Insulin resistance is linked to a specific profile of immune activation in human subjects.

We tested the hypothesis that a particular immune activation profile might be correlated with insulin resistance in a general population. By measuring 43 markers of immune, endothelial, and coagulation activation, we have previously shown that five different immune activation profiles may be distinguished in 150 volunteers. One of these profiles, Profile 2, characterized by CD4+ T cell senescence, inflammation, monocyte, B cell, and endothelial activation, presented elevated insulinemia, glycemia, triglyceridemia, and γ-glutamyl transferase, a marker of liver injury, in comparison with other profiles.

Identification of distinct immune activation profiles in adult humans.

Latent infectious agents, microbial translocation, some metabolites and immune cell subpopulations, as well as senescence modulate the level and quality of activation of our immune system. Here, we tested whether various in vivo immune activation profiles may be distinguished in a general population. We measured 43 markers of immune activation by 8-color flow cytometry and ELISA in 150 adults, and performed a double hierarchical clustering of biomarkers and volunteers.

Monoclonal gammapathy <5 g/L: the interest of T/O ratio.

There is currently no consensus for the quantification and identification of weak gammaglobulin monoclonal spike. We conducted a study of 12 months including 410 serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) with suspected weak monoclonal spike in gammaglobulin area without anteriority, which led to the realization of an immunofixation (IF); 276 SPE has a weak spike in gammaglobulins (defined with perpendicular drop method (orthogonal (O) quantification <5 g/L) but only 157 (57%) has monoclonal immunoglobulin by immunofixation of serum. The monitoring of 50 true positive monoclonal immunoglobulins showed the stability of the spike at more than half of the patients and its disappearance in 28% of cases.

Evaluation of two automated capillary electrophoresis systems for human serum protein analysis.

Objectives: We compared automated capillary electrophoresis (CE) systems Capillarys 2 from Sebia and V8 from Helena Biosciences Europe (Elitech) with the semi-automated Hydrasys-Hyrys agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) from Sebia.

Design And Methods: We evaluated analytical performances and compared 129 fresh routine sera (group A) to 164 frozen pathologic samples with suspicion or antecedent of monoclonal component (MC) (group B). Immunofixation was then compared with immunotyping provided by both CE systems.

Online high-efficiency haemodiafiltration achieves higher serum free light chain removal than high-flux haemodialysis in multiple myeloma patients: preliminary quantitative study.

Background: Fast reduction of serum free light chain (FLC) levels correlate with renal recovery in cast nephropathy. Because convection has the capacity to remove proteins of higher molecular weights, we hypothesized that haemodiafiltration (HDF) would be superior to haemodialysis (HD) for FLC clearance.

Methods: We retrospectively identified all renal replacement therapy (RRT) sessions performed in multiple myeloma patients with pre- and post-treatment FLC measurements during a 2-year period.

An in vitro model of differentiation of memory B cells into plasmablasts and plasma cells including detailed phenotypic and molecular characterization.

Human plasma cells (PCs) and their precursors play an essential role in humoral immune response but are rare and difficult to harvest. We report the generation of human syndecan-1(+) and immunoglobulin secreting PCs starting from memory B cells in a 3-step and 10-day (D) culture, including a 6-fold cell amplification. We report the detailed phenotypic and Affymetrix gene expression profiles of these in vitro PCs as well as of intermediate cells (activated B cells and plasmablasts) compared with memory B cells and bone marrow PCs, which is accessible through an open web ATLAS (http://amazonia.