Hepatitis C virus RNA and core protein in kidney glomerular and tubular structures isolated with laser capture microdissection
Authors: M Montrone
G Grandaliano
D Sansonno
F P Schena
G Lauletta
F Dammacco
Journal: Clinical and experimental immunology (2005)
Discipline: IMMUNOLOGY
Keywords: Hepatitis C virus; renal injury; laser capture microdissection; glomeruli; tubules
Affiliations: Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy. 

Abstract:  The role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the production of renal injury has been extensively investigated, though with conflicting results. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) was performed to isolate and collect glomeruli and tubules from 20 consecutive chronically HCV-infected patients, namely 6 with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, 4 with membranous glomerulonephritis, 7 with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and 3 with IgA-nephropathy. RNA for amplification of specific viral sequences was provided by terminal continuation methodology and compared with the expression profile of HCV core protein. For each case two glomeruli and two tubular structures were microdissected and processed. HCV RNA sequences were demonstrated in 26 (65%) of 40 glomeruli, but in only 4 (10%) of the tubules (P &lt; 0.05). HCV core protein was concomitant with viral sequences in the glomeruli and present in 31 of the 40 tubules. HCV RNA and/or HCV core protein was found in all four disease types. The immunohistochemical picture of HCV core protein was compared with the LCM-based immunoassays of the adjacent tissue sections. Immune deposits were detected in 7 (44%) of 16 biopsy samples shown to be positive by extraction methods. The present study indicates that LCM is a reliable method for measuring both HCV RNA genomic sequences and HCV core protein in kidney functional structures from chronically HCV-infected patients with different glomerulopathies and provides a useful baseline estimate to define the role of HCV in the production of renal injury. The different distribution of HCV RNA and HCV-related proteins may reflect a peculiar 'affinity' of kidney microenvironments for HCV and point to distinct pathways of HCV-related damage in glomeruli and tubules. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 What should I say? Not a scientific paper, more some paranormal quackery. Numerous typing errors, insufficient method description, strange assumptions of virus sex, fancy graphics. , 
 Did you know that viruses come in male and female sexes? Me neither. Apparently this allows them to detect the sex of chicken eggs through some form of resonance, producing a signal that is sent through a single-wire circuit to Radio-SkyPipe software. The hardware involved remain unspecified. ![file] The experiments described here appear to be **suggestions** or **hypotheses**, although the wording implies that the authors have performed them, and that they have actual results which they neglected to report. They also imply that they have access to quantities of concentrated influenza virus, possibly obtained from the same Iranian village that provided Dekalb Brown eggs. The paper was **not** among the [5 recently retracted from the journal] for being incoherent gibberish with no connection to dermatology. A copy is available here: https: www.id-press.eu mjms article view oamjms.2019.768 3960 , 
 Elisabeth Bik, who has no scientific title, has been attacking and insulting us time ago, especially after our publication of an article on the deleterious effects of 5G.She is an exponent of scientific misoneism, an enemy of humanity and of science. My index and number of publishing in high impact journals are nothing to do with this attacker. I have published with high impact scientists and my theories on quantum applications in biology are shared by many researchers. We have undertaken a legal action against defamatory actions in both civil and penal court against her. There is nothing to boast about the withdrawal of a scientific article already published; this is a great sign of human and scientific weakness. God free us from those guardians of science. Massimo Fioranelli Associate Professor of Physiology Rome, Italy. , 
 It appears that two of the authors are psychiatrists with a clinic (Clinic for Psychiatric Disorders u201cDr. Laza Lazarevicu201d) in Belgrade, Serbia. Could one of the authors explain what contribution to this paper could be made by psychiatrists? ,