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Coeliac disease: serological screening

Di Leo M*., Lerro P., Bramante L., Ansaldi N., Dotti G., Perrucci V., Fiorucci G.C., Weisz G., Mezzedimi R., Cristiano A., Paciello F.
*Servizio di Gastroenterologia Pediatrica dell'Università di Torino, Laboratorio di analisi chimico - cliniche e microbiologia O.I.R.M. - Torino

Biochimica Clinica: 2000; 24(3): 153-157 [Article in italian]

ABSTRACT. Coeliac disease is the most common cause for malabsorption, but the clinical symptoms may appear not diagnostic. Since the hystological examination of the intestinal mucosa is the diagnostic gold-standard for such a disease, the availability of a low-invasive, reliable test to suggest the need for intestinal biopsy is very important. Aim of this work was to assess the diagnostic reliability of anti-edomysial antibodies (EMA), anti-gliadin type IgA and IgG antibodies, and anti-transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) as screening tests for coeliac disease. EMA have been determined in 297 subjects with biopsy-confirmed coeliac disease, and AGA were also measured in 198 of them. As controls, EMA and AGA were measured in respectively 736 and 85 subjects with negative biopsy but with clinical symptomps suggesting the need for gastroscopy. tTG have been determined, in conjunction with EMA, in 99 coeliac subjects, in 78 pediatric controls and in 78 adults affected by different pathologies. Specifity, sensitivity and positive and negative predictive values have been calculated for each test. It is concluded that the diagnostic accuracy of EMA is slightly higher than that of tTG. However, the immunofluorescent method for EMA determination is less practicable, more time-consuming and more prone to subjective interpretation in comparison to the ELISA method for tTG measurement. Therefore, the latter may be usefully employed for population screening.

Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease: their role in Clinical Chemistry

Kaj Blennow*, MD, PhD, Douglas Galasko, MD, PhD
*Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Unit of Neurochemistry, University of Goteborg, Sweden

Biochimica Clinica: 2000; 24(3): 158-162 [Article in English]

ABSTRACT. In view of current (AChE inhibitors) and future (e.g. anti-Ab aggregators), development and evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become a rapidly growing research field. Diagnostic biomarkers for AD would be especially valuable as aids in the diagnosis early in the course of the disease, when correct diagnosis is difficult, and when therapeutic compounds have the greatest potential of being effective. This paper reviews CSF biomarkers for AD, with emphasis on their role in the clinical diagnosis, and methodological aspects of importance for developing such analyses. Today, two biochemical markers, CSF-tau and CSF-Ab 42, perform satisfactory enough to have a role in the clinical work-up of patients dementia, if used together with the cumulative information from clinical information and brain-imaging techniques. These markers are especially useful to discriminate early or incipient AD from age-associated memory impairment, depression, and some secondary dementias.

Qualitative aspects of amniotic fluid proteins during the last trimester of pregnancy in Cotonou, Bénin

S.A. Akpona*, N. Bere1, J. De Souza, E. Alihonou, Th. De Vonne Lebreton, H. Mouray, H.J. Parra
*Laboratoire de Biochimie (UER de Biochimie), FSS/UNB, B.P. 188, Cotonou, Bénin

Biochimica Clinica: 2000; 24(3): 163-166 [Article in french]

ABSTRACT. An amniotic fluid immunoelectrophoresis using a total amniotic antibody immunoadsorbed with normal human and pregnant women sera is presented. This antibody is able to reveal 4 or 5 antigenic components. These findings confirm the idea of a possible local synthesis activity of proteins by the amniochorial structures. The origin of such antigenic components is to be determined in order to point out their possible role during pregnancy.

Intra- and inter-individual biological variation: an updating

Simona Brambilla*, Anna Pagani, Paola Luraschi, Ilenia Infusino, Carlo Franzini
*Università di Milano, Istituto di Scienze Biomediche Ospedale L. Sacco

Biochimica Clinica: 2000; 24(3): 167-174 [Article in italian]

ABSTRACT. In view of updating the last published reviews (1997 and 1999) including exhaustive lists of biological variation values for quantities measured in the clinical biochemistry laboratory, a scan was made on Medline and Current Contents for the time-period 1996-1999. The total of articles thereby obtained, supplemented with a few already available, summed up to 57, including data relevant to 107 quantities: 42 of them ("new" quantities) were not yet included in the previously published reviews. The reported biological variation data are shown in a table: for each quantity the table includes also bibliographic references and the main parameters of the experimental design. The integration of these data with those previously published, to generate updated lists, is simple only for the "new" quantities. For the quantities already listed, integration is hampered by a poorly homogeneous reporting format.

Comparison of two automated systems for the measurement of Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate: Ves-matic and Test 1

Giancarlo Fiorucci*, Luisa Camogliano, Roberto Massacane
*Direzione Sanitaria Ospedale Evangelico Valdese -Torino

Biochimica Clinica: 2000; 24(3): 175-179 [Article in italian]

ABSTRACT. The present study was performed to compare two methods for the measurement of Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, Ves-Matic and Test 1, with the classic Westergren method. The evaluation was performed by testing 102 blood samples; each sample was tested with the three methods. The results were assessed by both linear regression analysis and evaluation of the bias according to Bland and Altman, the latter method being cosidered to be more suitable for methods comparison. Our study confirms the excellent correlation between Ves-Matic and Westergren. The Test 1 system, on the other hand, showed a lower degree of agreement. Although the results obtained with this last instrument are within acceptable limits, the Ves-Matic instrument shows better correlation with the Westergren method, with a consequently lower risk of false positive or false negative results. The possibility that Test 1 measures sample properties having a different clinical meaning is discussed.

Is the receptorial expression of glycoprotein complexes GPIIbIIIa and GPIb modified by vitamin E administration in hypercolesterolaemic subjects?

Giuseppe Nubile*, Adele Rulli, Corrado Romano, Gilda Angelini, Maria Odorisio, Andrea Mezzetti, Fabio Savini
*Laboratorio analisi G. Bernabeo Ortona (Chieti)

Biochimica Clinica: 2000; 24(3): 180-182 [Article in italian]

ABSTRACT. 10 patients (7F and 3M) with familiar hypercholesterolaemia have been studied, administering 600 mg/die of vitamin E for 15 days, and measuring plasma fibrinogeno and the platelets receptors GPIIbIIIa and GPIb before and after vitamin administration. The observed differences of the mean values of the three parameters were statistically significant.

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