Adding the value of the Charlson Comorbidity Index to the GRACE score for mortality prediction in acute coronary syndromes.

Background: Scarce and conflicting data still exist about the role of the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) when added to the traditional Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score for outcome prediction in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods: All consecutive admissions due to ACS, from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed from an internal database of a tertiary cardiac center in Salerno (Italy). Logistic and Cox proportional regression analyses were performed in order to assess the contribution of the CCI on 30-day and long-term mortality.

Anti-HDV reflex testing in HBsAg-positive subjects: An efficacious strategy to identify HDV infection.

Background And Aims: The prevalence of HDV infection in HBsAg carriers is about 9.9% in Italy. However, the real prevalence is underestimated because the anti-HDV test is not performed routinely in all HBsAg carriers.

Enhanced liver fibrosis score as a noninvasive biomarker in hepatitis C virus patients after direct-acting antiviral agents.

In more than 90% of chronic viral hepatitis C (HCV) patients treated with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs), a sustained viral response (SVR) was observed. Unfortunately, there are subgroups of subjects who display enduring liver fibrosis and are at high risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, liver fibrosis evaluation during the follow-up of these patients plays a pivotal role.

Comparison of anti-hepatitis D virus (HDV) ETI-AB-DELTAK-2 assay and the novel LIAISON® XL MUREX anti-HDV assay in the diagnosis of HDV infection.

Hepatitis B/D virus infection leads to severe liver disease. HDV infection is not routinely investigated since the diagnosis is based on enzyme immunoassays (EIAs), which are not available in all laboratories. This study investigates the performance of new automated assay for anti HDV Ab detection: LIAISON® XL Murex anti-HDV.

Evaluation of the Automated QIAsymphony SP/AS Workflow for Cytomegalovirus DNA Extraction and Amplification from Dried Blood Spots.

Objective: Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) can be considered the most important agent of congenital infection. Long-term sequelae of congenital infection occur in about 15% of infants asymptomatic at birth. To avoid long-term sequelae or to reduce their burden, it is necessary to identify infected children for early interventions.

Prevalence and titre of antibodies to cytomegalovirus and epstein-barr virus in patients with autism spectrum disorder.

Background/aim: The etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is currently unknown. Few studies have explored the role of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) as potential etiological factors of ASD. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the seropositivity rate and antibody titre to CMV and EBV in children with ASD compared to same-aged healthy controls.

Evaluation of the siemens HIV antigen-antibody immunoassay.

Fourth-generation assays for the simultaneous detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antigen and antibodies are available on the international market and are currently used for blood donor screening and for HIV diagnosis. In this study we evaluated the performance of the novel automated fourth-generation ADVIA Centaur® HIV Ag/Ab Combo assay. The assay detected seroconversion at the same bleed or at least one bleed earlier in panels with respect to other assays and showed a detection efficacy equal to those of other assays in a low-titer panel.

Clinico-pathological significance of hepatitis C virus core antigen levels in chronic infection.

Hepatitis C virus core antigen (HCVcoreAg) may be measured in serum with a sensitive, recently validated assay. Beyond its value as a marker of viral infection, there are little data on its relation with clinical, histological, and virological parameters. In this study, the significance of HCVcoreAg levels was studied in a prospective cohort of 114 patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Aurora B overexpression associates with the thyroid carcinoma undifferentiated phenotype and is required for thyroid carcinoma cell proliferation.

Alterations in chromosome number (aneuploidy) are common in human neoplasias. Loss of mitotic regulation is believed to induce aneuploidy in cancer cells and act as a driving force during the malignant progression. The serine/theronine protein kinases of aurora family genes play a critical role in the regulation of key cell cycle processes.

Antineoplastic ribonucleases selectively kill thyroid carcinoma cells via caspase-mediated induction of apoptosis.

Bovine seminal ribonuclease (BS-RNase), a natural dimeric homolog of bovine pancreatic RNase (RNase A), and HHP2-RNase, an engineered dimeric form of human pancreatic RNase (HP-RNase), are endowed with powerful antitumor effects. Here we show that BS- and HHP2-RNases, but not monomeric RNase A, induce apoptosis of human thyroid carcinoma cell lines. RNase-induced apoptosis was associated with activation of initiation caspase-8 and -9.

Verapamil reverts resistance to drug-induced apoptosis in Ki-ras-transformed cells by altering the cell membrane and the mitochondrial transmembrane potentials.

We have previously shown that in vivo ras-transformed cell lines display natural doxorubicin resistance compared with the normal cells and that such resistance is accompanied by a plasma membrane depolarization. In this article we first extend the analysis of doxorubicin effect to other ras-transformed cell lines, which are characterized by an increasing degree of malignant phenotype. Rat thyroid ras-transformed cells are markedly resistant to doxorubicin and the degree of drug resistance correlates with the degree of cell malignancy.