ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026
Beyond hepatitis C: clinical spectrum and demographic characteristics of anti-rods and rings antibodies in a large ANA-positive cohort.
Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The anti-rods and rings (anti-RR) pattern (AC-23) is traditionally associated with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection and interferon therapy. However, emerging evidence suggests a broader clinical spectrum. This study aims to characterize the clinical associations, demographic shifts, and pattern complexity of anti-RR antibodies in a single-center retrospective study. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on anti-RR-positive individuals identified from both the clinical cohort and the routine health checkup cohort. Clinical data, including disease categories, age, gender, concurrent ANA patterns, and antibody titers, were systematically evaluated. Results: Our findings demonstrate a heterogeneous clinical distribution of the anti-RR (AC-23) pattern across disease categories. Within the infectious disease group, hepatitis B virus (HBV) accounted for the largest proportion (36.59%), followed by hepatitis C virus (HCV) (24.39%), with a male predominance (M:F = 2.4:1, p<0.05). Among systemic autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was the most frequently observed condition (25.64%), followed by connective tissue diseases (CTD) and autoimmune liver diseases (AIH/PBC). A distinct age- and sex-related distribution was observed, with higher frequencies in females aged 19-45 years, whereas a higher frequency was observed in males aged >65 years within the clinical cohort (p=0.045). Overall, anti-RR antibodies were predominantly detected at low titers (1:100-1:320). In addition, multiple immunofluorescence patterns, particularly speckled patterns, were more frequently observed in patients with autoimmune diseases, whereas isolated anti-RR patterns were more commonly identified in the routine health checkup cohort. Conclusion: Anti-RR represents a distinct ANA pattern associated with a broad clinical spectrum in the Chinese population, extending significantly beyond HCV to include HBV infection and various non-infectious conditions. The diverse clinical associations and the predominance of low-to-moderate titers suggest that anti-RR should be interpreted as a general indicator of systemic immune involvement rather than a specific disease marker. Clinical management should prioritize comprehensive evaluation based on the individual's context rather than relying on anti-RR for specific disease screening.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.