[Clinical significance and problems in HCV measurement--comparison of CLEIA method with PCR method].

Infection of a hepatitis C virus (HCV) is confirmed by the presence of HCV antibody or HCV-RNA. Recently, a highly sensitive method to examine HCV-core antigen has been developed. In this study, to evaluate the clinical significance of HCV-core antigen determination, we examined serum HCV infection markers, HCV-core antigen, HCV-RNA (AMPLICOR) and HCV-antibody (third generation) concentrations.

[The present status of convergence in PSA reference values--from the surveillance in the Tokai-Hokuriku district].

The number of patients with prostatic cancer is recently increasing in Japan and it is well known that serum PSA determination is routinely used as a tumor marker of prostatic cancer. However, the reference values of PSA are widely varied, because the reactivities of the antibody to free PSA and ACT-PSA are different in each kit. Thus, there is no compatibility among values determined by available kits.