Search Results (2,603)

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) system began as a tool for programmable genome editing. CRISPR/ Cas technologies have evolved into a versatile platform for functional genomic screening, epigenome editing, therapeutic target discovery, and highly sensitive molecular diagnostics. New effectors and engineered variants continue to push these applications into personalized medicine and point-of-care testing. Here, this review highlights recent advances in therapeutic target discovery and therapeutic and molecular diagnostic development utilizing CRISPR/Cas technologies. We discuss how CRISPR interference (CRISPRi), CRISPR activation (CRISPRa), base editing, and prime editing have improved our understanding of disease mechanisms, while creating new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Current applications in cancer immunotherapy, infectious disease, and neurological disorders are also discussed. In diagnostics, CRISPR-based platforms enable sensitive detection of infectious pathogens, cancer biomarkers, and genetic disorders using programmable nuclease activity in both laboratory and point-of-care settings. Collectively, these advances continue to expand the role of CRISPR/Cas technology across biological discovery, disease diagnostics, and therapeutic development, driving progress in precision medicine. Full article

Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is challenging in low-resource settings because access to colonoscopy and centralized laboratory testing is limited. Urine-based metabolite biomarkers offer a non-invasive alternative for CRC triage, but translating a laboratory assay into a point-of-care (PoC) system requires standardized fluid handling, operator-independent timing, field-compatible reagents, and quantitative calibration. Here, we present a low-cost, semi-automated PoC platform integrating a validated, sequential, three-metabolite CRC-biomarker assay with robotic fluid handling, a motorized chromatographic module, an optical reader, Bluetooth electronics, and tablet-guided control. The platform measures urinary diacetylspermine and hippuric acid, with creatinine serving as a normalization reference, and reports absolute quantitative concentrations. Automated dilution, tube positioning, timed incubation, controlled column elution, and software-guided transfer reduce operator-dependent variation. Using pooled urine samples spiked at clinically relevant concentrations, the creatinine assay showed a strong quadratic response (0–50 mM, R² = 0.998), as did the diacetylspermine assay (0–4 μM, R² = 0.979), while the hippuric acid assay showed a linear response of R² = 0.989. The RGB sensor tracked the concentration-dependent trend observed with a laboratory microplate reader (R² = 0.968–0.999). Reagents reformulated as lyophilized or pre-weighed, vacuum-sealed kits withstood accelerated heat and humidity (45 °C/70% RH) testing and international shipping to the pilot site very well. At approximately USD 490 for the complete instrument (including tablet) and roughly USD 7.65 in consumables per screening test, the platform offers a practical, quantitative, and portable route for decentralized CRC screening. Full article

Background: Missed Nursing Care is a comprehensive, multidimensional, and frequently occurring phenomenon in various clinical contexts in Portugal. Objective: This study aimed to translate, adapt, and cross-culturally validate the MISSCARE Survey-Patient for the Portuguese population and to analyze the quality of its measurement properties. Methods: An exploratory–descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional validation study was conducted. The questionnaire underwent cross-cultural adaptation through translation, translation synthesis, and back-translation procedures, followed by harmonization by an expert committee, pre-testing, and field testing. Results: Ten hospitalized persons and ten nurses participated in the pre-test as experts, while 135 hospitalized persons were included in the field testing. In the pre-testing, excellent content validity indices were obtained for clarity (S-CVUI/Med of 0.98 and S-CVI/UA of 0.84) and cultural relevance (S-CVUI/Med and S-CVI/UA of 1.00) for the overall instrument. In the field testing, a final three-dimensional model (Basic Care, Communication, and Time to Response) was obtained, explaining 66.7% of the total variance. Evidence based on internal structure was supported by Structural Validity indices from the confirmatory factor analysis [X²(56) = 52.421, p < 0.001, χ²/df = 2.722; PCFI = 0.640 and CFI = 0.892]. Convergent Validity was demonstrated through a moderate correlation between the instrument and a question assessing satisfaction with care (r = −0.677; p < 0.001). For the overall instrument, Cronbach’s α was 0.818, indicating very good Internal Consistency, while values for the dimensions ranged between 0.766 and 0.902. Minimal Important Change exceeded the Smallest Detectable Change by seven points for the total instrument, suggesting good potential to detect meaningful changes. Conclusions: The MISSCARE Survey-Patient-PT demonstrates good measurement properties for assessing hospitalized patients’ perceptions of the occurrence of Missed Nursing Care in Portuguese health services. Full article

