For clinical validation 135 specimens from healthy subjects, pregnant women, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid patients were analyzed. Results. Total coefficients of variation were <5.5%. Linearity test showed >90% recovery for all samples and for all dilution rates. Comparison analysis (Bland-Altman difference analysis and Passing-Bablock regression) showed E7080 an acceptable agreement between selected methods. SHBG values measured by Access SHBG assay in different groups of subjects

were in agreement with other clinical evidence. Conclusions. Automated Access SHBG assay appears to be a reliable and easy to perform assay, as necessary for application in routine diagnostics.”
“Objective. Neutrophil elastase (NE) concentration is associated with progression of acute pancreatitis (AP), but measuring total NE concentration includes biologically inactive NE. This study aims to investigate the relationship between NE activity and the aetiology and severity of AP and associated organ failure. Methods. Seventy-five patients admitted to our surgery department with a first episode

of AP during 2004-2005 were age-and sex-matched to 20 healthy volunteers (controls). NE activity was assessed using venous blood samples obtained on patient admission and after 1, 2 and 14 days. One sample was also MLN2238 taken from each control. ANOVA was used for statistical comparison between groups. Results. Baseline NE activity (geometric mean; 95% confidence intervals) differed between patients (58.6 nM of substrate

7-amino-4-methylcoumarin [AMC]/hour; 48.52-70.72) and controls (31.5 nM AMC/hour; 25.5-39.0) (p = 0.0003), and did not correlate with time between symptom onset and admission. Patients with alcohol-induced AP demonstrated higher mean activity (59.1 nM AMC/h; 44.7-78.2) than those with gallstone-induced AP (41.7 nM AMC/h; 33.9-51.4) (p = 0.0496). NE activity was higher overall in patients with predicted many severe AP (60.9 nM AMC/h; 48.0-77.2) than in those with predicted mild AP (42.1 nM AMC/h; 34.9-50.8) (p = 0.027). Patients with respiratory failure had higher NE activity (82.5 nM AMC/h; 57.5-118.4) than those without (43.9 nM AMC/h; 37.6-51.3) (p = 0.0024). Conclusions. NE activity was associated with predicted severity of AP and AP-associated respiratory failure. Specific NE inhibitors may have therapeutic potential in acute pancreatitis.”
“Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Crohn’s disease (CD) patients with the common 1007fs mutation of the caspase recruitment domain-containing 15/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing 2 (CARD15/NOD2) gene show impaired nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) activation in response to muramyl dipeptide (MDP), as determined by Western blotting.