Point-of-care testing (POCT) devices are becoming increasingly popular in the medical community as an alternative to conventional laboratory testing, especially for home treatments or other forms of outpatient care. Multiple-use chemical sensors with minimal requirements for disposables are among the most practical and cost-effective POC diagnostic instruments, especially in managing chronic conditions. An affordable, simple, and easy-to-use optical sensor based on fast protein liquid chromatography with direct UV absorption detection was developed for the rapid determination of the total protein concentration in effluent peritoneal dialysate and for the assessment of protein losses in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on constant ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The sensor employs non-disposable PD-10 desalting columns for the separation of molecules with different molecular weights and a deep UV LED (maximum at 285 nm) as a light source for optical detection. The analytic procedure is relatively simple, takes 10–15 min, and potentially can be performed by patients themselves or nursing staff without laboratory training. Preliminary clinical trials on a group of 23 patients on CAPD revealed a good concordance between the protein concentrations in dialysate samples measured with the sensor and an automated biochemical analyzer; the mean relative error was about 10%, which is comparable with routine clinical laboratory methods.

Treatment of Trichomonas vaginalis typically involves using nitroimidazoles (such as metronidazole and tinidazole). Some T. vaginalis strains have become resistant to these drugs, so the development of new drugs is necessary. Clinical samples were taken from 80 males and 70 females (aged 17-45). The sensitivity of T. vaginalis in these samples to CGNC (100, 200, 300 and 500 mg/mL) and metronidazole (10, 15, 25 and 50 µg/mL) was evaluated. All 10 isolates were sensitive to at least one concentration of CGNC. Three strains were sensitive (all cells were killed) to 100 mg/mL CGNC, while there was a decrease in the number of Trichomonas present in the other samples when compared with the control. Six strains were sensitive to 200 mg/mL CGNC, while those strains that grew in the presence of CGNC showed a reduction in numbers when compared with the control. Nine strains were sensitive to 300 mg/mL CGNC. The strain not sensitive to 300 mg/mL CGNC showed a decrease in the number of Trichomonas present (<10 2 cells/mL) when compared to the control (10 4 cells/mL). All strains were sensitive to 500 mg/mL CGNC. Three strains (one motile and two non-motile) were sensitive to all concentrations of CGNC and one of the non-motile strains was resistant (MIC 50 µg/mL) to metronidazole. The other two strains were moderately resistant (MIC 15 and 25 µg/mL) to metronidazole. Of the 10 Trichomonas strains, four were resistant to metronidazole (MIC 50 µg/mL) and sensitive to at least one concentration of CGNC. CGNC may be used as a treatment for T. vaginalis infections and should be considered for clinical strains resistant to metronidazole.

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