Database-guided Flow-cytometry for Evaluation of Bone Marrow Myeloid Cell Maturation.

A working group initiated within the French Cytometry Association (AFC) was developed in order to harmonize the application of multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) for myeloid disease diagnosis in France. The protocol presented here was agreed-upon and applied between September 2013 and November 2015 in six French diagnostic laboratories (University Hospitals of Saint-Etienne, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Nice, and Lille and Institut Paoli-Calmettes in Marseille) and allowed the standardization of bone marrow sample preparation and data acquisition. Three maturation databases were developed for neutrophil, monocytic, and erythroid lineages with bone marrow from "healthy" donor individuals (individuals without any evidence of a hematopoietic disease).

Only Follow-Up of Memory B Cells Helps Monitor Rituximab Administration to Patients with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders.

Introduction: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are identified as a spectrum of inflammatory demyelinating disorders involving the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. These disorders require early diagnosis and highly active immunosuppressive treatment. Rituximab (RTX) has demonstrated efficacy in limiting relapse in NMOSD when using several administration schedules.

Therapeutic target of memory B cells depletion helps to tailor administration frequency of rituximab in myasthenia gravis.

Rituximab (RTX) has demonstrated efficacy in limiting relapses in myasthenia gravis (MG). We investigated the interest of CD27+ memory B cell monitoring in patients as a biological marker of clinical relapse. Twenty-four patients have been treated with RTX (375mg/m(2)/week-month as an induction treatment).

The osteopontin level in liver, adipose tissue and serum is correlated with fibrosis in patients with alcoholic liver disease.

Background: Osteopontin (OPN) plays an important role in the progression of chronic liver diseases. We aimed to quantify the liver, adipose tissue and serum levels of OPN in heavy alcohol drinkers and to compare them with the histological severity of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis.

Methodology/principal Findings: OPN was evaluated in the serum of a retrospective and prospective group of 109 and 95 heavy alcohol drinkers, respectively, in the liver of 34 patients from the retrospective group, and in the liver and adipose tissue from an additional group of 38 heavy alcohol drinkers.

Comparison of nine blood tests and transient elastography for liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C: the ANRS HCEP-23 study.

Background & Aims: Blood tests and transient elastography (Fibroscan™) have been developed as alternatives to liver biopsy. This ANRS HCEP-23 study compared the diagnostic accuracy of nine blood tests and transient elastography (Fibroscan™) to assess liver fibrosis, vs. liver biopsy, in untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Noninvasive procedures to evaluate liver involvement in HIV-1 vertically infected children.

Objectives: : Progressive liver injury is a concern in HIV-infected children exposed to long-term antiretroviral drugs and to the cytopathic effect of HIV. Yet liver biopsy is usually considered too invasive to be repeated in these patients. The aims of this study are to evaluate the feasibility of noninvasive hepatic investigations in HIV-1-infected children, assess the prevalence of signs of liver affection, and analyse the influence of the HIV disease severity and the exposure to antiretroviral therapy.

Loss of Kindlin-3 in LAD-III eliminates LFA-1 but not VLA-4 adhesiveness developed under shear flow conditions.

Leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD)-III is associated with homozygous stop codon mutations in Kindlin-3, the hematopoietic member of the Kindlin family of integrin coactivators. In addition, a subgroup of LAD-III patients has a homozygous splice junction mutation in and reduced expression of the Rap-1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor, CalDAG-GEFI (CDGI). In this study, we compared the adhesive properties of the leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) and very late activation antigen-4 (VLA-4) integrins in both primary and activated leukocytes derived from these 2 LAD-III subgroups.

Optimal correlation between different instruments for Fibrotest-Actitest protein measurement in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Objectives: Combination of alpha 2-macroglobulin, haptoglobin, apolipoprotein-A1, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, total bilirubin and alanine aminotransferase measurements allows to determine the Fibrotest-Actitest score, an alternative to liver biopsy in hepatitis C virus infection. The aims of this study were to evaluate the analytical variability of the Fibrotest-Actitest proteins alpha 2-macroglobulin, haptoglobin and apolipoprotein-A1, and to assess their impact on the Fibrotest-Actitest scores.

Methods: We compared 129 sera from hepatitis C virus infected patients for alpha 2-macroglobulin, haptoglobin and apolipoprotein-A1 levels obtained with the Immage (Beckman-Coulter) and the BNProspec (Dade-Berhing) automates.

Serum C-reactive protein: a non-invasive marker of alcoholic hepatitis.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of C-reactive protein (CRP) for alcoholic hepatitis in heavy drinkers.

Material And Methods: A total of 101 heavy drinkers (67 M, 34 F) with elevated transaminase activity and negative HBsAg, anti-HCV and anti-HIV antibodies were included in the study. All patients underwent standard liver function tests, CRP determination and liver biopsies.

Influence of beta 1 integrin intracytoplasmic domains in the regulation of VLA-4-mediated adhesion of human T cells to VCAM-1 under flow conditions.

The VLA-4 integrin supports static cell-cell, cell-matrix adhesion, and dynamic interactions with VCAM-1. Although functions for well-conserved beta(1) integrin cytoplasmic domains in regulating static cell adhesion has been established, the molecular basis for beta(1) integrin-dependent arrest on VCAM-1 under flow conditions remains poorly understood. We have transfected the beta(1) integrin-deficient A1 Jurkat T cell line with beta(1) cDNA constructs with deletions of the NPXY motifs and specific mutations of tyrosine residues.

Analytical variability of the Fibrotest proteins.

Objectives: The analytical variability of the Fibrotest (FT) parameters raises the issue of the test's reliability for routine use. Whereas standardization has been proposed by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) for specific proteins, few data are available concerning the actual transferability of the FT proteins, i.e.