Influence of immunoglobulin light chain dimers on the results of the quantitative nephelometric assay.

Background: Some polymeric forms of immunoglobulin free light chains (FLCs) have been identified, such as dimer, trimer and tetramer, and the quantitative nephelometric assay of kappa and lambda light chains is very important to the diagnosis and management of multiple myeloma (MM), primary systemic amyloidosis (AL), etc. But, whether polymeric molecules could affect the results of the nephelometric assay, is rarely reported.

Methods: 12 urinary samples from patients with light-chain MM were separated by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and every sample was run with reduced and nonreduced sample buffer in one gel.

The effects of ox-LDL in human atherosclerosis may be mediated in part via the toll-like receptor 4 pathway.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) may provide a potential pathophysiological link between lipids and infection/inflammation and atherosclerosis. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) makes it more atherogenic than its native form. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between the effects of ox-LDL in human atherosclerosis and the expression of TLR4.

Siglec-1 on monocytes is a potential risk marker for monitoring disease severity in coronary artery disease.

Objectives: Siglec-1 has long been considered as an important biomarker of the activation of monocyte/macrophage and a type I interferon-specific imprint, but its role in atherosclerosis has not been elucidated.

Methods: We examined the expression of Siglec-1 by flow cytometry and RT-PCR in 83 CAD patients and 38 healthy controls. In addition, the levels of serum lipids, Gensini score, hs-CRP and homocysteine were determined.

Preliminary clinical measurement of the expression of B-cell activating factor in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

It has recently been found that excessive serum B-cell activating factor (BAFF) production triggers severe autoimmune disorders in mice resembling systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Whether such dysregulation in circulating levels of BAFF results from overexpression of BAFF gene in clinical patients with SLE is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the expression of BAFF and SLE.

[A study on the relativity between La protein and the stability of HBV mRNA and the expression of HBV protein].

Objective: To study the relativity between La protein and the stability of HBV mRNA and the expression of HBV protein.

Methods: Four specific siRNAs were obtained by transcription in vitro. After transfection with the siRNAs into HepG2.

[Quantitation of antigen specific T lymphocytes in peripheral blood of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis using tetramer technology].

Aim: To quantitate antigen specific T lymphocytes in peripheral blood from patients with primary biliary cirrhosis(PBC) and study the role of antigen specific T lymphocytes in the development of PBC.

Methods: Using tetramers and CD8 monoclonal antibody staining, PDC-E2 159-167aa and PDC-E2 165-174aa specific CD8(+) T lymphocytes were determined respectively in the peptide-induced cytotoxic T cell lines prepared from peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) of 15 PBC patients. The frequencies of these two kinds of antigen specific T lymphocytes in HLA-A*0201 positive (A2(+)) PBC were compared with those in A2(-) PBC patients, patients with other A2(+) chronic liver diseases and healthy controls.