Search results for "Gens"
showing 10 items of 3762 documents
Disease-associated polymorphisms in ERAP1 do not alter endoplasmic reticulum stress in patients with ankylosing spondylitis
2014
The mechanism by which human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) contributes to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) remains unclear. Genetic studies demonstrate that association with and interaction between polymorphisms of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) and HLA-B27 influence the risk of AS. It has been hypothesised that ERAP1-mediated HLA-B27 misfolding increases endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, driving an interleukin (IL) 23-dependent, pro-inflammatory immune response. We tested the hypothesis that AS-risk ERAP1 variants increase ER-stress and concomitant pro-inflammatory cytokine production in HLA-B27(+) but not HLA-B27(-) AS patients or controls. Forty-nine AS cases and 22 healthy…
Antibodies to soluble liver antigen/liver pancreas and HLA risk factors for type 1 autoimmune hepatitis.
2002
Antibodies to soluble liver antigen/liver-pancreas are highly specific markers of type 1 autoimmune hepatitis that have been associated with relapse. Our aim was to determine if these antibodies are reflective of a genetic predisposition for recrudescent disease.One hundred forty-four white North American patients were evaluated by an enzyme immunoassay and by Western blot using recombinant soluble liver antigen/liver-pancreas; 122 were assessed for class II human leukocyte antigens (HLAs).Twenty-two patients (15%) had antibodies to soluble liver antigen/liver-pancreas. These patients were indistinguishable from seronegative patients by clinical, laboratory, and histological features at pre…
Clinical significance of autoantibodies to soluble liver antigen in autoimmune hepatitis.
1999
Abstract Background/Aims: Classification of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) into different subgroups according to autoantibody status has been proposed: type I (ANA/SMA), type II (LKM-1) and type III (anti-SLA). However, whether type III AIH forms a clinically distinct disease entity remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the subclassification of AIH into ANA/SMA and anti-SLA positive patients with regard to clinical, biochemical and histologic differences. Methods: Ninety-seven consecutive patients with a well-documented long-term course of AIH with ANA/SMA and/or anti-SLA autoantibodies were studied. Clinical, biochemical and histological features of patients with ANA/SMA…
Free and antibody-complexed antigen and antibody profile in apparently healthy HIV seropositive individuals and in AIDS patients.
1990
The pattern of free and antibody-complexed HIV antigen and the antibody profile were investigated retrospectively in 305 serum samples taken from 22 AIDS patients before and during the development of AIDS and from 40 apparently healthy seropositive individuals. Most AIDS patients were found positive for both free and complexed antigen and had high gp41 antibody titres but low or undetectable p24 antibody. Four different patterns of HIV antigenaemia were observed: 1) positive for both free and complexed antigen; 2) negative for free HIV antigen at first, but always positive for complexed antigen; 3) positive for free antigen without complexed antigen; and 4) negative for both free and comple…
Digit ratio (2D:4D) is associated with traffic violations for male frequent car drivers
2009
Digit ratio (2D:4D) is a putative marker of prenatal hormone exposure. A lower digit ratio has been suggested as an index of higher testosterone relative to estrogen exposure during prenatal development. Digit ratio has been associated with a variety of psychological sex-dimorphic variables, including spatial orientation, aggression, or risk-taking behavior. The present study aimed to relate digit ratio to traffic violations for a male sample (N = 77) of frequent car drivers. Digit ratio was assessed via printout scans of the hand, and traffic offense behavior was assessed via self-reported penalty points as registered by the Central Register of Traffic Offenders in Germany. In addition, so…
PREVALENCE OF ANTIBODIES ANTI-BARTONELLA HENSELAEIN WESTERN SICILY: CHILDREN, BLOOD DONORS, AND CATS
2011
To evaluate seroprevalence of B. henselae infection both in Sicilian children and healthy blood donors. Furthermore, circulation of Bartonella in the natural reservoir was also studied. Two hundred forty-three children, living in Sicily (Palermo), affected by various diseases, without clinical features suggesting B. henselae infection, together with 122 healthy blood donors were serologically investigated for IgG and IgM antibodies by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). One hundred twenty stray and 62 pet cats were also analyzed only for IgG. Among children 25.1% had IgG antibodies to B. henselae; 18.5% showed a titer 1:64, 2.4% 1:128, 2.4% 1:256, 0.8% 1:512, 0.4% 1:1024, and 0.4% 1:…
C4A deficiency and nonresponse to hepatitis B vaccination
2002
Hepatitis B vaccination failure has been linked to the presence of certain human leukocyte antigen class II alleles. However, the functional background of these associations has remained unclear. Complement component C 4 is encoded within the major histocompatibility complex and is essential for classical pathway activation.Healthy individuals (n=4269) were vaccinated in a prospective trial with Engerix B. Nonresponse was classified as anti-HBs10 U/l after the last vaccination. Seventy-three nonresponders (NR) (1.7%) were identified. For comparison 53 responders (R) (anti-HBs10 IU/l) were drawn randomly from the same cohort. C4 allotyping was carried out by high-voltage agarose gel electrop…
T cells involved in psoriasis vulgaris belong to the Th1 subset
1994
Although the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris is still unknown, several characteristics point to an immunologically mediated process. Epidermal psoriatic lesions are characterized by a hyperproliferation of keratinocytes and an infiltration of T lymphocytes and granulocytes. Because the former may be mediated in part by lymphokines secreted by T cells, we have focused our interest on the in vivo and in vitro cytokine secretion patterns of T lymphocytes from psoriatic lesions. In five patients T lymphocytes were obtained from epidermal specimens. The cells were propagated with lectin and irradiated feeder cells and subsequently cloned by limiting dilution. The resulting T-cell clones were …
Actin is a target antigen of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in autoimmune hepatitis type-1.
1997
Abstract Background/Aim: Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are a group of autoantibodies first associated with Wegener's granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis. The signifiance of ANCA in autoimmune hepatitis remains uncertain; the nature of the antigen or antigens has not been defined yet. The purpose of this study was to identify the target antigen of ANCA in patients with autoimmune hepatitis. Method/Results: Sera from 32 type-1 autoimmune hepatitis patients were used in the present study. ANCA were detected in 24 of 32 sera (75%). A diffuse cytoplasmic staining pattern (C-ANCA) was detected in 14 patients; the P-ANCA pattern was observed in 10 patients. An extract of hu…
Prevalence of antibodies to human papillomaviruses in the general population of the Czech Republic.
1998
Sera from 450 individuals between the age of 1 and 80 years, representing the general population of the Czech Republic, were tested for the presence of antibodies to human-papillomavirus(HPV)-derived antigens. The following antigens were used: (i) HPV1 virions; (ii) HPV16, -18 and -33-virus-like particles (VLP); (iii) peptides derived from L2 open reading frames (ORFs) of HPV16 and HPV6/11; (iv) peptides derived from HPV16 E2, E4 and E7 ORFs of HPV16. The prevalence of antibodies reactive with the capsid-derived antigens was age-dependent, while no clear age dependence was observed in the distribution of antibodies to peptides derived from HPV16 early proteins. In individual sera, high corr…