Effectiveness of physical therapy interventions in women with dyspareunia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dyspareunia is defined as the occurrence of pain during or after sexual intercourse, which directly affects physical, sexual, and mental health. This condition can lead to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem in women who experience it. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions for the treatment of female dyspareunia. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. METHOD: Search of publications was conducted in Scopus, Medline, Pubmed, Cinahl and Web of Science. Treatment effects were defined as standardized mean difference and their 95% confidence intervals. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using Crohan's Q test and quantified using the I2 index. RESULTS: Of the 19 articles selected, six applied multimodal physiotherapy treatments; five, electrotherapy; three, Thiele's massage; two, interdisciplinary interventions or pelvic floor muscle training; and one, extracorporeal shockwave therapy. The meta-analysis showed significant results for the variables pain and quality of life with the interventions based on electrotherapy and electrotherapy combined with pelvic floor muscle training. These interventions did not show significant results for the improvement of sexual function. CONCLUSIONS: Physiotherapy techniques are effective and procedures have been identified with reliable results in improving pain and quality of life in patients with dyspareunia. One of the most important aspects is the strengthening of the perineal musculature and the application of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. Furthermore, manual trigger point release therapy and Thiele massage, optimize and guarantee the reduction of pain intensity. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42021236155.

Leadership and contagion by COVID-19 among residence hall students: A social network analysis approach.

University students have changed their behaviour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we describe the characteristics of PCR+ and PCR- nodes, analyse the structure, and relate the structure of student leaders to pandemic contagion as determined by PCR+ in 93 residential university students. Leadership comes from the male students of social science degrees who have PCR +, with an eigenvector centrality structure, ß-centrality, and who are part of the bow-tie structure. There was a significant difference in ß-centrality between leaders and non-leaders and in ß-centrality between PCR+ and non-leaders. Leading nodes were part of the bow-tie structure. MR-QAP results show how residence and scientific branch were the most important factors in network formation. Therefore, university leaders should consider influential leaders, as they are vectors for disseminating both positive and negative outcomes.

[The health sector in the face of disasters and climate change in CubaO setor da saúde diante de desastres e mudanças climáticas em Cuba]. / El sector de la salud frente a los desastres y el cambio climático en Cuba.

Due to its impact on human health and its capacity to cause damage, disasters are one of the global problems that most concern the international community. However, and in spite of the efforts made by many health systems, the reduction of vulnerabilities and the lack of strategies to avoid or minimize risks have not received enough attention yet. As Cuba is located in an area of permanent danger of disasters, its health sector has accumulated considerable experience in the management of risks and in the assurance of less risky future scenarios, with active participation of the community and a planned and organized process to address the impact of climate change. This paper summarizes some of these experiences and describes the dangers, vulnerabilities, and risks of disasters in Cuba, its Civil Defense System, and planning and organization in the health sector for disaster reduction, as well as the main effects and challenges of climate change in the health system. Lessons learned and good practices support the key role of human resources to reduce vulnerabilities; the greatest challenges are to avoid or minimize risks, to advance research, to train professionals for climate change, and to optimize the organization of health systems and services in the country.

Devido ao seu impacto na saúde humana e na sua capacidade de causar danos, os desastres são um dos problemas globais mais preocupantes para a comunidade internacional. No entanto, e apesar dos esforços feitos por numerosos sistemas de saúde, a atenção necessária ainda não foi oferecida para a redução de vulnerabilidades e a falta de estratégias que evitem ou minimizem os riscos. Como Cuba está localizada em uma área de permanente perigo de desastres, seu setor de saúde acumulou uma experiência considerável no gerenciamento de riscos e na garantia de cenários futuros menos arriscados, com a participação ativa da comunidade e um processo planejado e organizado para enfrentar o impacto das mudanças climáticas. Este artigo resume algumas dessas experiências e descreve os perigos, vulnerabilidades e riscos de desastres em Cuba, seu Sistema de Defesa Civil e planejamento e organização no setor da saúde para a redução de desastres, bem como os principais efeitos e desafios das mudanças climáticas no sistema de saúde. As lições aprendidas e as boas práticas ratificam o papel determinante dos recursos humanos para reduzir vulnerabilidades; o maior desafio é evitar ou minimizar riscos, avançar pesquisa, preparar profissionais para mudanças climáticas e otimizar a organização de sistemas e serviços de saúde no país.

