The Impact of Cosmetics on the Physical Dimension and Optical Performance of Contemporary Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses.

Purpose: Contact lens wearers may inadvertently expose their lenses during the lens insertion and removal process or while wearing their lenses to cosmetic products being used. This study investigated the impact of various cosmetics on the physical dimension and optical properties of three recently marketed monthly replacement silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

Methods: In this in vitro study, three monthly replacement silicone hydrogel lens types including senofilcon C (ACUVUE VITA, Johnson & Johnson), samfilcon A (Bausch+Lomb ULTRA, Bausch+Lomb), and lotrafilcon B+EOBO (polyoxyethylene-polyoxybutylene) (AIR OPTIX plus HydraGlyde, ALCON), were individually coated with cosmetic products followed by a 1-hr soak in phosphate-buffered saline.

Detection of HPV DNA in paraffin-embedded cervical samples: a comparison of four genotyping methods.

Background: Identification of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in cervical tissue is important for understanding cervical carcinogenesis and for evaluating cervical cancer prevention approaches. However, HPV genotyping using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues is technically challenging. We evaluated the performance of four commonly used genotyping methods on FFPE cervical specimens conducted in different laboratories and compared to genotyping results from cytological samples.

Durable antibody responses following one dose of the bivalent human papillomavirus L1 virus-like particle vaccine in the Costa Rica Vaccine Trial.

The Costa Rica HPV16/18 Vaccine Trial (CVT) showed that four-year vaccine efficacy against 12-month HPV16/18 persistent infection was similarly high among women who received one, two, or the recommended three doses of the bivalent HPV16/18 L1 virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine. Live-attenuated viral vaccines, but not simple-subunit vaccines, usually induce durable lifelong antibody responses after a single dose. It is unclear whether noninfectious VLP vaccines behave more like live-virus or simple-subunit vaccines in this regard.

Detection and genotyping of human rotavirus VP4 and VP7 genes by reverse transcriptase PCR and reverse hybridization.

Rotavirus infections can be diagnosed in stool samples by serological and molecular methods. We developed a novel reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) method for the amplification of rotavirus RNA and a reverse hybridization assay on a strip to detect amplimers and identify the specific G and P genotypes present in human stool specimens. An additional aim was to permit specific identification of the rotavirus G1P[8] strain, used in the Rotarix vaccine.

Highly effective detection of human papillomavirus 16 and 18 DNA by a testing algorithm combining broad-spectrum and type-specific PCR.

The use of a single broad-spectrum human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA-based PCR test may fail to detect lower concentrations of HPV DNA due to competition between different genotypes in mixed infections. To improve HPV detection by PCR, broad-spectrum and type-specific (TS) PCRs were combined, with a focus on HPV-16 and HPV-18. Cervical and cervicovaginal cell samples were obtained from 1,113 healthy women (age range, 15 to 25 years) participating in an HPV-16/HPV-18 candidate vaccine efficacy trial.

Molecular detection and genotyping of human papillomavirus.

Human papillomavirus infections are associated with the development of cervical neoplasia. Human papillomavirus is a group of heterogeneous viruses, comprising many genotypes, which can be divided into high-risk and low-risk types, depending on their association with disease. Therefore, accurate molecular diagnostic tools are required for detection and identification of human papillomavirus.

Detection of Helicobacter pylori virulence-associated genes.

Helicobacter pylori is an important human pathogen and persistent colonization of the human gastric mucosa can cause severe gastrointestinal diseases. The bacterium should not be considered as a uniform organism, but as a population of closely related and yet genetically diverse bacteria. Several genes of H.

Accurate prediction of macrolide resistance in Helicobacter pylori by a PCR line probe assay for detection of mutations in the 23S rRNA gene: multicenter validation study.

Helicobacter pylori strains from 299 patients were tested in six laboratories in different countries. Macrolide susceptibility of the strains was determined by agar dilution (17.4%) or the epsilometer test (82.

The efficacy of laboratory diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infections in gastric biopsy specimens is related to bacterial density and vacA, cagA, and iceA genotypes.

A total of 500 consecutive patients undergoing upper endoscopy were biopsied and tested for H. pylori infection by the Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test, culture, histology, and PCR. Serum samples were tested by two different serological assays.

Rapid detection, by PCR and reverse hybridization, of mutations in the Helicobacter pylori 23S rRNA gene, associated with macrolide resistance.

