Factors Influencing Long-Term Behavioral Intervention Outcomes in Preschool Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Southeast China.

Introduction: Previous studies have demonstrated the long-term effectiveness of behavioral interventions for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschool children. We continue to design a case‒control study to further investigate the factors influencing the long-term effect of behavioral intervention. Methods: From May 2020 to August 2021, children who were newly diagnosed with ADHD and not receiving any treatment received a one-year behavioral intervention. A total of 86 children completed the behavioral intervention and assessment. Results: 50 children (58.140%) were in the effective group, and 36 children (41.860%) were in the ineffective group. Attention retention time (OR=0.559, 0.322-0.969), Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham total score (OR=1.186, 1.024-1.374) at baseline, performance score for parents (OR=0.631, 0.463-0.859), and teacher coordination (OR=0.032, 0.002-0.413) were the influencing factors of behavioral intervention effects. The area under the receiver operating curve was 0.979 (p<0.001). The comprehensive nomogram model showed that the discrimination and mean absolute error were 0.979 and 0.023, respectively. Discussion: During behavioral intervention, the implementation skills of parents should be evaluated in a timely manner. The behavioral intervention effect can be predicted based on a child's attention retention time at baseline, teacher involvement, behavioral scale score, and performance score for parents, which can guide clinicians in adjusting personalized treatment plans and provide a basis for clinical decision-making. The treatment of ADHD in preschool children requires a systematic framework that integrates family, school, and society.

Effects of paternal obesity on maternal-neonatal outcomes and long-term prognosis in adolescents.

Objective: This study evaluated whether paternal body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy was a risk factor for maternal-neonatal outcomes and long-term prognosis in offspring. Methods: This study included 29,518 participants from eight cities in Fujian, China using a stratified cluster random sampling method from May to September 2019. They were divided into four groups based on paternal BMI. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to explore the relationship between paternal BMI groups, maternal-neonatal outcomes, and long-term prognosis in offspring. Further subgroup analysis was conducted to examine the stability of the risk. Results: The incidences of hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy (HDCP), cesarean delivery, gestational weight gain (GWG) over guideline, and macrosomia were significantly higher in the paternal overweight and obesity group. Importantly, this study demonstrated that the incidence of asthma, hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD), anemia, dental caries, and obesity of adolescents in paternal obesity increased. Furthermore, logistic regression and subgroup analysis confirm paternal obesity is a risk factor for HDCP, cesarean delivery, and macrosomia. It caused poor long-term prognosis in adolescents, including asthma, dental caries, and HFMD. Conclusions: Paternal obesity is a risk factor for adverse maternal-neonatal outcomes and poor long-term prognosis in adolescents. In addition to focusing on maternal weight, expectant fathers should pay more attention to weight management since BMI is a modifiable risk factor. Preventing paternal obesity can lead to better maternal and child outcomes. It would provide new opportunities for chronic diseases.

Acupuncture Ameliorated Behavioral Abnormalities in the Autism Rat Model via Pathways for Hippocampal Serotonin.

Purpose: Acupuncture can improve symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the potential mechanisms remain undefined. So, we aimed to explore the behavioral improvement of autism rat model after acupuncture and to describe the potential molecular mechanism underlying these changes. Patients and Methods: Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with VPA 12.5 days after conception, and their offspring were considered as good models of autism. Experimental rats were divided into three groups (wild-type (WT), n = 10; VPA, n = 10; and VPA_acupuncture, n = 10). VPA_acupuncture group rat received 4 weeks of acupuncture treatment (Shéntíng (GV24), and Bilateral Benshén (GB13)) on the 23rd day after birth. All rats were subjected to behavioral tests, including social interaction, open field, and Morris water maze tests. Afterwards, hippocampal tissues (left side) were removed and subjected to RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis; ELISA was also used to detect the associated serotonin levels in the hippocampus. Results: Behavioral tests showed that acupuncture treatment improved spontaneous activity, aberrant social interaction, and alleviated impaired learning and memory in the VPA-induced rat model. Differentially expressed genes (DGEs) analysis showed 142 significantly differentially expressed genes between WT and VPA groups, and 282 between VPA and VPA_acupuncture rats. Htr2c and Htr1a, 5-HT receptor genes, were up-regulated in the VPA group compared with WT group. Additionally, Tph1, a rate-limiting enzyme gene of 5-HT synthesis, was up-regulated after acupuncture. These genes were confirmed to have the same trend of expression obtained by RT-qPCR and RNA seq. Furthermore, the concentration of serotonin in the hippocampus in the VPA group was significantly lower than the WT and VPA_acupuncture groups. Conclusion: Acupuncture improved abnormal behavioral symptoms in the VPA-induced rat model. Further experiments showed that the improvement of the serotonin system may be one of the main regulatory mechanisms of acupuncture for treating ASD.