[Nursing Attitude About the Family Involvement in Hospitalized Children Care]. / Actitudes de los profesionales de enfermería ante la participación familiar en los cuidados de los pacientes pediátricos hospitalizados.

Introduction: Family it's a unit which is characterized by the relationship between its members, the interdependence between them in health, presupposes that care will be more efficient if targeted the family system as a unit. In that fact the impact of illness and hospitalization drives the nursing staff to include the family in health care. Nurses think their relationship with families is not easy, which generates different attitudes towards them and present the possibility to allow its participation in care. The aim of this research was to analyze the attitudes of these professionals in the family involvement in patients care. Material and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was applied to the nursing staff in Pediatric Department of the University General Hospital Gregorio Maranon (HGUGM), in Madrid, Spain. The data was collected using the "Families' Importance in nursing care: Nurse's attitude scale". Results: Most of the professionals, mostly units of patients with chronic disease, take into consideration the family like a resource in nursing care, finding that a good relationship with families give them job satisfaction, without differences between categories. More than half of the professionals from the units of pediatric intensive care (PICU) considered that the presence of the family generates stress. Conclusions: The difference in the attitude of professionals is related to the time they spent with families and technification of the care.

Morbidity and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years in preterm infants undergoing percutaneous transcatheter closure vs. surgical ligation of the PDA.

OBJECTIVE: Review a cohort of preterm infants ≤29 weeks of gestation at birth and compare morbidities and neurodevelopmental outcomes based on PDA status and type of PDA closure. STUDY DESIGN: Single center observational retrospective-prospective case control study of premature infants who had no hsPDA, underwent surgical ligation or percutaneous transcatheter closure of the PDA. Neurodevelopmental testing was done using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development 3rd ed. RESULTS: The percutaneous transcatheter closure group had an older post menstrual age and greater weight at the time of procedure, and started enteral feeds and achieved room air status at an earlier post procedure day. Infants in the surgical ligation group were more likely to experience vocal cord paralysis. There was no difference in neurodevelopmental outcomes between groups. CONCLUSION: Waiting for infants to achieve the appropriate size for percutaneous transcatheter closure of the PDA may lead to reduced short-term complications without increasing the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment.

Anxiety, prenatal distress, and resilience during the first trimester of gestation.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and analyze the relationship between pregnancy-related anxiety, prenatal distress, and individual resilience in pregnant women during the first trimester of pregnancy and compare it with the obstetric variable of parity. METHOD: Quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study using non-probabilistic circumstantial sampling. A total of 144 women participated. The Prenatal Distress Questionnaire, the Resilience Scale, and the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire were used. A descriptive analysis with measures of central tendency was performed, and the reliability of the instruments was assessed. RESULTS: The average age was 33.57 years. 58.3% were multiparous and 41.7% primiparous. Anxiety was found in 21.5% and very high levels of resilience in 54.9%. Primiparous women showed higher levels of worry about the future and fear of childbirth than multiparous women. Pregnant women with high resilience showed lower levels of anxiety and stress. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women with higher levels of resilience show less anxiety and stress during the first trimester of pregnancy. Primiparous women show more anxiety and stress than multiparous women.

Utility of Intermediate Care Units: A Systematic Review Study.

Intermediate care units (IMCUs) have become increasingly important in the care of critical and semi-critical patients, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is still no clear definition of their structural characteristics, specialties, types of patients, and the benefits they provide. The aim of this work is to describe the current state of implementation and operation of IMCUs in hospitals and patient care. To achieve this goal, a systematic review was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus and CINAHL databases, along with a hand search. The research yielded 419 documents, of which 26 were included in this review after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results were highly diverse and were categorized based on the following topics: material resources, human resources, continuity of care, and patient benefits. Despite the different objectives outlined in the studies, all of them demonstrate the numerous benefits provided by an IMCU, along with the increased relevance of this type of unit in recent years. Therefore, this systematic review highlights the benefits of IMCUs in the care of critical patients, as well as the role of health workers in these units.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Harm Attempts Observed in a Hospital Emergency Department.

