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Introduction: Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune disorder that occurs following the ingestion of gluten, in genetically predisposed individuals. Patients with celiac disease, especially children, are likely prone to develop allergic reactions to different food allergens. However, the relationship between food allergy and celiac disease remains not elucidated. The aim of this pioneering study was to evaluate the prevalence of allergic food sensitization in children with celiac disease in Morocco. Methods: A total of 57 children with confirmed celiac disease, including 25 males and 32 females with a mean age of 8.6 ± 4.4 years, underwent a food allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) screening. This screening was conducted using a multiparametric immunodot assay (Euroline Food "Maghreb," Euroimmun). Statistical analysis was performed using R software. Results: Among the 57 cases tested, the overall rate of IgE-mediated sensitization to food allergens was found to be 48% (27/57), dominated by chicken, with 51.9% (14/27), followed by almond, 40.7% (11/27), sesame, 40.7% (11/27), potato 33.3% (9/27), and apple 18.5% (5/27). Of the s-IgE positive cases, 74% were sensitized at least to one allergen, 37% (10/27) were sensitized to both chicken and almond allergens. A significant correlation was observed between almond, sesame, chicken, and potato. Conclusion: The current study highlighted a high prevalence of food allergen sensitization in children with celiac disease. This underlines the potential benefit in screening for food allergy in celiac patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which investigated how the occurrence of lymphopenia may predict the severity and mortality of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Topics explored include the demographic and laboratory characteristics of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with COVID-19 included in the study, the lymphocyte subset counts and patient outcomes recorded, and the reported frequency of lymphopenia in nonsurvivors.

Antinuclear antibodies tests are of a paramount importance in the diagnosis, classification, prognostic evaluation and management of autoimmune diseases in children. The present study aimed to describe the immuno-clinical profile of antinuclear antibodies tests in a pediatric population in order to guide the clinical practice of biologists and clinicians. Our study enrolled 268 children. Antinuclear antibodies screening was performed using the indirect immunofluorescence assay on HEp-2 cells. Identification of target antigens was conducted using separately or at one timepoint the following techniques: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Immunodot and Chemiluminescence. The average age of patients was 9.6 ± 4.3 years, with a female predominance (sex-ratio = 1.9). Antinuclear antibodies screening was positive in 40.67% of cases. The most frequently observed antinuclear antibodies patterns were speckled (52.3%), homogeneous (13.8%) and mixed homogeneous-speckled (13.8%). Autoantibodies were detected in 4 patients (2.51%) for whom ANA testing using the indirect immunofluorescence assay was negative. Positive antinuclear antibodies specificities were detected in connective tissue diseases (44.03%; n = 48), organ-specific autoimmune diseases (10.09%; n = 11), and in non-autoimmune conditions (inflammatory diseases, infections, hematological diseases, vasculitis and Wilson’s disease) (32.08%; n = 35). Our study revealed a high rate of positive antinuclear antibodies tests in the pediatric population, mainly related to autoimmune diseases (54.12%) besides non-autoimmune conditions (32.08%). Therefore, screening and interpretation of antinuclear antibodies testing in children require the consideration of clinical data and a close collaboration between clinicians and biologists.

Autoimmune hepatopathies (AIHT) including autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and autoimmune cholangitis (AIC), represent an impressive entities in clinical practice. Their pathogenesis is not perfectly elucidated. Several factors are involved in the initiation of hepatic autoimmune and inflammatory phenomena such as genetic predisposition, molecular mimicry and/or abnormalities of T-regulatory lymphocytes. AIHT have a wide spectrum of presentation, ranging from asymptomatic forms to severe acute liver failure. The diagnosis of AIHT is based on the presence of hyperglobulinemia, cytolysis, cholestasis, typical even specific circulating auto-antibodies, distinctive of AIH or PBC, and histological abnormalities as well as necrosis and inflammation. Anti-F actin, anti-LKM1, anti-LC1 antibodies permit to distinguish between AIH type 1 and AIH type 2. Anti-SLA/LP antibodies are rather associated to more severe hepatitis, and particularly useful for the diagnosis of seronegative AIH for other the antibodies. Due to the relevant diagnostic value of anti-M2, anti-Sp100, and anti-gp210 antibodies, the diagnosis of PBC is more affordable than that of PSC and AIC. Based on clinical data, the immunological diagnosis of AIHT takes advantage of the various specialized laboratory techniques including immunofluorescence, immunodot or blot, and the Elisa systems, provided of a closer collaboration between the biologist and the physician., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)