ABSTRACT
Objective: In this retrospective population-based register study, we wanted to determine the positive predictive values (PPVs) of immunoglobulin M rheumatoid factor (IgM RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) at 3 × upper normal limit (UNL), since they are weighted equally in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/ European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) 2010 criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods: Test results, ordering unit, test date, and patient social security number were collected from the Department of Clinical Immunology at Odense University Hospital from 2007 to 2016 and merged with patient diagnosis from the Danish National Patient Registry.Results: The PPV of IgM RF at 3 × UNL was 14%, compared to a PPV of 43% for ACPAs at 3 × UNL.Conclusion: The PPV of ACPAs is higher than the PPV of IgM RF at 3 × UNL. These findings are not reflected in the ACR/EULAR 2010 classification criteria for RA.
Subject(s)
Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies/blood , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/classification , Registries , Rheumatoid Factor/blood , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/blood , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology , Biomarkers/blood , Denmark , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Humans , Predictive Value of Tests , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for the determination of rare blood group genotypes was tested in 72 individuals from different ethnicities. BACKGROUND: Traditional serological-based antigen detection methods, as well as genotyping based on specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or single nucleotide variants (SNVs), are limited to detecting only a limited number of known antigens or alleles. NGS methods do not have this limitation. METHODS: NGS using Ion torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM) was performed with a customised Ampliseq panel targeting 15 different blood group systems on 72 blood donors of various ethnicities (Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern and Black). RESULTS: Blood group genotypes for 70 of 72 samples could be obtained for 15 blood group systems in one step using the NGS assay and, for common SNPs, are consistent with previously determined genotypes using commercial SNP assays. However, particularly for the Kidd, Duffy and Lutheran blood group systems, several SNVs were detected by the NGS assay that revealed additional coding information compared to other methods. Furthermore, the NGS assay allowed for the detection of genotypes related to VEL, Knops, Gerbich, Globoside, P1PK and Landsteiner-Wiener blood group systems. CONCLUSIONS: The NGS assay enables a comprehensive genotype analysis of many blood group systems and is capable of detecting common and rare alleles, including alleles not currently detected by commercial assays.
Subject(s)
Alleles , Blood Group Antigens/genetics , Blood Grouping and Crossmatching , High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Blood Donors , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: While much is known about childhood atopic dermatitis, little is known about persistence of atopic dermatitis into adult life. We report, to our knowledge for the first time, the clinical course of atopic dermatitis in an unselected cohort of adolescents followed into adulthood. METHODS: The course of atopic dermatitis from adolescence to adulthood was studied prospectively in a cohort of unselected 8th-grade schoolchildren established in 1995 and followed up in 2010 with questionnaire and clinical examination. RESULTS: The lifetime prevalence of atopic dermatitis was high (34.1%), and a considerable number of adults still suffered from atopic dermatitis evaluated both by questionnaire (17.1%) and clinical examination (10.0%). Persistent atopic dermatitis was found in 50% of those diagnosed in school age, and persistent atopic dermatitis was significantly associated with early onset, childhood allergic rhinitis and hand eczema. A close association was also found with allergic contact dermatitis and increased specific IgE to Malassezia furfur, but not with filaggrin gene defect. CONCLUSION: Persistence of atopic dermatitis in adulthood is common and affects quality of life. Persistent atopic dermatitis is particularly prevalent in those with early onset, allergic rhinitis and hand eczema in childhood. It is important to recognizing atopic dermatitis as a common and disabling disease not only in children but also in adults.
Subject(s)
Dermatitis, Atopic/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Asthma/epidemiology , Case-Control Studies , Child , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Comorbidity , Cross-Sectional Studies , Dermatitis, Allergic Contact/epidemiology , Dermatitis, Atopic/diagnosis , Dermatitis, Atopic/etiology , Eczema/epidemiology , Female , Filaggrin Proteins , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Incidence , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Intermediate Filament Proteins/genetics , Male , Mutation , Odds Ratio , Prevalence , Quality of Life , Rhinitis, Allergic/epidemiology , Risk Factors , Skin Tests , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
Type III interferon (IFN) or IFN-lambda is a recently discovered family of IFNs that signal through the same downstream transcription factors as type I IFN but use a separate receptor complex composed of the IL-10R2 and the unique IFN-lambdaR1 receptor chains. We have established a simple and efficient expression system to produce highly pure and active IFN-lambda of the three human IFN-lambda isoforms (IFN-lambda1, -lambda2 and -lambda3) and used this to compare the biological activity of the different IFN-lambda subtypes. Surprisingly, we found IFN-lambda3 to possess the highest specific activity of the human IFN-lambda subtypes, exhibiting a twofold higher activity than IFN-lambda1 and a 16-fold higher activity than IFN-lambda2. Furthermore, in comparison with the commercially available preparations of IFN-lambda1 and -lambda2, we found our IFN-lambda preparation to be superior in activity.
