485 research outputs found
Update of the Italian Society of Clinical Biochemistry (SIBioC) Consensus document on the detection and quantification of the Bence Jones protein.
No full textUpdate of the Italian Society of Clinical Biochemistry (SIBioC) Consensus document on the detection and quantification of the Bence Jones protein.
Bence Jones protein (BJP) refers to urine monoclonal free immunoglobulin light chains produced by the clonal expansion of a plasma cell in the bone marrow. BJP is strongly associated with systemic amyloidosis AL, light chain deposition disease, and multiple myeloma; less frequently, BJP may be recognized either in patients with monoclonal gammopathies of uncertain significance (MGUS) and with other plasma cell dyscrasias or in patients with malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This paper contains updated recommendations for the detection and the measurement of BJP in clinical practice from the Working Group “Proteins” of the Italian Society of Clinical Biochemistry (SIBioC), with specific indications for improving all the steps of the preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical phases. The first morning void is the urine sample recommended for BJP detection, while 24-hours urine collection is preferred for BJP quantification. Native urine cannot be used for samples with low or very low content in urine total protein; in these cases, samples should be concentrated by using specific disposables, such as ultrafiltration membranes retaining proteins with molecular weight around 10 kDa. The required degree of concentration may vary according to sensitivity of the electrophoretic method utilized and the protein content of the sample. The detection of BJP may be performed directly by the recommended method agarose gel immunofixation (IFE) with specific polyvalent immunoglobulin antisera IgG-IgA-IgM, total and light chains; alternatively, an electrophoretic screening may be acceptable to rule out negative test results. However, positive test results should be confirmed by IFE. Tests based on immunometric methods can be used neither as screening test, nor for the BJP quantification; however, it could be useful for monitoring purposes, provided that the renal function of the patient is preserved. BJP measurement should be performed by the densitometric scanning of the electrophoretic peak corresponding to BJP, and results should be expressed as ratio of the BJP peak percentage to the urine total protein. Test results should be always integrated by standardized interpretative comments included in the laboratory reports
Celiac disease-related hepatic injury: Insights into associated conditions and underlying pathomechanisms
No full textBACKGROUND: Celiac disease (CD) is the most common autoimmune enteropathy. Clinical manifestations may range from a typical malabsorption syndrome to several apparently unrelated extra-intestinal symptoms. AIM:
Here we specifically focus on the spectrum of CD-related liver disorders and the underlying pathomechanisms.
METHODS:
A computer-based search up to August 2015 was completed using appropriate keywords. References from selected papers were also reviewed and used if relevant.
RESULTS:
An unexplained hypertransaminasemia with nonspecific histologic hepatic changes is the most common hepatic presentation. CD however can coexist with a number of liver disorders such as Autoimmune Hepatitis, Autoimmune Cholangitis, Primary Biliary Cirrhosis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis requiring a specific treatment in addition to gluten-free diet. CD has also been associated with Viral Hepatitis, Fatty Liver, Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis and some severe cryptogenic hepatopaties in the liver transplantation list. Pathomechanisms underlying hepatic injury in CD are multiple, appear still not completely defined and may probably co-occur.
