Two new serum immunoassays (RIA and EIA) for the determination of M2 antimitochondrial antibodies in primary biliary cirrhosis.
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Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
A Burlina
Publications and source records attributed to A Burlina.
Evaluation of the Incstar Cyclo-Trac sp kit for the determination of cyclosporine in blood.
We measured cyclosporine in whole blood samples from renal and heart transplant patients by high performance liquid chromatography and by two radioimmunoassays with use of specified monoclonal antibodies. In particular, we evaluated the analytical performance of a new specific radioimmunoassay with an iodinated tracer. The reproducibility of the method is satisfactory (within-run CV 7.1 to 9.5% and between-run CV 7.2 to 10.3%). The limit of detection is 10.3 micrograms/L and the analytical recovery between 99 and 114%. The results obtained with samples from both renal heart transplant patients agree well with those obtained by HPLC and by a specific RIA that uses a tritiated tracer.
Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
Renal tubular dysfunction in pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis.
Urinary excretion of alpha-glucosidase (AGL), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and ribonuclease (RNase), and serum amylase and immunoreactive trypsin (IRT) were determined in 38 control subjects, 48 patients with pancreatic cancer, 77 with chronic pancreatitis and 47 with extrapancreatic diseases in order to ascertain the presence of a renal tubular damage and to investigate its etiology. A significantly increased frequency of pathological results for all urinary enzymes was documented in the various groups of patients as compared to controls. Significant correlations were detected among AGL, GGT and RNase. Considering the subjects as a whole, GGT and RNase excretions correlated with serum IRT and amylase; the two urinary enzymes were found to be higher when jaundice was present. In chronic pancreatic disease enzymuria was related to increased serum pancreatic enzymes; in extrapancreatic diseases it was associated to hyperbilirubinemia. The vast majority of patients with pancreatic cancer and elevated urinary enzymes presented hepatic metastases and/or jaundice. We can conclude that an anatomical and functional tubular impairment is detectable in some patients with chronic pancreatic and extrapancreatic diseases. Tubular damage seems to least in part to be related to pancreatic inflammation and necrosis in chronic pancreatic disease, while jaundice may be found to play an important role in diseases of the hepatobiliary tract. In pancreatic cancer, liver dysfunction (presence of liver metastases and/or extrahepatic cholestasis) also appears to be involved in altering tubular cells.
Adult↗
A new synthetic peptide with elastase inhibiting effect.
A new peptide, obtained by chemical synthesis, inhibits porcine pancreatic elastase activity "in vitro" with an IC50 of 24 mmol/l. The effect of the peptide was also tested on human plasma elastase by using plasmas with different levels of alpha-1-antitrypsin. The synthetic peptide apparently decreased the amount of normal plasma elastase, assayed by an immunoenzymatic method, with a dose-dependent effect and an IC50 of 13 mmol/l. In plasma with higher amounts of alpha-1-antitrypsin the IC50 value was 18 mmol/l.
Animals↗
European multicentre evaluation of the ABBOTT Spectrum clinical chemistry analyzer.
The analytical performance of the selective multitest ABBOTT Spectrum analyser was studied according to the ECCLS guidelines and partly the CERMAB protocol in a multicentre evaluation involving laboratories from six European countries. Fifteen analytes, including the electrolytes sodium, potassium and chloride, were measured each in at least 3 laboratories, all at 37 degrees C, except the electrolytes, which are measured at room temperature. The trial lasted approximately three months and involved the collection of over 60,000 data points. It yielded the following results: 1. The precision was at least as good as the precision obtained with the comparison instruments. The majority of the coefficients of variation were between 1 and 4%. 2. The recovery for method assigned control sera values was, with few exceptions, within 10%. 3. Good agreement with respect to the method assigned values of control materials and method comparison with patient specimens to different instruments (e.g. SMAC, Hitachi 737, RA 1000) was found. 4. No drift was observed. 5. Reagent-related carry-over was not found. Specimen-related carry-over was detected in some cases, the deviation being of little or no clinical significance. 6. The manufacturer's claims regarding method linearity were as stated or exceeded. 7. The open system capability was tested and rated as very convenient. 8. The practicability of the instrument was very good.
Blood Chemical Analysis↗
Influence of isoenzyme patterns on commutability in enzyme determinations.
The use of recommended methods has very much improved the precision and accuracy of enzymatic determinations. The use of 'enzyme reference materials' allows us to overcome the remaining difficulties. The possibility of extending standardization by using calibration materials to convert results obtained by different methods requires an essential property: 'commutability'. The relationship between patients' specimens and reference materials are conditioned by analytical causes (relative to the used methods) and clinical causes (relative to the condition of the human samples to be examined). Among the clinical causes, the different isoenzyme content of patients sera, induced by different pathologies, was considered. The effect of this influence has been investigated with an analytical approach of the isoenzymes in the individual clinical samples. The results obtained on determination of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LD), are discussed according to a model of investigation which can be utilized for the experimental protocols in the assessment of commutability.
