Evaluation of humoral immunity profiles to identify heart recipients at risk for development of severe infections: A multicenter prospective study.

Background: New biomarkers are necessary to improve detection of the risk of infection in heart transplantation. We performed a multicenter study to evaluate humoral immunity profiles that could better enable us to identify heart recipients at risk of severe infections.

Methods: We prospectively analyzed 170 adult heart recipients at 8 centers in Spain.

[Mixed cryoglobulinemia and related immunological disorders after hepatic transplantation for hepatitis C cirrhosis. Case report].

Cryoglobulinemia may be found in up to 30% of patients that had received liver transplants after hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis. Three types of cryoglobulinemia are recognized: type I, composed of monoclonal immunoglobulins associated with lymphoproliferative diseases and myeloma; type II cryoglobulinemia are comprised of a monoclonal component which has rheumatoid factor activity and hence binds to polyclonal immunoglobulins (in certain parts of the world have been found to be associated with hepatitis C infection); and type III cryoglobulinemia consist exclusively of polyclonal immunoglobulins with rheumatoid factor activity (associated with connective tissue diseases and chronic infections including hepatitis C). Immunocompetence, autoimmunity and clonal expansion of B cell lymphocytes have not been analysed simultaneously in previous reports of patients with cryoglobulinemia after liver transplantation.

[Antiphospholipid antibodies evolving into connective tissue disease: follow-up study of women with recurrent misscarriage].

Background And Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and immunologic profile, the rate of progression to connective tissue disease and the possible predictors of evolution in patients with antiphospholipid antibodies and abortions.

Patients And Method: In a prospective follow-up study, we determined the prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies as well as other autoimmune abnormalities and the evolution to connective tissue disease in 200 women with unexplained recurrent abortions. IgG and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies were determined by ELISA and the lupus anticoagulant was determined by means of coagulometric tests.