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Getah virus (GETV), a mosquito-borne alphavirus, is an emerging animal pathogen causing outbreaks among racehorses and pigs. Early detection of the GETV infection is essential for timely implementation of disease prevention and control interventions. Thus, a rapid and accurate nucleic acid detection method for GETV is highly needed. Here, two TaqMan minor groove binding (MGB) probe-based quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays were developed. The qRT-PCR primers and TaqMan MGB probe were designed based on the conserved region of nsP1 and nsP2 genes of 23 GETV genome sequences retrieved from GenBank. Only the qRT-PCR assay using nsP2-specific primers and probe detected all two Malaysia GETV strains (MM2021 and B254) without cross-reacting with other closely related arboviruses. The qRT-PCR assay detected as few as 10 copies of GETV RNA, but its detection limit at the 95% probability level was 63.25 GETV genome copies (probit analysis, P  ≤ 0.05). Further validation of the qRT-PCR assay using 16 spiked simulated clinical specimens showed 100% for both sensitivity and specificity. In conclusion, the qRT-PCR assay developed in this study is useful for rapid, sensitive and specific detection and quantification of GETV.

BackgroundEvaluation of diabetes knowledge plays a pivotal role in identifying and addressing patients’ knowledge gaps. The implementation of a standardized diabetes knowledge assessment tool is important to ensure consistent scoring and facilitating the development of effective and standardized education programs.AimTo develop and validate a patient diabetes knowledge questionnaire (PDKQ) to assess knowledge of diabetes mellitus patients.MethodsThe development of the PDKQ questionnaire involved three phases: item development, content validation, and reliability testing. In the item development phase, the initial draft of the PDKQ, comprising a multiple-choice answer questionnaire was developed. The content validation phase comprised two stages. Firstly, ten experts participated in the expert validation process, followed by face validation involving six patients. In the final phase, test–retest analysis was performed among diabetes mellitus patients to assess reliability.ResultsThe first draft of PDKQ consisted of 11 patient characteristics items and 37 items of multiple choices questions. During the expert validation, three items were eliminated due to low clarity, and an additional six items were removed as they were deemed irrelevant or unimportant. During the face validation, three patients' characteristic items and eight multiple-choice questions were excluded due to a content validity index of less than 0.83. In the test–retest phase, 36 subjects responded to 8 items pertaining to patients' characteristics and 20 multiple-choice questions. The test–retest analysis yielded an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.88, indicating good reliability.ConclusionThe 20-item PDKQ is a reliable and robust tool in assessing the knowledge of diabetes mellitus patients in Malaysia. Its implementation allows standardized assessment of diabetic patients' knowledge levels, enabling targeted interventions to empower patients and optimize diabetes care practices.

In this article, an approach for tissue-engineering (TE) scaffold fabrication by way of integrating computer-based medical imaging, computer graphics, data manipulation techniques, computer-aided design (CAD), and rapid prototyping (RP) technologies is introduced. The aim is to provide a generic solution for the production of scaffolds that can potentially meet the diverse requirements of TE applications. In the work presented, a novel parametric library of open polyhedral unit cells is developed to assist the user in designing the microarchitecture of the scaffold according to the requirements of its final TE application. Once an open polyhedral unit cell design is selected and sized, a specially developed algorithm is employed to assemble the microarchitecture of the scaffold while adhering to the external geometry of the patient's anatomy generated from medical imaging data. RP fabrication techniques are then employed to build the scaffolds according to the CAD-generated designs. The combined application of such technologies promises unprecedented scaffold qualities with spatially and anatomically accurate three-dimensional forms as well as highly consistent and reproducible microarchitectures. The integrated system also has great potential in providing new cost-effective and rapid solutions to customized made-to-order TE scaffold production.