Serum hyaluronic acid as a predictor of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection.

Chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Several studies investigated the diagnostic and prognostic value of some biochemical markers to detect the hepatic fibrosis and found a correlation between serum markers and hepatic fibrosis. Among them serum hyaluronic acid (HA) has been identified as a potential marker of fibrosis or cirrhosis in different studies. A prospective study in 60 subjects was conducted to evaluate the association between serum HA and hepatic fibrosis. Thirty consecutive patients with chronic HBV or HCV infection undergoing liver biopsy were studied. Sera were obtained for HA using enzyme linked protein binding assay. Patients with hepatic fibrosis had higher serum HA concentration compared with healthy subjects (236.65 ± 227.07 vs. 23.32 ± 14.22 respectively, p<0.001). Correlation was found between high serum HA concentration and increasing degree of hepatic fibrosis (R-0.322 and p<0.041). This study had shown a good correlation between serum HA and different stages of hepatic fibrosis. So serum HA may be used as a useful marker of hepatic fibrosis.

Characterization of a species-specific repetitive DNA from a highly endangered wild animal, Rhinoceros unicornis, and assessment of genetic polymorphism by microsatellite associated sequence amplification (MASA).

We have cloned and sequenced a 906bp EcoRI repeat DNA fraction from Rhinoceros unicornis genome. The contig pSS(R)2 is AT rich with 340 A (37.53%), 187 C (20.64%), 173 G (19.09%) and 206 T (22.74%). The sequence contains MALT box, NF-E1, Poly-A signal, lariat consensus sequences, TATA box, translational initiation sequences and several stop codons. Translation of the contig showed seven different types of protein motifs, among which, EGF-like domain cysteine pattern signatures and Bowman-Birk serine protease inhibitor family signatures were prominent. The presence of eukaryotic transcriptional elements, protein signatures and analysis of subset sequences in the 5' region from 1 to 165nt indicating coding potential (test code value=0.97) suggest possible regulatory and/or functional role(s) of these sequences in the rhino genome. Translation of the complementary strand from 906 to 706nt and 190 to 2nt showed proteins of more than 7kDa rich in non-polar residues. This suggests that pSS(R)2 is either a part of, or adjacent to, a functional gene. The contig contains mostly non-consecutive simple repeat units from 2 to 17nt with varying frequencies, of which four base motifs were found to be predominant. Zoo-blot hybridization revealed that pSS(R)2 sequences are unique to R. unicornis genome because they do not cross-hybridize, even with the genomic DNA of South African black rhino Diceros bicornis. Southern blot analysis of R. unicornis genomic DNA with pSS(R)2 and other synthetic oligo probes revealed a high level of genetic homogeneity, which was also substantiated by microsatellite associated sequence amplification (MASA). Owing to its uniqueness, the pSS(R)2 probe has a potential application in the area of conservation biology for unequivocal identification of horn or other body tissues of R. unicornis. The evolutionary aspect of this repeat fraction in the context of comparative genome analysis is discussed.