The contribute of cerebrospinal fluid free light-chain assay in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases in an Italian multicenter study.

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) free light chains (FLCs) can be an alternative assay to oligoclonal bands (OCBs) in inflammatory neurological disorders, but threshold has no consensus.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of CSF FLCs in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases.

Methods: A total of 406 patients from five Italian centers.

Enhanced liver fibrosis test as a reliable tool for assessing fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a clinical setting.

Background: Liver fibrosis is the main determinant and predictor of the clinical course of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To date, a liver biopsy is still considered the gold standard for staging fibrosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of the commercial enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) test manufacturer's cutoff value (≥9.

Fecal but not serum calprotectin is a potential marker of GVHD after stem cell transplantation.

Gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) represents a life-threatening complication after stem cell transplantation. Differential diagnosis between gut GvHD and other causes of diarrhea after HSCT is still subjected to endoscopy and histological findings. The research for a reliable biomarker for gut GvHD might allow an early diagnosis of this condition and a consequent prompt treatment that could reduce unfavorable outcomes.

A Critical Approach to Clinical Biochemistry of Chromogranin A.

Chromogranin A (CGA) is a member of the granin family of proteins which are widespread in endocrine, neuroendocrine, peripheral, and central nervous tissues, where they are typically found in secretory granules. It is well accepted that CGA cooperates to regulate synthesis and secretion of these various granule signaling molecules.Because of its ubiquitous distribution within neuroendocrine tissues, CGA can be a useful diagnostic marker for neuroendocrine neoplasms, including carcinoids, pheochromocytomas, neuroblastomas, medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTC), some pituitary tumors, functioning and nonfunctioning islet cell tumors and other amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation (APUD) tumors.

Worsening of the clinical-hematological picture in a patient with a rare PK-LR compound heterozygosis after mitral replacement.

We report a case of a patient affected by compound heterozygosis for two PK-LR gene mutations: p.R486W (c.1456C>T) and p.

Prospective evaluation of epstein-barr virus reactivation after stem cell transplantation: association with monoclonal gammopathy.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) reactivation and EBV-related post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) have emerged as a severe complication after stem cell transplantation (SCT). We prospectively evaluated 104 consecutive patients receiving SCT either autologous or allogeneic. Fifty-two patients (50%) presented EBV DNA-emia and five of them developed PTLD proven or probable.