HCV infection among Saudi population: high prevalence of genotype 4 and increased viral clearance rate.

HCV is a major etiological agent of liver disease with a high rate of chronic evolution. The virus possesses 6 genotypes with many subtypes. The rate of spontaneous clearance among HCV infected individuals denotes a genetic determinant factor.

Quantitative DNA analysis of very low-level hepatitis B viremic patients reporting to the gastroenterology clinic.

Objective: To examine data on very low-level viremic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in patients reporting to a gastroenterology clinic, and to investigate methods to improve analysis to avoid missing follow-up data and improve the management of HBV infection, and minimize morbidity and mortality outcomes.

Methods: A total of 104 patients with very low-level viremic HBV whom reported to the gastroenterology clinic at Al-Hada Armed Forces Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia and had a reading of <12 IU/mL on the real time (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection system were enrolled in this study. For serological testing (for example, hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]), we examined patients' results recorded in the laboratory information system since early 2007.

The role of caspase activation and mitochondrial depolarisation in cultured human apoptotic eosinophils.

Caspases are key intracellular molecules in the control of apoptosis, but little is known concerning their relative contribution to the cascade of events leading to eosinophil apoptosis. We examined caspase-3, -8, and -9 activities in receptor ligation dependent apoptosis induction in the cultured eosinophils (CE). CE cultured alone for 48 hours exhibited constitutive apoptosis (12% ± 1.

Nucleic acid amplification technology for hepatitis B virus, and its role in blood donation screening in blood banks.

Objective: To investigate the performance of hepatitis B virus polymerase chain reaction (HBV PCR) using one of the commercial methods used around the world to screen for HBV in some blood donors where other conventional serological assays have limitations to detect the virus.

Methods: This study was designed to use Amplicor AmpliScreen for HBV testing to detect the presence of the HBV DNA in the specimens tested by COBAS AmpliPrep system using a modified manufacture protocol COBAS AmpliPrep of total nucleic acid isolation (TNAI) kit. All serological tests were carried out on the donors' samples to detect the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), Australian antibody anti-HBs (AUSAB) and hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) in the 2 periods of the study.

A close link between Fas, p53 and Apaf-1 in chronic myeloid leukemia.

In chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) proliferation is increased and resistance to apoptosis has been proposed as a mechanism accounting for myeloid cell expansion. There is still controversy on whether apoptosis plays an important role in the regulation of myelopoiesis. This study aims to investigate whether apoptosis-related proteins play a role in the evolution of CML and to identify, the relationship between Fas, p53 and apoptosis protease activating factor (Apaf-1) in CML.

Nucleic acid amplification technology screening for hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus for blood donations.

Objective: To investigate the performance of the commercial Roche COBAS AmpliScreen assay, and demonstrate whether the COBAS AmpliScreen human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) test, v1.5, and COBAS AmpliScreen hepatitis C virus (HCV) v 2.0 for screening for HIV-1 and HCV RNA in the donated blood units from which plasma mini pools were collected, by nucleic acid amplification technology (NAT), could detect the positive pools and reduce the risk of transmission of infections for those routinely tested by serological assays.

Apoptosis role of FAS/FAS ligand system in the regulation of myelopoiesis.

Objectives: CD34+ cells and colony forming unit-granulocyte and macrophage (CFU-GM) from human bone marrow were used to investigate the role of Fas/FasL system in the regulation of myelopoiesis.

Methods: Fas and FasL expression in CD34+ cells and in day 14 CFU-GM were measured by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence respectively. The functional assays for the CFU-GM were measured by a standard colony assay and the proliferative capacity of CFU-GM was measured by replating the primary colony and observing the secondary colony formation.

An assessment of a multiplex PCR assay for differentiating clinically important mycobacteria based on pncA gene variation.

The pncA genes in mycobacteria are responsible for the production of pyrazinamidase (PZase). In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, PZase hydrolyses pyrazinamide (PZA) to pyrazonic acid, a compound that possesses bactericidal activity against tubercle bacilli. Nucleotide sequences of pncA genes found within mycobacteria where aligned in an effort to ascertain the significance of any variability in sequence.