Search results for "Serology"
showing 10 items of 189 documents
Heparin-based ELISA reduces background reactivity in virus-like particle-based papillomavirus serology.
2004
The interaction between human papillomavirus (HPV) particles and cell surface heparan sulfate requires intact conformation of the HPV particles. Type-specific HPV serology is currently based on virus-like particles (VLPs) with intact conformation. Presence of incorrectly folded VLPs in VLP preparations is recognized as an important cause of cross-reactivity in HPV serology. Heparin-coated microtitre plates were evaluated for capturing conformationally correct VLPs and improving the type specificity of HPV serology. Hybrid VLPs between HPV16 and HPV11, which had been found to have significant reactivity with children's sera and a batch of HPV18 VLPs that had failed the quality control becaus…
Neutralizing antibody and clinical status of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals
1989
An assay based on inhibition of cytopathic effect of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) strains in Molt 4 cells was developed to quantitate neutralizing antibodies (NA) in sera of HIV-infected individuals. The assay was specific and gave results comparable to those obtained by the inhibition of immunofluorescence (IFI) and reverse transcriptase (RT) activity. Attempts were made to correlate the presence and the antibody titres with the clinical status of HIV-infected individuals classified according to Walter Reed staging classification scheme. NA titres correlated inversely with the stage of HIV infection: Compared with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, HIV-infected subje…
Serum thrombomodulin—a reliable marker of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): advantage over established serological parameters t…
1999
SUMMARYTo date no specific serological parameter is available to assess disease activity in SLE. Soluble serum thrombomodulin is a new marker of endothelial cell injury and vasculitis. The objective of this study was to compare in vivo soluble thrombomodulin as marker of disease activity in SLE with established and recent serological parameters. One hundred and twenty-four sera of 30 patients with proven SLE with different disease activities were tested for serum levels of thrombomodulin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), E-selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), IL-2R, IL-6, IL-10, dsDNA by ELISA and dsDNA additionally by radioimmunoassay (RIA). C-reactive protein (…
Does an 'autoimmune' profile affect the clinical profile of chronic hepatitis C? An Italian multicentre survey.
2004
SUMMARY. Nonorgan-specific autoantibodies (NOSA) are common in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. It is unclear whether serological markers of autoimmunity segregate in a cohort of cases with more severe liver damage. We assessed the relationship between NOSA and demographic, biochemical and histological features in 502 subjects with anti-HCV positive, HCV-RNA positive, HBsAg negative chronic hepatitis consecutively referred to four Italian liver units. Percutaneous liver biopsy was performed in all subjects. A single pathologist scored the biopsies using histology activity index classification. The overall prevalence of positivity for any NOSA was 36.9%. Antinuclear antibod…
The role of a labial salivary gland biopsy in the diagnostic procedure for Sjögren’s syndrome; a study of 94 cases
2014
Objectives: The purpose of the present study is to examine the role of the outcome of the labial salivary gland biopsy (LSGB) in the diagnostic procedure of patients suspected of suffering from Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Material and Methods: In a retrospective study the result of histopathological assessment of 94 consecutively taken labial salivary gland biopsies has been examined. For the diagnosis of SS the American-European Consensus Group classification (AECG, 2002) have been used. The outcome of the assessment has been discussed in relation to a recently reported classification provided by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR, 2012). Results: In the 94 LSGBs support for a diagnosi…
Helicobacter pylori infection in Burkina Faso: an enigma within an enigma.
2004
Background. In Burkina Faso, in contrast with high rates of Helicobacter pylori infection from an early age, the prevalence of H. pylori-associated diseases (ulcer and gastric cancer) is low. Aims. To look for the prevalence of H. pylori in healthy natives of Burkina Faso, both children and adults. Methods. We studied the prevalence of H. pylori infection in 258 healthy natives of Burkina Faso (70 children aged 6 months–15 years and 188 adults aged 16–65 years), using a serological screening (IgA and IgG H. pylori antibodies). All the studied subjects underwent a questionnaire regarding their life-style, socio-economic status, dietary habits and hygienic sanitary conditions. Data concerning…
A key role for abdominal ultrasound examination in "difficult" diagnoses of celiac disease.
2010
Purpose To evaluate the usefulness of abdominal ultrasound examination (US) for the diagnostic workup of cases of suspected CD involving negative serum antibodies and difficult diagnosis. Materials and methods 524 consecutive patients with symptoms of suspected CD underwent an extensive diagnostic workup. 76 (14 %) were excluded since they were positive for serum anti-tTG and/or EmA antibodies. 377 were excluded since they were diagnosed with something other than CD or did not have the alleles encoding for HLA DQ 2 or DQ 8. A diagnosis of CD with negative serum antibodies was probable in 71 patients who underwent abdominal US and duodenal biopsy for histology evaluation. Results Intestinal …
Post-infantile giant cell hepatitis in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis and autoimmune hepatitis.
2008
In post-infancy, multinucleated giant cell hepatitis is rare. Various conditions and diseases associated with post-infantile giant cell hepatitis have been described, but the pathogenesis remains unknown. In this paper we review the case reports of four patients (3 male, 1 female; aged 22 to 32 years) with primary sclerosing cholangitis and autoimmune hepatitis. The follow-up ranges from five to seven years. All patients showed cholestasis and repeated elevation of hepatic transaminases. Patients with viral infections, metabolic disorders and toxic influences were excluded. Histopathology of liver tissue in all four patients revealed giant cell formation with up to 20 nuclei in 20-70% of al…
Socio-economic and other correlates of Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus seroprevalence among older adults in Sicily.
2009
The virus that causes Kaposi sarcoma, KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV, also known as human herpesvirus 8) has an unusual distribution and poorly characterized modes of transmission. To clarify these issues, socio-demographic correlates of KSHV seroprevalence were examined in a population-based study. In 1,154 randomly sampled adults (aged 32- 92, mean 71 years) throughout Sicily, KSHV antibodies were detected with four assays and a conservative algorithm. Seroprevalence was re-weighted to the population. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (OR, CI) from multivariate logistic regression were used to estimate associations of seroprevalence with interview data. KSHV seroprevalence was 8.…
The epidemiology of mumps in Italy.
2008
In Italy, although vaccination has been recommended for a number of years, vaccination coverage for mumps is still sub-optimal. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of mumps antibodies in the Italian population, stratified by age, gender and geographical area. The proportion of individuals positive for mumps antibodies remained stable in the age classes 0–11 months and 1 year (25.4% and 30.8%, respectively) and showed a continuous increase after the second year of life. The percentage of susceptible individuals was higher than 20% in persons 2–14 years of age and exceeded 10% in persons 15–39 years of age. No statistically significant differences were observ…