Detection and quantification of HBV and HCV in plasma samples by means of different molecular assays: Comparative study.

Introduction: Viral load is a very useful marker for monitoring patients infected with HBV and HCV. This work compares assays based on transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) and on real-time PCR (RT-PCR) to verify whether they can be interchangeable.

Material And Methods: A bicentric study, in which 147 plasma samples from patients infected with HBV and 229 with HCV were analyzed, was carried out.

Antimicrobial Activity of Polyphenols and Natural Polyphenolic Extracts on Clinical Isolates.

Antibiotic resistance is a growing global problem that affects people, animals, the environment, and the economy. Many clinically relevant bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics, and this fact is emerging as one of the major threats to public health. The lack of new antibiotics, which is due to their time-consuming and costly development, exacerbates the problem.

Prevalence and incidence of hepatitis delta in patients with chronic hepatitis B in Spain.

Background: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a defective agent that only replicates in the presence of the hepatitis B virus. Accordingly, HDV acquisition may occur as superinfection of HBsAg+ carriers or following acute dual HDV and hepatitis B virus exposure. Herein, we examined the global and incident rates of HDV infections in Spain.