A PCR-based reverse hybridization system (research prototype kit INNO-LiPA for H. pylori resistance) was developed and evaluated for simultaneous detection of 23S ribosomal DNA point mutations, associated with macrolide resistance in Helicobacter pylori. Fifty-seven H.

Distinct variants of Helicobacter pylori cagA are associated with vacA subtypes.

The diversity of the cytotoxin-associated gene (cagA) of Helicobacter pylori was analyzed in 45 isolates obtained from nine countries. We examined variation in the 5' end of the cagA open reading frame as determined by PCR and sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the existence of at least two distinct types of cagA.

Rapid identification of thermotolerant Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter lari, and Campylobacter upsaliensis from various geographic locations by a GTPase-based PCR-reverse hybridization assay.

Recently, a gene from Campylobacter jejuni encoding a putative GTPase was identified. Based on two semiconserved GTP-binding sites encoded within this gene, PCR primers were selected that allow amplification of a 153-bp fragment from C. jejuni, C.

Geographic distribution of vacA allelic types of Helicobacter pylori.

Background & Aims: Distinct allelic types of Helicobacter pylori vacA have been defined. The geographic distribution of vacA alleles and cagA was assessed in this study.

Methods: A total of 735 cultures from patients in 24 countries were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and reverse hybridization on a line probe assay (LiPA).

Expanding allelic diversity of Helicobacter pylori vacA.

The diversity of the gene encoding the vacuolating cytotoxin (vacA) of Helicobacter pylori was analyzed in 98 isolates obtained from different geographic locations. The studies focused on variation in the previously defined s and m regions of vacA, as determined by PCR and direct sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the existence of four distinct types of s-region alleles: aside from the previously described s1a, s1b, and s2 allelic types, a novel subtype, designated s1c, was found.

Clinical relevance of the cagA, vacA, and iceA status of Helicobacter pylori.

Background & Aims: Clinical outcome of Helicobacter pylori infection may be associated with specific virulence-associated bacterial genotypes. The aim of this study was to assess the relationships between H. pylori cagA, vacA, and iceA status and severity of disease.

Rapid identification of diverse Campylobacter lari strains isolated from mussels and oysters using a reverse hybridization line probe assay.

Campylobacters isolated from mussels and oysters in The Netherlands were analysed by a novel assay, based on DNA amplification with primers, based on semiconserved GTP-binding sites of a putative GTPase gene. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was followed by a single step reverse hybridization line probe assay (PCR-LiPA). This permits identification of Campylobacter jejuni, C.

Typing of Helicobacter pylori vacA gene and detection of cagA gene by PCR and reverse hybridization.

The present report describes an analysis of two virulence genes of Helicobacter pylori. Parts of the cagA gene, as well as parts from the signal (s) and middle (m) regions of the mosaic vacA gene, were amplified with biotin-labelled PCR primers and the products were subsequently analyzed by a single-step reverse hybridization line probe assay (LiPA). This assay comprises a strip containing multiple specific probes for the vacA s region (sla, slb, and s2 alleles), the vacA m region (ml and m2 alleles), and the cagA gene.

Serological and molecular analysis of hepatitis C virus envelope regions 1 and 2 during acute and chronic infections in chimpanzees.

Acute and chronic Hepatitis C virus infections were investigated retrospectively in chimpanzees that had been infected from a single source. Anti-E1 and anti-E2 were detected in two of three chimpanzees with a chronic infection, but were first detected 1 to 2 years after inoculation. Sequence evolution of the E1 region in three animals over a period of 9 to 11 years revealed a mutation rate of 1.

Analysis of hepatitis C virus isolates by serotyping and genotyping.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive sera from 106 chronically infected patients which had previously been genotyped were characterized by serotyping. Genotypes were determined by a first-generation line probe assay (INNO-LiPA HCV) and by sequence analyses of the core, core-E1, and NS5B regions. HCV serotypes were determined by measuring type-specific antibodies to NS4-derived peptide antigens (Murex HCV serotyping 1-6 assay).

Sequence analysis of hepatitis C virus genotypes 1 to 5 reveals multiple novel subtypes in the Benelux countries.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates from a cohort of 315 patients from the Benelux countries (Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg) were genotyped by means of reverse hybridization Inno-LiPA (line probe assay). Genotypes 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a and 5a were detected. From the cohort, isolates representing all types and those showing an aberrant LiPA pattern were further analysed by sequencing parts of the 5' UTR, core (nt 1 to 326; aa residues 1 to 108) and core/E1 (nt 477 to 924; aa residues 159 to 308) regions.