ABSTRACT
Serum lactoferrin levels were studied in 79 healthy children and 80 children with viral hepatitis A in the Republic of Tyva. No statistically significant age- and gender-related differences were found in the healthy children. In viral hepatitis A, the level of the protein was shown to decrease with disease severity and to return to the normal values after 6 months.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis A/blood , Lactoferrin/blood , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , MaleABSTRACT
Evaluations of immune system of 155 patients with rubella and 90 contacts with patients were examined. Detection of viral genetic material in blood, urine, and nasopharyngeal swabs has been performed using RT-PCR method. Clinical diagnosis has been confirmed by RT-PCR in 114 (73.5%) patients. Changes of laboratory tests for rubella without clinical signs of the infection were observed in 20% of contacts. Complex ELISA- and PCR-assisted examination of patients can help to determine the stage of disease and characteristics of immune response. For differential diagnostic of rubella and other infectious diseases with exanthema it is rational to perform complex examination of patients using immunologic and molecular biologic methods.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/blood , Rubella virus/immunology , Rubella/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Antibodies, Viral/immunology , Antibody Affinity , Carrier State/diagnosis , Carrier State/immunology , Child , Child, Preschool , Disease Progression , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , RNA, Viral/analysis , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Rubella/diagnosis , Rubella/virology , Rubella virus/genetics , Rubella virus/isolation & purification , SiberiaABSTRACT
Study showed 9-fold increase of concentration of lactoferrin (LF) in serum of patients with bacterial meningitis (BM) compared with normal concentration and 5-fold increase of LF concentration in patients with aseptic meningitis (AM). Level of LF in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with BM and AM was 200-fold and 22-fold higher than in control group respectively. In 71% of patients with AM concentration of protein in CSF did not exceed minimal level observed in patients with BM. Level of LF in serum and CSF during treatment statistically significantly decreased. Concentration of LF (the latter is marker of neutrophilic granulocytes activation) can be used as a characteristic of acuteness and intensity of inflammatory process in central nervous system, whereas detection of LF in CSF--as additional criterion in differential diagnostics between bacterial and viral meningitis. Furthermore, repeated measurement of LF level can be useful for monitoring of disease course and assessment of effect of treatment.
