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Fulltext Seronegative occult hepatitis c virus infection (oci) in a main haemodialysis centre in pahang, malaysia.

Abdul Rahman SNF, Hamzah HA, Mustafa MIA

IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(3):11-19.
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Occult HCV infection has a predilection for specific populations such as haemodialysis (HD) patients.The exact natural course, epidemiology, pathogenesis and clinical importance of OCI are unknown. We investigated the existence of OCI among local patients undergoing routine HD at a referral hospital in Pahang, Malaysia. Methods:Serum andperipheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBCs) were collected from peripheral venous blood samples of seropositive (anti-HCV positive) and seronegative (anti-HCV negative) HD patients as well as healthy individuals (negative control group). Inclusion criteria for the seronegative patients included elevated liver enzymes. Both conventional PCR and strand-specific PCR were used to detect the viral RNA and to indicate active viral replication in PBMCs respectively. Direct DNA sequencing was done to confirm the viral HCV RNA and their genotypes. Results:In the majority (90-100%) of seropositive chronic hepatitis C patients, viral RNA was detected in both serum and PMBCs . Meanwhile, out of 22 seronegative patients, 6 (27%) showed active viral replication in PBMCs but no detectable viral RNA presence in the serum. None of the negative control group had detectable viral RNA. All seronegative patients with OCI were infected with HCV genotype 3 and two of them (2/6) had a slight elevation of their liver enzymes. Conclusion:Seronegative OCI does exist among local hemodialysis patients, with normal or persistently abnormal liver enzyme values. Further investigation is needed to study the mode of viral transmission and clinical significance of OCI in HD setting.
Recent progress on CO-rich syngas production via CO2 gasification of various wastes: A critical review on efficiency, challenges and outlook

Chan YH, Syed Abdul Rahman SNF, Lahuri HM, Khalid A

Environ Pollut, 2021 Mar 01;278:116843.
PMID: 33711630 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116843

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a highly valuable component of syngas which could be used to synthesize various chemicals and fuels. Conventionally, syngas is derived from fossil-based natural gas and coal which are non-renewable. To curb the problem, CO2 gasification offers a win-win solution in which CO2 is converted with wastes to CO, achieving carbon emission mitigation and addressing waste disposal issue simultaneously. In this review, gasification of various wastes by CO2 with particular focus given to generation of CO-rich syngas is presented and critically discussed. This includes the effects of operating parameters (temperature, pressure and physicochemical properties of feedstocks) and advanced CO2 gasification techniques (catalytic CO2 gasification, CO2 co-gasification and microwave-driven CO2 gasification). Furthermore, associated technological challenges are highlighted and way forward in this field are proposed.
Molecular Analysis and Ex Vivo Infectivity of Seronegative Occult Hepatitis C Virus: A Study in Single Haemodialysis Centre

Abdul Rahman SNF, Hamzah HA, Mustafa Mahmud MIA, Mat Harun N

Malays J Med Sci, 2024 Apr;31(2):30-42.
PMID: 38694575 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.4

BACKGROUND: In occult hepatitis C virus infection (OCI), hepatitis C virus ribonucleic acid (HCV RNA) is detectable in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) but is not evident in serum or plasma. Understanding of OCI in patients with seronegative anti-HCV antibodies is limited.
METHODS: In this study, six HCV isolates from haemodialysis (HD) patients with seronegative OCI were identified by molecular assays and phylogenetic analysis. The virus infectivity was assessed ex vivo using a primary naïve PBMC culture system. HCV isolates obtained from the PBMCs of 10 patients with chronic HCV infection (CCI) were characterised concurrently and used as positive controls in the cell culture.
RESULTS: Sequence analysis of the 5' untranslated region (UTR) and non-structural 5B (NS5B) region revealed that HCV genotype 3 was the most prevalent virus type in both the OCI and CCI groups. One of the occult HCV isolates was identified as a mixed type. The mean viral load (log10 RNA copies/106 cells) in the PBMC samples of the OCI group (M = 3.4, SD = 0.7) was lower than that of the CCI group (M = 4.6, SD = 1.7). Upon culture, de novo OCI-HCV replicates were detected in five out of six naïve PBMC cultures. Analysis of the replicates showed a single guanine addition in the domain III of 5'-UTR but the overall molecular structure was retained.
CONCLUSION: Seronegative OCI is an active form of infection that replicates at a low level in PBMCs. Seronegative OCI may share the same route of transmission as CCI. The retained viral competency may have an implication for its persistence.

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