Point-of-Need DNA Testing for Detection of Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria

Foodborne pathogenic bacteria present a crucial food safety issue. Conventional diagnostic methods are time-consuming and can be only performed on previously produced food. The advancing field of point-of-need diagnostic devices integrating molecular methods, biosensors, microfluidics, and nanomaterials offers new avenues for swift, low-cost detection of pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity. These analyses and screening of food items can be performed during all phases of production. This review presents major developments achieved in recent years in point-of-need diagnostics in land-based sector and sheds light on current challenges in achieving wider acceptance of portable devices in the food industry. Particular emphasis is placed on methods for testing nucleic acids, protocols for portable nucleic acid extraction and amplification, as well as on the means for low-cost detection and read-out signal amplification

Screening for depression in children and adolescents in primary care or non-mental health settings: a systematic review update

Abstract Background The transition from childhood to adolescence is associated with an increase in rates of some psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, a debilitating mood disorder. The aim of this systematic review is to update the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for depression in primary care and non-mental health clinic settings among children and adolescents. Methods This review is an update of a previous systematic review, for which the last search was conducted in 2017. We searched Ovid MEDLINE® ALL, Embase Classic+Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CINAHL on November 4, 2019, and updated on February 19, 2021. If no randomized controlled trials were found, we planned to conduct an additional search for non-randomized trials with a comparator group. For non-randomized trials, we applied a non-randomized controlled trial filter and searched the same databases except for Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from January 2015 to February 2021. We also conducted a targeted search of the gray literature for unpublished documents. Title and abstract, and full-text screening were completed independently by pairs of reviewers. Results In this review update, we were unable to find any randomized controlled studies that satisfied our eligibility criteria and evaluated the potential benefits and harms of screening for depression in children and adolescents. Additionally, a search for non-randomized trials yielded no studies that met the inclusion criteria. Conclusions The findings of this review indicate a lack of available evidence regarding the potential benefits and harms of screening for depression in children and adolescents. This absence of evidence emphasizes the necessity for well-conducted clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of depression screening among children and adolescents in primary care and non-mental health clinic settings. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42020150373

Advances in Nanomaterials-Based Electrochemical Biosensors for Foodborne Pathogen Detection

Electrochemical biosensors utilizing nanomaterials have received widespread attention in pathogen detection and monitoring. Here, the potential of different nanomaterials and electrochemical technologies is reviewed for the development of novel diagnostic devices for the detection of foodborne pathogens and their biomarkers. The overview covers basic electrochemical methods and means for electrode functionalization, utilization of nanomaterials that include quantum dots, gold, silver and magnetic nanoparticles, carbon nanomaterials (carbon and graphene quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, graphene and reduced graphene oxide, graphene nanoplatelets, laser-induced graphene), metal oxides (nanoparticles, 2D and 3D nanostructures) and other 2D nanomaterials. Moreover, the current and future landscape of synergic effects of nanocomposites combining different nanomaterials is provided to illustrate how the limitations of traditional technologies can be overcome to design rapid, ultrasensitive, specific and affordable biosensors. lt /p

Point-of-Need DNA Testing for Detection of Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria

Foodborne pathogenic bacteria present a crucial food safety issue. Conventional diagnostic methods are time-consuming and can be only performed on previously produced food. The advancing field of point-of-need diagnostic devices integrating molecular methods, biosensors, microfluidics, and nanomaterials offers new avenues for swift, low-cost detection of pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity. These analyses and screening of food items can be performed during all phases of production. This review presents major developments achieved in recent years in point-of-need diagnostics in land-based sector and sheds light on current challenges in achieving wider acceptance of portable devices in the food industry. Particular emphasis is placed on methods for testing nucleic acids, protocols for portable nucleic acid extraction and amplification, as well as on the means for low-cost detection and read-out signal amplification

Screening for depression in children and adolescents: a protocol for a systematic review update

Abstract Background Major depressive disorder is common, debilitating, and affects feelings, thoughts, mood, and behaviors. Childhood and adolescence are critical periods for the development of depression and adolescence is marked by an increased incidence of mental health disorders. This protocol outlines the planned scope and methods for a systematic review update that will evaluate the benefits and harms of screening for depression in children and adolescents. Methods This review will update a previously published systematic review by Roseman and colleagues. Eligible studies are randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing formal screening in primary care to identify children or adolescents not already self-reporting symptoms of, diagnosed with, or treated for depression. If no or only a single RCT is available, we will consider controlled studies without random assignment. Studies of participants with characteristics associated with an elevated risk of depression will be analyzed separately. Outcomes of interest are symptoms of depression, classification of major depressive disorder based on a validated diagnostic interview, suicidality, health-related quality of life, social function, impact on lifestyle behavior (e.g., substance use, school performance, lost time at work, or school), false-positive results, overdiagnosis, overtreatment, labeling, and other harms such as those arising from treatment. We will search MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, and grey literature sources. Two reviewers will independently screen the titles and abstracts using the liberal accelerated method. Full-text screening will be performed independently by two reviewers using pre-specified eligibility criteria. Data extraction and risk of bias assessments will be performed independently by two reviewers. Pre-planned analyses, including subgroup and sensitivity analyses, are detailed within this protocol. Two independent reviewers will assess and finalize through consensus the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, and prepare GRADE evidence profiles and summary of findings tables for each outcome of interest. Discussion The systematic review will provide a current state of the evidence of benefits and harms of depression screening in children and adolescents. These findings will be used by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care to inform the development of recommendations on depression screening. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD4202015037

Screening for depression in women during pregnancy or the first year postpartum and in the general adult population: a protocol for two systematic reviews to update a guideline of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care

Abstract Background In 2018, the World Health Organization reported that depression is the most common cause of disability worldwide, with over 300 million people currently living with depression. Depression affects an individual’s physical health and well-being, impacts psychosocial functioning, and has specific negative short- and long-term effects on maternal health, child health, developmental trajectories, and family health. The aim of these reviews is to identify evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for depression in the general adult population and in pregnant and postpartum women. Methods Search strategies were developed and tested through an iterative process by an experienced medical information specialist in consultation with the review team. We will search MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library, and a randomized controlled trial filter will be used. The general adult review will be an update of a systematic review previously used by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care for their 2013 guideline recommendation. The search strategy will be updated and will start from the last search date of the previous review (May 2012). The pregnant and postpartum review will be a de novo review with no date restriction. For both reviews, we will search for unpublished documents following the CADTH Grey Matters checklist and relevant websites. Titles and abstracts will be screened using the liberal accelerated method. Two reviewers will independently screen full-text articles for relevance using pre-specified eligibility criteria and assess the risk of bias of included studies using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Outcomes of interest for the general adult population review include symptoms of depression or diagnosis of major depressive disorder, health-related quality of life, day-to-day functionality, lost time at work/school, impact on lifestyle behaviour, suicidality, false-positive result, labelling/stigma, overdiagnosis or overtreatment, and harms of treatment. Outcomes of interest for the pregnant and postpartum review include mental health outcomes (e.g. diagnosis of major depressive disorder), parenting outcomes (e.g. mother-child interactions), and infant outcomes (e.g. infant health and development). Discussion These two systematic reviews will offer informative evaluations of depression screening. The findings will be used by the Task Force to help develop guideline recommendations on depression screening in the general adult population and in pregnant and postpartum women in Canada. Systematic review registration PROSPERO (CRD42018099689, CRD42018099690