ABSTRACT
Background: There is an international consensus that evaluation of MYCNamplification should be done in all cases of newly diagnosed neuroblastoma. MYCN is the most important prognostic factor for neuroblastoma and determines treatment strategy
Materials and methods: In this study we evaluated paraffin embedded tissue block and bone marrow aspiration of 75 neuroblastoma patients with mean age of 4.1 years, including 32 female and 43 male, by conventional and also real time quantitative PCR
Results: Forty eight and 43 percent were MYCN amplification positive by Real time and conventional PCR, respectively. 28% of patients less than one year old and 48% of patients older than one year showed MYCN amplification.50 percent of cases with pathological diagnosis of small round cell tumor had MYCN amplification
Conclusion: PCR is a fast, reliable and cost effective method for the evaluation of MYCN amplification and can be performed using DNA extracted from small tissue samples and paraffin embedded blocks. As expected regarding detection power and convenience, Real time PCR was superior to conventional PCR
ABSTRACT
Background: occult hepatitis B virus [HBV] infection is characterized by presence of HBV infection with undetectable hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]. Diagnosis of occult HBV infection requires sensitive HBV-DNA PCR assay. Recently it has been shown that occult hepatitis B may be a cause of cryptogenic liver disease. The aim of this study is the investigation of occult HBV infection among patients with cryptogenic liver disease
Methods: 65 consecutive paraffin-embedded liver tissues from cases referred to RCGLD [Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases] and THC [Tehran Hepatitis Center] during the years 2001 and 2002 for liver biopsy because - of elevation of alanine aminotransferase [ALT] levels for more than six months were studied. Among these, 12 patients with cryptogenic liver disease were found. Human tissue DNA could be extracted in 7 of 12 patients. In these patients liver biopsies were reviewed and HBV-DNA and HBsAg and HBcAg were assayed in liver tissue by polymerase chain reaction [PCR] and immunohistochemistry [IHC], respectively
Results: histologically, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and nonspecific changes were reported. HBVDNA was detectable in 4 patients but IHC was negative in all. The frequency of occult HBV infection was more than 50%
Conclusions: occult HBV infection is common among patients with cryptogenic liver disease. In these patients, HBV-DNA may be detected more frequently among patients with more advanced liver pathology [cirrhosis] and more aggressive clinical course [decompensated cirrhosis]