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Objectives: To assess the usefulness of anti-deamidated gliadin peptides antibodies (a-DGP), in the diagnostic of celiac disease (CD)., Patients and Methods: One hundred and three untreated CD patients (67 children and 36 adults) and 36 celiac patients under gluten-free diet were studied. Two hundred and seventy-four subjects served as controls (114 healthy blood donors, 80 healthy children and 80 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis). a-DGP (IgG and IgA) and anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (AtTG) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa). Anti-endomysium antibodies (AEA) were detected by indirect immunofluorescence on human umbilical cord., Results: The sensitivitiy of IgG and IgA a-DGP were 94% and 97% respectively, compared to 96% for AEA and AtTG. The specificity of a-DGP was 93.6% for IgG and 92% for IgA. The specificity of AEA and AtTG were 100%. The frequency of IgG and IgA a-DGP was significantly higher in patients with CD than in control group (94% vs. 4.4%, P<10(-7); 97% vs. 8%, P<10(-7)). The frequency of IgG a-DGP was the same in children and adult (94%). The frequency of IgA a-DGP were similar in children and adults (95.5% vs. 100%)., Conclusion: Our study shows that a-DGP increases neither the sensitivity nor the specificity of AEA and AtTG., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The prominent feature of immunological defects in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the production of autoantibodies (auto-Abs) to nuclear antigens including DNA, histones and RNP. In addition, there is growing evidence that epigenetic changes play a key role in the pathogenesis of SLE. Autoreactive CD4(+) T cells and B cells in patients with SLE have evidence of altered patterns of DNA methylation as well as post-translational modifications of histones and ribonucleoproteins (RNP). A key question that has emerged from these two characteristic features of SLE is whether the two processes are linked. New data provide support for such a link. For example, there is evidence that hypomethylated DNA is immunogenic, that anti-histone auto-Abs in patients with SLE bind epigenetic-sensitive hot spots and that epigenetically-modified RNP-derived peptides can modulate lupus disease. All in all, the available evidence indicates that a better understanding of dysregulation in epigenetics in SLE may offer opportunities to develop new biomarkers and novel therapeutic strategies., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To evaluate, retrospectively, the frequency of antithyroid antibodies (ATA) in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D)., Materials and Methods: Antithyroperoxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab), antithyroglobulin antibodies (TG-Ab), and antithyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibodies (TSHR-Ab) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sera of 312 patients (166 children and 146 adults) with T1D were analyzed. Sera of 276 healthy subjects (87 children and 189 blood donors) served as controls., Results: Out of 312 patients with T1D, 44 (14%) had ATA (TPO-Ab or TG-Ab or TSHR-Ab). The frequency of ATA in patients with T1D was significantly higher than in the control group (14% vs. 2.8%; p<10(-5)). ATA were significantly more frequent in adult patients with T1D than in the blood donor group (20% vs. 1.6%; p<10(-8)). The frequency of ATA in adult patients was significantly higher than in pediatric patients (20% vs. 9%; p=0.006). The frequency of TPO-Ab and TG-Ab was significantly higher in patients with T1D than in the control group (13.5% vs. 2%; p<10(-8) and 7% vs. 2.2%, p=0.008), respectively. Out of 312 patients with T1D, only one had TSHR-Ab. The simultaneous presence of three autoantibodies was found in one patient with T1D., Conclusion: ATA were frequent in patients with T1D. Serological screening of autoimmune thyroid disease is suggested in patients with T1D.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of IgA anti-actin antibodies (IgA-AAA) for celiac disease (CD), to investigate their usefulness as a marker of compliance in CD patients to the gluten-free diet (GFD), and to assess the relationship between their presence in the sera of CD patients and severity of intestinal mucosal damage., Patients and Methods: A total of 182 patients with CD were studied: 63 patients were untreated; 50 patients were following a strict GFD; and 69 patients were non-compliant with a GFD. IgA-AAA was detected using a homemade enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)., Results: IgA-AAA showed a sensitivity of 41.3% and a specificity of 71.4% for a diagnosis of CD. In children, the frequency of IgA-AAA detection was lower in those following a strict GFD (23.1%) compared with untreated patients (39.4%) and those not complying with a GFD (32.5%). In patients following a strict GFD, IgA-AAA detection was significantly less frequent in children than in adults (23.1% vs. 58.3%, respectively; P<0.001). IgA-AAA was found in 17 out of 52 CD patients with total villous atrophy (32.7%), and in one out of 11 patients with subtotal villous atrophy (9%)., Conclusion: IgA-AAA cannot replace anti-endomysium and anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies in the diagnosis algorithm of CD, but it can serve as a reliable marker of severe intestinal mucosal damage in CD patients., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)