Infrequent patterns in cerebrospinal fluid isofocusing test: Clinical significance and contribution of IgG index and Reiber diagram to their interpretation.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) isoelectrofocusing (IEF) is considered as the gold standard for detecting an intrathecal synthesis of IgG, which is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS). This corresponds to the presence of CSF-restricted IgG oligoclonal bands (OCB) (typically type 2 pattern). Moreover, this technique can also detect a systemic immune reaction with passive transfer of IgG (type 3 and 4 patterns) for which the clinical relevance is less understood.

The presence of two light chain bands on immunofixation is associated with poor outcomes in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients.

We aimed to describe the clinical and biological characteristics and the prognosis of patients presenting with an additional light chain (LC) band along with a complete monoclonal protein on immunofixation (IF).An 8-year descriptive study was conducted to assess all cases with confirmed monoclonal gammopathies (MG). We studied those with an entire M-protein with 2 bands of LC of the same isotype based on the results of IF.

Anti-mitochondrial antibodies detection assays for diagnosis of primary biliary cholangitis in southern Tunisia population.

Anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA) represent serological markers of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). Investigation of these autoantibodies can be performed by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on tissue sections or immunodot using M2 and M2-3E antigens. We aimed to evaluate the concordance of these immunological tests and their performance in PBC diagnosis.

Antinuclear antibodies in children: clinical signification and diagnosis utility.

Background: Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) test is used to screen adults as well as children for connective tissue diseases (CTD) and autoimmune hepatitis. However, interpretation of ANA positivity can be delicate.

Aim: to determine clinical significance and diagnosis utility of ANA positivity in children.

The intrathecal polyspecific antiviral immune response (MRZ reaction): A potential cerebrospinal fluid marker for multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

We tested the performance of MRZ-reaction, an intrathecal humoral immune response against-Measles (M), Rubella (R) and Varicella Zoster (Z) viruses, in multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis. The MRZ-reaction was significantly more positive in MS than in non-MS group with a specificity of 91.9%.