PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Diagnostics”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

[The diagnostic reliability of the jet-wash technique with regard to the diagnostic of endometrium carcinoma (author's transl)].

The jet-wash technique is an efficient method for diagnosing the endometrium carcinoma. Among 750 women we detected 50 endometrium carcinomata all of which were diagnosed by the jet-wash method. Wrongly positive findings do not exist in our series of examinations. Of the pre-stages of the endometrium carcinoma, such as adenomatous hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma in situ, however, only scarcely 50 per cent of all cases were diagnosed. The jet-wash method is also suited for outpatient clinics. Thus, patients with risk-factors for the endometrium carcinoma might be controlled annually once in outpatient clinics in addition to the usual cancer prophylactic examinations. Above all, we consider 1. patients suffering from bleeding anomalies as from the 40th year of age, 2. patients free from any symptoms, but suffering from obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, 3. patients with an increased narcosis risk, 4. patients of the perimeno-pause prior to an estrogen treatment and 5. cancer post-care patients suffering from a primarily radiated endometrium carcinoma. The direct smears and the cytocentrifuge preparations can be diagnosed right on the day of examination. The thrombin cell block technique requires more work for a cytological laboratory. For a histological laboratory it might not mean any additional essential burden.

Biopsy↗
PubMed2026

Diagnostic communication in functional neurological disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of patient acceptance and clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: Diagnostic disclosure is a key therapeutic moment in Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). This systematic review aimed to evaluate quantitative evidence on diagnostic acceptance, understanding, satisfaction, symptom outcomes, and healthcare utilisation following diagnostic disclosure in FND, and to conduct a meta-analysis of diagnostic acceptance. METHODS: Systematic searches of PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science identified quantitative studies in adults with FND. Screening followed predefined inclusion criteria. Data were extracted using a structured template and risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effects meta-analysis of proportions was conducted using the Freeman-Tukey transformation. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were included, four of which contributed to the meta-analysis (n = 481). Reported diagnostic acceptance rates ranged from 38.7% to 90%, although the timing and method of assessment varied across studies. Pooled acceptance was 0.68 (95% CI 0.44-0.88), with substantial heterogeneity. Structured or reinforced communication was frequently associated with improved understanding and satisfaction, although its superiority for diagnostic acceptance was not established. In some studies, diagnostic acceptance was associated with more favourable clinical outcomes, although findings were inconsistent. Some studies reported reductions in healthcare utilisation or costs following satisfactory diagnostic explanation, whereas others found no sustained overall reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic communication in FND is associated with differences in acceptance, understanding, and downstream clinical and healthcare outcomes. Approximately two-thirds of patients were reported as accepting the diagnosis following disclosure, although the timing and method of assessment varied substantially across studies. Empathic and evidence-informed communication may enhance understanding and engagement, although its effects on healthcare use and recovery remain uncertain. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Diagnostic disclosure should be delivered clearly, empathically, and with reinforcement over time. Written information, reputable educational resources, and opportunities for follow-up clarification may support patient understanding and engagement, although stronger comparative evidence is needed.

Humans↗
PubMed2025

RNA sequencing offers new diagnostic opportunities in neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review.

PURPOSE: Transcriptomics by way of RNA sequencing (RNAseq) has emerged as a means to increase the diagnostic yield in genetic conditions. In this systematic review, we focus on the contribution of transcriptomics to improve the diagnostic yield in neurodevelopmental disorders. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed until January 2024, including articles describing diagnostic RNAseq on at least 1 individual with a primary neurodevelopmental phenotype. We extracted data on cohort size, phenotype, sample tissue, previously used diagnostic methods, added diagnostic yield of RNAseq, the use of control samples, and technical aspects of the RNA sequencing methodology. RESULTS: A total of 17 articles were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. We found an average added diagnostic yield of 15.5% through RNA sequencing for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. There is heterogeneity in the tissue type, reported quality measures, and the computational pipeline. CONCLUSION: The significantly increased diagnostic yield demonstrates the value of this novel tool in the diagnostic setting of neurodevelopmental disorders. Our results offer an overview of common methodologies for RNAseq and allow us to formulate recommendations for genetic labs and clinicians when implementing RNAseq as a diagnostic tool. Lastly, we provide recommendations for future publications to increase transparency and reproducibility.

