The authors describe systematic sampling bias from socalled "convenience cohorts" in a review of studies addressing the prognostic significance of the PAX– FOXO1 fusion genes in rhabdomyosarcoma (1). They cite evidence that in at least two studies, samples for which fusion gene status was not determined had a different overall survival than those for which fusion status was determined. They pos...

We detected Leishmania mexicana in skin biopsies taken from a stray canine (Canis familiaris) and Texas mouse (Peromyscus attwateri) at two ecologically disparate sites in west and central Texas using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A single PCR-positive dog was identified from a sample of 96 stray canines and was collected in a peri-urban area in El Paso County, Texas. The PCR-positive P. att...

There are high levels of co-incidence of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) in porcine tissue. This study established a duplex nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method that targets the genomic RNA of type 2 PRRSV and the mRNA of PCV2 in infected tissues. The method amplified discriminative bands of 347 b...

Introduction: Two high-risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV18 and HPV16) immortalize mammary epithelial cells reduce their growth factor requirements. Recent studies have identified HPV in a broad range breast cancer samples. Therefore, the study aimed to assess association mentioned (HPV18, with patients using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) due increasing prevalence cancer. Methods: The ...