Concordance between a New Rapid Point-Of-Care Assay and Standard ELISA in the Detection of Cysticercosis Antigens in Urine.

Neurocysticercosis is a parasitic disease of major public health importance. Definitive diagnosis requires neuroimaging, which is typically unavailable in rural impoverished regions of endemicity. Screening immunoassays can support diagnosis in this setting by identifying individuals most likely to have severe forms of disease for referral to imaging. Urine sampling is convenient, painless, and generally well accepted. We developed a rapid point-of-care (POC) assay to detect urinary antigens and assessed concordance with a standard antigen ELISA (Ag-ELISA), both using monoclonal antibodies TsW8/TsW5. From 28,145 stored community samples with Ag-ELISA results, we selected 843 for comparison, 281 each from nonreactive (ratio <1), reactive-below-cutoff (ratio 1:3), and positive (ratio ≥3) samples. Overall agreement was 73.6%, with strong agreement observed in the nonreactive (280/281, 99.6%) and positive (255/281, 90.8%) groups. This affordable noninvasive POC test can be applied to identify individuals in the community most at risk of developing severe disease.

Asociación entre submarinismo y trastornos neurocognitivos en personal militar retirado / Association between scuba diving and neurocognitive disorders in retired military personnel

Objetivo: Determinar la asociación entre el haber practicado submarinismo durante el servicio militar y el desarrollo de trastornos neurocognitivos en adultos mayores. Materiales y métodos: Estudio analítico retrospectivo, proviene del análisis de la base de datos del estudio: Fragilidad y dependencia funcional en adultos mayores, realizado entre 2010-2015 realizado por el personal del servicio de geriatría del Centro Médico Naval del Perú, en niveles asistenciales ambulatorios. En cuanto a la asociación se usó Chi2, p<0,05 e IC 95 %, para el modelo de regresión, se utilizó un modelo de Poisson. Resultados: Se analizaron en total 1020 participantes. 322 (42,42 %) de los participantes estuvieron en el rango de 71 - 80 años de edad. 240 (31,62 %) presentaban trastornos neurocognitivos. Los factores asociados a los trastornos neurocognitivos fueron los siguientes: el rango de edad entre 71 - 80 años de edad (RP=1,69; IC95 %: 1,12 - 2,54), enfermedad cerebro vascular (RP=1,48; IC95 %: 1,01 - 2,23) y especialidad de submarinismo (RP=2,36; IC95 %: 1,64 - 3,39). Tener grado militar superior se asoció con menor riesgo (RP=0,62; IC95 %: 0,43 - 0,89). Conclusiones: Los pacientes que han practicado el submarinismo tienen un mayor riesgo de padecer trastorno neurocognitivo, sin embargo, se requieren estudios prospectivos adicionales para corroborar dicha asociación.

Objective: To determine the association between the exposure to scuba diving during military service and the development of neurocognitive disorders in elderly people. Materials and methods: A retrospective analytical study, derived from the database analysis of the study "Fragility and functional dependence in older adults" conducted between 2010 and 2015 on an outpatient basis by the staff of the geriatrics service of the Centro Médico Naval del Perú (Peruvian Naval Medical Center). The chi-square test, p<0.05 and 95 % CI were used to establish said association, and the Poisson model was used as regression model. Results: A total of 1,020 participants were analyzed. Three hundred twenty-two (322 [42.42 %]) participants were between 71 and 80 years of age. Two hundred forty (240 [31.62 %]) had neurocognitive disorders. Factors associated with neurocognitive disorders were: age range between 71 and 80 years of age (PR = 1.69, 95 % CI: 1.12 - 2.54), cerebrovascular disease (PR = 1.48, 95 % CI: 1.01-2.23) and major in scuba diving (PR = 2.36, 95 % CI: 1.64-3.39). A higher military rank was associated with a lower risk of developing neurocognitive disorders (PR = 0.62, 95 % CI: 0.43-0.89). Conclusions: Patients who have practiced scuba diving have a higher risk of developing neurocognitive disorders; however, additional prospective studies are required to confirm this association.