Suicide is a significant public health concern, with one million lives lost to it every year. Suicidal ideation and attempts are markers of high risk. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative psychological impact on the population. This study aims to describe and analyze the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of patients who have received medical attention for self-harm attempts in a hospital emergency department, comparing the period before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a descriptive, retrospective study that collected data from medical records of patients who received care for self-harm attempts in the emergency department. The data included cases from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022. In total, 529 cases of self-harm attempts were identified, of which 62.8% were female. The number of post-pandemic self-harm attempts significantly increased compared to the period before the pandemic. The most used method for self-harm was medication ingestion. This study revealed that over one-third of the participants had previously attempted suicide. Most self-harm attempts were made by women in the 10-20 or 41-50 age groups, with a history of psychiatric illness and multiple medications. The study results also highlighted an increase in self-harm attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adolescent relational behaviour and the obesity pandemic: A descriptive study applying social network analysis and machine learning techniques.

AIM: To study the existence of subgroups by exploring the similarities between the attributes of the nodes of the groups, in relation to diet and gender and, to analyse the connectivity between groups based on aspects of similarities between them through SNA and artificial intelligence techniques. METHODS: 235 students from 5 different educational centres participate in this study between March and December 2015. Data analysis carried out is divided into two blocks: social network analysis and unsupervised machine learning techniques. As for the social network analysis, the Girvan-Newman technique was applied to find the best number of cohesive groups within each of the friendship networks of the different classes analysed. RESULTS: After applying Girvan-Newman in the three classes, the best division into clusters was respectively 2 for classroom A, 7 for classroom B and 6 for classroom C. There are significant differences between the groups and the gender and diet variables. After applying K-means using population diet as an input variable, a K-means clustering of 2 clusters for class A, 3 clusters for class B and 3 clusters for class C is obtained. CONCLUSION: Adolescents form subgroups within their classrooms. Subgroup cohesion is defined by the fact that nodes share similarities in aspects that influence obesity, they share attributes related to food quality and gender. The concept of homophily, related to SNA, justifies our results. Artificial intelligence techniques together with the application of the Girvan-Newman provide robustness to the structural analysis of similarities and cohesion between subgroups.

Self perceived health and stress in the pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had numerous maternal and neonatal consequences, especially at the mental level. Pregnant women experience a rise in anxiety symptoms and prenatal stress. Aims: The aim was to describe self-perceived health status, general stress and prenatal stress and to analyze relations and associations with sociodemographic factors. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted using non-probabilistic circumstantial sampling. The sample was recruited during the first trimester of pregnancy during the control obstetrical visit. The Google Forms platform was used. A total of 297 women participated in the study. The Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PDQ), the Perceived Stress Score (PSS) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) were used. Results: Primiparas presented higher levels of worry about childbirth and the baby (10.93 ± 4.73) than multiparous women (9.88 ± 3.96). Somatic symptoms were present in 6% of the women. Anxiety-insomnia was scored positively by 18% of the women. In the Spearman correlation analysis, statistically significant values were found between almost all study variables. A positive correlation was observed between self-perceived health and prenatal and general stress levels. Discussion: During the first trimester of gestation, prenatal concerns increase when levels of anxiety, insomnia and depression also increase. There is a clear relationship between prenatal worries, anxiety, insomnia and depression with stress. Health education that focuses on mental health of pregnant women would help reduce worries during pregnancy and would improve the pregnant women perception of her health and well-being.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Pregnant Women during the First Trimester in Northern Spain: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Achieving the optimal quality of life is currently a health challenge for the world's population. Pregnancy is a stressful period of life that affects women's quality of life. AIMS: This study aimed to describe and analyse the health-related quality of life in pregnant women during their first trimester in a health area in the north of Spain. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out. A total of 359 women completed the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 57.9% primiparous women, 30% had experienced a previous abortion, and 7.2% were foreign women. The mean age was 33.53 years. The sum of the physical and mental component values was below 50 points. Notably, 4.17% of women reported a worsening of their health in the last year, and 28.69% had an increased depression risk. CONCLUSION: Being a foreigner, prenatal abortion, previous caesarean section, previous children, or assisted reproduction techniques are the variables that have a negative association with some dimensions of quality of life in pregnant women.