The central point of evolutionary ecology is understanding the drivers of variation in life-history strategies among organisms. The post-fledging dependence period is a critical life-history stage in the life cycle of altricial birds, influencing their future long-term survival, fitness, and reproduction. This period represents the transition between fledging and the onset of natal dispersal or migration, when offspring are highly dependent on parental care. In this study, we used GPS-GSM telemetry to analyze for the first time the duration of this phase and the size of the ranging area of Lesser Spotted Eagles during the dependence period, testing the importance of various extrinsic (habitat type, territory, region) and intrinsic (body condition, sex, fledging date, fledging age) factors. Our survey was conducted between 2020 and 2025 in Bulgaria, SoutheastEurope. The mean duration of the post-fledging dependence period (PFDP) in the juveniles was 47 ± 5 days (SD) (n = 14). The age of independence of eagles ranged from 71 to 110 days (median = 95 days). Our results show that the fledging date is the main determinant shaping the dependence period both temporally and spatially. The size of the ranging area (90% home range) of juveniles during the PFDP varied from 0.03 to 16.72 km², with a mean value of 2.41 km² ± 4.34 SD (n = 14). Home range was influenced mainly by surrounding habitats (grassland types and forests). In line with our hypothesis, we found that birds are habitat-selective, strongly preferring forests and avoiding human-modified landscapes (infrastructure and agricultural fields) during this early life-history stage. We established a relatively small ranging area inhabited by eagles and a low-mobility pattern with a gradual increase in movements that is highly individual-specific. In general, forests occupied the largest share of the home range of eagles, ranging from 0.38% to 87.45%, with a mean value of 49.47% ± 26.57. The duration of the post-fledging dependence period and the size of the ranging area were constrained by the onset of first migration, coinciding with the beginning of birds’ independence. The home range overlap of eagles varied from 56.35% to 100%, with an average value of 87.94%. The high similarity among ranging areas identified in this study emphasizes the importance and consistency of environmental conditions, such as habitat features, compared to others that would vary yearly. The key aspects (spatial and temporal) of the post-fledging dependence pattern, identified by our study, are important for species conservation and must be integrated into future landscape planning. Our results also contribute to a better understanding of the complex factors shaping raptors’ space-use pattern in this key, a poorly studied life-history trait of raptors, thus enhancing knowledge for similar species of conservation concern. Full article

Background: Accurate early identification of sepsis remains a major clinical challenge due to its heterogeneous presentation and overlap of clinical signs with the non-infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Timely differentiation is crucial for improving patient outcomes, meeting sepsis bundle requirements and reducing inappropriate antimicrobial use. We hypothesized that clinical–laboratory data available within the first three hours of patient presentation could be used to identify patients with sepsis at a clinically useful level of diagnostic accuracy, in lieu of traditional microbiology results which would not become available until at least 12–24 h. Data from two independent studies were used to quantify the diagnostic value of demographic, vital, clinical–laboratory, and microbiological data available at three time points for distinguishing retrospectively diagnosed critically ill patients with either sepsis or non-infectious SIRS. A particular focus of this work was an assessment of the utility of SeptiCyte RAPID (Immunexpress Inc., Seattle, WA, USA) as an aid to sepsis diagnosis, producing actionable data within one hour. Methods: Data from two independent study cohorts were analyzed. The “510(k) cohort” consisted of 419 adult patients in intensive care (ICU) (MARS, VENUS, and NEPTUNE studies). The “Andalusian cohort” consisted of 353 ICU patients from the PANGEA study. Logistic regression models, selected by a greedy search algorithm and validated by repeated cross-validation, were used to determine the contributions of different variables to diagnostic accuracy. Diagnostic performance was quantified by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: For the 510(k) cohort, a baseline AUC of 0.69–0.73 was observed using five to seven vital and demographic variables assessed immediately upon presentation (time T1). The addition of clinical–laboratory variables, in particular SeptiCyte RAPID, within one to three hours post-presentation (time T2) increased the AUC to 0.85–0.86. Finally, the addition of microbiological data 12–24 h post-presentation (time T3) further improved the AUC to 0.90–0.91. Similar results were obtained for the Andalusian cohort. AUC values at the three time points were as follows: At time T1, AUC = 0.67 based solely on vital signs and demographics; at time T2, AUC = 0.87 based on vitals + demographics + SeptiCyte RAPID ± other clinical–laboratory data; at time T3, AUC = 0.93 based on vitals + demographics + SeptiCyte RAPID ± other clinical–laboratory data + microbiology results. For both cohorts, the most significant variables included temperature, mean arterial pressure, respiratory rate, suspected infection site, SeptiCyte RAPID, procalcitonin, confirmed bacterial infection and positive blood culture confirmation. In summary, the AUC for diagnosing sepsis rose progressively from T1 (510(k) 0.69–0.73; Andalusian 0.67) to T2 (510(k) 0.85–0.86; Andalusian 0.87) with the addition of SeptiCyte RAPID to T3 (510(k) 0.90–0.91; Andalusian 0.93) as more clinical information became available over time. Conclusions: The accuracy of identification of sepsis increases markedly as demographics and vital signs are supplemented with clinical–laboratory information, and ultimately with microbiological culture results. The AUC improves in the shortest time within the first three hours when laboratory data, and particularly SeptiCyte RAPID results, become available. Integrating rapid host response testing with SeptiCyte RAPID into time-based diagnostic frameworks may enhance early sepsis recognition, improve antimicrobial stewardship, and support guideline-driven clinical decisions. Full article