Effects of Parent-Child Sandplay Therapy for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers: A randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of the Parent-Child Sandplay Therapy (PCST) Program on autism behaviors, social responsiveness and sleep quality among preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and their mothers' parenting stress. DESIGN AND METHODS: A prospective, randomized controlled, parallel-group trial was employed. Fifty-two child-mother dyads were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 26) or a control group (n = 26) from February 2017 to February 2019. The intervention group was treated with a 20-week PCST Program plus an Applied Behavior Analysis-based program (ABA-based program), whereas the control group received only the ABA-based program. Outcome measures included the Autism Behavior Checklist total scores, Social Responsiveness Scale scores, Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire scores, and Parenting Stress Index-Short Form scores, measured at baseline, post-intervention (20 weeks after baseline) and follow-up assessments (32 weeks after baseline). RESULTS: Finally, 43 dyads completed the study. The linear mixed model analysis resulted in a significant group*time interaction effect of ABC score (Est = 2.027, t = 3.277; p < 0.01), SRS score (Est = 3.377, t = 6.095; p < 0.01), PSI-SF score (Est = 3.873, t = 4.253, p < 0.01), and CSHQ score (Est = 3.158, t = 6.485; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that the PCST Program could potentially improve social interaction and sleep quality of preschool children with ASD while decreasing parenting stress. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The PCST Program was found to be a feasible and a promising treatment for children with mild-to-moderate ASD as well as for their parents. It was a nurse-led program, which could be integrated into the usual nursing care of children with autism spectrum disorder in special education schools. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trials Registry, ChiCTR2100047699.

A prospective study of the decision tree prediction model for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in preschool children. / å­¦é¾„å‰å„¿ç«¥æ³¨æ„ç¼ºé™·å¤šåŠ¨éšœç¢å†³ç­–æ ‘é¢„æµ‹æ¨¡åž‹çš„å‰çž»æ€§ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical value of attention time combined with behavior scale in the screening of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschool children. METHODS: A total of 200 preschool children with ADHD diagnosed in Fujian Maternal and Child Health Hospital from February 2019 to March 2020 were enrolled as the ADHD group. A total of 200 children who underwent physical examination in the hospital or kindergartens during the same period were enrolled as the control group. Attention time was recorded. Chinese Version of Swanson Nolan and Pelham, Version IV Scale-Parent Form (SNAP-IV) scale was used to evaluate symptoms. With clinical diagnosis as the gold standard, the decision tree analysis was used to evaluate the clinical value of attention time combined with behavior scale in the screening of ADHD. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the ADHD group had significantly higher scores of SNAP-IV items 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, and 22 (P<0.05) and a significantly shorter attention time (P<0.05). The variables with statistically significant differences between the two groups in univariate analysis were used as independent variables to establish a decision tree model. The accuracy of the model in predicting ADHD was 81%, that in predicting non-ADHD was 69%, and the overall accuracy was 75%, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.816 (95% CI: 0.774-0.857, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The decision tree model for screening ADHD in preschool children based on attention time and assessment results of behavior scale has a high accuracy and can be used for rapid screening of ADHD among children in clinical practice.

