Multicenter Evaluation of the Cepheid Xpert HBV Viral Load Test.

Accurate measurement of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA is important for the management of patients with chronic HBV infection. Here, the performance of the Xpert HBV Viral Load test (Xpert HBV Viral Load) versus the Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan system (CAP/CTM HBV) HBV test v2.0 was evaluated.

Accuracy to 2nd International HIV-1 RNA WHO Standard: assessment of three generations of quantitative HIV-1 RNA nucleic acid amplification tests.

Background: Standardization of quantitative HIV-1 tests to a global primary standard is required by regulatory authorities to ensure comparability of test results across different assays and platforms of different manufacturers.

Objectives And Study Design: Three generations of quantitative HIV-1 tests, the COBAS(®) AMPLICOR(®) HIV-1 Monitor Test, v1.5 (HIV-1 Monitor test v1.

Acquisition of antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains during long-term hospitalization and fast adaptation of enterococcal flora to antibiotic treatment: a case report.

Recently, it has been suspected that long durations of hospitalization might be a possible risk factor to get colonized by multiple VRE strains. Here we present the case of a patient who underwent stem cell transplantation and subsequently stayed at the hospital for about 4 months until death. At least four different Enterococcus faecium strains were identified from routinely taken microbiological specimens as demonstrated by pulsed-field gel-electrophoresis.

Evaluation of host stem cell-derived cardiac myocytes in consecutive biopsies in long-term cardiac transplant patients.

Background: Bone marrow-derived stem cells are involved in tissue formation in transplanted organs. In human renal cell transplants, recipient-specific cells have been shown to participate in regeneration of interstitial tissue. In hepatic transplants, hepatocytes with a recipient sex chromosome pattern have been observed.

HER2 status in non-small cell lung cancer: results from patient screening for enrollment to a phase II study of herceptin.

Purpose: For the first time a large number (563) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples was used to compare three different technologies for the assessment of HER2 status. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used for tumor tissue samples, and ELISA for serum samples. The results were compared with other tumor entities, mainly breast.

Pancreatic mucinous noncystic (colloid) carcinomas and intraductal papillary mucinous carcinomas are usually microsatellite stable.

Pancreatic mucinous noncystic (colloid) carcinomas (MNCC) differ from the usual ductal adenocarcinomas in their mucin expression profile and share with many extrapancreatic mucinous carcinomas the expression of MUC2. Because mucinous carcinomas are frequently associated with mutations of the DNA mismatch repair genes, causing them to exhibit the so-called mutator phenotype, we decided to investigate whether MNCCs of the pancreas are characterized by microsatellite instability (MSI). Twelve carcinomas with a mucinous phenotype (8 mucinous noncystic carcinomas, 3 intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinomas with an invasive muconodular component, and 1 ductal adenocarcinoma with an extensive mucinous noncystic component) and 11 ductal adenocarcinomas were immunostained with monoclonal antibodies to the mismatch repair gene products hMLH1, hMSH2, and hMSH6.

Recipient-derived hepatocytes in liver transplants: a rare event in sex-mismatched transplants.

Bone marrow-derived stem cells have been shown to engraft and populate native tissues during repair and in transplanted animal tissues. Very few studies have been performed in humans to evaluate the possibility of stem cell engraftment in transplanted tissues. In human renal transplants, recipient cells have been demonstrated within vascular and interstitial structures.

T-cell factor-4 frameshift mutations occur frequently in human microsatellite instability-high colorectal carcinomas but do not contribute to carcinogenesis.

Colorectal carcinomas with microsatellite instability accumulate errors in short repetitive DNA repeats, especially mono and dinucleotide repeats. One such error-prone A(9) monorepeat is found in exon 17 of the TCF-4 gene. TCF-4 and beta-catenin form a transcription complex, which is important for both maintenance of normal epithelium and development of colorectal tumors.