Owing to advancements in molecular diagnostics, recent years have seen an increasing number of laboratories adopting respiratory viral panels to detect respiratory pathogens. In December 2015, the NxTAG respiratory pathogen panel (NxTAG RPP) was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. We compared the clinical performance of this new assay with that of the xTAG respiratory viral panel (xTAG RVP) FAST v2 using 142 clinical samples and 12 external quality assessment samples. Discordant results were resolved by using a laboratory-developed respiratory viral panel. The NxTAG RPP achieved 100% concordant negative results and 86.6% concordant positive results. It detected one coronavirus 229E and eight influenza A/H3N2 viruses that were missed by the xTAG RVP FAST v2. On the other hand, the NxTAG RPP missed one enterovirus/rhinovirus and one metapneumovirus that were detected by FAST v2. Both panels correctly identified all the pathogens in the 12 external quality assessment samples. Overall, the NxTAG RPP demonstrated good diagnostic performance. Of note, it was better able to subtype the influenza A/H3N2 viruses compared with the xTAG RVP FAST v2.
Coronavirus ; Hand ; Influenza, Human ; Metapneumovirus ; Pathology, Molecular ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; United States Food and Drug Administration

Background and objectives: The cumulative time spent without medical intervention in acute stroke patients may affect clinical outcomes. As the onset-to-arrival time to the hospital is crucial for effective treatment interventions, this study aimed to explore the factors associated with pre-hospital delays amongst acute stroke patients. Methods: We explored 932 patients data retrieved from the National Neurology Registry of Seberang Jaya Hospital between January 2013 and December 2018. Data on patient demographics and stroke manifestations were analysed using descriptive, univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. Results: Most patients were men (62.9%) with an average age of 62 years old. In the final multivariate regression model, pre-hospital delay was significantly lower among Chinese patients (aOR=0.6, 95% CI 0.4–0.9, p=0.016) and those using hospital ambulance (aOR=0.4, 95% CI 0.3–0.7, p<0.001), but higher among patients with lacunar infarcts (aOR=2.5, 95% CI 1.4–3.3; p<0.001). Conclusions: Demographic characteristic (ethnicity) and stroke manifestations, particularly stroke subtypes, and mode of transport were mainly associated with pre-hospital delays among acute stroke patients.