[Current status of the use of the endoscopic cholangiography technique].

The endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography as a diagnostic technique employed to obtain an accurate radiological study of the biliary path, and the biliary duct-pancreatic-duodenal junction. However, during the initial diagnostic studies, both echography and nuclear magnetic resonance have taken a priority. Currently, their importance is as a preliminary diagnostic method during endoscopic intervention.

[Endoscopic ligation and sclerotherapy in the treatment of esophageal varices].

Endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) and esophageal variceal sclerotherapy (EVS) are both used in the treatment of esophageal varices. Sclerotherapy is widely used with success, however it is associated with multiple local and systemic complications. To overwhelm the complications of sclerosis, Stiegmann in 1986 proposed the elastic band variceal ligation which demonstrated to be efficient as sclerotherapy though with minor side effects.

[Endoscopic treatment of benign esophageal stenosis].

Benign esophageal stenosis is the most frequent type of stenosis of the digestive tract. Surgical treatment is still affected by a high percentage of morbidity and mortality. This is not acceptable for a condition which is not neoplastic in nature.

Monoclonal antibodies for the detection of desialylation of erythrocyte membranes during haemolytic disease and haemolytic uraemic syndrome caused by the in vivo action of microbial neuraminidase.

Especially in childhood, the in vivo action of microbial neuraminidase may cause haemolytic anaemia or life-threatening haemolytic uraemic syndrome. The exposure of the Thomsen-Friedenreich (T) crypto-antigen and T-antigen polyagglutinability of erythrocytes has been described as the first sign of toxic cleavage of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) from sialoglycoproteins of cell membranes. This phenomenon may, however, be too unspecific to initiate treatment for toxin elimination.

[Flow cytometry detection of erythrocyte antigens and antibodies. Technical aspects and new clinical applications].

Background: Although hemagglutination techniques have proved worthwhile since many years in immunohematology, they also have several disadvantages. They are manual and subjective visual methods, which make it difficult to quantitate red cell antibodies or surface antigens. Flow cytometric analysis overcomes these limitations because of its ability to analyze individual populations of cells by sensitive, reproducible, and objective methods.

[New possibilities in diagnosis of hemolytic diseases in newborns].

The diagnosis and management of the hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) rely on measurement of maternal anti-D, amniotic fluid analysis, and fetal blood sampling by cordocentesis. However, amniocentesis and cordocentesis have substantial risks of fetomaternal hemorrhage and subsequent increase in maternal anti-D potency. In addition to quantitation, the functional activity of maternal anti-D has been determined by measuring the interaction of red blood cells sensitized by maternal serum in monocyte-monolayer assays.

Results of the DGTI workshop on the evaluation of the reactivity of monoclonal anti-D.

All D+ samples were detected by all monoclonal antibodies without problems. Very few of the 3000 D- samples showed a +/- to ++ reaction with some of the IgG type mabs using the Coombs technique. It is still open whether these are specific reactions with weak positive samples, which were negative with polyclonal sera.

[Kinetic measurement of GPT with the microtiter plate].

Experiences with a kinetic method for measurement of SGPT in microtiter plate using an automatic sample processing device and Medusa software (Biotest) were evaluated. The correlation coefficient in parallel assessment of samples in a clinical routine laboratory was found to be 0.935 (p < 0.

[New possibilities in diagnosing hemolytic disease of newborn infants].

The diagnosis and management of HDN relies on measurement of maternal anti-D, amniotic fluid analysis and fetal blood sampling by chordiocentesis. However, amniocentesis and chordiocentesis have substantial risks of fetomaternal hemorrhage and subsequent increase in maternal anti-D. In addition to quantitation the functional activity of maternal anti-D has been determined by measuring the interaction of red blood cells sensitized by maternal serum in monocyte-monolayer assays.

Results of the DGTI workshop on the evaluation of the reactivity of monoclonal anti-D.

