The Italian Society of Laboratory Medicine Study Group on the Diagnosis of Autoimmune Diseases has generated a series of guidelines for the laboratory diagnosis and monitoring of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases intendedfor the use of clinical pathologists and laboratory physicians. These guidelines are based on a systematic review of published works and expert panel discussion and consis...

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antinuclear antibodies in the sera of patients with autoimmune diseases is described. Goat liver nuclei were immobilized on polystyrene plates and antinuclear antibodies were used to standardize the assay. The effects of variables, such as the nuclei concentration, conditions of nuclei storage, and the length of the incubation period were investiga...

Seven out of 22 children with monarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (MJRA) developed involvement of other joints between six months and three and a half years from the onset. In the other 15 patients the disease has remained monarticular for between one and 16 years (mean six years). Chronic iridocyclitis was seen in three of the five boys, two with antinuclear antibodies. Children with MJ...

The serological profiles of 104 Zimbabwean patients with clinically diagnosed connective tissue diseases were determined. The prevalence of rheumatoid factor was less than would have been expected in other geographical groups, but the prevalence of antinuclear antibodies was similar. Despite considerable racial, socioeconomic, and genetic differences in our patient group compared with other pre...