Government recalls faulty HIV test kits
Dodoma, Tanzania (IRIN) – Tanzanian health authorities have announced the withdrawal of a South Korean HIV test kit from circulation following warnings about its poor quality.
In November, the UN World Health Organization removed the Standard Diagnostics Bioline® HIV 1/2 3.0 Rapid HIV Test Kit from its list of approved rapid test kits with immediate effect; the alert was issued after Bioline failed quality assurance tests.
The Tanzanian government has followed neighboring Kenya in issuing an immediate recall of all Bioline testing kits in the country.
“What we know so far is that 1,178 test kits have been used in the field, but we have yet to substantiate exactly how many of them were defective,” Hadji Mponda, Tanzania’s Health Minister, said at a news conference on 5 January.
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– Provided by Integrated Regional Information Networks.
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APGAR test may predict teens’ success in school.
Helsingborg, Sweden (AHN) – A baby’s first test, at infancy, may be an indicator of success in later years.
The APGAR test, given to babies right after they are born, evaluates an infant’s heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, skin color and reflex irritability, each on a two-point scale. Scores of 8 or above are signs of good health. New research sheds light on the importance of the grade as a child develops.
A large Swedish study, which compared school grades and graduation rates with APGAR scores, suggests that an APGAR score below 7 may portend cognitive deficits later in life. “It is not the APGAR score in itself which leads to lower cognitive abilities. It is the reason behind it,” said Dr. Andrea Stuart, a obstetrician at Central Hospital in Helsingborg, Sweden.
The researchers also noted that just 1 in 44 babies with low APGAR scores required special education, and mothers whose babies score low should not necessarily be concerned. Most babies who score low on the APGAR test go on to do just fine.
Researchers note that long term, the findings may prove useful if ongoing studies can isolate the problems causing low APGAR scores that lead to later deficits in cognitive ability.
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Study: Too much hand sanitizer use can give a test positive for alcohol consumption
Gainesville, FL, United States (AHN) – Using alcohol-containing hand sanitizer may result in testing positive in a urine test for alcohol consumption, according to a recent University of Florida study,
In the study, 11 volunteers who had not consumed alcohol in five days repeatedly applied a popular brand of hand sanitizer, Purell, to their hands. According to the manufacturer, 62 percent of Purell consists of ethyl alcohol.
They sanitized every five minutes, for 10 hours a day, three days in a row, approximating how much sanitizer a nurse would do during typical days on the job.
However, by the end of the first day the urine in eight of the subjects contained levels of an alcohol-breakdown product that would indicate they had recently consumed alcohol.
Doctor Gary Reisfield of the University of Florida College of Medicine conducted the study. He said, “The levels of one of the biomarkers we found was consistent with the use of moderate amounts of alcohol consumed over the past couple hours to the past couple days.”
Resfield says humans break down ethyl alcohol in hand sanitizers the same way they break down alcoholic drinks.
“Anyone out there who needs to abstain from alcohol needs to be cognizant about alcohol that may be hidden in products in hand washing gels, hair sprays, food stuffs, and cosmetic products,” he said.
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VAP Cholesterol Test Helps OB/GYNs In Dual Role As Primary Care Docs
Physicians in the OB/GYN discipline regularly see patients looking for a one-stop primary care visit. While these obstetricians and gynecologists specialize in pregnancy and reproductive health, …
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To Test, Or Not To Test, Kids’ Genes For Adult Diseases
More than 200 parents surveyed thought that the benefits of genetic testing for children outweighed the risk. Overall, the parents said conditions like high cholesterol and diabetes were serious health risks, and that it was very important to know the relationship between genetics and health.
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OB/GYNs Find Diagnostic Value In VAP Cholesterol Test
Atherotech Diagnostics Lab will attend the South Central Obstetrical & Gynecological Society (SCOGS) 52nd Annual Meeting held this week in Charlottesville, Va. Atherotech representatives will …
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OHIO: Changes in Ohio Law; Hurdles to HIV Testing Removed
Many doctors remain unaware of changes made to Ohio’s HIV testing law in 2009, prompting the state Department of Health to issue screening guidelines this past fall. Previously, doctors had to conduct pre-test HIV consultations and obtain separate consent to test for the virus. When the results were in – regardless of whether they were positive or negative – doctors again had to consult with the patient. “Essentially, the patient had to get down on their knees and beg for the test,” said Dr. Ron Reynolds, a Cincinnati provider who helped push for the change. Under the new law, consultations are no longer mandatory and no separate consent is required. “An HIV test can now legitimately be handled just like a blood-sugar test or cholesterol test,” said Reynolds. Government-supported testing sites, including those at health departments, must still offer counseling after a negative test, said Bill Tiedemann, who runs the state health department’s HIV prevention program. The law “doesn’t reduce someone’s confidentiality around their health information; what it does is reduce the barriers at the clinical level,” he said. Ohio State University Medical Center’s Dr. Michael Para said HIV testing rates will rise when physicians become educated on the law. “We basically have to change physicians’ ideas, and that happens slowly,” he said. The state health department last year was awarded a $1.18 million grant to expand HIV testing by 53,000 residents during a three-year period. Five emergency departments across Ohio will receive grant funds to support routine testing. CDC reported last year that 55 percent of US adults, including 28 percent with a known risk factor, have not been tested for HIV. An estimated one in five Americans with HIV do not know they are infected. [Article source: http://www.dispatch.com]
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Test detects TB in minutes rather than months
New York, NY, United States (AHN) – The World Health Organization is endorsing the use of a new test for tuberculosis that can diagnose the disease in 100 minutes. The current test takes three months to get results.