Long-term effectiveness of behavioural intervention in preschool children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Southeast China - a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral disorder. Behavioural intervention in preschool children with ADHD is considered effective. This study discussed the long-term effectiveness of behavioural intervention in the context of nondrug therapy. METHODS: The study was a prospective, randomised controlled trial in which 201 preschoolers diagnosed with ADHD who were not receiving any treatment were assigned to two groups from January 2018 to May 2019, 101 were assigned to the conventional group and 100 to the behavioural intervention group. The behavioural intervention group included parental training, behavioural therapy, attention training, relief therapy and game therapy, in addition to the conventional group offerings. Children were evaluated at a baseline, at the end of the 12-month intervention and six months after the intervention. The primary and secondary outcome variables included attention time, the impulse-hyperactivity and hyperactivity index from Conners parent symptom questionnaire (PSQ), full-scale attention quotient (FAQ) and full-scale response control quotient (FRCQ) from integrated visual and auditory comprehensive continuous performance tests. The attention time was observed and recorded by parents, and others were performe(PSQ)d by physicians in the clinic. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS V26.0 (IBM), including the descriptive statistics and mixed-effects models and so on. RESULTS: The participants' mean age was (66.17±9.00) months in the behavioural group and (67.54±6.22) months in the conventional group .A total of 190 participants completed a follow-up six months after the intervention. The attention time, Conners parent symptom questionnaire (PSQ), full-scale attention quotient (FAQ) and full-scale response control quotient (FRCQ) increased significantly over time, and the behavioural group improvements were higher than those of conventional group. There was a significant main effect of time (pretest/posttest/follow-up) and group on all outcome measures (t =-12.549-4.069, p<0.05), and a significant interaction of time and group on attention time, impulsivity/hyperactivity, FAQ and FRCQ (t =-3.600-3.313, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Behavioural intervention can effectively improve behaviour management and relieve symptoms in children with ADHD. These effects lasted at least six months. This study provides a promising approach for improving clinical efficacy with preschool children with ADHD.

[Curative effect of progressively integrated sandplay therapy on core symptoms and sleep management in preschool children with mild-to-moderate autism spectrum disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the curative effect of progressively integrated sandplay therapy on core symptoms and sleep management in preschool children with mild-to-moderate autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: A total of 50 mild-to-moderate ASD preschool children were randomly divided into an experimental group (n=25) and a control group (n=25). The control group was treated with structured teaching and auditory integration training (AIT). Based on these, the experimental group was treated with progressively integrated sandplay therapy. The Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Children Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), Children's Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ) and emotion recognition tools were used to evaluate the overall curative effect before treatment and 3 months after treatment. RESULTS: The experimental group had significantly lower scores of feeling, social interaction, somatic motor, language factor, total ABC and total CARS than the control group (P<0.05). The experimental group had also significantly lower scores of social cognition, social communication, social motivation, autistic behavior factor and total SRS than the control group (P<0.05). The experimental group had a significantly higher accurate rate of recognition of the upper facial expression and lower facial expression than the control group (P<0.05). The experimental group had significantly lower scores of bedtime resistance, sleep onset, sleep duration, night waking, daytime sleepiness, and total CSHQ than the control group (P<0.05). The experimental group had significantly reduced themes of wounding and significantly increased themes of healing after sandplay therapy (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Progressively integrated sandplay therapy can effectively improve the core symptoms and sleep quality of preschool children with mild-to-moderate ASD, which can be used as an early rehabilitation measure.