Background/Objectives: C-reactive protein point-of-care tests (CRP POCTs) have become a useful tool in reducing inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics in the management of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). This review examined the barriers and enablers of CRP POCT implementation in primary care using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Methods: A search was conducted in six electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Medline (EBSCOhost), ProQuest and CENTRAL) for studies up to December 2025 on CRP POCT implementation for RTIs in primary care. Eligible studies included quantitative randomised controlled trials (RCTs), qualitative studies, cost-effectiveness studies, mixed-methods and observational studies. Only English-language studies were included. Results: The review included 35 studies. CRP POCT was generally found to be an effective and acceptable tool due to reductions in antibiotic prescribing, playing a role in supporting clinical decision-making and patient communication. However, widespread adoption and usage were inconsistent across studies. Further, qualitative findings raised operational and financial constraints as key barriers to sustained implementation. Reporting of RE-AIM domains varied across study type. Notable gaps were identified in reporting of the maintenance domain along with population representativeness, non-participation, and device uptake. Of the 35 studies, 13 included 'operational' and/or 'financial constraints' as identified themes or concerns about wider implementation. Conclusions: Although CRP POCT has routinely been found to be effective, a wider comprehensive assessment of implementation is restricted due to gaps in reporting. Key barriers to sustained and scalable global implementation of CRP POCT in primary care are predominantly financial and operational. Full article

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a public health challenge, with rising incidence rates and significant loss to follow-up in traditional testing models. Point-of-care (POC) testing promises same-day diagnosis and treatment, potentially transforming STI management. We conducted a narrative review with perspective elements of commercially available POC and near-POC tests for STIs, identifying tests through regulatory and product-specific sources including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification list, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), publicly available European regulatory and manufacturer sources for CE-marked in vitro diagnostic devices under the EU In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation framework, and the published literature. Several nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)-based platforms now deliver results rapidly with excellent sensitivity and specificity for common bacterial and protozoal STIs, including Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis. For viral STIs, POC testing is most mature for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with numerous approved rapid antibody tests, although viral load and resistance testing remain laboratory-based. Most NAAT platforms require dedicated instruments, specialized training, and significant infrastructure. At-home testing options are emerging but face challenges with sensitivity, public health surveillance, and regulatory oversight. In conclusion, POC testing for STIs is advancing but not yet fully realized, and true POC tests (those usable at the bedside without laboratory support) remain limited. While rapid NAAT platforms represent significant progress over traditional laboratory-based testing, barriers to true POC implementation persist. Future developments in antimicrobial resistance detection, multiplex testing, instrument-free platforms, and integration of at-home testing with public health surveillance will be critical to achieving broader STI testing and control. Full article

