Ethylmalonic acid (EMA) accumulates in tissues and biological fluids of patients affected by short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (SCADD) and ethylmalonic encephalopathy, illnesses characterized by neurological and muscular symptoms. Considering that the mechanisms responsible for the brain and skeletal muscle damage in these diseases are poorly known, in the present work we investigat...

BACKGROUND Community sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services are well placed to deliver abortion assessment services and early medical abortion (EMA), but comparative data on safety and acceptability from both settings are important for future service planning. METHODS Retrospective review of computerised records of 1342 women undergoing outpatient EMA (≤9 weeks) in a community SRH or h...

OBJECTIVES To study myopathies with serum antibodies to the signal recognition particle (SRP), an unusual, myositis specific antibody associated syndrome that has not been well characterised pathologically. METHODS Clinical, laboratory, and myopathological features were evaluated in seven consecutive patients with a myopathy and serum anti-SRP antibodies, identified over three years. The anti...

OBJECTIVE Serum IgA-class tissue transglutaminase antibody has proved effective in screening for coeliac disease. The response to a gluten-free diet has been assessed on the basis of small-intestinal morphology. We investigated whether the tissue transglutaminase antibody test could substitute biopsy in this respect, and whether the test is better than the endomysial antibody test in follow-up....

Background: IgA class serum autoantibodies against type 2 (tissue) transglutaminase (TG2) bind to both intestinal and extraintestinal normal tissue sections in vitro, eliciting endomysial, reticulin, and jejunal antibody reactions. It is not known whether similar binding also occurs in coeliac patients in vivo, and may thereby contribute to disease manifestations. Aims: To investigate intestina...

BACKGROUND/AIMS The use of immunoglobulin G and A anti-gliadin antibodies for celiac disease screening has decreased due to higher specificity and sensitivity of tissue transglutaminase and endomysial antibodies. Greater values of immunoglobulin-A anti-gliadin antibody have been associated with more severe mucosal damage in proven and probable celiac disease patients. The aim of this study was ...

Tumor behavior is affected by the tumor microenvironment, composed of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Meanwhile, hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) with fibrous stroma reportedly exhibit aggressive behavior suggestive of tumor-stroma interaction. However, evidence of the crosstalk remains unclear. In this study, CCN2, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), fibroblast activation protein (FAP), an...

AIMS Tissue transglutaminase (tTG) was recently identified as the major autoantigen in coeliac disease. The aim of this multicentre study was to evaluate the impact of a new immunoenzymatic assay for the detection of IgA anti-tGT antibodies. METHODS Seventy four Italian and French clinical laboratories participated in this study; anti-tTG IgA with an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) ...

According to the great importance of safety in aerospace industries, identification of dynamic parameters of related equipment by experimental tests in operating conditions has been in focus. Due to the existence of noise sources in these conditions the probability of fault occurrence may increases. This study investigates the effects of noise in the process of modal parameters identification b...