF is not only simple, inexpensive and rapid but also fairly specific method for making a diagnosis of tuberculous etiology in TBM, especially when there is a dilemma of differentiating the tuberculous etiology from non-tuberculous ones. For this reason ADA estimation in TBM may find a place as a routine investigation.KeywordsCerebrospinal fluid; Adenosine deaminase; Tuberculous meningitis

BackgroundTuberculosis kills five lakh patients every year in India, commonest being pulmonary tuberculosis and is often associated with effusion. Delay in diagnosis and treatment results in poor prognosis. Several studies have suggested the role of adenosine deaminase (ADA) in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusions, but false-positive results from lymphocytic effusions have also been reported. The purpose of this study is to find out the role of ADA levels in differentiation of tuberculous and non-tuberculous exudative pleural effusions of different etiologies.MethodsNinety-six lymphocytic pleural fluid samples were consecutively selected and divided into two groups: tuberculous (n = 56) and non-tuberculous (n = 40), depending upon the etiology [Malignancy (n = 16), Infectious diseases (n = 18), Pulmonary embolism (n = 1), Collagen vascular diseases (n = 3) and Sarcoidosis (n = 2)]. ADA was estimated in pleural fluid in all the cases.ResultsIn all 56 samples, ADA level of tuberculous group was above diagnostic cut-off (40 U/L), while only one sample was above cut-off in non-tuberculous group (2.5%). The negative predictive value of ADA for the diagnosis of non-tuberculous etiology was 97.5% (39 of 40) lymphocytic pleural effusion patients.ConclusionsIn this study, ADA levels in nontuberculous exudative pleural effusions rarely exceeded the cut-off; set for tuberculous disease. The pleural fluid ADA levels were significantly higher in tuberculous exudative pleural effusions when compared with non-tuberculous exudative pleural effusions.KeywordsAdenosine deaminase; Tuberculous effusion; Pleural fluid; Exudative pleural effusions

No abstract

Background Recently, several serum and urinary biomarkers have been investigated for diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Urinary biomarkers seem to be advantageous in children as it is non-invasive, painless, and easy to perform. Leucine-rich α-2-glycoprotein (LRG) is regarded as a reliable urinary biomarker for the diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis. A prospective observational pilot study was conducted in children presenting with abdominal pain. Assessment of pediatric appendicitis score (PAS), routine blood tests, and measurements of urinary LRG was done. The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of urine LRG in appendicitis in Indian children and to assess the concentration of urine LRG at which it will guide the management. Results LRG had a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) of 0.586 (95% CI 0.407–0.766). There was no specific cut-off identified using Youden’s index. ROC analysis of the PAS score resulted in an AUC of 0.821 (95% CI 0.691–0.952). Using Youden’s index, the cut-off for PAS scoring was identified as 6.5 with the sensitivity of 80%, the specificity of 76.2%, positive predictive value 76.19%, negative predictive value as 80%, and diagnostic accuracy of 78%. Conclusions LRG could not show better diagnostic performance compared to routine blood tests and PAS scores. There was no specific cut-off value at which it will differentiate mesenteric adenitis and acute appendicitis and guide their management. With 78% diagnostic accuracy, PAS score (> 6) is still a better tool for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Trial registration Clinical Trials Registry Government of India, CTRI/2018/01/011182, Registered on: 08 Jan 2018.