The extract, the molecular allergen or both for the in vitro diagnosis of peach and peanut sensitization?

Introduction: Identifying the target molecule in food allergies, helps to assess the risk of anaphylaxis in a patient. Lipid Transfer Protein is the most frequent cause of food allergies in the Mediterranean area. The diagnosis based on allergenic extracts, suffers from a high variability in the results because some important allergenic molecules are lacking.

Allergen component specific ige measurement with the Immulite™ 2000 system: diagnostic accuracy and intermethod comparison.

Background: The identification of the allergenic molecules, associated to the advances in the field of recombinant allergens, led to the development of a new concept in allergy diagnosis called component-resolved diagnosis. The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of different allergen components using the full automatic singleplex quantitative platform Immulite™ 2000.

Methods: One hundred ninety-five allergic outpatients (35 to olive pollen, 35 to birch pollen, 35 to profilin, 35 to house dust mites, 35 to peach, and 20 to shrimp) and 20 negative controls were enrolled for the study.

The old and new tests for celiac disease: which is the best test combination to diagnose celiac disease in pediatric patients?

Background: In the diagnosis of celiac disease (CD), serum assays for anti-endomysium (EMA) and anti-transglutaminase (anti-tTG) antibodies have excellent diagnostic accuracy. However, these assays are less sensitive in young pediatric patients. Recently, a new ELISA test using deamidated gliadin peptides (DGP) as antigen has proved to be very sensitive and specific even in pediatric patients.

Diagnostic efficacy of the ELISA test for the detection of deamidated anti-gliadin peptide antibodies in the diagnosis and monitoring of celiac disease.

Background And Aim: We evaluated the diagnostic performance of an ELISA test for anti-gliadin IgA and IgG antibodies, which uses synthetic deamidated gliadin peptides (anti-gliadin antibodies, AGAs) as coating; the results were compared with a test that uses extracted gliadin (AGAe).

Methods: The study was conducted on the sera of 144 patients suffering from celiac disease (CD), including 20 patients with IgA deficiency and 9 who were following a gluten-free diet (GFD), and 129 controls.

Results: In the 115 CD patients (without IgA deficiency), the sensitivity of AGAe IgA and IgG was 32.

Effect of physical training on exercise capacity, gas exchange and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels in patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: Decreased exercise capacity is the main factor restricting the daily life of patients with chronic heart failure. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT pro-BNP) is strongly related to the severity of and is an independent predictor of outcome in chronic heart failure.

Design: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of exercise training on functional capacity and on changes in NT pro-BNP levels and to assess the effect of exercise training on quality of life.

[Systemic lupus erythematosus between clinical practice and the laboratory: state of the art and new findings on anti-DNA autoantibodies].

Identification of autoantibodies directed against nuclear antigens is a very important finding in the assessment of autoimmune rheumatic diseases. In particular, the anti-DNA autoantibodies have assumed a fundamental importance, both speculative and clinical, in the study of the systemic lupus erythemathous. The aim of the present review is to focalize on anti-DNA the mechanisms of both induction and production of anti-DNA autoantibodies, pathophysiologic and diagnostic and clinical aspects.