Diagnostic accuracy of a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: An international case-cohort study

We conducted an international study of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis among a large group of physicians and compared their diagnostic performance to a panel of IPF experts. A total of 1141 respiratory physicians and 34 IPF experts participated. Participants evaluated 60 cases of interstitial lung disease (ILD) without interdisciplinary consultation. Diagnostic agreement was measured using the weighted kappa coefficient (\u3baw). Prognostic discrimination between IPF and other ILDs was used to validate diagnostic accuracy for first-choice diagnoses of IPF and were compared using the Cindex. A total of 404 physicians completed the study. Agreement for IPF diagnosis was higher among expert physicians (\u3baw=0.65, IQR 0.53-0.72, p20 years of experience (C-index=0.72, IQR 0.0-0.73, p=0.229) and non-university hospital physicians with more than 20 years of experience, attending weekly MDT meetings (C-index=0.72, IQR 0.70-0.72, p=0.052), did not differ significantly (p=0.229 and p=0.052 respectively) from the expert panel (C-index=0.74 IQR 0.72-0.75). Experienced respiratory physicians at university-based institutions diagnose IPF with similar prognostic accuracy to IPF experts. Regular MDT meeting attendance improves the prognostic accuracy of experienced non-university practitioners to levels achieved by IPF experts

Evaluation of a choice-test method to assess resistance of melon to Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae) by comparison with conventional antibiosis and antixenosis trials

The Vat gene of melon confers resistance to Aphis gossypii through both antixenotic and antibiotic mechanisms. This article reports several experiments carried out to detect this gene in melon lines from a melon breeding program. These included antixenosis, antibiosis and virus transmission trials. Results showed that, for Vat detection, antibiosis trials were not as discriminating as antixenosis trials. The antixenosis trials discriminated more clearly between resistant and susceptible lines after 72 h than after 24 h. We additionally developed a rapid and simple choice-test method to assess antixenotic effect. This test discriminated rapidly and effectively between resistant and susceptible lines. The aphids showed significant rejection of resistant lines after only 1.5 h of exposure. Thus compared to the conventional antixenosis trials this test has several advantages, including rapidity, ease of use, and non-destructiveness (allowing replicate testing of a single plant, or subsequent obtention of seed).Peer reviewe