Journal of immunoassay & immunochemistry最新文献

Trial registration: Not applicable (observational study).

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major concern in Nigeria. Nationally, increasing infection rates continue to pose a significant challenge, which may be due to inadequate diagnosis. Known markers, such as Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) and Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), are good at indicating exposure rates, but generally poor at reflecting active viral replication. The hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) may provide a clearer picture of the viral activity and treatment response. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 450 participants aged 16-65 years from hospitals in Osun and Plateau States. HBsAg screening was performed using rapid diagnostic tests, confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and further evaluated for HBeAg and HBcrAg levels. Correlation analysis was used to test the relationships between these markers. Of the 450 participants screened, 188 (41.7%) were confirmed positive for HBV. HBcrAg was observed in adults aged 17-45 years, suggesting replication activity in symptom-free individuals. Atypical serological profiles, such as HBsAg and HBsAb co-positivity, were also identified. Incorporation of HBcrAg in HBV screening, especially in endemic countries, may be useful in assessing HBV replication stage, reactivation, and staging of chronic infection, especially in resource-limited settings.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has a complex etiology that involves environmental and genetic variables. The identification of new genetic connections contributes to accelerating the development of customized medications to treat or delay the progression of diseases.

Objective: We aimed to assess the relationship between rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility and genetic variations of the Farnesyl Diphosphate Synthase (FDPS) and methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) genes.

Patients and methods: 100 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 100 healthy control subjects participated in this case-control research. Genetic analyses for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FDPS and MeCP2 genes were performed on the patients.

Results: In terms of FDPS genetic polymorphisms, the sick group had greater frequencies of the TG and GG genotypes, whereas the control group had a higher frequency of the TT genotype. The CC genotype was more common in the control group, but the TC and TT genotypes were more common in the sick group concerning MECP2 genetic polymorphisms.

Conclusion: For rheumatoid arthritis, the FDPS (rs2297480) TT genotype seemed to be protective. An increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis was linked to the MECP2 (rs2734647) TT genotype, but the CC genotype seemed to be protective against the condition.

The incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) has increased in recent years. Its pathogenesis involves the interaction between various elements, with interleukin 27 (IL-27) playing a key role in autoimmunity. The presence of the IL-27 receptor on astrocytes emphasizes its involvement in the disease's progression.

Purpose: The study aims to investigate possible associations between IL27 rs181206, serum level of IL27, and the development of MS.

Methods: The study comprised 70 MS patients and 70 seemingly healthy controls. They were genotyped for IL27 rs181206 using the Taqman allelic discrimination approach, and their serum IL27 levels were estimated using ELISA.

Results: The frequency of TT genotype, T allele, and IL27 serum level were significantly higher among MS patients compared to controls. There was no significant difference between IL27 serum levels among different genotypes in both MS patients and controls; however, individuals with TT genotype showed higher levels of IL27 than those with CC genotype.

Conclusion: TT genotype and T allele can increase the risk of developing MS. On the other hand, carrying the C allele may be associated with a lower risk of MS development. Understanding IL27 genetics and epistatic interactions can help clarify IL27's role in MS pathogenesis and utilize it as a therapeutic target.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a rapid, sensitive, and economical tool for detecting hormones in diverse biological matrices, making it valuable in forensic endocrinology. This review summarizes ELISA's principles, applications, advantages, and limitations in medico-legal practice. ELISA enables quantification of hormones such as cortisol, testosterone, estrogen, melatonin, thyroid hormones, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). It supports postmortem toxicology, sexual assault investigations, doping control, and forensic psychiatry. Cortisol may help reconstruct perimortem stress, while hCG detection assists in pregnancy confirmation in assault or maternal death cases. In sports, ELISA screens for anabolic steroids, erythropoietin, and growth hormone, with LC-MS/MS required for confirmation. Its compatibility with blood, saliva, urine, and hair enhances versatility. Key challenges include antibody cross-reactivity, matrix interference, degradation, variability among commercial kits, and limited multiplexing. False positives, hook effects, and inconsistent validation affect admissibility, necessitating strict quality assurance, ISO/IEC 17025 compliance, and confirmatory testing. ELISA is unsuitable for paternity determination; DNA profiling remains the legal standard. Emerging advances - digital ELISA, nanotechnology, AI, and biosensors - promise greater sensitivity and automation but face regulatory, cost, and training barriers. ELISA should be regarded as a complementary, high-throughput screening method integrated into validated, multimodal forensic workflows.

