BACKGROUND The complement system is crucial for the development of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). In particular, C5a and its receptor on neutrophils, CD88, play a central role. The functional role of the second receptor of C5a, C5L2, remains unclear. In the current study, we investigated the role of C5L2 in C5a-primed neutrophils for ANCA-induced activat...

BACKGROUND Most positive antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) results are associated with non-vasculitic conditions, and guidelines have been proposed for the judicious use of this test. The outcome of applying similar guidelines in a routine laboratory is reported. METHODS All immunology requests (6500) over six months were selected, and those requesting ANCA were studied for the appro...

BACKGROUND The need for urgent antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) results when assessing patients with acute renal failure, pulmonary renal syndrome, or mononeuritis multiplex has led to the development of a rapid qualitative ELISA screening assay for antibodies to myeloperoxidase (MPO) and proteinase 3 (PR3). AIMS To report the use of a rapid qualitative ELISA screen for PR3-ANCA and...

Wegener's granulomatosis, microscopic polyangiitis, and Churg-Strauss syndrome are small- to medium-vessel vasculitides linked by overlapping pathology and the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). Commonly referred to as the ANCA-associated vasculitides, these diseases are challenging to diagnose and to treat. Distinguishing the ANCA-associated vasculitides from other forms...

Proteinase 3(PR3) is a human polymorphonuclear leukocyte serine proteinase and is the main target antigen for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) found in Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). We developed a stable expression system for conformationally intact recombinant PR3 (rPR3) in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-cells). The part of PR3 cDNA that encoded the active form of PR3 was s...

A 66-year-old man presented to our emergency department with acute consciousness disorder, headache, and fever. Initial laboratory data indicated a high level of inflammatory reaction. Enhanced magnetic resonance imaging revealed a thickening of the right cranial dura mater on T1-weighted images. We presumed the patient was diagnosed as having myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody...

Clinical and serological profiles of idiopathic and drug-induced autoimmune diseases can be very similar. We compared data from idiopathic and antithyroid drug (ATD)-induced antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-positive patients. From 1993 to 2003, 2474 patients were tested for ANCA in the Laboratory for Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Belgrade. Out of 2474 patients, 72 (2.9%) were ant...

RATIONALE The relationship between antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) and ANCA-negative vasculitis has not been elucidated. PATIENT CONCERNS A 64-year-old female with edema and proteinuria was admitted. A kidney biopsy indicated focal proliferative nephritis with crescents in 25% of glomeruli. Serum ANCA was negative. Eighteen months later, systemic sym...

OBJECTIVE To calculate the positive predictive value (ppv) of cytoplasmic antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (c-ANCAs) and anti-proteinase 3 (PR 3) antibodies for Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and to evaluate their association with other diseases. METHODS The clinical files of all 94 patients who had a positive c- or perinuclear (p)-ANCA test, or both, in the laboratory of the University H...

Abstract Background and Aims End-stage kidney disease premature death are common in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) -associated vasculitis (AAV) renal involvement. Poor patient outcome is attributed to multiple factors comprising a delay diagnosis treatment, inadequate efficacy of treatments, complications due toxic effects given immunosuppressive therapy. The aim the p...