The dominant clinical manifestation of aging is not mortality but the progressive depletion of functional reserve—the surplus physiological capacity separating independent function from disability. Existing geroscience frameworks describe molecular aging in detail yet give the point-of-care clinician little basis for prioritizing targets. We reframe functional aging as a control systems problem in which aging is modeled as progressive instability within a coupled, bidirectional mitochondrial–epigenetic axis. That axis is called central in two limited senses only: network connectivity and therapeutic tractability; no causal primacy is claimed over mTOR signaling, inflammaging, senescence, proteostasis failure, telomere attrition, or stem cell exhaustion. Candidate capacities were scored against three conjunctive criteria—independence, necessity, and modifiability. Five satisfy them at the thresholds stated, and sensitivity analysis reports which threshold changes would instead yield four or seven, so the count follows from a stated procedure rather than standing as a natural constant. Interventions are mapped onto these capacities in a separate layer. The result is a hierarchically ordered, clinically actionable, falsifiable architecture in which functional reserve is the primary therapeutic target and lifespan a downstream consequence—and whose primary test, deletion of any single capacity from longitudinal models, is evaluable in existing cohorts without new data collection. Full article

Background/Objectives: Hypercapnic respiratory failure (HRF) is a serious complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare utilisation. National HRF trends among patients with COPD remain poorly characterised in Lithuania, and the knowledge of prehospital emergency-care professionals regarding oxygen therapy and hypercapnia has not been evaluated. Methods: This study comprised two components. First, a cross-sectional online survey assessed knowledge of COPD, hypercapnia, and oxygen therapy among prehospital emergency-care professionals (EMS physicians, emergency nurses, EMS paramedics, and paramedics); three questionnaire items whose designated correct answers could not be unambiguously supported were excluded from the knowledge score, and the original 10-item score was retained as a sensitivity analysis. Second, nationwide electronic health record data from the Lithuanian national health record system (ESPBI IS, 2020–2023) were analysed retrospectively: patients with COPD and concomitant chronic HRF were identified using ICD-10-AM diagnostic codes, and the number of patients with a recorded J96.11 diagnosis irrespective of underlying disease was obtained as a national denominator. Proportions are reported with 95% confidence intervals and temporal trends as absolute changes in percentage points; multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios adjusted for age group and sex. Between-year differences were tested using the χ² test with Holm-adjusted pairwise comparisons, and the association between sex and chronic HRF was expressed as an odds ratio. All tests were two-sided, and p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Among the 65 prehospital emergency-care professionals surveyed, knowledge of hypercapnia was relatively high: 78.5% (95% CI 67.0–86.7) correctly defined it and 72.3% (95% CI 60.4–81.7) identified its symptoms, whereas 58.5% (95% CI 46.3–69.6) identified the recommended SpO₂ target range of 88–92%. Respondents answered a median of 5 of the 7 scored knowledge items correctly (IQR 4–6). Total knowledge scores differed by professional role (p = 0.034) but not by years of experience, sex, or frequency of COPD contact; the sensitivity analysis using the original 10-item score gave the same pattern (p = 0.006). In the national electronic health record data, the COPD population increased from 27,239 to 32,446 (+19.1%) between 2020 and 2023, while the number of COPD patients with a recorded chronic HRF diagnosis rose from 160 to 291 (+81.9%). The proportion rose from 0.59% (95% CI 0.50–0.69) to 0.90% (95% CI 0.80–1.01), an absolute increase of 0.31 percentage points (95% CI 0.17–0.45; risk ratio 1.53, 95% CI 1.26–1.85). Men had higher odds than women after adjustment for age (adjusted OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.28–1.88), and adjusted odds were lowest in patients aged 80 years or older. Across the four annual cross-sections, COPD accounted for 41.5% of patient-year observations with a recorded J96.11 diagnosis nationally. Conclusions: Knowledge of COPD, hypercapnia, and oxygen therapy varied among the prehospital emergency-care professionals surveyed, with one of the lowest proportions of correct responses observed for the recommended target oxygen saturation range. National electronic health record data showed an increase in the proportion of patients with COPD who had a recorded diagnosis of chronic HRF between 2020 and 2023. These components were analysed independently, and no relationship between professional knowledge and temporal trends in recorded diagnoses was assessed. The electronic health record findings support continued monitoring and recognition of chronic HRF in COPD, whereas the survey findings support further evaluation of targeted education on oxygen therapy in the prehospital setting. Full article