Alkaline Phosphatase↗
Role of serum pepsinogen in detecting ulcer disease.
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Adolescent↗
Combined determination of serum CA 19-9 and tissue polypeptide antigen: why no improvement in pancreatic cancer diagnosis?
CA 19-9 and tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) were determined in the sera of 28 control subjects, 29 patients with pancreatic cancer, 26 with chronic pancreatitis and 62 with benign and malignant extra pancreatic diseases in order to compare their usefulness in diagnosing pancreatic cancer, to verify whether the combined assessment of the two indices could improve the results given by a single parameter and to speculate on the role of liver dysfunction in increasing their serum levels. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of CA 19-9 and TPA in diagnosing pancreatic malignancy were: 76, 85 and 61% for CA 19-9 and 79, 52 and 32% for TPA. The receiver-operating characteristic curves showed that CA 19-9 and TPA similarly discriminate pancreatic cancer from controls and chronic pancreatitis, while CA 19-9 is more useful than TPA in differentiating pancreatic malignancy from benign and malignant extra pancreatic abdominal diseases. TPA did not seem to add further information as compared to CA 19-9 alone when both markers were combined. Liver dysfunction may contribute to increasing serum levels of both markers.
Antigens, Neoplasm↗
Assay of pancreatic amylase with use of monoclonal antibodies evaluated.
To evaluate a new method for measuring pancreatic amylase in serum, in which the salivary isoenzyme is inhibited with a specific monoclonal antibody, we determined the activity of pancreatic and salivary amylase in sera from 103 healthy subjects and from 114 hospitalized patients having a wide range of total amylase activities. CVs for the proposed method ranged from 0.8% to 5.1% (within day) and from 2.3% to 6.6% (day to day). Results correlated well with those obtained by the wheat-germ inhibition method (r = 0.998) and by electrophoresis on cellulose acetate. Analytical-recovery studies confirmed the good specificity of the monoclonal antibody for salivary amylase (97%) and its low cross-reactivity (0.6%) toward pancreatic amylase. The assay procedure presents a wide range of linearity (141-1817 U/L) and can easily be adapted to an automated kinetic system. We found the proposed method suitable for routine determinations of pancreatic amylase.
Adult↗
Renal involvement in chronic pancreatic disease: effects on trypsin and amylase plasma-urine transfer.
This study was undertaken in order to ascertain the behaviour of amylase and trypsin fractional clearances in chronic pancreatic disease and to speculate on the factors involved. Renal tubular function was also assessed in these patients. An increase of both clearances was found in a number of patients with pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. Amylase urinary output seems to be mainly related to the circulating enzyme levels; urinary IRT is principally accounted for by a functional tubular impairment. Tubular damage was observed in a number of patients with chronic pancreatic disease. This was related to pancreatic inflammation in chronic pancreatitis and to several factors, among which jaundice and pancreatic damage, in pancreatic cancer.
Amylases↗
Multicenter evaluation of a specific pancreatic isoamylase assay based on a double monoclonal-antibody technique.
Eleven evaluators from nine laboratories in five countries evaluated a new immunoinhibition method for pancreatic isoamylase determination that is as simple to perform as that for total amylase. The precision at low and intermediate activity concentrations was superior, and at high concentrations it equalled that of the wheat-germ inhibitor method. The test was linear to approximately 2000 U/L, depending on the instrumentation used. The percentage salivary isoamylase activities remaining in specimens after reaction with two monoclonal antibodies ranged from 2 to 4.4%. Comparative studies showed good correlation with the wheat-germ inhibitor (r greater than 0.978) and electrophoresis methods (r = 0.920). Hemolysis, lipemia, and bilirubinemia have no effect on results. Interlaboratory studies demonstrated excellent transferability of the method, if instruments are calibrated with the same calibrator. Reference intervals for pancreatic isoamylase are 13 to 64 U/L (25 degrees C), 13 to 83 U/L (30 degrees C), and 17 to 115 U/L (37 degrees C). A clinical evaluation of patients with acute pancreatitis showed that pancreatic isoamylase has a greater clinical sensitivity than total amylase.
Acute Disease↗
A rapid, specific enzyme immunoassay for follitropin and lutropin determination.