Humans↗
PubMed2025

Diagnostic and clinical utility of exome sequencing and chromosomal microarray in children with GDD/iD: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Global developmental delay/intellectual disability (GDD/ID) is among the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, with up to half of cases are attributed to genetic factors. Chromosome microarray (CMA) has traditionally been the primary genetic test for idiopathic GDD/ID. However, whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) have recently emerged, substantially increasing diagnostic yields in these populations. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from inception to April 29, 2025. Studies reporting the diagnostic utility of these tests in children with GDD/ID were included and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 102 studies, comprising 55,752 children, were reviewed. The pooled diagnostic yield of WES was 0.37 (95% CI: 0.33-0.41; I2 = 93%), significantly higher than that of CMA at 0.19 (95% CI: 0.16-0.21; I2 = 95%). Subgroup analyses showed that WES yielded significantly higher diagnostic rates than CMA in both same-sample comparisons (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.08-4.78) and different-sample comparisons (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.15-2.37). Only one study evaluated WGS, reporting a diagnostic yield of 0.27. Meta-regression revealed a significant association between CMA diagnostic yield and the proportion of male participants (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.01), but not with WES. No significant difference in diagnostic utility was observed between isolated GDD/ID and GDD/ID with comorbidities. CONCLUSION: In children with unexplained GDD/ID, WES demonstrates superior diagnostic and clinical utility compared to CMA. Incorporating WES as a first-line investigation in the diagnostic evaluation of GDD/ID may be warranted.

Humans↗
PubMed2025

Hierarchical integration of mNGS, PCR, and other conventional methods for precision TB diagnostics.

UNLABELLED: This study systematically compared the diagnostic accuracy of seven assays for detecting the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, including metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), droplet digital polymerase chain reaction, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, EasyNAT MTC, GeneXpert MTB/RIF, interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), and acid&#x2012;fast staining (AFS). We try to select appropriate combinations of tuberculosis (TB) detection methods for regions with varying levels of medical resources, based on sensitivity, cost-effectiveness, and operational feasibility. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 141 samples collected from patients with suspected active TB at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between April 2022 and April 2024. Among these samples, there were 100 cases assigned to the case group and 41 cases to the control group, based on the tuberculosis diagnostic criteria. Historical data for Xpert, IGRA, and AFS were collected, and parallel experiments using mNGS, droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and EasyNAT were conducted on all samples. Diagnostic performance was evaluated by comparing it with the final clinical diagnoses. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were conducted, along with DeLong tests for statistical comparison. Compared with the final clinical diagnosis, mNGS demonstrated the highest sensitivity (100%), followed by IGRA (79.2%), EasyNAT (79.1%), RT-qPCR (78.0%), ddPCR (75.8%), Xpert (75.3%), and AFS (16.7%). The specificity was 100% for both Xpert and AFS, followed by ddPCR (97.6%), RT-qPCR (95.1%), EasyNAT (92.7%), IGRA (72.7%), and mNGS (75.6%). ROC analysis revealed a significantly greater area under the ROC curve for mNGS (0.878) than for ddPCR (0.817, P = 0.031). DeLong tests revealed statistically significant differences in diagnostic performance between mNGS and ddPCR (P < 0.05) and between IGRA and AFS (P < 0.01). mNGS uniquely identified the pathogens involved in co-infection and quantified pathogen-specific sequencing reads. Through a comprehensive evaluation of the diagnostic efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness of tuberculosis detection methods, we propose corresponding combinations of TB testing approaches for regions with different healthcare resources. For undeveloped regions with limited resources, a combination of AFS +EasyNAT + chest X-ray is recommended. Primary care facilities may additionally employ IGRA + RT-qPCR. Intermediate-level hospitals can incorporate Xpert MTB/RIF for drug resistance testing, while tertiary hospitals or specialized centers should, on the basis of these fundamental tests, utilize mNGS for diagnosis and ddPCR for therapeutic monitoring in patients with complex mixed infections. IMPORTANCE: This study is the first to comprehensively evaluate the diagnostic efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness of seven TB detection methods in a single-center cohort. Our findings provide actionable solutions for optimizing TB diagnostics in diverse healthcare ecosystems, aligning with the WHO's End TB Strategy to ensure equitable access to rapid diagnostics.

