We recently reported that interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory marker associated with breast pathology and the development of breast cancer, decreases with diet intervention and weight loss in both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant obese women. Here, we tested whether an individual's genotype at an IL6 SNP, rs1800795, which has previously been associated with circulating IL-6 levels, con...

Our objective was to characterize the distribution, diversity and patterns of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Source of data was a database of HCV genotype studies in MENA populated using a series of systematic literature searches. Pooled mean proportions were estimated for each genotype and by country using DerSimonian-Laird random-effects meta-ana...

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of HCV genotypes among voluntary blood donors in northern Thailand. From 1998 to 2000, 167 serum samples which tested positive for anti-HCV antibodies in the screening of voluntary blood donors from 5 provinces in northern Thailand were selected for genotyping. Viral RNA was extracted from the sera. The core-E1 region of...

The Abbott RealTime HCV Genotype II kit is designed for use in the transcription and amplification of the 5’UTR or NS5B regions of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome. RealTime-PCR amplification is conducted in three separate reaction mixtures with different fluorophores where genotypespecific probes are used to detect HCV genotypes 1, 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 such that: • Reaction A detects all...