Autoantibodies against CYP-2C19: A Novel Serum Marker in Pediatric De Novo Autoimmune Hepatitis?

Diagnosis of de novo autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is challenging especially in the absence of hyper--globulinemia. Circulating autoantibodies are not sensitive nor specific in de novo AIH but when positive increase the diagnostic probability. We report the discovery of novel liver microsomal (LM) autoantibodies against CYP-2C19 in a 9-year-old boy with "de novo" AIH developed 7 years after OLT.

Distinctive HLA-II association with primary biliary cholangitis on the Island of Sardinia.

Background: The *08 allele associated with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) among Caucasians is of low frequency in the Sardinian population.

Objective: The aim of our study was to type a cohort of PBC patients from the island of Sardinia for HLA class II antigens.

Methods: Twenty Sardinian patients affected by PBC, 14 with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and 89 healthy controls (HCs) were typed for HLA class II alleles by dot-blot analysis.

Anti-actin IgA antibodies identify celiac disease patients with a Marsh 3 intestinal damage among subjects with moderate anti-TG2 levels.

A new diagnostic tool (algorithm-1) for coeliac disease (CD) permitting the diagnosis without performing the duodenal biopsy has been recently proposed by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). It combines symptoms associated with CD, high anti-transglutaminase type 2 antibody (anti-TG2) levels, anti-endomysium-IgA antibodies (EMA), and at-risk HLA. Our aims were (i) to evaluate retrospectively in 227 individuals (149 CD patients and 78 controls) the algorithm-1, (ii) to reduce the number of duodenal biopsies among CD patients for whom algorithm-1 is not applicable through the addition of antiactin IgA antibodies (AAA-IgA), and (iii) to evaluate prospectively algorithm-1 and AAA-IgA in 50 patients with suspected CD.

High frequency of low-risk human leukocyte antigen class II genotypes in latent celiac disease.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II genotypes in latent celiac disease, a clinical variant of celiac disease (CD) have been scarcely studied. The aim of this work was to investigate whether latent CD and CD share similar frequencies of HLA class II genotypes. HLA class II genotypes of CD patients compared with controls were subdivided in the following at-risk groups: DQB1*02/DQB1*02 (43.

Antitissue transglutaminase antibodies outside celiac disease.

Background: Tissue transglutaminase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (tTG-ELISA) has recently been proposed as a simple and fast screening test for celiac disease (CD). The rate of false-positive and false-negative tests with tTG-ELISA, however, has not been definitively established. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate anti-tTG antibodies (TGA) not only in untreated patients with CD and in healthy controls, but also in a large group of patients with other autoimmune diseases.