[Clinical efficacy of interactive group sandplay versus individual sandplay in the treatment of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical efficacy of interactive group sandplay versus individual sandplay in the treatment of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: A total of 80 ASD children, aged 4-6 years, were enrolled and randomly divided into experimental and control groups, with 40 children in each group. The children in the experimental group joined group sandplay with normal children at a ratio of 1: 3, and those in the control group were treated with individual sandplay. The Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) were used to evaluate the treatment outcome after three months of intervention. RESULTS: There were 33 children in the experimental group and 28 in the control group. After three months of intervention, the experimental group had significant reductions in the scores of irritability, social withdrawal, and stereotypic behavior and the total score of the ABC scale (P<0.05), and the control group had significant reductions in the scores of behavior and inappropriate speech and the total score of the ABC scale (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly greater improvements in the score of social withdrawal and the total score of the ABC scale after three months of intervention (P<0.05). After three months of intervention, the experimental group had significant reductions in the scores of sociability, sensory and cognitive awareness, and physical/health behavior and the total score of the ATEC scale (P<0.05), and the control group had significant reductions in the scores of speech, sociability, and physical/health behavior and the total score of the ATEC scale (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly greater improvements in the scores of speech, sociability, and sensory and cognitive awareness and the total score of the ATEC scale after intervention (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the experimental group also had significantly greater improvements in eye contact and sand stereotyped arrangement (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both interactive group sandplay and individual sandplay are effective in the treatment of ASD in preschool children. Interactive group sandplay is better than individual sandplay in the treatment of ASD, with significant improvements in sociability, emotion and stereotypic behavior.

[Clinical effect of psychological and behavioral intervention combined with biofeedback in the treatment of preschool children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effect of psychological and behavioral intervention combined with biofeedback in the treatment of preschool children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: Sixty children each with inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive or combined type ADHD were enrolled. According to the intervention measure, they were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, psychological and behavioral intervention, biofeedback treatment and comprehensive treatment (psychological and behavioral intervention + biofeedback). Attention concentration time and impulse/hyperactivity and hyperactivity index scores of the Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire (PSQ) were evaluated after 4 months of treatment. RESULTS: The attention concentration time increased in all types children with ADHD after psychological and behavioral intervention, biofeedback treatment or comprehensive treatment (P<0.05). In children with inattentive ADHD, hyperactive/impulsive ADHD or combined-type ADHD, biofeedback or comprehensive treatment reduced the impulse/hyperactivity index score (P<0.05). In children with inattentive or combined-type ADHD, psychological and behavioral intervention or comprehensive treatment reduced the hyperactivity index score (P<0.05). In children with hyperactive/impulsive ADHD, biofeedback treatment, psychological and behavioral intervention or comprehensive treatment reduced the hyperactivity index score (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In children with ADHD, psychological and behavioral intervention combined with biofeedback treatment can improve the attention concentration and impulsive/hyperactive and hyperactive symptoms. The treatment strategies are slightly different for children with different types of ADHD.

[Clinical effect of integrated sandplay therapy in children with Asperger syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effect of integrated sandplay therapy in preschool children with Asperger syndrome (AS). METHODS: A total of 44 preschool children with AS were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 22 children in each group. The children in the control group were given routine training, and those in the experimental group were given integrated sandplay therapy in addition to the routine training. The treatment response was assess by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), emotional recognition tools and changes in sandplay theme characteristics after 6 months of treatment. RESULTS: Before intervention, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the total score of SRS, the score of each factor of SRS, and correct rates of facial expression recognition of the upright position, inverted position, upper face and lower face (P>0.05). After 6 months of intervention, both groups had significant reductions in the total score of SRS and the score of each factor of SRS (P<0.01); the control group had significant increases in the correct rates of facial expression recognition of all positions except the upright position (P<0.05), while the experimental group had significant increases in the correct rates of facial expression recognition of all positions (P<0.05). Compared with the control group after intervention, the experimental group had significantly lower total score of SRS and scores of all factors of SRS except social perception (P<0.01) and significantly higher correct rates of facial expression recognition of all positions (P<0.01). The experimental group had a significant change in the number of sandplay theme characteristics after intervention (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Integrated sandplay therapy can improve social responsiveness and emotion recognition ability in preschool children with AS.

