[Real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for hepatitis B virus DNA quantification].

Introduction: viral DNA levels in serum samples are a useful marker to monitor the disease progression and the treatment response in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Commercial kits for this purpose are available, but they are considerably expensive.

Objectives: to evaluate the analytical performance of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for Hepatitis B virus DNA quantification.

Epigenetics DNA methylation in the core ataxin-2 gene promoter: novel physiological and pathological implications.

Pathogenic CAG (cytosine-adenine-guanine) expansions beyond certain thresholds in the ataxin-2 (ATXN2) gene cause spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) and were shown to contribute to Parkinson disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Regulation of ATXN2 gene expression and the function of the protein product are not known. SCA2 exhibits an inverse correlation between the size of the CAG repeat and the age at disease onset.