Student services programs of De La Salle-Health Sciences Campus as evaluated by selected radiologic technology students during school year 2006-2007

The study used the descriptive method of research. The respondents were 165 radiologic technology students of De La Salle-Health Sciences Campus selected using stratified random sampling. The questionnaire consisted of a five-point scale which was adapted from the study of Taeza et al. (2006). Frequency, percentage, means, t-test and ANOVA were the statistical tools used. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) The respondents considered the student services offered by De La Salle-Health Sciences Campus, specifically Accounting Office, Canteen, Guidance/Student Affairs Office and Library, as Very Good. This means that the given services almost meet the standard of the respondents. However, respondents evaluated the Registrar’s Office as Good. The respondents fairly rated the services provided by the Registrar’s Office; (2) Age was a factor to consider in the evaluation of the respondents to the student services programs of De La Salle-Health Sciences Campus; (3) Gender did not affect the evaluation of the respondents. Male and female had same evaluation of the student services programs of De La Salle-Health Sciences Campus; (4) Student type did not affect the respondents’ evaluation of the Student Services Program of De La Salle-Health Sciences Campus. Regular and irregular students had the same evaluation; (5) Year level is a factor to consider in the evaluation of the respondents to the student services program of De La Salle-Health Sciences Campus

Evaluation of the Xpert MTB Host Response assay for the triage of patients with presumed pulmonary tuberculosis: a prospective diagnostic accuracy study in Viet Nam, India, the Philippines, Uganda, and South Africa

BackgroundNon-sputum-based triage tests for tuberculosis are a priority for ending tuberculosis. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the late-prototype Xpert MTB Host Response (Xpert HR) blood-based assay.MethodsWe conducted a prospective diagnostic accuracy study among outpatients with presumed tuberculosis in outpatient clinics in Viet Nam, India, the Philippines, Uganda, and South Africa. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older and reported cough lasting at least 2 weeks. We excluded those receiving tuberculosis treatment in the preceding 12 months and those who were unwilling to consent. Xpert HR was performed on capillary or venous blood. Reference standard testing included sputum Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and mycobacterial culture. We performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to identify the optimal cutoff value for the Xpert HR to achieve the target sensitivity of 90% or more while maximising specificity, then calculated diagnostic accuracy using this cutoff value. This study was prospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04923958.FindingsBetween July 13, 2021, and Aug 15, 2022, 2046 adults with at least 2 weeks of cough were identified, of whom 1499 adults (686 [45·8%] females and 813 [54·2%] males) had valid Xpert HR and reference standard results. 329 (21·9%) had microbiologically confirmed tuberculosis. Xpert HR had an area under the ROC curve of 0·89 (95% CI 0·86-0·91). The optimal cutoff value was less than or equal to -1·25, giving a sensitivity of 90·3% (95% CI 86·5-93·3; 297 of 329) and a specificity of 62·6% (95% CI 59·7-65·3; 732 of 1170). Sensitivity was similar across countries, by sex, and by subgroups, although specificity was lower in people living with HIV (45·1%, 95% CI 37·8-52·6) than in those not living with HIV (65·9%, 62·8-68·8; difference of 20·8%, 95% CI 13·0-28·6; p<0·0001). Xpert HR had high negative predictive value (95·8%, 95% CI 94·1-97·1), but positive predictive value was only 40·1% (95% CI 36·8-44·1). Using the Xpert HR as a triage test would have reduced confirmatory sputum testing by 57·3% (95% CI 54·2-60·4).InterpretationXpert HR did not meet WHO minimum specificity targets for a non-sputum-based triage test for pulmonary tuberculosis. Despite promise as a rule-out test that could reduce confirmatory sputum testing, further cost-effectiveness modelling and data on acceptability and usability are needed to inform policy recommendations.FundingNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the US National Institutes of Health.TranslationsFor the Vietnamese and Tagalog translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section