[Efficacy of clonidine transdermal patch in treatment of moderate to severe tic disorders in children].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the difference in the efficacy between clonidine transdermal patch and haloperidol tablets in the treatment of moderate to severe tic disorders in children. METHODS: A total of 134 children with moderate to severe tic disorders were randomly divided into clonidine group (n=70) and haloperidol group (n=64). The clonidine and haloperidol groups were treated with clonidine transdermal patch and haloperidol tablets respectively, and the treatment lasted for 8 weeks in both groups. The Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) was used to evaluate the conditions of the children before and after treatment, and the adverse events during the treatment were recorded. RESULTS: The haloperidol group had a significantly better treatment outcome than the clonidine group after one week of treatment (P<0.05); the treatment outcome showed no significant difference between the two groups after 3, 5, and 8 weeks of treatment (P>0.05). The clonidine group had significantly less reductions in the motor tics, vocal tics, and function impairment scores and total score of YGTSS than the haloperidol group after one week of treatment (P<0.05); there were no significant differences in YGTSS score reductions between the two groups after 3, 5, and 8 weeks of treatment (P>0.05). The clonidine group had a significantly lower overall incidence of adverse events than the haloperidol group (8% vs 37%; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Clonidine transdermal patch and haloperidol are both effective in the treatment of moderate to severe tic disorders in children. The clonidine transdermal patch, despite slow action, has comparable efficacy and fewer adverse effects compared with haloperidol.

[Influence of home nurture environment on language development and social emotion in children with developmental language disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of home nurture environment on language development and social emotion in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). METHODS: The 1-3 Years Child Home Nurture Environment Scale, Gesell Developmental Scale, and Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment Scale were used for the evaluation of 125 children with DLD. A total of 130 children with normal language development matched for age and sex were enrolled as control group. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the DLD group had a significantly higher proportion of children in a bad home nurture environment and significantly lower scores of all domains of home nurture environment (P<0.05). In children with DLD, the home nurture environment score was positively correlated with the level of language development (r=0.536, P<0.01) and the score of ability domain in social emotion (r=0.397, P<0.01) and was negatively correlated with the scores of the domains of explicit behavior, covert behavior, and imbalance in social emotion (r=-0.455, -0.438, and -0.390 respectively, P<0.01). Home nurture environment had direct influence on language development in children with DLD and affected their language development via the mediating effect of social emotion. CONCLUSIONS: Home nurture environment influences language development and social emotion in children with DLD, and social emotion has a partial mediating effect between home nurture environment and language development.

Pathological rib fracture and soft tissue mass simulating malignancy--Cryptococcus, an unsuspected culprit.

A patient presented with a pathological rib fraction and associated soft tissue mass thought initially to represent a soft tissue neoplasm. However, further consideration of infectious etiologies led to the identification of cryptococcal osteomyelitis. Cryptococcus infection should be considered in the differential of pathological fractures with soft tissue involvement.

Rapid identification of Staphylococcus aureus directly from Bactec blood culture broth by the BinaxNOW S. aureus test.

The BinaxNOW Staphylococcus aureus testing showed sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predicative values of 97.6%, 100%, 100%, and 98.4%, respectively, for identification of S. aureus from Bactec blood culture broth. Importantly, the test performed equally well on aerobic and anaerobic culture broth.

