Background Diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection requires both a positive HCV antibody screen and confirmatory nucleic acid testing (NAT). Testing for hepatitis C virus core antigen (HCVcAg) is a potential alternative to NAT. Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of diagnosis of active HCV infection among adults and children for 5 HCVcAg tests compared with NAT. Data sources EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from 1990 through 31 March 2016. Study selection Case-control, cross-sectional, cohort, or randomized trials that compared any of 5 HCVcAg tests with an NAT reference standard. Data extraction 2 independent reviewers extracted data and assessed quality using an adapted QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2) tool. Data synthesis 44 studies evaluated 5 index tests. Studies for the Abbott ARCHITECT HCV Ag assay had the highest quality, whereas those for the Ortho HCV Ag enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) had the lowest quality. From bivariate analyses, the sensitivity and specificity of the assays were as follows: Abbott ARCHITECT, 93.4% (95% CI, 90.1% to 96.4%) and 98.8% (CI, 97.4% to 99.5%); Ortho ELISA, 93.2% (CI, 81.6% to 97.7%) and 99.2% (CI, 87.9% to 100%); and Hunan Jynda Bioengineering Group HCV Ag ELISA, 59.5% (CI, 46.0% to 71.7%) and 82.9% (CI, 58.6% to 94.3%). Insufficient data were available for a meta-analysis about the Fujirebio Lumipulse Ortho HCV Ag and Eiken Lumispot HCV Ag assays. In 3 quantitative studies using Abbott ARCHITECT, HCVcAg correlated closely with HCV RNA levels greater than 3000 IU/mL. Limitations Insufficient data were available on covariates, such as HIV or hepatitis B virus status, for subgroup analyses. Few studies reported genotypes of isolates, and data for genotypes 4, 5, and 6 were scant. Most studies were conducted in high-resource settings and reference laboratories. Conclusion The HCVcAg assays with signal amplification have high sensitivity, high specificity, and good correlation with HCV RNA levels greater than 3000 IU/mL and have the potential to replace NAT in settings with high HCV prevalence. Primary funding source National Institutes of Health.

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Hepatitis C Core Antigen Testing for Diagnosis of Hepatitis C Virus Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection usually requires both a positive HCV antibody screen and confirmatory nucleic acid testing (NAT). This systematic review of 44 studies evaluat...

Hepatitis C Core Antigen Testing for Diagnosis of Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Who to test and how to test for chronic hepatitis C infection – 2016 WHO testing guidance for low- and middle-income countries

Epigenetic reactivation of RASSF1A by phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and promotion of apoptosis in LNCaP cells.

Objective The aim of this study was to determine whether the HLA-B * 27 polymorphisms confer susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Han populations by conducting a meta-analysis. Methods Publications addressing the association between the HLA-B * 27 polymorphisms and susceptibility to AS in Han populations were selected from the MEDLINE, EMBASE and CBMdisc databases. Data was extracted from the studies by 2 independent reviewers. The meta-analyses were performed by Review Manager Version 5.0.24 and STATA Version 9.2 software. From these data, the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was calculated. Results Fourteen studies with a total of 1900 AS cases and 831 healthy controls were retrieved. Meta-analysis results showed a positive association between B * 2704 and susceptibility to AS in Han population (OR=2.20, 95%CI=1.60-3.02, p<0.00001). However, B * 2705, B*2706 and B*2707 showed negative associations with susceptibility to AS in Han populations (OR=0.59, 95%CI=0.43-0.81, p=0.001 ; OR=0.13, 95%CI=0.05-0.37, p=0.0001; OR=0.23, 95%CI=0.11-0.46, p<0.0001; respectively). In subgroup analysis, there was a positive association between B * 2704 and susceptibility to AS in the southerners of China, but not in the northerners. Negative associations between B * 2705, B*2706 and susceptibility to AS were determined in the southerners of China, but also not in the northerners. Results showed obviously negative associations between B * 2707 and susceptibility to AS both in the southerners and northerners of China. Conclusion This meta-analysis confirms that B * 2704 might be a potential risk factor and B * 2705, B * 2706, B * 2707 might be potential protective factors for AS in Han populations, especially in the southerners of China.

Association between HLA-B*27 polymorphisms and ankylosing spondylitis in Han populations: a meta-analysis.

Background
Ras association domain family 1A gene (RASSFlA) is a candidate suppressor gene, Lack of RASSF1A expression was found in lung cancer. High DNA methylation at the promoter region is the main reason for inactivating RASSF1A transcription.

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Effect of DNA methylation inhibitor on RASSF1A genes expression in non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549 and A549DDP

[Objective]To investigate the significance of serum total HCV core antigen(HCV-cAg) in the HCV infection and treatment.[Methods]One hundred and seventy-three serum specimens of HCV infection patients were examined for HCV cAg and anti-HCV antibody with ELISA,for HCV RNA with real-time RT-PCR.[Results]In 173 anti-HCV positive specimens,the positive rate of HCV RNA was 49.7%(86/173) and the positive rate of HCV-cAg was 36.4%(63/173).The positive rate of HCV RNA was higher than that of HCV-cAg(P0.05).In 86 HCV RNA positive specimens,the positive rate of HCV-cAg was 69.8%(60/86),the negative rate was 30.2%(26/86).The control was negative.[Conclusions]In laboratory where it is impossible for HCV RNA measurement by using RT-PCR,HCV-cAg assay in serum will be very useful for the clinical diagnosis of hepatitis C and the detection of HCV.

Clinical significance of testing hepatitis C virus core antigen.

[Objective] To detect the HLA-B27 subtypes by Polymerase Chain Reaction with sequence specific primersTo study the clinical meaning of HLA-B27 subtypes associated with ankylosing spondylitis(AS) and investigate HLA-B27 subtypes of the Dalian area[Methods] Subtyping for HLA-B27 of Polymerase Chain Reaction with sequence specific primers(PCR-SSP) method was appliedA total of 40 HLA-B27 positive samples were entered into the study,containing 28 samples diagnosed ankylosing spondylitis and 12 samples diagnosed not ankylosing spondylitis[Results] Subtyping for B27 was successfully tested in 40 samples by PCR-SSPCheckout four HLA-B27 Subtypes:B2704,B2705,B2702 and B2710B2704 accounting for 575% in all 40 samples,B2705 accounting for 35%There was no significant difference between the rate of B2704,B2705 positive sample in ankylosing spondylitis and not ankylosing spondylitis(B2704χ~2=05894,P005;B2705χ~2=002,P005)[Conclusion] Subtyping for HLA-B27 by PCR-SSP has proved to be a high-sensitivity,high-specificity,rapid and accurate technique,suitable for clinical applicationIt is necessary to diagnose ankylosing spondylitis in clinicThe dominating subtype for HLA-B27 of Dalian area is B704 and B2705,only finding B2710 one example

Xiao Xiao-guang

Papers

Effect of DNA methylation inhibitor on RASSF1A genes expression in non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549 and A549DDP

Clinical significance of testing hepatitis C virus core antigen.

Clinical implication of HLA-B27 subtypes by polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primers