9 research outputs found
Survey of laboratory practices for diagnosis of fungal infection in seven Asian countries: An Asia Fungal Working Group (AFWG) initiative
An online survey of mycology laboratories in seven Asian countries was conducted to
assess the status, competence, and services available. Country representatives from the
Asia Fungal Working Group (AFWG) contacted as many laboratories performing mycology
diagnosis as possible in their respective countries, requesting that the laboratory
heads complete the online survey. In total, 241 laboratories responded, including 71 in
China, 104 in India, 11 in Indonesia, 26 in the Philippines, four in Singapore, 18 in Taiwan,
and seven in Thailand. Overall, 129/241 (53.5%) surveyed mycology laboratories operate
as separate designated mycology laboratories, 75/241 (31.1%) conduct regular formal
staff training, 103/241 (42.7%) are accredited, and 88/157 (56.1%) participate in external
quality assurance scheme (EQAS) programs. Microscopy and culture methods are available
in nearly all laboratories, although few perform DNA sequencing (37/219; 16.9%)
or use matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF MS) (27/219; 12.3%) for isolate identification. Antifungal susceptibility testing
is performed in 142/241 (58.9%) laboratories, mainly for yeasts. The most commonly
performed nonculture diagnostic is cryptococcal antigen testing (66 laboratories), followed
by galactomannan testing (55), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnosis (37),
and beta-D-glucan testing (24). Therapeutic drug monitoring is conducted in 21 laboratories.
There is almost no access to advanced diagnostic tests, like galactomannan,
Ī²-D-glucan, and PCR, in the surveyed laboratories in Indonesia, the Philippines, and
Thailand. These results highlight the need for development of quality laboratories, accreditation
and training of manpower in existing laboratories, and access to advanced
nonāculture-based diagnostic tests to facilitate the diagnosis of fungal infections in Asia
Cliniciansā challenges in managing patients with invasive fungal diseases in seven Asian countries: An Asia Fungal Working Group(AFWG) Survey
Background: Invasive fungal diseases (IFD) are a serious threat, but physicians in Asia lack access to many
advanced diagnostics in mycology. It is likely that they face other impediments in the management of IFD.
A gap analysis was performed to understand the challenges Asian physicians faced in medical mycology.
Methods: The Asia Fungal Working Group (AFWG) conducted a web-based survey on management
practices for IFD among clinicians in China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.
Findings: Among 292 respondents, 51.7% were infectious disease (ID) specialists. Only 37% of respondents
had received formal training in medical mycology. They handled only around 2ā4 proven cases of each
fungal infection monthly, with invasive candidiasis the most common. For laboratory support, the
majority had access to direct microscopy (96%) and histopathology (87%), but galactomannan and azole
levels were available to 60% and 25% of respondents, respectively. The majority (84%) used clinical
parameters for treatment response monitoring, and 77% followed the Infectious Diseases Society of
America guidelines. The majority (84%) did not use the services of an ID physician. Where febrile
neutropenia was concerned, 74% of respondents used the empirical approach. Only 30% had an antifungal
stewardship program in their hospital. Eighty percent could not use preferred antifungals because of cost.
Interpretation: The survey identified inadequacies in medical mycology training, non-culture diagnostics,
access to antifungal drugs, and local guidelines as the major gaps in the management of IFDs in Asian
countries. These gaps are targets for improvement
Band-like transport, high electron mobility and high photoconductivity in all-inorganic nanocrystal arrays
Solution-deposited zinc oxide and zinc oxide/pentacene bilayer transistors: high mobility n-channel, ambipolar and nonvolatile devices
Temperature-Dependent Hall and Field-Effect Mobility in Strongly Coupled All-Inorganic Nanocrystal Arrays
We report on the temperature-dependent Hall effect characteristics of nanocrystal (NC) arrays prepared from colloidal InAs NCs capped with metal chalcogenide complex (MCC) ligands (In2Se4 2- and Cu7S4 -). Our study demonstrates that Hall effect measurements are a powerful way of exploring the fundamental properties of NC solids. We found that solution-cast 5.3 nm InAs NC films capped with copper sulfide MCC ligands exhibited high Hall mobility values over 16 cm 2/(V s). We also showed that the nature of MCC ligands can control doping in NC solids. The comparative study of the temperature-dependent Hall and field-effect mobility values provides valuable insights concerning the charge transport mechanism and points to the transition from a weak to a strong coupling regime in all-inorganic InAs NC solids.close