Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a primary global health concern, despite the widespread availability of effective chemotherapeutic interventions. The emergence and dissemination of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, particularly those exhibiting resistance to rifampicin, present significant obstacles to the success of TB control programs. Consequently, there is an urgent need for rapid, sensitive, and specific molecular diagnostic tools to inform timely clinical decision-making and reduce the transmission of disease. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has gained attention as a promising alternative to conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. This method, which facilitates DNA amplification under constant temperature conditions, offers advantages including high specificity, rapid turnaround time, and operational simplicity—features that render it especially suitable for implementation in resource-limited settings. Methods: In this study, a LAMP assay targeting the rpoB gene was developed, with particular focus on detecting the codon 531 C→T mutation associated with rifampicin resistance. A set of four to six primers was designed to recognize six distinct regions of the target sequence. Allele-specific amplification was achieved by incorporating a deliberate single nucleotide mismatch at the 3′ terminus of the B2 primer to enable precise discrimination between wild-type and mutant alleles. The assay was conducted at an optimized temperature of 61 °C for 60 min, followed by visual detection using a lateral flow dipstick (LFD) within five minutes. Results: The LAMP-LFD assay demonstrated 100% concordance with drug susceptibility testing (DST) and DNA sequencing. No cross-reactivity with wild-type strains was observed, underscoring the assay’s high specificity. Conclusions: This platform offers a robust, field-deployable solution for detecting the codon 531 C→T mutation associated with rifampicin resistance in low-resource settings.

In this research, the use of coconut fibers in the development of medical wound dressing sheets was investigated. The fiber preparation process involved cleaning the fibers with distilled water, boiling for 1 h, and soaking in a 10 g/L NaOH solution for 4 h. The fibers were then bleached in a 30% hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) solution for 3 h after the alkaline treatment. The fibers were formed into sheets using a mesh mold to create a smooth molded surface. The surface morphology was analyzed and tested using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the chemical structure was characterized with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Biodegradation was evaluated by measuring water adsorption at different stages of drying. The results of the SEM analysis of the coconut fibers revealed a thin elongated shape and depositions forming overlapping structures that resembled a shiny film. The absorption peak of lignin at 1730 cm ^-1 in the FTIR spectrum decreased in the 1244–1730 cm ^-1 range after alkaline treatment. Functional groups corresponding to lignin, hemicellulose, and fat were found to be removed well by the combined bleaching and NaOH treatment. The tests indicate that the molded fiber sheets biodegrade under soil burial with simulated natural conditions, with an average biodegradation temperature of 33.1°C–35.4°C, at a significance level of 0.05. These results suggest that physically and chemically treated coconut fibers are promising biodegradable materials for medical wound dressings, offering environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic wound dressings.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae remains a critical global public health challenge, particularly in regions where access to rapid molecular diagnostics is constrained. In this study, we developed and clinically validated a hybridization-free loop-mediated isothermal amplification-lateral flow biosensor (LAMP-LFB) assay for the rapid detection of N. gonorrhoeae in urine specimens. The hybridization-free format is achieved through dual-labeled LAMP primers, in which biotin and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labels are incorporated during primer synthesis, generating pre-labeled amplicons that are directly detected on a lateral flow strip without post-amplification hybridization or probe-based steps. In this pilot analytical evaluation, the LAMP–LFB assay showed a preliminary detection limit of 10 CFU/mL, with no cross-reactivity observed against non-target bacterial species. Clinical evaluation of 140 urine specimens, using the cobas CT/NG assay as the reference method, demonstrated 100% sensitivity (83/83; 95% CI: 95.6–100%) and 100% specificity (57/57; 95% CI: 93.7–100%). The assay was completed within approximately 65 min, including a 5-minute visual readout. The system operates in a closed-tube, one-step format in which FITC- and biotin-labeled amplicons generated during LAMP are detected directly within an integrated lateral flow biosensor device without opening the post-amplification tube, thereby reducing the risk of carryover contamination and supporting deployment in decentralized and point-of-care settings.