Multiplex Dipstick Technologies for Rapid and Simultaneous Screening of Analytes of Importance in Agri-Food-Nutrition and Health Care: A Review.

Dipstick test kits are being widely used for the rapid screening of a range of antigens or toxins in food, agriculture, and health care. They provide specific results on-site within 10 min with suitable accuracy and are, therefore, cost-effective. Multiplex dipsticks also provide the opportunity for simultaneous detection of multiple antigens in the target sample without using expensive instrumentation, minimizing the cost of analysis as well as the duration of assay. Because of these benefits, dipstick kits are widely being used in the simultaneous detection of several antigens/toxins in large number of samples and in high-throughput manner. This review focuses on the current status of developed multiplex strips and its working principles and future direction of the technology in the agriculture, food, nutrition, and health care sectors.

Cost of allergy immunotherapy: sublingual vs subcutaneous administration.

BACKGROUND: Allergy immunotherapy is an effective way to manage the allergic patient and may be administered either through the subcutaneous route (SCIT) or the sublingual route (SLIT). Both have been proven efficacious; however, SLIT is currently not covered by insurance companies and is an out-of-pocket expense. The goal of the current study is to compare the costs of SCIT to SLIT. METHODS: For SCIT, a total of 9 different insurance groups were studied including 8 preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and Medicare. Costs were broken down according to the percentage of coverage for the injections, serum vial fees, weekly co-pay, and deductibles. Total yearly cost for SCIT was calculated for the varying insurance plans and compared to the yearly cost of SLIT. RESULTS: PPO plans covered between 60% and 100% of allergy immunotherapy treatment with a range of weekly co-pay between $0 and $50. Deductibles ranged between $0 and $7000. Medicare had a flat rate of 80% coverage costing the insurer $807.20 for the year of therapy. None of the above costs include loss of work productivity and travel expense. The cost of SLIT ranged from $500 to $2100 depending on the allergy practice and number on antigens treated. CONCLUSION: The cost of SCIT varies dramatically according to insurance plan whereas the cost of SLIT varies between practices. When loss of productivity and travel expense are added into the cost of SCIT, SLIT might be comparable in cost and more convenient for the patient. Although the lack of insurance coverage for SLIT currently makes it more expensive than SCIT, we have found that the financial gap is much smaller than initially thought, especially when indirect costs and plans with less than 80% coverage or high weekly co-pay are factored into the equation.