[Relationship between gene polymorphism of GABAA receptors gene and childhood autism].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between gene polymorphism of GABAA receptors and childhood autism by detecting rs140682, rs2081648 and rs140679 site of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in GABAA receptors gene. METHODS: A total of 94 children with autism and 124 normal children were enrolled in a hospital from November 2010 to May 2011. Childhood autism rating scale (CARS) and autism behavior checklist (ABC) were used to evaluate or investigate the case group. After collecting venous blood and extracting the genome DNA, the allele and genotype of SNP rs140682, rs2081648 and rs140679 site in GABAA receptors gene were detected by PCR-RFLP. The allele and genotype of case group and control group were analyzed by χ(2) test, while the score of scales was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation analysis. RESULTS: The age of the case group was 5.12 ± 0.32, and it was 5.25 ± 0.27 in the control group (P < 0.05). In case group, the frequency of genotype CC, CT and TT of rs140682 site was 44, 41 and 9, while it was 48, 65, and 11 in control group (P > 0.05), respectively. The frequency of genotype AA, AG and GG of rs2081648 site was 8, 58 and 28 in case group, while it was 12, 49 and 63 in control group (P < 0.05), respectively. In case group, the frequency of genotype CC, CT and TT of rs140679 site was 15, 36 and 43, while it was 18, 59 and 47 in control group (P > 0.05), respectively. It was revealed by Spearman rank correlation analysis that of rs2081648 site, there was a positive correlation between genotype AG and sensation factor (S), social intercourse factor (R), and language factor (L) of autism behavior checklist (ABC) (r values were 0.149, 0.165 and 0.155, all P values < 0.05). A negative correlation between genotype GG and S, R, L and self-help factor (V) was proved (r values were -0.140, -0.173, -0.158 and -0.135, all P values < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between allele A and R and L factors (r values were 0.153 and 0.137, all P values < 0.05), while a negative correlation between allele G and R and L factors (r values were -0.153 and -0.137, all P values < 0.05). In case group, 42 children were diagnosed with mild-to-moderate autism, while 52 children were severe autism. There was no statistically significant correlation between allele or genotype of SNP rs140682 and rs140679 site and the degree of autism (P > 0.05). There was a positive correlation between allele A and genotype AG and the degree of autism (r values were 0.147 and 0.616, all P values < 0.05), while a negative correlation between allele G and genotype GG and the degree of autism (r values were -0.159 and -0.616, all P values < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The SNP rs2081648 site which located in GABAA receptors gene may be related to autism. No evidence for significant association between rs140682 and rs140679 site and autism was found.

First report of prosthetic joint infection by Gemella sanguinis and associated "pseudosatelliting" phenomenon on culture.

We report the first case of a prosthetic joint infection caused by Gemella sanguinis. This report includes a description of a "pseudosatelliting" phenomenon by G. sanguinis, the use of gene sequencing for pathogen identification, and successful use of debridement, retention, and chronic antibiotic suppression to preserve the prosthesis.

Evaluation of the Abbott RealTime CT/NG assay in comparison to the Roche Cobas Amplicor CT/NG assay.

Several commercial methods exist for the molecular detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in clinical samples. Here we evaluated the performance characteristics of the newly FDA-cleared Abbott RealTime CT/NG assay (where "CT" stands for Chlamydia trachomatis and "NG" stands for Neisseria gonorrhoeae) that uses the automated m2000 molecular platform. Results were compared to those of the Roche Cobas Amplicor CT/NG assay. A total of 926 cervical swab, 45 female urine, 6 male urethral swab, and 407 male urine specimens from 1,384 patients were examined. After resolving all Roche N. gonorrhoeae-positive results with two additional real-time PCR assays, we found that the agreement between the assays was excellent. For urine samples, there was 99.6% positive agreement and 97.7% negative agreement for C. trachomatis, and for male urine samples, there was 100% positive agreement and 99.7% negative agreement for N. gonorrhoeae. For cervical swab samples, there was 98.8% positive agreement and 98.5% negative agreement for C. trachomatis, and there was 96.6% positive agreement and 99.8% negative agreement for N. gonorrhoeae. In limiting dilution analyses, we found that the Abbot assay was more sensitive than the Roche assay for both C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae. In addition, there appeared to be an enhanced ability of the Abbott assay to detect dual infections, especially in the presence of large amounts of N. gonorrhoeae and small amounts of C. trachomatis organisms. In summary, we conclude that the Abbott RealTime CT/NG assay is an accurate and automated new addition to the available testing options for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae.