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Tulane University researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind handheld diagnostic device that can deliver rapid, accurate tuberculosis diagnoses in under an hour, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine.

The smartphone-sized, battery-powered lab-in-tube assay (LIT) provides a cost-effective tool that can improve TB diagnoses, particularly in resource-limited rural areas where health care facilities and lab equipment are less accessible. Over 90% of new TB cases occur in low- and middle-income countries.

This point-of-care device is the first to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) DNA in saliva, in addition to blood and sputum samples. Saliva is easier to obtain than blood or sputum, and the ability to non-invasively obtain samples that yield accurate results is critical for successfully testing children. More than 1 million children fall ill with TB each year and more than half go undiagnosed or unreported, according to the World Health Organization.

Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, infecting an estimated 10 million people a year. The current resurgence of TB cases, exacerbated by recent disruptions in healthcare services, underscores the urgent need for effective, accessible diagnostic tools.

“TB remains a critical public health concern in low-income countries and diagnosis using a cheap, simple test like we’ve developed is needed not only to treat patients with TB but prevent further spread of the disease,” said senior author Tony Hu, PhD, Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation and director of the Tulane Center for Cellular & Molecular Diagnostics. “An estimated 4.2 million TB cases were undiagnosed or unreported in 2021, largely due to limitations and costs of testing in areas with high disease burden.”

Current testing devices are larger, expensive and require either extensive on-site technology or shipment of samples to a laboratory elsewhere. The LIT test is designed to offer a low-cost TB testing solution, with each device costing less than $800 and less than $3 per test. In comparison, another commonly used TB testing device costs at minimum $19,000 and the cost per test is around $100 in certain countries.

In the study, the LIT device demonstrated high accuracy in testing blood samples from children in the Dominican Republic, outperforming the more expensive machine – 81% sensitivity compared to 68% – and meeting the WHO criteria for TB diagnostics. Blood serum-based testing – testing that utilizes the liquid part of drawn blood after coagulation – is particularly important in children and patients living with HIV who often cannot produce sputum. The LIT assay results suggest that blood samples could be used to monitor TB treatment progress, as they closely align with the improvement in patient symptoms.

“This system reduces the expertise and equipment required for TB diagnosis which is essential for point-of-care application,” said lead author, Brady Youngquist, a graduate student in the Tulane University Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics. “Saliva-based testing for TB is particularly exciting because it can be easily obtained in all patients and can be used for portable testing without the need for blood draw. And sputum is often not produced in children and patients living with HIV, a common co-infection.”

Reference:

Brady M. Youngquist et al. ,Rapid tuberculosis diagnosis from respiratory or blood samples by a low cost, portable lab-in-tube assay.Sci. Transl. Med.17,eadp6411(2025).DOI:10.1126/scitranslmed.adp6411.

China: In a significant clinical finding, researchers from The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, China, have documented the first known case of peritoneal dialysis–associated peritonitis (PDAP) caused by the rare fungus Acremonium sclerotigenum. The case report, published in BMC Nephrology by Dr. Ju Wang and colleagues, sheds light on a previously unrecognized fungal pathogen implicated in PDAP and highlights the importance of early pathogen identification and prompt intervention.

Dr. Ho Sang Jung and his research team from the Advanced Bio and Healthcare Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), in collaboration with Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, have developed a technology that enables the diagnosis of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis within 10 minutes using synovial fluid. This marks the first such achievement in Korea.

According to some studies, over 50% of the population aged 65 and older experience symptoms of osteoarthritis, while rheumatoid arthritis is known to be a serious chronic disease that affects approximately 1 in 100 people over the course of their lifetime. Although osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis may appear similar, they differ in both their causes and treatments, making accurate differentiation at the early diagnosis stage critically important. Until now, diagnosis has relied on X-rays, MRI scans, and blood tests, which are time-consuming, costly, and limited in accuracy.

The human joints contain a fluid known as synovial fluid. The research team focused on the differences in the composition of metabolites-byproducts of chemical processes occurring within the body-present in this fluid. By analyzing these metabolic differences, they developed a technology capable of distinguishing between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis within 10 minutes, as well as assessing the severity of rheumatoid arthritis.

The research team utilized Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) technology, a phenomenon in which the optical signals of molecules are amplified by several million times. This technology amplifies signals from trace molecules present in synovial fluid and, through a combination of AI-based analysis and mathematical algorithms, detects minute substances responsible for arthritis. In addition, the team developed a simple and rapid diagnostic method using a sensor composed of a sea urchin-shaped gold nanostructure formed on a paper surface with high moisture absorption, enabling efficient detection via body fluids.

In collaboration with Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, the research team conducted tests using this technology on 120 patients. The results showed that osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis could be diagnosed and distinguished with an accuracy of over 94%. Furthermore, the technology achieved over 95% accuracy in determining the severity of rheumatoid arthritis. These findings demonstrate that the technology not only significantly reduces the time and cost of arthritis diagnosis but also ensures a high level of diagnostic accuracy.

Dr. Ho Sang Jung, the lead researcher at KIMS, stated, “If this technology is commercialized, it will not only aid in diagnosis but also be highly useful in monitoring treatment progress.”He added, “We also plan to continue expanding our research to cover a wider range of diseases in the future.”

Reference:

Boyou Heo, Vo Thi Nhat Linh, Jun-Yeong Yang, Rowoon Park, Sung-Gyu Park, Min‑Kyung Nam, Seung-Ah Yoo, Wan-Uk Kim, Min-Young Lee, Ho Sang Jung, AI-Assisted Plasmonic Diagnostics Platform for Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis With Biomarker Quantification Using Mathematical Models, Small, https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202500264.

A new study published in the journal of Clinical Therapeutics showed that intravenous (IV) ibuprofen significantly reduced postoperative pain and opioid consumption in older adults. This research analyzed data from 4 clinical trials (2 placebo-controlled phase 3 studies and 2 open-label phase 4 trials) involving hospitalized patients treated for pain and/or fever. The findings support the safety and efficacy of IV ibuprofen in managing pain in older adults.

In contrast to younger adults, people 60 years of age and older report higher prevalence and intensity of pain and are more likely to need analgesic therapies for the treatment of both acute and chronic pain. These factors make managing postoperative pain in older adults more complicated because they are more sensitive to opioid analgesics, have a higher risk of side effects, and are more likely to develop postoperative delirium.

Although intravenous ibuprofen (IVIB) has been demonstrated to be safe and effective in both adult and pediatric populations, older people have not yet had its safety and effectiveness properly assessed. Thus, this study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of IVIB in patients who were 60 years of age or older.

The data from 4 prospective clinical trials that used IVIB to treat fever and/or pain in hospitalized patients every 6 hours for a maximum of 5 days were subjected to a post hoc subgroup analysis. The visual analogue scale for measuring pain and the total morphine demand were used to evaluate efficacy. 

Of the 1041 patients treated, 284 patients were aged 60 and above, of whom 223 received IV ibuprofen and 61 received a placebo, 757 were between the ages of 18 and 59. The effectiveness analysis comprised 591 participants from 2 placebo-controlled studies, whereas the safety evaluation covered all patients. The incidence of major adverse events (AEs) was comparable across treatment groups in both age cohorts, although the incidence of AEs was greater in the placebo group.

When compared to placebo, IVIB therapy reduced pain in older patients by 24.0% at rest (P = 0.008), 20.0% during movement (P = 0.001) between 6 and 24 hours after surgery, and 23.2% during total morphine demand (P = 0.031). Overall, elderly are more likely than younger adults to have pain and to experience adverse events, poor outcomes, and mortality from using specific pain drugs. 

Reference:

Gan, T. J., Gibson, B., Durr, E., Abad, A., Zaborny, B., Bergese, S., & Southworth, S. (2025). The safety and efficacy of intravenous ibuprofen in older patients: A retrospective subgroup analysis. Clinical Therapeutics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2025.04.021

Assam- In a shocking incident, a medical student from Assam was allegedly attacked by a group of 7 to 8 youths inside a hostel of Sikkim Manipal Medical College at around 8 pm on Friday night. The incident has raised serious concerns about student safety and campus security.