Human Antibodies - Volume 30, issue 2

Authors: Cagan, Murat | Okuducu, Ummuhan | Donmez, Hanife Guler | Beksac, Mehmet Sinan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The rates of pregnancy losses (PLs) are increased by maternal risk factors such as autoimmune disorders (AD) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate singleton PLs before gestational week (gw) 22 among patients with AD and MTHFR polymorphisms. METHODS: Totally, 1108 singleton pregnancies in 243 women were categorized as: 1) 148 pregnancies in 33 patients with AD, 2) 316 pregnancies in 66 patients with MTHFR polymorphisms, 3) 644 pregnancies in 144 patients with AD + MTHFR polymorphisms. PLs were classified into subgroups: a) …Chemical Pregnancy(CP), b) Blighted Ovum(BO), c) gw ⩽ 10, d) gw11–14 e) gw15–22, f) Ectopic Pregnancy(EP), g) Trophoblastic Disease(TD). Obstetric histories were compared using Beksac Obstetrics Index (BOI): [number of living child + (π /10)]/gravida. RESULTS: PL rates before gw22 were 39.2% (58/148), 33.2% (105/316), and 36.3% (234/644) in AD, MTHFR , and AD + MTHFR groups, respectively (p = 0.421). The rate of Pre-Prenatal Screening Period fetal losses (CP + BO + gw ⩽ 10 fetal losses + EP + TD) were 84.8%, 75.9%, and 77.8% in AD, MTHFR , and AD + MTHFR , respectively (p = 0.264). Gravidity ⩽ 4 versus those with gravidity ⩾ 5 had statistically significant differences in BOI (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PL rate before gw22 among singleton pregnancies with AD and/or MTHFR polymorphisms was 35.8%. The clinical findings seem to be more complicated in patients with gravidity ⩾ 5. Show more

Keywords: Autoimmune disorders, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphisms, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, chemical pregnancy, blighted ovum

DOI: 10.3233/HAB-211517

Citation: Human Antibodies, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 59-65, 2022

Authors: El Allam, Aicha | El Fakihi, Sara | Tahoune, Hicham | Sahmoudi, Karima | Bousserhane, Houria | Bakri, Youssef | El Hafidi, Naima | Seghrouchni, Fouad

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is a form of primary immunodeficiency disease (PID). It is characterized by a serious abnormality of the cellular and sometimes humoral system due to a deficiency in development of T cells, B cells and/or NK cells. The early diagnosis of SCID improves the prognosis. Typically, the initial consideration of SCID is made based on low lymphocyte counts. Notwithstanding, the heterogeneity of lymphocyte count presentation makes the diagnosis of SCID a significant challenge. The objective of this cross-sectional retrospective study was to analyze the lymphocyte subpopulation counts along with clinical manifestations within a Moroccan cohort diagnosed as …SCID compared to children diagnosed with non-PID diseases. Thirty-five SCID confirmed patients were selected in the period between 2008 and 2018 and compared with non-PID patients. Results of peripheral blood T, B, and NK lymphocyte subpopulation counts were measured by flow cytometry for each SCID subtype. As expected, T cell count was less than 300 cells/μ L in most patients with SCID (85.5%). Unexpectedly, significantly higher T cell counts were detected in some patients with a confirmed clinical diagnosis and family history of SCID. 5.7% of our SCID Moroccan cohort had T cell numbers in the range between 300 and 500 cells/μ L. 8.7% of our SCID Moroccan cohort had T cell numbers higher than 500 cells/μ L. Of the SCID subtypes, the proportion of SCID with B cell deficiencies was highly represented in our cohort. 71.4% of Moroccan SCID patients (25 out of 35 patients) were of T-B-subtype. Furthermore, 40% of the patients (14 out of 35 patients) had a T - B - NK + profile and 31.4% had a T - B - NK - profile (11 out of 35 patients). The most common clinical manifestations observed in our SCID cohort were pneumonia, failure to thrive, candidiasis, diarrhea, bronchitis and urinary tract infections. Our results not only highlight the relatively frequent presence of atypical SCID in the Moroccan population with unexpectedly high T cell numbers, but also describes the incidence pattern of common SCID subtypes in Morocco. Physicians in Morocco may find this local region-specific difference in SCID important for making improved early diagnosis of this disease. Show more

Keywords: Severe combined immunodeficiency, diagnosis, primary immunodeficiency, lymphocytes subpopulation counts, flow cytometry, Morocco

DOI: 10.3233/HAB-211510

Citation: Human Antibodies, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 67-77, 2022

Authors: Ghafouri-Fard, Soudeh | Hussen, Bahdar Mahmud | Pashmforoush, Sara | Akbari, Mohammad Taghi | Arsang-Jang, Shahram | Nazer, Naghme | Hamidieh, Amir Ali | Hajifathali, Abbas | Dinger, Marcel E. | Sayad, Arezou | Dehaghi, Mohammadreza Ostadali