Point-of-care (POC) diagnostic testing based on microfluidic technology plays an important role in coagulation management. Its precision is, however, limited by the inefficient mixing between blood and solid activators in laminar microfluidic flow. In this study, a novel micromixer incorporating periodic oscillatory flow was developed to enhance blood-activator mixing. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model was established to investigate the microscale hydrodynamic characteristics and solid dispersion behavior in the oscillatory multiphase flow system. The numerical predictions were validated against tracer mixing experiments. Sample calculations for the air-liquid-solid flow system demonstrated that the initial loading position of activator particles significantly affected the dispersion efficiency due to the spatial variation in the radial velocity field. Compared with the center-initialized case, the solid dispersion level in the corner-initialized case decreased by approximately 42% after two oscillation cycles. Furthermore, the influence mechanism of oscillation period on solid dispersion was clarified through multi-physics coupling analysis. This study provided new insights into solid–liquid mixing in oscillatory microfluidic systems and established an effective CFD-based framework for optimizing microdevice design and operating conditions. Full article

Mosquito-borne viruses, including dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses, place a substantial burden on diagnostic services, especially where molecular laboratories are inaccessible or slow to return results. Point-of-care biosensors could reduce turnaround times and bring testing closer to patients in primary care, outbreak response, and field settings. This review critically examines nucleic acid amplification, CRISPR-assisted assays, lateral-flow platforms, microfluidic systems, electrochemical and optical biosensors, paper-based devices, and smartphone-enabled readouts. These technologies are evaluated in terms of sample preparation, analytical sensitivity and specificity, matrix interference, multiplexing, workflow integration, cost, and clinical validation. Overall, nucleic-acid-amplification and CRISPR-assisted platforms often achieve low reported detection limits under controlled conditions; lateral-flow and paper-based devices offer relatively simple and minimally instrumented workflows; and microfluidic, electrochemical, and smartphone-enabled systems support increasing levels of workflow integration, quantitative readout, and connectivity. However, few platforms currently integrate these advantages into a fully integrated and clinically validated “sample-to-result” workflow. Due to sample heterogeneity, viral strains, reference methods, assay conditions, and disparities in reporting practices, conducting meaningful cross-study comparisons remains challenging. Limited comparisons and insufficient prospective clinical and field validation further restrict the assessment of practical diagnostic utility. Therefore, strong analytical performance alone should not be interpreted as evidence of clinical validity. Priority directions include unified definitions of performance and reporting units, standardized validation protocols and external quality assessment, prospective multi-site evaluation using representative populations and specimens, and earlier consideration of manufacturing scalability, reagent stability, quality systems, and applicable regulatory requirements. Future platforms should integrate simplified sample preparation, multiplex detection, objective digital or AI-assisted interpretation, and secure connectivity while demonstrating measurable benefits for patient management and outbreak surveillance. Full article

Cognitive function is central to healthy aging and is an important health outcome for evaluating long-term care policy. This study examines whether exposure to China’s long-term care insurance (LTCI) pilot is associated with cognitive function among adults aged 45 years and older. Using five waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2020, we estimate difference-in-differences (DID) models with individual and survey-wave fixed effects. Ten first-batch pilot cities are retained on the basis of implementation timing, with 2011–2015 classified as pre-policy and 2018–2020 as post-policy. Cognitive function is measured by a 0–21 composite score of episodic memory and mental intactness. In the preferred parsimonious specification, LTCI pilot exposure is associated with a 0.478-point reduction in the composite score (city-clustered SE = 0.168), equivalent to approximately 0.128 standard deviations; wild cluster bootstrap inference yields p = 0.008. The estimate remains negative under alternative covariate specifications, exclusion of the 2018 wave, pre-policy PSM-DID, and province-by-wave fixed effects. Event-study estimates are close to zero before the policy and negative thereafter, while city-level placebo estimates are centered near zero. Formal interaction tests indicate heterogeneity by baseline age, marital status, and hukou after false discovery rate adjustment but not by gender or number of children. The interaction with 2015 baseline CES-D is marginally significant (p = 0.063) and is therefore interpreted as exploratory. Overall, the findings suggest a modest negative association between LTCI pilot exposure and the composite cognitive-function score and highlight the value of monitoring domain-specific cognitive outcomes within long-term care policy. Domain-specific estimates diverged: episodic memory increased (beta = 0.300, p < 0.001), whereas mental intactness decreased (beta = −0.812, p < 0.001). In an age-stratified sensitivity analysis based on 2015 pre-policy age, the estimate was not statistically significant among adults aged 45–59 years (beta = 0.168, p = 0.380) but was negative among those aged 60 years or older (beta = −0.362, p = 0.003); the between-group interaction was significant (beta = −0.530, p = 0.040). Full article

