PURPOSE The aim of our study is to determine the characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as well as risk factors, demographics, survival rates and the use of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities among veteran patients in Puerto Rico. METHODS A retrospective study of 114 patients with Hispanic background and biopsy-proven HCC diagnosed at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System from 1992...

BACKGROUND Although the Centres for disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends empiric treatment for schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis (prevalent but treatable parasitic infections) in some refugee groups it is unclear if these guidelines should be extended to non-refugee immigrants from endemic areas. We aimed to assess seroprevalence of, and risk factors for, positive schistosomiasis ...

This study evaluated the usefulness of the anti-HBc, hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV), human T cell lymphotropic virus I and II antibodies (anti-HTLV I/II), serologic tests for syphilis, and surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) as surrogate markers for the risk for HIV infection in 80,284 serum samples from blood donors from the Blood Bank of "Hospital Universitário Regional Nort...

Yaws is a non-venereal treponemal infection caused by Treponema pallidum ssp. pertenue. The WHO has launched a worldwide control programme, which aims to eradicate yaws by 2020. The development of a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for serological diagnosis in the isolated communities affected by yaws is a key requirement for the successful implementation of the WHO strategy. We conducted a study to...

Visceral leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi, is a chronic parasitic disease of humans and dogs. Confirmation of the protozoal agent in bone marrow, lymph node or spleen aspirate is diagnostic, while specific-IgG serology is used mainly for epidemiology despite the general presence of high levels of serum immunoglobulin. Anecdotal reports of false-negative serology in activ...

This article forms part of our 'Tests and results' series for 2012, which aims to provide information about common tests that general practitioners order regularly. It considers areas such as indications, what to tell the patient, what the test can and cannot tell you, and interpretation of results.

Difficulties with serology for papillomavirus are associated with the large number of human papillomavirus, cross-reactions between papillomavirus, and to the diversity of lesions and target sites for infection. In addition, the expression of the papillomavirus in the superficial layers of the epithelium gives rise to the weak presentation to immunocompetent cells of viral antigens, which in tu...

Mycobacterium leprae is the causative agent of leprosy, a disease that, despite having an effective cure with multidrug therapy (MDT), leaves millions of cured patients with sequelae as a consequence of the nerve damage that forms the hallmark of leprosy. A number of diagnostic issues hamper the correct and timely diagnosis of leprosy and the correct classification of patients for treatment pur...

AIM To define the association between Hashimoto's thyroiditis and coeliac disease in Dutch patients. METHODS A total of 104 consecutive patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis underwent coeliac serological tests (antigliadins, transglutaminase and endomysium antibodies) and HLA-DQ typing. Small intestinal biopsy was performed when any of coeliac serological tests was positive. On the other hand...