The accurate and easy-to-use rapid TB test was developed by the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), a non-profit organization based in Switzerland. The test also can detect drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis and TB complicated by HIV infection.
“Its speed and improved sensitivity will help us pick up far more cases and begin treatment earlier,” said Joseph Sitienei, head of Kenya’s National TB and Leprosy Control Programme, according to IRIN news service.
FIND has set a lower price of $17 for the TB test cartridge in countries most affected by the disease. That’s a 75 percent reduction in the regular price
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Major international study to test new heart disease drug
(PhysOrg.com) — A major international study to test whether a new type of cholesterol treatment can prevent coronary deaths and heart attacks will start in early 2011. The study will be coordinated by the Clinical Trial Service Unit at Oxford University.
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Cholesterol Monitor Information
It is important to know your cholesterol numbers. For someone with normal numbers and no additional predictive factors pointing to a danger of high cholesterol, the few tests suggested by the doctor should be sufficient. For someone 20 years or older, a test every 5 years is the suggested number, until the results start showing traces of high cholesterol.
The Home Cholesterol Test Kit
Medical science has been constantly developing tests that can be administered at home to keep track of progress, including some types of cholesterol monitor. Cholesterol levels can vary on a daily basis. For those within the normal range, this isn’t a trouble.
When your cholesterol levels are typically at the borderline levels that can be dangerous, it can be important for you to monitor changes so that you can see what is working and what isn’t.
The home cholesterol monitor has been delivering trustworthy results by using a few drops of blood. The test takes just a few minutes at home and many of those devices will keep track of the time and date of the test and stores the results as well. Such a tool could be helpful when one is trying a new regimen.
Improvements can be seen as an increased exercise regimen is implemented. As results become better, a patient may find encouragement between doctor’s visits and keep up the good work. This can be very important since beginning a diet and exercise program is demanding and high cholesterol can cause depression.
You can find the home cholesterol test kit in any drug store, the kit consist of the tools required in order to conduct an accurate cholesterol test and only with couple drops of blood and 10 minutes later you will be able to tell the levels of cholesterol present in your body.
Several types of cholesterol monitor are miniature computers. This allows different kinds of information to be available. A device may be able to assess current readings in with other risk factors such as smoking take into consideration. The cholesterol test kit which FDA approved is 97% accurate and easy to use.
Who Needs a Cholesterol Test Kit?
The need for such tests can be determined by doctors on a case by case basis. If nothing else, they help a patient play a part more fully in controlling the situation.
Everyone who wants to keep a close monitor on his or her cholesterol without having to go through a doctor’s appointment can use the handy cholesterol test kit. I personally suggest it to those who have high levels of cholesterol and need to know where they stand frequently.
Be in Control of Your Cholesterol at all Times With the Cholesterol Test Kit
Cholesterol can be life treating if the levels get too high, and coronary heart disease is a terribly common occurrence in people with high levels of bad cholesterol and the only way to keep these levels in control is to monitor it as often as required. The right level of cholesterol you should have in your body is of 200mg/dl of LDL or less and a minimum of 40mg/dL of HDL or more.
Is the Home Cholesterol Test Good at Giving Accurate Results?
Today you can get all home kits for any type of test. Some kits are very accurate while some may not. The fault may not lie with the kit itself, but in the way it is applied or being used. The home cholesterol test is one such test, which is capable of usually giving perfectly accurate results however it seldom does so due to human error.
Most of the time a home cholesterol test will be accurate, however, doctors do not like to rely on the home cholesterol test and they would insist in taking another test from the lab if you go for treatment. Only when the lab tests results come, they would proceed with the treatment. This is not because the home cholesterol test is not accurate, but because it might be administered wrong for which the readings would come out wrong.
It would be a disaster to prescribe a treatment for cholesterol, when actually it turns out that the person is perfectly fine. This is the reason why doctors usually do not take into consideration the results of any home kit when it comes to serious afflictions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, etc.
The home cholesterol test will be useful only when you can get your home physician to administer it for you; this is meaningful because even after the test is done, you would need a doctor to explain the results. This is why it is smarter if you took a lab test rather than a home cholesterol test. The latter would be useful only when there is a doctor close by who can guide in administering it, as well as reading the results correctly.
It is also important to mention here that any home test should actually be repeated in the lab for double confirmation. Such a way that if your home test results are wrong, you will know before you have to undergo any treatment.
If you follow the instruction exactly as given on the packet, the reading should be accurate. However, before you take any action regarding your health, ensure that you have the test repeated to confirm the findings.
Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit high cholesterol cure to learn more about home cholesterol test and high cholesterol symptom.
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