Increased RBC autoantibody production in pregnancy.

Background: Autoimmunization against RBCs is generally believed to occur very rarely during pregnancy and to represent a high risk for those affected. The occurrence of benign RBC autoantibodies in pregnancy is reported.

Study Design And Methods: The incidence of autoantibodies to RBCs in unselected pregnant and nonpregnant women were compared by the new standard gel hemagglutination method.

Chlamydial immunoglobulin IgG and IgA antibodies in serum and semen are not associated with the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis DNA or rRNA in semen from male partners of infertile couples.

The role of Chlamydia (C.) trachomatis in male infertility is controversial. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic C.

Lipolytic effects of heparin and low molecular weight heparin and their importance in hemodialysis.

The incidence and the degree of uremic hypertriglyceridemia in a hemodialysis population are exacerbated by the use of UF heparin as anticoagulant therapy. This hypertriglyceridemia is associated with an increase in the levels of triglyceride-rich remnant particles that are thought to be particularly atherogenic. Since arteriosclerosis and its related diseases are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in this dialysis population, the LMW heparins with their reduced stimulation of plasma lipolytic activity may provide a clinically superior alternative to UF heparin for anticoagulation therapy in long-term hemodialysis.

[A quantitative ELISA for the measurement of class-specific anti-spermatozoa antibodies].

A class-specific ELISA for the quantitative determination of anti-spermatozoal antibodies is described. The intra-assay variation at the lowest standard concentration for anti-spermatozoal-IgG- and anti-spermatozoal-IgA-specific measurements was 6%. The test possessed an inter-assay variation at the lowest standard concentration in case of the anti-spermatozoal-IgG-determination of 9% and for anti-spermatozoal-IgA-determinations of 8.