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This guide serves to inform you of the different types of Drug tests available, what type of test to choose, and under which circumstances. Drugs can be divided into legally prescribed drugs like: Benzodiazepines (E.g. Valium), Opiates and other Analgesics, and Illicit drugs like: Amphetamines, Vocaine and Marijuana. Prescription drugs are often abused and can also be obtained illicitly. Individuals who are abusing drugs display clinical signs that are associated with the drug of abuse.

RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 is a diagnostic test designed for detecting the virus in respiratory samples of symptomatic individuals.

• It is therefore very specifc, so positive results are real sensitivity however is lower and false negative results may occur in up to 20% of swabs done, especially in mild or asymptomatically infected individuals.
• Referring doctors and patients usually have difficulty in interpreting these results, particularly when performed sequentially on patients, resulting in negative/positive or positive/negative discordances.

'UNDERSTANDING CERVICAL CANCER?

The cervix is the lowermost part of the uterus (womb) that leads to the vagina. It connects the Vagina to the Womb.

Any of the following could be signs or symptoms of cervical cancer:

• Blood spots or light bleeding between or following periods
• Menstrual bleeding that is longer and heavier than usual
• Bleeding after intercourse, douching, or a pelvic examination
• Increased vaginal discharge
• Pain during sexual intercourse

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), is a protein secreted by the acinar cells of the Prostate, and is highly specific for the Prostate. Serum PSA levels are useful for determining the extent of Prostate Cancer, and assessing the response to therapy. However, it is NOT Prostate cancer specific and other conditions such as: Benign Prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or Prostatitis can affect PSA levels.

• PSA is commonly used as a tool to detect Prostate Cancer, but its role in screening programmes is widely debated and controversial.

Clinical utility:

PSA has a half-life of 2.2 days. Where levels are increased by different Benign conditions, the time to return to baseline levels is variable.

To date, Pathologists Lancet Kenya has conducted over 100,000 tests for COVID-19 since commencing testing onsite in April 2020.

Cloxacillin remains the drug of choice for all S. aureus infections where the isolate is deemed to be clinically significant.