Evidence map›Paper›PMID 16737998›Full record

ArticleArchives of disease in childhood2006

Evaluation of polymerase chain reaction and adenosine deaminase assay for the diagnosis of tuberculous effusions in children.

O P Mishra, R Kumar, Z Ali, R Prasad, G Nath

Open access · bronzeAbstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of disease in childhood, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

O P MishraDepartment of Pediatrics, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. opmpedia@yahoo.co.uk
R Kumar
Z Ali
R Prasad
G Nath
Institute of Medical Sciences · INBanaras Hindu University · IN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimTo evaluate and compare the utility of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of tuberculous effusions in children.

methodsPCR, adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) were evaluated in the fluid of 31 tuberculous (20 pleural, 8 ascites and 3 pericardial) and 24 non-tuberculous (10 transudtative ascites, 8 empyema thoracis, 3 malignant pleural and 3 pyopericardium) effusions.

resultsFluid PCR for Mycobacterium tuberculosis was positive in 74% of tuberculous effusions, whereas it was falsely positive in 13% of the non-tuberculous group. The mean fluid ADA and ALC values were significantly higher in tuberculous effusions than in non-tuberculous effusions (p<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of PCR, ADA (> or =38 IU/l) and ALC (> or =275/mm3) were 74% and 88%, 81% and 75%, and 90% and 83%, respectively, in diagnosing tuberculous effusions. The sensitivity of PCR, ADA and ALC was 100%, 100% and 88%, respectively, for confirmed tuberculous effusions. When the two tests were combined (either/or positive), the sensitivity increased (90-100%) at the expense of specificity. When both the tests were positive, then the specificity markedly increased (92-96%), but sensitivity of the tests decreased.

conclusionFluid PCR alone should not be relied on as a single test; rather, combined analysis with either ADA or ALC could be more useful in the diagnosis of tuberculous effusions in children.

Indexed as

Adenosine DeaminaseAdolescentAscitesChildChild, PreschoolClinical Enzyme TestsEmpyema, PleuralFemaleHumansInfantLymphocyte CountMaleMycobacterium tuberculosisPericardial EffusionPleural EffusionPolymerase Chain ReactionAdenosine Deaminase

Identifiers

PMID16737998
PMCPMC2082988
OpenAlexW2098648749

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.