Humans↗
PubMed1979

The research diagnostic criteria: historical background, development, validity, and reliability.

This article reviews the theoretical papers and research studies concerning the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), a research tool used to group psychiatric sugjects into homogenous diagnostic groups. The RDC contains specified inclusion and exclusion criteria for 25 diagnostic categories. The contributions made by the Feighner and Spitzer groups in the field of diagnostic reliability and validity are briefly outlined. The development of the RDC and studies regarding its reliability and validity are presented and discussed. A review of the reliability studies, which basically employed an interrater design, indicated that the RDC is a relatively reliable diagnostic tool, obtaining interrater kappa coefficients which are consistently higher than those obtained, for similar categories, in studies using other diagnostic systems such as the DSM-II. Very few studies, however, directly investigated the validity of the RDC. Its assumed validity is dependent on the findings from studies which used similar diagnostic criteria. It was suggested that more studies would be required to establish the validity of the RDC. Several limitations of the RDC were pointed out. Included among these were: its use of an exclusion method to determine diagnostic criteria, the difficulty and great amount of time required for its use, and the fact that it has so far been used only with adult inpatients. Despite its limitations, it was concluded that the RDC remains one of the best tools available to a researcher who wishes to group psychiatric patients into homogenous groups, and that the clinician could advantageously use it in his clinical practice.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Diagnostic Accuracy of a CRISPR-Based Assay in Smear- and Culture-Negative Fungal Keratitis.

IMPORTANCE: Diagnosing fungal keratitis (FK) in patients with negative smear and culture results remains clinically challenging, highlighting the need for alternative diagnostic approaches. OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based Rapid Identification of Mycoses using CRISPR (RID-MyC) assay for detecting FK in patients with negative smear and culture results using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) as the reference standard. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This prospective diagnostic accuracy study was conducted from December 2024 to March 2025 at Aravind Eye Hospital, a tertiary ophthalmology referral hospital in Coimbatore, India. Consecutive patients clinically suspected to have microbial keratitis with negative smear and culture results were eligible for inclusion. Data were analyzed from March 2025 to June 2025. INTERVENTIONS: All included participants underwent corneal scraping for RID-MyC assay and imaging by IVCM. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcomes were sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic concordance of the RID-MyC assay compared with IVCM results. RESULTS: Of 245 consecutive patients clinically suspected to have microbial keratitis, 82 were smear negative. After exclusions due to contraindications or positive subsequent cultures, 41 patients with smear- and culture-negative results were ultimately included in the final analysis. Of these 41 patients (mean [SD] age, 51.0 [14.6] years; 21 [51.2%] women), RID-MyC demonstrated sensitivity of 82.1% (95% CI, 63%-94%) and specificity of 76.9% (95% CI, 46%-95%). Positive predictive value was 88.5% (95% CI, 74%-95%) and negative predictive value was 66.7% (95% CI, 46%-82%). Concordance between RID-MyC and IVCM was observed in 33 cases (80.5%). Notably, prior antifungal treatment was most frequent (4 of 5 [80%]) among patients with positive IVCM but negative RID-MyC results. Conversely, all patients (3 of 3 [100%]) with negative IVCM but positive RID-MyC findings had smaller, peripheral, or paracentral lesions. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this diagnostic study, in patients with smear- and culture-negative FK, the RID-MyC assay showed good diagnostic accuracy comparable with IVCM and was feasible in all cases, including those in whom imaging was not possible. With its rapid turnaround and minimal equipment needs, RID-MyC may serve as a practical adjunct to conventional diagnostics, particularly in high-burden, resource-limited settings where IVCM is unavailable or contraindicated.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Patient experiences of diagnostic uncertainty in musculoskeletal care: a systematic review of qualitative studies.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis plays a central role in musculoskeletal care. However, establishing a clear diagnosis is often challenging, and diagnostic uncertainty is common. OBJECTIVES: To explore patient experiences of diagnostic uncertainty in musculoskeletal care. METHODS: Five databases (CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, AMED, Web of Science) were searched from inception to October 2025. Qualitative studies involving semi-structured interviews with adults receiving care for MSK conditions were included. Methodological quality was appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Checklist. Data were synthesised using thematic synthesis, and confidence in findings was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research approach (GRADE-CERQual). RESULTS: Twenty-six studies involving 462 participants were included. Critical appraisal identified 23 studies with varying methodological limitations; all studies were included in the synthesis. Nine descriptive themes were synthesised into three analytical themes: (1) patient expectations and perceived meanings of a diagnosis and interpretations of diagnostic uncertainty; (2) the multi-dimensional experience of diagnostic uncertainty; and (3) the role of contextual factors, particularly communication and the therapeutic relationship, in shaping experiences of diagnostic uncertainty. Using GRADE-CERQual, confidence in these themes was rated as low, moderate and very low, respectively. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic uncertainty is a subjective and multi-dimensional experience shaped in part by patients' expectations and the meanings attributed to diagnosis. Its impact spans predominantly cognitive and affective domains and may influence clinical presentation. Patient-centred communication and strong therapeutic relationships may support patients in navigating diagnostic uncertainty in musculoskeletal care.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Effects of difficulty and diagnosticity on choice among tasks in relation to achievement motivation and perceived ability.

