Antinuclear antibodies detection: A comparative study between automated recognition and conventional visual interpretation.

Background: The indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIFA) for the detection of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) was firstly described in 1958 and is still considered the reference method for ANA screening. Currently, an automated processing and recognition system for standardized and efficient ANA interpretation by human epithelial (HEp-2) cell-based immunofluorescence (IIF; EUROPattern Suite, Euroimmun) is available in China.

Methods: In this study, the performance of this novel system for positive/negative classification, pattern recognition (including homogenous, speckled, nucleolar, nuclear dots, cytoplasmic, and centromeres patterns) and titers evaluation was evaluated by comparing to visual interpretation.

[Detection and the production mechanism of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-liver/kidney microsomal tpe 1 antibodies (anti-LKM1) in patients with chronic hepatitis C].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-liver/ kidney microsomal type 1 antibodies (anti-LKM1) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC)and to explore the mechanism of production of these autoantibodies.

Methods: Serum samples were collected from 360 patients with CHC (case group), 69 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 69 patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) (control group). Serum ANA and anti-LKM1 were detected by indirect immunofluorescence (HF) technique and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively.

Prevalence of antinuclear and anti-liver-kidney-microsome type-1 antibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis C in China.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may induce autoimmune response and autoantibodies can be detected in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. However, the reported positive rate of autoantibodies in CHC patients in China varies considerably. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-liver-kidney-microsome type 1 autoantibodies (anti-LKM-1) in a large cohort of CHC patients, and analyzed the factors related to the presence of the autoantibodies.

Detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV in serum from SARS-infected donors with ELISA and Western blot.

Recombinant fragments of S proteins from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SARA-CoV) were generated and used in a Western blot (WB) assay that was compared to a commercial SARS ELISA method. In 85% of confirmed SARS cases (n = 20), the S2 recombinant fragment based WB was positive and this was comparable to the commercial ELISA using heat killed SARS-CoV. WB using the other four recombinant fragments in confirmed SARS cases generated lower rates of detection (S1--75%, S1-N--25%, S1-C--55%).

[The cloning, expression, purification and identification of SARS virus S2 gene and study on its immunological characteristics].

Aim: To express S2 protein of SARS virus fused with Trx and then detect its reactivity to the sera from convalescent SARS patients.

Methods: The Trx-S2 fusion protein was expressed in E.coli.

[Expression and purification of recombinant N-terminal protein of SARS S1 subunit expressed in E. Coli].

Objective: To express and purify the recombinant N-terminal protein of SARS virus S1 subunit and to study its role in SARS immune response.

Methods: The gene encoding N-terminal 334 amino acid residuals of SARS virus S1 subunit was cloned and expressed in E. Coli.