All D+ samples were detected by all monoclonal antibodies (mabs) without any problem. Very few of the 3,000 D- samples showed a +/- to ++ reaction with some of the IgG type mabs using the Coombs technique. It is still open whether these are specific reactions with weakly positive samples, which were negative with polyclonal sera.

[Preliminary results of the DGTI Workshop for evaluating the reactivity of monoclonal anti-D].

Within a working group of the German transfusion society, a workshop was conducted to evaluate the reactivity of monoclonal anti-D supernatants. During this evaluation 10,000 samples were tested, including 325 Du-samples, with 3-5 IgM type antibodies and 3-4 IgG type antibodies, which were selected to also find 'D-variants'. In general, the reactivity with D+ red blood cells was good, and specific in respect to D negative samples.

Solid-phase antiglobulin test for screening and identification of red cell antibodies.

A newly developed automatically readable solid-phase antiglobulin test is described. The solid-phase test in comparison with conventional antiglobulin techniques for screening and identification of red cell antibodies showed agreement in 2346 (98.7%) of samples tested.

High-frequency antigens of human erythrocyte membrane sialoglycoproteins. VI. Monoclonal antibodies reacting with the N-terminal domain of glycophorin C.

The epitopes of seven mouse monoclonal antibodies which are related to the Gerbich blood group system were investigated. BRIC4, BRIC10, GERO and MR4-130 have been published earlier. The three others (APO1, APO2, APO3) were prepared by immunization with normal human erythrocytes and detected by screening with red blood cells that lack glycophorins C and D.

Computer-aided hybridoma screening. Production of monoclonal antibodies against membrane fractions from mammary tumour tissue.

Monoclonal antibodies were raised against membrane fractions from mammary tumour tissue. 746 hybridomas were obtained against the so-called membrane fraction '2a' and 1393 hybridomas against the so-called 'top-region'. These hybridomas were tested with an immunodot assay, cell-binding radioimmunoassay and an immunocytological screening assay using several antigens.

Screening of hybridoma supernatants raised against membrane fractions from breast cancer using an immunodot assay.

Membranes were prepared from mammary tumors and fractionized using gel filtration and gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. To obtain monoclonal antibodies against tumor-associated antigens, mice were immunized against membrane fraction 2a. After hybridization, we obtained 746 hybridoma cell lines.

First trimester diagnosis of Rho (D) with an immunofluorescence technique after chorionic villus sampling.

Double indirect immunofluorescence technique (DIIF) was applied to fetal erythrocytes from vascularized chorionic villi, obtained by chorionic villus sampling (CVS) in the first trimester of pregnancy, to determine the presence of Rhesus antigen Rh (D).

The occurrence of blood group substances (A, B, H, Le-a, Le-b) in salivary glands and salivary gland tumors. An immunohistochemical investigation.

The distribution of blood group substances A, B, H, Le-a and Le-b in normal and neoplastic salivary gland tissue was evaluated by means of immunohistochemistry. The serological ABH blood group status of one third of the patients was known. Lewis blood group and secretory status were not known.

Study on the carbohydrate specificity of antibodies formed in rabbits to synthetic glycoproteins with the carbohydrate structure of asialo-glycophorin A.

Antibodies formed in rabbits to synthetic glycoproteins with the disaccharide structure beta-D-Gal-(1-3)-D-GalNAc, the carbohydrate moiety of desialylated glycophorin A, were investigated for their carbohydrate specificity by hemagglutination techniques and radioimmunoassay. The synthetic disaccharide was coupled to human serum albumin as carrier protein using different spacer groups and different configurations of the disaccharide spacer linkage. Radioimmunological inhibition experiments using a number of different derivatives of the carbohydrate group as inhibitors revealed a significant specificity of the antibodies for the oligosaccharide structure.

[Prenatal diagnosis and therapy of fetal hemolytic disease with Rh incompatibility].

Between 1966 to 1984 a total of 636 intrauterine foetal transfusions were performed at the Hamburg University Hospital on 280 foetuses suffering from severe erythroblastosis. 54.6% of these foetuses survived.