The experiment is a partial replication of a study conducted by Trope. It investigates the effects of two person characteristics (achievement motive and perceived own ability) and two task characteristics (difficulty and diagnostic value about own ability) on choice among achievement tasks. In accordance with the results of Trope, it was found that high-diagnostic tasks were preferred to low-diagnostic tasks, independent of their difficulty. Trope's finding that high resultant achievers choose high-diagnostic tasks over low-diagnostic tasks to a greater extent than low resultant achievers was not replicated. However, the perceived degree of own ability affected choice behavior: When easy and difficult tasks were both high in diagnosticity, subjects high in perceived ability preferred difficult over easy tasks, whereas subjects low in perceived ability preferred easy over difficult tasks. From this latter finding it is concluded that a self-informational conception of choice behavior has to include the subjective probability of success at tasks as a determinant of choice, in addition to objective difficulty and diagnostic value.

Achievement↗
PubMed2025

Personalizing CA125 Levels Using Tumor Marker Variants: A Case-Control Analysis of Diagnostic Performance for Pancreatic Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer antigen 125 (CA125) is widely recognized as a useful biomarker for the surveillance of patients with ovarian and other cancers. Prior genome-wide association studies have identified variants that influence CA125 levels. We evaluated the utility of stratifying CA125 levels by such variants and evaluated diagnostic performance in control subjects and patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). METHODS: We measured CA125 levels in 807 control subjects and 450 patients with PDAC and genotyped 10 variants involving four genes (GAL3ST2, MSLN, D2HGDH, and MUC16). We compared CA125 levels in controls by variant and generated variant-defined CA125 cutoffs and then classified cases and controls into functional groups based on their variant profile. We used this variant classification to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CA125 in patients with PDAC. RESULTS: Six variants associated with CA125 levels were used to group controls into one of four groups. Mean CA125 levels in the highest variant group were approximately fourfold higher than in the lowest group. African Americans were more likely to have a variant group associated with low CA125 levels. After setting diagnostic cutoffs by variant group, the diagnostic sensitivity of CA125 for PDAC was 20.2% at 98% specificity (areas under the ROC curve, 0.702), not significantly different from a uniform CA125 diagnostic cutoff (areas under the ROC curve, 0.700). CONCLUSIONS: Gene variants can be used to generate personalized CA125 reference ranges. This approach did not significantly improve CA125's diagnostic performance for pancreatic cancer, but it merits evaluation in other diagnostic settings, such as detecting ovarian cancer. IMPACT: Gene variants can be used to personalize CA125 levels.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Structural variant discovery and diagnostic impact in rare diseases from short-read and long-read sequencing.

