Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36371769›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical laboratory analysis2022

Accompanying a semi-nested PCR assay to support histopathology findings of fungal keratitis in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded corneal samples.

Mohammad Javad Ashraf, Foroogh Shamsizadeh, Hamid Morovati, Safoora Hejazinia, Mohammad Kord, Saham Ansari, Keyvan Pakshir, Golsa Shekarkhar, Kamiar Zomorodian

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical laboratory analysis, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 30% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. 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

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Mohammad Javad AshrafDepartment of Pathology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4987-8477
Foroogh ShamsizadehDepartment of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8208-189X
Hamid MorovatiDepartment of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3569-0035
Safoora HejaziniaDepartment of Pathology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Mohammad KordDepartment of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8059-1060
Saham AnsariDepartment of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1623-5803
Keyvan PakshirDepartment of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7809-4690
Golsa ShekarkharDepartment of Pathology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4033-8992
Kamiar ZomorodianDepartment of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3338-7112
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences · IRShahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences · IR

Funding

Shiraz University of Medical SciencesVice-Chancellor for Research, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences 93-7274
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFungal species are responsible for 40%-50% of all microbial keratitis cases. Due to the low amount of extracted DNA in ocular Formalin-fixed Paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, selecting a reliable molecular method is a substantial issue in this field.

methodsSixty-six samples were collected via the penetrating keratoplasty (PK) technique. Histopathology assays were performed using hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining methods. The ITS1/ITS4 and ITS1/ITS2 primer pairs were used in a semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to target the universal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Some PCR results were validated through sequencing.

resultsFungal DNA was detected in 44 of 66 samples (66.7%), and histopathology was positive for 41 of 66 samples (62.1%). Of 41 histopathologically proven fungal-positive cases, 39 were PCR-positive (95%). Moreover, of 44 PCR-positive samples, 39 (88.6%) were histopathology-positive, and 5 (11.3%) were histopathology-negative. Totally in 39 cases (59%), both histopathology and PCR yielded positive results. The Kappa agreement rate between the two diagnostic methods, including histopathology and PCR, was 0.77. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and false predictive value were reported as 88.64%, 90.9%, 95.12%, and 80%, respectively.

conclusionAs we reached the acceptable Kappa agreement rate, we concluded that applying the semi-nested PCR assay is a promising method for supporting the evidence by histopathology. Finally, we suggest targeting more specific gene regions using primer pairs that amplify smaller amplicon sizes and surveying novel molecular methods such as NGS to achieve higher sensitivity and Kappa agreement rates.

Indexed as

KeratitisDNA, FungalFormaldehydeHumansParaffin EmbeddingPolymerase Chain ReactionSensitivity and SpecificityDNA, FungalFormaldehydeformalin-fixed paraffin-embeddedfungal keratitishistopathologyocular samplessemi-nested PCR

Identifiers

PMID36371769
PMCPMC9757011
OpenAlexW4308890810

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.