This review systematically summarizes recent advances in CRISPR-Cas12b-based pathogen nucleic acid detection. Starting with an overview of conventional nucleic acid detection methods and core CRISPR-Cas mechanisms, we highlight the unique properties that distinguish Cas12b from other Cas effectors. We elaborate on the working principles of the CRISPR-Cas12b system and present comparative structural and functional analyses with other Cas variants to underscore its distinctive molecular architecture and enzymatic properties. A comprehensive evaluation of current applications demonstrates the efficacy of CRISPR-Cas12b-based diagnostics across diverse pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites, with a specific focus on its integration with isothermal amplification techniques. We further examine the translational potential of CRISPR-based diagnostics in clinical settings, while critically analyzing persistent technical challenges including off-target effects, signal amplification limitations, and sample preparation requirements. Targeted strategic recommendations are proposed to optimize detection sensitivity, develop multiplexed detection platforms, and implement point-of-care testing configurations. This review aims to systematically correlate the unique characteristics of Cas12b with its broad diagnostic applications, thereby addressing key research gaps in its progression toward clinical validation and field deployment. It also provides a targeted framework to accelerate the translation of this technology from laboratory platforms to practical diagnostic solutions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Access to accurate tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics remains limited, particularly in high-burden settings. The Pluslife MTB assay is among the first molecular tests specifically designed for swab-based detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and offers near point-of-care use. Methods: We conducted a prospective diagnostic accuracy study in South Africa to evaluate the performance of the Pluslife assay on tongue swabs (TSs) and sputum swabs (SSs) among symptomatic and asymptomatic adults. Results were compared against liquid culture as the reference standard and Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) as a comparator. Operational characteristics and ease-of-use were assessed through structured observation and Likert-scale scoring by testing personnel. Results: Of the 256 participants enrolled, 92 [36%] were people with HIV (PHIV) and 217 were included in the final analysis. Culture confirmed TB in 41/217 (19%). Pluslife on SSs demonstrated a sensitivity of 85% (95% CI: 70.8–94.4), compared to 83% (95% CI: 67.9–92.8), for Xpert Ultra on sputum and detected one additional case (paired analysis, p = 1.000). Sensitivity on TSs was lower (63%, 95% CI: 46.9–77.9), particularly among PHIV. Specificity exceeded 97% across specimen types. Concordance on TSs between Pluslife and Xpert Ultra increased with higher bacterial loads. Operational evaluation showed short hands-on time and high ease-of-use scores, though limitations were noted for patient identifier recording and troubleshooting on the Pluslife MiniDock device. Conclusions: The Pluslife MTB assay on SSs demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy and favorable usability in this study. Tongue swabs remain feasible but less reliable, supporting sputum as the preferred first specimen for TB diagnosis. Full article

Hemoglobin (Hb) and its glycated variant (HbA1c) are essential clinical biomarkers for diagnosing anemia, acute hemorrhage, and long-term glycemic control. The growing demand for decentralized point-of-care (POC) testing has accelerated the development of rapid, inexpensive, and portable electrochemical sensing platforms. These technologies exploit the intrinsic redox activity of the heme prosthetic group, yet achieving efficient direct electron transfer (DET) remains a fundamental challenge because the electroactive iron center is deeply embedded within the globin structure. This review critically examines recent advances in electrochemical Hb sensing, tracing the evolution of electrode architectures from conventional carbon substrates to nanostructured materials, including graphene, MXenes, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). We compare the advantages and limitations of non-enzymatic biomimetic platforms and affinity-based sensing strategies, including aptamer- and antibody-based biosensors, with emphasis on electron-transfer efficiency, molecular selectivity, analytical performance, and suitability for POC implementation. Beyond analytical performance, we evaluate the principal barriers to clinical translation, including biofouling, whole-blood matrix effects, viscosity-dependent mass transport, manufacturing scalability, and the persistent gap between validation in synthetic media and performance in clinical samples. Finally, we discuss emerging applications in wearable menstrual health monitoring and ingestible gastrointestinal bleeding sensors, highlighting the integration of advanced electrochemical materials with miniaturized electronics as a pathway toward practical, consumer-oriented diagnostics. Full article