Family-centred care of patients admitted to the intensive care unit in times of COVID-19: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To describe clinical practice interventions aimed at providing Family-Centred Care in intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: A systematic review was carried out following the PRISMA recommendations in various databases: PubMed, Cinahl, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar were consulted, as well as within the grey literature found on the web pages of official organizations related to Intensive Care Medicine and Nursing. SETTING: Adult intensive care unit. RESULTS: The search yielded 209 documents of which 24 were included in this review: eight qualitative studies, seven protocols and recommendations from official bodies, one mixed-method studies, five descriptive studies, one cross-sectional study, one pilot program and one literature review. A thematic analysis revealed four major themes: the use of communication systems, multidisciplinary interventions; the promotion of family engagement and family support. The results show different strategies that can be implemented in clinical practice to solve the difficulties encountered in Family-Centred Care in critical care units during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: There is a great variety in the nature of the interventions developed, with the use of telecommunication systems in daily practice being the most repeated aspect. Future research should aim to assess whether the interventions implemented increase the quality of patient and family care by meeting their needs.

Anxiety, Stress, and Social Support in Pregnant Women in the Province of Leon during COVID-19 Disease.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a high risk to the mental health of the entire population. Pregnant women are strongly affected by the consequences of COVID-19, resulting in increased anxiety and stress. Social support can be a protective factor when it comes to mental health disturbances such as anxiety, fear, or stress in pregnant women. This research aims to describe the anxiety and stress of women in the first trimester of pregnancy in times of pandemic and its relationship with social support. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 115 women in the first trimester of pregnancy participated. Anxiety was found in 78.3% of the women. Self-perceived stress correlated significantly with the dimensions "concern for changes in oneself", "feelings about oneself", "concern about the future", and very weakly with social support. In addition, a negative correlation was observed between "feelings about oneself" and social support. During the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety levels of women in our population are elevated. Pregnant women during the first trimester of pregnancy showed higher levels of fear of childbirth and concern about the future than multiparous women. Increased social support and decreased stress seem to influence "feeling about oneself".

SBAR Method for Improving Well-Being in the Internal Medicine Unit: Quasi-Experimental Research.

SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) is a tool for standardizing and improving interprofessional communication. This study aims to explore the impact of SBAR in healthcare professionals' wellbeing, through concepts such as job satisfaction, engagement, resilience, and job performance, in the internal medicine unit of a university hospital in the province of León (Spain). This is an observational, descriptive, longitudinal case study with a pre- and post-intervention approach. Questionnaires were distributed to a group of doctors, nurses, and healthcare assistants before and after the implementation of the SBAR tool in the ward. The use of SBAR was monitored to ensure staff compliance. Data statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS program. Resilience levels increased significantly post-intervention. Job satisfaction and engagement levels remained neutral, slightly decreasing post-intervention. Besides' being a useful tool to improve communication, SBAR was effective in improving resilience among staff. Several aspects related to hospital management may have had an impact on job satisfaction and engagement results.

Friendship and Consumption Networks in Adolescents and Their Relationship to Stress and Cannabis Use Intention.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis is an illegal psychoactive substance that's use is widespread among adolescents. During adolescence, many changes can cause stress. In this phase, the group of friends becomes increasingly important, being a situation of vulnerability for the beginning of cannabis use, either as an escape mechanism or due to peer's influence. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the structure of the consumption and friendship network, the intention to use cannabis, and the stress in a secondary school class. METHODS: An online platform with validated self-reported questionnaires were used for data collection. RESULTS: The sample consisted of adolescents (n = 20) aged 14-16 from a third-year class of compulsory secondary education in Ponferrada (León, Spain). Significant differences were obtained concerning consumption intention and the different network metrics in both the friendship and consumption networks. Subsequently, the representation of these networks was carried out. CONCLUSIONS: Social Network Analysis is a very useful tool that provides a picture of the context in which adolescents are located. In the consumption network, there are central actors who have not yet consumed cannabis; this is a crucial moment to implement prevention strategies.

