Homologous recombination (HR) is the major pathway for repairing double strand breaks (DSBs) in eukaryotes and XRCC2 is an essential component of the HR repair machinery. To evaluate the potential role of mutations in gene repair by HR in individuals susceptible to differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) we used high resolution melting (HRM) analysis, a recently introduced method for detecting m...

Each year, ~300,000 individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD), a hemoglobinopathy caused by β-globin gene mutation, are born, and >75% of those are in Africa. The present study examined 511 individuals on the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea) and attempted to establish a method for rapid sickle cell disease screening. Following DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification...

Background Rhizoma Paridis (Chonglou) is a commonly used and precious traditional Chinese medicine. Paris polyphylla Smith var. yunnanensis (Franch.) Hand. -Mazz. and Paris polyphylla Smith var. chinensis (Franch.) Hara are the two main sources of Chonglou under the monograph of Rhizoma Paridis in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In the local marketplace, however, this medicine is prone to be accidentall...

BACKGROUND Hookworm infections are still endemic in low and middle income tropical countries with greater impact on the socioeconomic and public health of the bottom billion of the world's poorest people. In this study, a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coupled with high resolution melting-curve (HRM) analysis was evaluated for an accurate, rapid and sensitive tool for species identif...

A wide range of molecular techniques have been developed for genotyping Candida species. Among them, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and microsatellite length polymorphisms (MLP) analysis have recently emerged. MLST relies on DNA sequences of internal regions of various independent housekeeping genes, while MLP identifies microsatellite instability. Both methods generate unambiguous and highl...

BACKGROUND The staphylococcal protein A (spa) locus of Staphylococcus aureus contains a complex repeat structure and is commonly used for single-locus sequence-based genotyping. The real-time PCR platform supports genotyping methods that are single step and closed tube and potentially can be carried out simultaneously with diagnosis. We describe here a method for genotyping S. aureus using high...

BACKGROUND Identification of specific mutation targets in cancer may lead to discovery of the genes modulating cancer susceptibility and/or prognosis. The RGSL1, RGS16, and RGS8 genes within the 1q25.3 region belong to the novel family of regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) genes, which increase the GTPase activity of the Gα subunit to attenuate signaling from the G protein-coupled receptor...

BACKGROUND Prevention and control of thalassemia requires simple, rapid, and accurate screening tests for carrier couples who are at risk of conceiving fetuses with severe thalassemia. METHODS Single-tube multiplex real-time PCR with SYBR Green1 and high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis were used for the identification of α-thalassemia-1 Southeast Asian (SEA) and Thai type deletions and β-th...

Many members of the genus Artemisia are important for medicinal purposes with multiple pharmacological properties. Often, these herbal plants sold on the markets are in processed forms so it is difficult to authenticate. Routine testing and identification of these herbal materials should be performed to ensure that the raw materials used in pharmaceutical products are suitable for their intende...