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: HLA genotyping is a prerequisite for selection of suitable donors in the process of bone marrow transplantation. METHODS: In the current study, the frequencies of HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 alleles and A-B-C-DRB1 haplotypes were assessed in 855 healthy Iranian persons using a low-resolution sequence specific primer (SSP) kit. RESULTS: Frequencies were compared between 11 subpopulations including Armani, Balouch, Bandari, Turk, Turkaman, Arab, Fars, Kurd, Gilaki, Lor and Mazani. In total, 17 HLA-A alleles were detected, one of which (HLA-A*74) was present only among Lors. HLA-A*23 and -A*26 were the most frequent …HLA-A alleles among Armanis. HLA-A*23 was also common among Turkamans. HLA-A*11 and -A*26 were most frequent among the Balouch subpopulation. The former allele was also frequent among Bandaris. HLA-A*02 was identified as the most common HLA-A allele among Turk, Arab and Fars subpopulations. HLA-A*30 were strongly enriched among Gilakis. A total of 31 HLA-B alleles were detected across the target population. While all alleles were present among Fars subgroup, Armanis and Turkamans had the lowest degree of diversity among the alleles examined. Moreover, HLA-B*35 and B*49 alleles were strongly enriched among Armanis and Turkamans, respectively. A total of 13 HLA-C alleles were identified across the population, all of which were present in the Fars subpopulation. HLA-C*03 and C*04 were the only HLA-C alleles identified among the Bandari subpopulation. HLA-DRB1*08 was not detected in any subpopulation other than Fars. HLA-DRB1*16 was significantly enriched among Bandaris. These data have practical significance in anthropological studies, disease association investigations and bone marrow transplantation. Show more

Keywords: HLA, normal population, Iran, bone marrow transplantation

DOI: 10.3233/HAB-220004

Citation: Human Antibodies, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 79-96, 2022

Authors: Joukar, Farahnaz | Yeganeh, Sara | Shafaghi, Afshin | Mahjoub-Jalali, Mohammad Reza | Hassanipour, Soheil | Santacroce, Luigi | Mavaddati, Sara | Mansour-Ghanaei, Fariborz

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Celiac disease (CD) is a common cause of malabsorption that is definitively diagnosed by abnormal bowel biopsy, symptoms and histologic changes to gluten free diet. The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are common in our community as the majority of people in Guilan, in the north of Iran, consume rice daily. Also, a number of celiac patients are unknown, and IBS are mistakenly diagnosed. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of CD among IBS patients. METHODS: A total of 475 consecutive patients with IBS, confirmed by Rome IV, underwent …celiac serological tests antitissue transglutaminase antibodies (IgA-tTG, IgG-tTG) after obtaining a written consent form. In case of positive serological tests, biopsy was performed from small intestine after endoscopy RESULTS: Thirty-one (6.53%, 95% CI: 4.55–9.22) patients were positive for celiac serology. Based on Marsh-Oberhuber criteria, out of 9 patients with positive pathology 77.78% (95% CI: 40.19–96.05) had marsh IIIc. In IBS patients cramp (0.009) and stomach fullness (0.021) were two statistically significant IBS symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest physicians to consider celiac examinations for all patients with IBS symptoms, even for patients with no obvious celiac symptoms. Show more

Keywords: Celiac disease, IgA-tTG, irritable bowel syndrome, Screening, immunocytochemistry

DOI: 10.3233/HAB-211516

Citation: Human Antibodies, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 97-103, 2022

Authors: Hussein, Nahla A. | Ali, Esraa A.A. | El-Hakim, Amr E. | Tabll, Ashraf A. | El-Shershaby, Asmaa | Salamony, Azza | Shaheen, Mohamed N.F. | Ali, Ibrahim | Elshall, Mahmoud | Shahein, Yasser E.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 caused a global pandemic since the last two years. The urgent need to control the spread of the virus and rapid application of the suitable health measures raised the importance of available, rapid, and accurate diagnostic approaches. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to describe a rapid in-house optimized ELISA based on the expression of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in a prokaryotic system. METHODS: We show the expression of the 30 kDa recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD-6× His in four different …E. coli strains (at 28 ∘ C using 0.25mM IPTG) including the expression strain E. coli BL21 (DE3) Rosetta Gami. SARS-CoV-2 rRBD-6× His protein was purified, refolded, and used as an antigen coat to assess antibody response in human sera against SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: The assessment was carried out using a total of 155 human sero-positive and negative SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The ELISA showed 69.5% sensitivity, 88% specificity, 78.5% agreement, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 92.3%, and a negative predictive value of 56.5%. Moreover, the optical density (OD) values of positive samples significantly correlated with the commercial kit titers. CONCLUSIONS: Specific human antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were detected by rapid in-house ELISA in sera of human COVID-19-infected patients. The availability of this in-house ELISA protocol would be valuable for various diagnostic and epidemiological applications, particularly in developing countries. Future studies are planned for the use of the generated SARS-CoV-2 rRBD-6× His protein in vaccine development and other diagnostic applications. Show more

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, RBD, ELISA, diagnosis, human sera, COVID-19

DOI: 10.3233/HAB-220003

Citation: Human Antibodies, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 105-115, 2022