NeoSeekTM STEC: A Multiplex Molecular Method for Detection and Identification of Select Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Beef.

BACKGROUND: NeoSeekTM STEC is a single-source, service-based method for detection and identification of select Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), including E. coli O157:H7 and STEC of somatic groups O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145. The method is a multiplex molecular method utilizing more than 80 genetic targets to identify STEC in complex matrices such as food enrichment cultures. OBJECTIVE: A study was conducted to validate the NeoSeek method for detection of select STEC in raw beef trim. METHODS: Performance of the NeoSeek STEC method was compared with that of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service reference methods for E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC for detection of E. coli O157:H7 and E. coli O26:H11 in raw beef trim. Additionally, inclusivity/exclusivity testing and method robustness testing were performed. RESULTS: Results of raw beef trim testing showed no statistically significant differences in performance between the NeoSeek and reference methods in the ability to detect either E. coli O157:H7 or E.coli O26:H11, as determined by probability of detection analysis. Results of inclusivity and exclusivity testing showed 100% expected results with target and nontarget bacteria, with the exception of a single strain of E. coli O157:H7, which was subsequently verified to be stx-negative by PCR. Conclusions and Highlights: NeoSeek STEC is an accurate, reliable method for rapid detection and identification of select STEC in complex populations such as beef trim enrichment cultures.

Stress, Emotional Intelligence and the Intention to Use Cannabis in Spanish Adolescents: Influence of COVID-19 Confinement.

The disease brought about by the SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 coronavirus has had an unprecedented global impact. Confinement to control the outbreak may have mental health consequences for the most vulnerable in the population, including adolescents. This study aims to describe and analyze the relationships between the stress variables, Emotional Intelligence and the intention to use cannabis in healthy adolescents, before and after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic containment stage. A comparative correlational study was carried out with validated self-completed questionnaires through an online platform. The sample is made up of adolescents (n = 300) aged 13-17 from two different schools in Ponferrada (León, Spain). The analysis of correlation and differences between the groups indicate that confinement has had effects on the mental health of the adolescents, specifically on the emotional manifestations of stress. Furthermore, significant gender differences were found for stress values and Emotional Intelligence. However, no differences have been found for cannabis use intention.

Analyzing Nursing Leadership at an Academic Historical Event: A Descriptive Study Based on Social Networks.

PURPOSE: To analyze the leadership network structure among nursing leaders in Spain identified through the Grupo40Enfermeras y Universidad event. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study using social network analysis was used. Study sample consisted of 210 individuals, of whom 119 received nominations as referents. Structural analysis of the network was conducted using centrality and cohesion. RESULTS: A network structure was generated in which different leadership strategies were identified through InDegree, Eigenvector, and Betweenness Centrality. Five leaders were identified as bridges to other individuals using Betweenness. The whole network presented little cohesion although two highly cohesive cores were detected by K-core measurements. CONCLUSION: A strategy is needed to support nursing leaders with high degree of Betweenness to serve as bridges to connect other nursing leaders.

Anxiety, prenatal distress, and resilience during the first trimester of gestation / Ansiedade, estresse pré-natal e resiliência durante o primeiro trimestre de gestação / Ansiedad, distrés prenatal y resiliencia durante el primer trimestre de gestación

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe and analyze the relationship between pregnancy-related anxiety, prenatal distress, and individual resilience in pregnant women during the first trimester of pregnancy and compare it with the obstetric variable of parity. Method: Quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study using non-probabilistic circumstantial sampling. A total of 144 women participated. The Prenatal Distress Questionnaire, the Resilience Scale, and the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire were used. A descriptive analysis with measures of central tendency was performed, and the reliability of the instruments was assessed. Results: The average age was 33.57 years. 58.3% were multiparous and 41.7% primiparous. Anxiety was found in 21.5% and very high levels of resilience in 54.9%. Primiparous women showed higher levels of worry about the future and fear of childbirth than multiparous women. Pregnant women with high resilience showed lower levels of anxiety and stress. Conclusion: Pregnant women with higher levels of resilience show less anxiety and stress during the first trimester of pregnancy. Primiparous women show more anxiety and stress than multiparous women.

