Quantitative detection of hepatitis C virus RNA in urine of patients with chronic hepatitis C using a novel real-time PCR assay

Current advances in Hepatitis C diagnostics

Nearly 60 million people worldwide are infected with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), a bloodborne pathogen which leads to liver cirrhosis and increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Those with limited access to healthcare resources, such as injection drug users and people in low- and middle-income countries, carry the highest burden. The current diagnostic algorithm for HCV is slow and costly, leading to a significant barrier in diagnosis and treatment for those most at risk from HCV. There remains no available vaccine for HCV, and infection is often asymptomatic until significant cirrhosis has occurred, which makes screening incredibly important to prevent liver damage and transmission. Recent investigation has sought to address these issues through improvements in various aspects of the diagnostic procedure, using methods such as isothermal amplification techniques for viral RNA amplification, the use of viral protein as an analyte, and the incorporation of streamlined, self-contained testing systems to reduce administrative skill requirements. This review provides a comprehensive overview of current commercial standards and novel improvements in HCV diagnostics, as well as a framework for future integration of these improvements to develop a one-step diagnostic that meets the needs of those most affected.

Development of surface-enhanced Raman scattering-sensing Method by combining novel Ag@Au core/shell nanoparticle-based SERS probe with hybridization chain reaction for high-sensitive detection of hepatitis C virus nucleic acid

The ultrasensitive detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) nucleic acid is crucial for the early diagnosis of hepatitis C. In this study, by combining Ag@Au core/shell nanoparticle (Ag@AuNP)-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) tag with hybridization chain reaction (HCR), a novel SERS-sensing method was developed for the ultrasensitive detection of HCV nucleic acid. This SERS-sensing system comprised two different SERS tags, which were constructed by modifying Ag@AuNP with a Raman reporter molecule of 4-ethynylbezaldehyde, two different hairpin-structured HCR sequences (H1 or H2), and a detection plate prepared by immobilizing a capture DNA sequence onto the Ag@AuNP layer surface of the detection wells. When the target nucleic acid was present, the two SERS tags were captured on the surface of the Ag@AuNP-coated detection well to generate many "hot spots" through HCR, forming a strong SERS signal and realizing the ultrasensitive detection of the target HCV nucleic acid. The limit of detection of the SERS-sensing method for HCV nucleic acid was 0.47 fM, and the linear range was from 1 to 105 fM.

3D-DNA walking nanomachine based on catalytic hairpin assembly and copper nanoclusters for sensitive detection of hepatitis C virus

Rapid and accurate detection of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is essential for early diagnosis and prevention of virus transmission. This study presents a novel approach that combines the three-dimensional (3D)-DNA walking nanomachine with catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) and copper nanoclusters (CuNCs). By integrating CHA with the 3D DNA walking nanomachine, efficient target amplification on 3D surfaces was achieved, leading to improved reaction speed and detection performance. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) was utilized to generate T-rich DNA sequences. These sequences served as templates for the formation of CuNCs, which functioned as the readout signal. The optimized 3D-DNA walking nanomachine exhibited excellent sensitivity in detecting HCV, with a detection limit of 42.4 pM and a linear range of 100 pM to 2 nM. The biosensor demonstrated excellent selectivity and reproducibility, with a recovery rate ranging from 94% to 108% for the detection of real samples. This design holds great potential for sensitive, label-free, and reliable detection of HCV in clinical settings. Furthermore, the versatility of this approach allows for the customization of target sequences, thereby facilitating the detection of various nucleic acid targets. Therefore, this method has the potential to advance personalized medicine, disease management, and genetic analysis in the field of molecular diagnosis.

Review: Detection and quantification of proteins in human urine

Extensive medical research showed that patients, with high protein concentration in urine, have various kinds of kidney diseases, referred to as proteinuria. Urinary protein biomarkers are useful for diagnosis of many health conditions - kidney and cardio vascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, infections. This review focuses on the instrumental quantification (electrophoresis, chromatography, immunoassays, mass spectrometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, the infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy) of proteins (the most of all albumin) in human urine matrix. Different techniques provide unique information on what constituents of the urine are. Due to complex nature of urine, a separation step by electrophoresis or chromatography are often used for proteomics study of urine. Mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for the discovery and the analysis of biomarkers in urine, however, costs of the analysis are high, especially for quantitative analysis. Immunoassays, which often come with fluorescence detection, are major qualitative and quantitative tools in clinical analysis. While Infrared and Raman spectroscopies do not give extensive information about urine, they could become important tools for the routine clinical diagnostics of kidney problems, due to rapidness and low-cost. Thus, it is important to review all the applicable techniques and methods related to urine analysis. In this review, a brief overview of each technique's principle is introduced. Where applicable, research papers about protein determination in urine are summarized with the main figures of merits, such as the limit of detection, the detectable range, recovery and accuracy, when available.

Viral RNA Degradation Makes Urine a Challenging Specimen for Detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Patients With Suspected CNS Infection

Background

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a leading cause of central nervous system (CNS) infections in Asia and results in significant morbidity and mortality. JEV RNA is rarely detected in serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and diagnosis of JEV infection is usually based on serological tests that are frequently difficult to interpret. Unlike serum or CSF, urine is relatively easy to obtain, but, to date, there has been minimal work on the feasibility of testing urine for JEV RNA.

Methods

We investigated the use of lysis buffer and a Microsep device to optimize urine storage for detection of JEV RNA by reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The best of the studied methods was then evaluated in consecutive patients admitted to the hospital with suspected CNS infections in Laos.

Results

We demonstrated degradation of JEV RNA in urine after even short storage periods at 4°C or –80°C. Although there was no advantage in using a Microsep concentration device alone, immediate addition of lysis buffer to fresh urine improved the detection of JEV RNA at the limit of detection.

Conclusions

In 2 studies of 41 patients with acute encephalitis syndrome, 11 (27%) were positive for JEV IgM in CSF and/or serum, and 2 (4.9%) were JEV RT-qPCR positive from throat swabs. JEV RNA was not detected in any of these patients’ urine samples. However, lysis buffer was only used during a prospective study, that is, for only 17/41 (41%) patient urine samples. Our findings suggest a need for larger studies testing urine for JEV RNA, with urine collected at different times from symptom onset, and using lysis buffer, which stabilizes RNA, for storage.