CONCLUSIONS:
An ever-increasing number of CD-related liver injuries exist, probably representing a continuum of a same disorder where genetic predisposition, timing, and duration of previous gluten exposure might influence the reversibility of liver damage. Evidences, although not conclusive, support therefore testing for CD also in cryptogenic hepatobiliary conditions where the relationship with CD has not yet been fully investigated
Stranger in our Midst::The Becoming of the Queer God in the Theology of Marcella Althaus-Reid
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the link in this record.Book description: Marcella Althaus-Reid was one of the most fascinating and controversial theologians of the twentieth and early twenty-first century. Her strong personality and her iconoclastic work inspired a whole generation of theologians in the UK and worldwide. Marcella's creative life was cut short by her death from cancer in 2009. Yet she lives on, not least in those who have been inspired by her work and continue to engage with it. "Dancing Theology in Fetish Boots" draws together a number of world-class scholars and others who engage with the main themes of Marcella's work and show how the critical and controversial conversations which Marcella has begun can and do continue. It is therefore far more than a Festschrift, but a celebration of an intellectual life Marcella-style
The use of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis in the evaluation of the diagnostic efficiency of serum pseudouridine as a tumor marker
No full textThe biochemical parameters used in this study were: (1) serum pseudouridine, expressed as nmols/mL; (2) pseudouridine index, expressed as mol to mol ratio of serum pseudouridine versus serum creatinine concentration. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis has been used to exemplify the selection of discriminant values or "cut-off points" to maximize the diagnostic utility of a biochemical tumor marker, serum pseudouridine. This marker has been used in a variety of group population samples, i.e., normal subjects, subjects affected by several nonneoplastic diseases, subjects with neoplastic disorders in less advanced or more advanced stages, and finally in a sample population of patients affected by lymphomas and leukemias of different types. An analysis of the relative ROC curves allowed the selection of cut-off values that maximize the diagnostic efficiency or, alternatively, the diagnostic sensitivity or the diagnostic specificity for pseudouridine parameters, and has allowed the comparison of the two tests to answer the same clinical question
CONTRIBUTO DEL LABORATORIO NELLA DIAGNOSI E FOLLOW-UP IN UNA POPOLAZIONE DI PAZIENTI AFFETTI DA AMILOIDOSI AL
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Detection of a monoclonal component after pediatric liver transplantation: a case report
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A 4th millennium temple/palace complex at Arslantepe-Malatya. North-South relations and the formation of early state societies in the northern regions of Greater Mesopotamia
No full textThis article reconsiders the nature of relations between the southern and northern communities of "Greater Mesopotamia " during the Late Uruk period and- the effects that the so-called, expansion of southern groups had on the formation of the first state societies in the northern regions of Syria and Eastern Anatolia. The author stresses the earlier historical roots of the unitv of Greater Mesopotamia as well as the importance of local components in the development of new centralised political structures. The changes in interregional and intersite relations during this time also seem to be inainly a result of structural changes which took place in the individual societies both in the north and, in the south. The analysis is based on the emblematic case of Arslantepe (Malatva), where the wealth of data from a large public area has made it possible to reconstruct an earlv "State" svstem stronglv interacting with the southern societies, but based on the growth of local organisational structures.Nouvelle étude de la nature des rapports entretenus entre les communautés du Nord, et du Sud de la, « Greater Mesopotamia » au cours de l'Uruk récent, plus particulièrement de l'influence que l'expansion de groupes venant du Sud a pu avoir, dans les régions septentrionales de la Syrie et de l'Anatolie orientale, sur la naissance et l'évolution des premières formes de l'État. Sont mises en évidence aussi bien les racines historiques de l'unité culturelle qui caractérise la « Greater Mesopotamia » que l'importance des composantes locales et, le rôle que les unes et les autres jouèrent dans le développement d'organisations politiques centralisées. Les changements observés tant au niveau inter- régional qu 'au niveau des sites à cette époque sont dus principalement aux changements structuraux qui prirent place, et dans les sociétés du nord et dans celles du sud. Cette analyse est fondée sur le cas exemplaire que nous offre le site d'Arslan Tepe (Malatya) où la richesse des données provenant d'une vaste zone d'édifices publics a permis de proposer une reconstruction d'une proto-organisation d'un État avant de fortes interactions avec les sociétés du Sud, mais qui, en même temps, reposait sur le développement de structures tout à fait locales.Frangipane Marcella. A 4th-millennium temple/palace complex at Arslantepe-Malatya. North-South relations and the formation of early state societies in the Northern regions of Greater Mesopotamia.. In: Paléorient, 1997, vol. 23, n°1. pp. 45-73
Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: studio retrospettivo sui pazienti trattati negli ultimi 10 anni
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