Rare diseases collectively affect 1 in 10 individuals, yet current genetic testing fails to identify a causal variant for most cases. At present, cytogenetic methods and/or sequencing approaches such as exome (ES) or short-read genome sequencing (srGS) represent the state-of-the-art for comprehensive clinical discovery of sequence and structural variants (SVs), including copy number variants, balanced SVs, complex SVs, and tandem repeats (TRs). Recently, long-read genome sequencing (lrGS), coupled with multiomics data, has presented great promise to resolve variation in genomic regions recalcitrant to characterization by srGS such as highly repetitive simple repeat sequences and segmental duplications. However, there are few guidelines to enable clinical interpretation of genetic variation in these highly repetitive genomic regions, and the enthusiasm of the field in adopting lrGS has made it difficult to assess the true added diagnostic yield of this technology due to widely variable and inconsistently applied analytic pipelines and variable degrees of pre-screening by ES or srGS. Here, we investigated the contribution of SVs to rare diseases using srGS as a front-line strategy when paired with highly sensitive SV discovery and evaluate the added diagnostic yield of incorporating lrGS for a subset of cases. Our srGS analysis encompassed 1,462 families (3,450 individuals) recruited through the Broad Institute Center for Mendelian Genetics and the Genomics Research to Elucidate the Genetics of Rare Diseases (GREGoR) programs. Diagnostic SVs were identified in 5.4% of cases (79/1,462), of which 80% were uniquely detectable by srGS compared to standard cytogenetic techniques. For 96 families (including 10 families with a heterozygous variant observed in a known recessive gene of clinical relevance), we performed lrGS with methylation profiling, as well as long-read transcriptomic analyses in a subset of 20 trios. Analyses with lrGS yielded over 25,000 SVs per genome, 63% of which were not captured by srGS, along with an additional ~200 rare SNV/indels per genome not previously captured and 12 differentially methylated regions per genome. Among these, we identified only one diagnostic variant not interpreted by srGS, an apparently mosaic de novo SNV in CASK that was absent in the srGS callset due to allelic imbalance. No new diagnoses were supported by long-read transcriptomics or episignatures. In this well characterized rare disease cohort, the added diagnostic yield was thus 1.04% (1/96 families). Following a systematic literature review of prior lrGS studies, we find that most reported diagnoses were detectable by srGS and that our added diagnostic yield is consistent with those prior studies. These studies emphasize the significant impact of comprehensive SV discovery in rare disease cases and further demonstrate the power for increased discovery of novel genomic variation and episignatures from lrGS. Nonetheless, they also serve to temper expectations of dramatic diagnostic advances in rare disease patients until there is more extensive annotation of the functional and clinical impact of all coding and noncoding variation uniquely accessible to lrGS with extensive reference databases spanning highly repetitive genomic sequencing that could be enabled by this transformative technology.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1975

Diagnostic value of routine liver tests.

In 131 patients on a medical service and 97 patients on a surgical service, in whom a diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease was verified in the hospital, the diagnostic value of routine liver tests performed soon after admission was evaluated by stepwise discriminant analysis. By measurements of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatases, gamma globulin, prothrombin time, bilirubin, and albumin, half of the medical patients were correctly classified into one of seven diagnostic categories. Aminotransferase contributed most to the classification, being twice as effective as random allocation. Decreasing the number of diagnostic categories to three (hepatitis, fatty liver, and chronic liver disease) increased the frequency of correct allocation to 80%. The allocation of all the patients to seven medical and four surgical diagnostic categories by means of four tests (aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatases, prothrombin time, and bilirubin) was significantly improved by each step with a misclassification rate of 55% when all tests were used. A reduction of the diagnostic groups to five (hepatitis, fatty liver, chronic liver disease, duct obstruction and tumor) increased the frequency of correct allocation to 63%. The analysis demonstrates the limited diagnostic effectiveness of routine liver tests when used alone. The absolute discrimination values depend on the a priori frequencies of the diagnostic groups investigated, and therefore may vary from time to time and from place to place.

Alanine Transaminase↗