Value of allohaemagglutinins in the diagnosis of a polysaccharide antibody deficiency.

Polysaccharide antibody deficiency is characterized by a poor or absent antibody response after vaccination with an unconjugated pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. Allohaemagglutinins (AHA) are antibodies to A or B polysaccharide antigens on the red blood cells, and are often used as an additional or alternative measure to assess the polysaccharide antibody response. However, few studies have been conducted to establish the clinical significance of AHA.

Identification of coryneform Actinomyces neuii by MALDI-TOF MS: 5 case reports and review of literature.

Objectives: We describe five cases of Actinomyces neuii, isolated from different clinical specimens over a period of five months (from June to October 2011), followed by a review of literature on infections with this micro-organism.

Methods: All Actinomyces neuii strains were cultured or subcultured on horse blood agar. Identification took place using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).

Diagnostic performance of a CSF-biomarker panel in autopsy-confirmed dementia.

To establish diagnostic performance of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta(1-42)), total tau-protein (T-tau) and tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (P-tau(181P)) compared to clinical diagnosis, biomarker levels were determined in CSF samples from 100 autopsy-confirmed dementia and 100 control subjects. As the control and dementia groups were not age-matched and given the significant associations of biomarker concentrations with age in controls, age-corrected biomarker concentrations were calculated. New models were constructed by means of logistic regression.

Analytical performance and clinical utility of the INNOTEST PHOSPHO-TAU181P assay for discrimination between Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

Background: Total tau (T-tau) and beta-amyloid((1-42)) (Abeta(1-42)) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can differentiate Alzheimer's disease (AD) from normal aging or depressive pseudo-dementia. Differential diagnosis from dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) in clinical settings is difficult.

Methods: The analytical performance of the INNOTEST PHOSPHO-TAU(181P) assay was validated in terms of selectivity, sensitivity, specificity, precision, robustness, and stability.

Performance characteristics of updated INNO-LiPA assays for molecular typing of human leukocyte antigen A (HLA-A), HLA-B, and HLA-DQB1 alleles.

We carried out a multicenter performance evaluation of three new DNA-based human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing assays: INNO-LiPA HLA-A Update, INNO-LiPA HLA-B Update, and INNO-LiPA HLA-DQB1 Update. After optimization, the accuracy rates were all 100%, and the final observed resolutions were 99.4, 92.