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Follicle Stimulating Hormone↗
Tissue polypeptide antigen, galactosyltransferase isoenzyme II and pancreatic oncofetal antigen serum determination: role in pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
The clinical usefulness of tissue polypeptide antigen, galactosyltransferase II and pancreatic oncofetal antigen was evaluated in detecting pancreatic cancer and in differentiating this malignancy from chronic pancreatitis and other diseases (mainly of the liver and biliary tract) which may enter in differential diagnosis. TPA seems to be the most sensitive among these indices in detecting pancreatic cancer and appears to discriminate this malignancy quite satisfactorily from chronic pancreatitis. It is also frequently pathological in a number of other diseases and is influenced by the presence of liver dysfunction. GT II and POA do not grossly differ from TPA in specificity, but they appear to be less sensitive. Both are frequently pathological in hepato-biliary diseases. All these markers seem, therefore, to be of limited value in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Antigens, Neoplasm↗
Serum markers and clinical data in diagnosing pancreatic cancer: a contrastive approach.
In order to assess the value of serum markers and simple clinical data in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, we studied 32 control subjects and 28 patients with pancreatic cancer, 26 with chronic pancreatitis, and 37 with extra-pancreatic diseases. CA 19-9 was found to be the best marker in detecting pancreatic cancer. Among the clinical data, presence and onset of pain attacks, age, and weight loss were selected as the most informative in assessing chronic pancreatic disease. Clinical data correctly classified 88.5% of chronic pancreatitis and 75.0% of pancreatic cancer; serum markers identified pancreatic tumor in 67.9% of the patients. The adjunct of serum markers to clinical data did not improve accuracy in diagnosing chronic pancreatic disease. Since clinical data and serum markers generally become positive at an advanced stage of the disease, early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is a goal still to be attained.
Adult↗
Importance of control materials in quality assessment of cyclosporine determination.
The importance of control materials in intralaboratory quality assessment of cyclosporine A determination was analyzed. Two types of control materials and a human pool serum were evaluated. The first material was a two-level lyophilized cyclosporine human whole blood control (TLCC); the other was a tri-level therapeutic drug monitoring control (TDMC). The drug was determined in all specimens by both tritiated and iodinated radioimmunoassay. The coefficients of variation obtained in TLCC samples were significantly lower in comparison with the TDMC samples and similar to that of the human pool.
Cyclosporins↗
Limits of CEA and ferritin in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
In this paper the clinical usefulness of CEA and ferritin in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was pointed out. CEA was found to be increased in 51% of patients with pancreatic cancer; it was also abnormal in 22% of chronic pancreatitis and 31% of extra-pancreatic diseases. In patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer CEA was found to be more elevated than in those with localized tumor. CEA correlated with the age of the subjects in all material; in liver cirrhosis with IgG and in extra-pancreatic gastro-intestinal malignancies with alkaline-phosphatase. Ferritin was found to be increased in 73% of pancreatic cancer patients; it was also abnormal in 40% of chronic pancreatitis and in 38% of extra-pancreatic diseases. Patients with chronic pancreatitis studied during a relapsing phase all had elevated serum ferritin. We can conclude that neither CEA nor ferritin are useful indices of pancreatic malignancy, due to the lack of sensitivity or specificity. Both are influenced by several factors: CEA mainly by age and liver dysfunction, ferritin by the presence of an acute inflammation with cell necrosis.
Biomarkers, Tumor↗
Bronchoalveolar neutrophilia during late asthmatic reactions induced by toluene diisocyanate.
The mechanism by which late asthmatic reactions are induced by toluene diisocyanate (TDI), a low molecular weight chemical that causes occupational asthma in exposed subjects, is unknown. We investigated whether early and late asthmatic reactions induced by TDI are associated with changes in airway responsiveness to methacholine and airway inflammation as determined by bronchoalveolar lavage. We measured FEV1 before and at regular intervals after exposure to TDI, and performed dose-response curves to methacholine and bronchoalveolar lavage at 8 h after TDI in a group of 6 subjects with late asthmatic reactions and in 6 subjects with only early asthmatic reactions. The same procedure was followed 2 h after TDI in a group of 6 subjects with previously documented late asthmatic reactions and in a group of 6 subjects without any previously documented asthmatic reaction after TDI. In subjects with late asthmatic reactions, neutrophils were increased at both 2 and 8 h, and eosinophils and airway responsiveness were increased only at 8 h. By contrast, neutrophils, eosinophils and airway responsiveness were not increased at 8 h after TDI in subjects with an early asthmatic reaction or at 2 h after TDI in normal control subjects. These results suggest that late asthmatic reactions to TDI, and the associated increase in airway responsiveness, may be caused by airway inflammation.
Asthma↗
Immunoglobulin A (lambda chains) conjugated with lactate dehydrogenase in serum.
An atypical pattern for lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27) isoenzymes in a patient with sclerosis of the bladder neck was ascribable to complexing between lactate dehydrogenase and IgA. This complex formation was also replicable "in vitro." We determined that the IgA bound to lactate dehydrogenase was of the lambda type, a very unusual occurrence.
Humans↗