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by an infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is used to treat TB. However, its efficacy varies in different countries. A new TB vaccine is urgently required to inhibit the spread of TB infection. DNA vaccines are promising for providing an immune response against the disease. The resuscitation-promoting factors B and D (rpfB/rpfD) genes are promising vaccine candidates. In this study, the vaccine candidates pcDNA3.1-rpfB and pcDNA3.1-rpfD were evaluated for their ability to inhibit M. tuberculosis infection in BALB/c mice. Epitope analysis indicates that the recombinant protein sequences of RpfB and RpfD used in this study possess epitopes recognized by T and B lymphocytes. Although the presence of M. tuberculosis cells in lung tissue was not detected, histopathological analysis revealed the absence of lymphoid aggregates in mice vaccinated with pcDNA3.1-rpfB or pcDNA3.1-rpfD, in contrast to those administered with phosphate-buffered saline or pcDNA3.1. In addition, analysis of the humoral immune response showed the highest IgG2a antibody titer in mice immunized with both vaccine candidates. These results support our previous findings, which indicate that pcDNA3.1-rpfB and pcDNA3.1-rpfD have considerable potential as TB vaccine candidates.

Psoriasis is characterized by increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-17A, and NF-κB, as well as keratinocyte hyperproliferation and epidermal thickening. Its pathophysiology is significantly influenced by oxidative stress and abnormal activation of redox-sensitive signaling pathways, such as NF-κB and MAPK. The present study examined the potential of Syringaldehyde (SYD) in the imiquimod (IMQ) induced psoriasis model. Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores, back skin thickness, and spleen hypertrophy decreased at dose levels of SYD 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg. Furthermore, a significant reduction in PASI scores following SYD administration indicated a marked improvement in the disease severity and lesion morphology. High-affinity binding of SYD to NF-κB (PDB ID: 4KIK; -34.76 kcal/mol) and MAPK (PDB ID: 1A9U; -32.87 kcal/mol) was found by molecular docking, indicating interference with nuclear translocation and phosphorylation processes. The treatment groups 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg indicated restoration of normal histological features. The biochemical evaluation showed decrease in NF-κB, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-17 on treatment with SYD. Thus, SYD appears to be a potential therapeutic option for psoriasis, but additional research is needed to confirm its efficacy and safety.

Human β Defensin-2 (HBD2) is an Antimicrobial peptide (AMP) that serves a dual function in host defense and fertility. On the other hand, a plethora of microbial infectious agents have been associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion (SA). This study examined the impact of HBD-2 on women with SA with a particular focus on its relationship with clue cells and other microbial infections. 100 women aged 17-50 with a history of SA participated. We utilized two vaginal swabs. They were cultivated first. The Vitek2 technique was used after biochemical tests identified the isolates. vaginosis diagnosed by Amsel criteria. Serum HBD-2 levels were measured using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). An association was observed between bacterial vaginosis and SA in the second trimester. HBD-2 levels fell with age. Women with five or more abortions had lower HBD-2 levels (p = 0.034). In cases containing clue cells, HBD-2 averaged 586.0 pg/mL, whereas in cases without clue cells, it decreased (p = 0.007). Gram-negative bacterial infections decreased HBD-2. During fungal infection, HBD-2 levels dropped to 176.1 pg/ml. A significant relationship was observed between HBD2 levels and vaginitis, suggesting its potential as a biomarker and diagnostic tool for reproductive health.

Filgrastim, a therapeutic protein for the treatment of neutropenia, exerts its biological activity by interacting with the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor. However, the affinity of filgrastim to its receptor is usually overlooked during characterization and comparability tests, since its biological activity is assessed only by in vitro proliferation assays. In this work, we propose the use of a cell-based colorimetric method to determine the relative affinity of filgrastim to its receptor expressed in murine myeloid leukemia cells. After performing a validation exercise, the method proved to be accurate, specific, and linear within an affinity interval of 75 to 130%; precise with a confidence interval of 93.6 to 114.2% and a coefficient of variation of 12.6%. The validation exercise proved that the proposed cell-based method is a viable alternative to evaluate the biological activity of filgrastim via the affinity for its receptor and it is suitable to be included as part of its biological characterization exercises as well as in comparability exercises for products coming from distinct manufacturing processes.