RESUMO Objetivo: Descrever e analisar a relação entre a ansiedade relacionada à gravidez, o estresse pré-natal e a resiliência individual em mulheres grávidas durante o primeiro trimestre da gravidez e compará-la com a variável obstétrica da paridade. Método: Estudo quantitativo, descritivo, transversal usando amostragem circunstancial não probabilística. Um total de 144 mulheres participaram. Foram utilizados o Questionário de Estresse Pré-natal, a Escala de Resiliência e o Questionário de Ansiedade Relacionada à Gravidez. Foi realizada uma análise descritiva com medidas de tendência central, e a confiabilidade dos instrumentos foi avaliada. Resultados: A idade média foi de 33,57 anos. 58,3% eram multiparas e 41,7% primíparas. Ansiedade foi encontrada em 21,5% e níveis muito altos de resiliência em 54,9%. Mulheres primíparas apresentaram níveis mais altos de preocupação com o futuro e medo do parto do que mulheres multiparas. Mulheres grávidas com alta resiliência mostraram níveis mais baixos de ansiedade e estresse. Conclusões: Mulheres grávidas com níveis mais altos de resiliência apresentam menos ansiedade e estresse durante o primeiro trimestre da gravidez. Mulheres primíparas mostram mais ansiedade e estresse do que mulheres multiparas.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Describir y analizar la relación entre la ansiedad relacionada con el embarazo, el distrés prenatal y la resiliencia individual, en mujeres gestantes durante el primer trimestre de embarazo y compararlo con la variable obstétrica de paridad. Método: Estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo y transversal utilizando muestreo no probabilístico circunstancial. Participaron 144 mujeres. Se emplearon el Cuestionario de Distrés Prenatal, la Escala de Resiliencia y el Cuestionario de Ansiedad Relacionada con el Embarazo. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo con medidas de tendencia central y se evaluó la confiabilidad de los instrumentos. Resultados: La edad promedio fue de 33,57 años. El 58,3% eran multíparas y el 41,7% primíparas. El 21,5% presenta ansiedad y el 54,9% niveles muy altos de resiliencia. Las primíparas mostraron mayores niveles preocupación sobre el futuro y miedo al parto que las multíparas. Las gestantes con alta resiliencia muestran valores más bajos en ansiedad y estrés. Conclusiones: Las gestantes con niveles más elevados de resiliencia manifiestan menos ansiedad y estrés durante el primer trimestre de embarazo. Las primíparas presentan más ansiedad y estrés que las multíparas.

Evaluation of the Thermo Scientific RapidFinder™ Salmonella Species, Typhimurium, and Enteritidis Multiplex PCR Kit.

The Thermo Scientific RapidFinder™ Salmonella Species, Typhimurium, and Enteritidis Multiplex PCR Kit (candidate method) is a real-time PCR assay for the detection and differentiation of Salmonella spp., and the serovars S. Typhimurium, and S. Enteritidis from poultry, pork, and environmental samples. The method was validated in comparison to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reference methods. Thermo Fisher Scientific (Basingstoke, United Kingdom) tested all matrixes. In addition, two matrixes were analyzed independently by Q Laboratories, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH). Few statistically significant differences were found between the candidate and reference methods when analyzed by probability of detection. When differences were observed, these were in favor of the candidate method. All 200 inclusivity strains and none of the 45 exclusivity strains were detected, which demonstrated that the RapidFinder Salmonella Species, Typhimurium, and Enteritidis Multiplex PCR Kit was able to detect all the major groups of Salmonella, the less common subspecies of S. enterica, and the rarely encountered S. bongori. None of the exclusivity isolates analyzed were detected. Robustness testing demonstrated that the assay gave reliable performance, with specific method deviations outside the recommended parameters. Accelerated stability testing was conducted, validating the assay shelf life.