Antitissue transglutaminase antibodies' normalization after starting a gluten-free diet in a large population of celiac children-a real-life experience.

Introduction: Few data are available regarding the trend of IgA anti-transglutaminase antibodies (TGA-IgA) in children with celiac disease (CD) on a gluten-free diet (GFD). Our aim is to examine the normalization time of CD serology in a large pediatric population, and its predictors.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the normalization time of TGA-IgA and its predictive factors (age, sex, ethnicity, symptoms, associated diabetes/thyroiditis, Marsh stage, TGA-IgA and endomysial antibody levels at diagnosis, diet adherence), in 1024 children diagnosed from 2000 to 2019 in three pediatric Italian centers, on a GFD.

Diagnostic accuracy of anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibodies in idiopathic membranous nephropathy: an Italian experience.

Background: Autoantibodies against-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) are specific markers of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is becoming the preferred method in many laboratories for the determination of anti-PLA2R antibodies, because it provides quantitative results, and is not prone to subjective interpretation, as is the case with indirect immunofluorescence assay.

Methods: The purpose of our study was to determine the diagnostic performance of serum PLA2R antibodies detected by commercially available ELISA in a large Italian multicenter cohort of patients with biopsy-proven iMN and in patients with other renal diseases, with special focus on evaluating the optimal cut-off value to discriminate positive and negative results.

Autoimmune liver serology before and after successful treatment of chronic hepatitis C by direct acting antiviral agents.

Background And Aims: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a wide range of immunopathological manifestations, which are significantly improved by successful interferon-based treatment. There is paucity of data on the impact of interferon-free HCV clearance on immunopathological manifestations, which might be expected to disappear more frequently as compared to what reported in interferon-induced HCV-clearance. We have investigated liver autoimmune serology before and after interferon-free clearance of HCV by treatment with direct acting antiviral agents (DAA).

Autoimmune liver disease serology in acute hepatitis E virus infection.

The etiology of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is unknown, though hepatotropic viruses may be potential triggers. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection, an increasingly recognized cause of acute hepatitis, has been misdiagnosed as AIH due to the occurrence of autoantibodies during its acute phase. It has also been suggested that HEV infection may lead to or unmask AIH.