We analyze an important aspect of the behavior of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) Bragg mirrors: the dependence of the angular acceptance for reflection on the incidence angle. By means of leakage radiation microscopy, both in direct and Fourier space, we observe that the angular acceptance diminishes for increasing incidence angles. This effect, which can considerably affect the design of devi...

conclusions in comparison with the rate of hbcab positivity reported in other iranian studies, the rate was higher in the present study. there were a few variations, genotypes, and subtypes among the infected injecting drug users. further investigations are needed to unravel the molecular characterization of obi. results sixty-four (28%) participants were hbcab positive, 59 cases were hbcab pos...

The seroepidemiology of hepatitis B was studied in Kiribati (formerly the Gilbert Islands). Six hundred and two (98%) of the population studied showed evidence of current or previous infection. The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen was 31% (188/615) and of the e antigen was 9% (58/615). Infection was acquired early in life, and the prevalence of both antigens declined with age. The rate...

A renal transplant recipient became persistently positive for hepatitis B virus (HBV) despite preexisting anti-hepatitis B surface (HBs) antibodies. The antigenicity and immunogenicity of wild-type (wt) and mutant HBs antigens (Ags) were compared. In contrast to wt HBsAg, genetic vaccination with mutant HBsAgs did not induce anti-HBs. Thus, mutations within HBsAg may enable HBV to escape immuno...

OBJECTIVE To measure the prevalence of anti-rubella IgG and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among pregnant women in Kuwait in order to assess the effectiveness of the current vaccination programs. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This retrospective study involved 4,062 pregnant women evaluated in health centers in the Hawalli Province of Kuwait. They were screened for anti-rubella IgG and HBsAg using...

In this study, we developed lateral flow assay (LFA) biosensors for the detection of hepatitis B surface antigens using well-controlled gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). To enhance colorimetric signals, a seeded growth method was used for the preparation of size-controlled AuNPs with a narrow size distribution. Different sizes of AuNPs in the range of 342-137.8 nm were conjugated with antibodies and ...

BACKGROUND Passively acquired maternal antibodies in infants may inhibit active immune responses to vaccines. Whether maternal antibody against hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) in infants may influence the long-term immunogenicity of hepatitis B vaccine remains unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Totally 338 pairs of mothers and children were enrolled. All infants were routinely vac...

A meta-analysis on the seroprevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies against hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in 27881 hepatocellular carcinomas from 90 studies confirmed wide international variations. A predominance of HBsAg was found in hepatocellular carcinomas from most Asian, African and Latin American countries, but anti-HCV predominated in Europe, North America, Japan,...

Early diagnosis of infection like Hep-B virus in blood is important for low cost medical treatment. For this purpose, it is desirable to develop a point of care device which should be able to detect trace quantities of the target molecule in blood. In this paper, we report a nanoporous silicon oxide sensor which is capable of detecting down to 1fM concentration of Hep-B surface antigen in blood...