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Biomedical subjects

Uwe Schauer

Publications and source records attributed to Uwe Schauer.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Establishment of age-dependent reference values for IgA subclasses.

BACKGROUND: Recently, subclass-specific antisera have been introduced for application in a nephelometric assay. The aim of this study was to establish age-dependent reference values for serum concentrations of the two IgA subclasses in children and adults. METHODS: Serum levels of IgA1 and IgA2 were measured by automated immunonephelometry in samples from 235 clinically healthy children between 6 months and 18 years of age and 36 healthy adults. RESULTS: Both IgA1 and IgA2 were detectable in all samples, and both IgA1 and IgA2 increased with increasing age. In adults, the mean value for IgA1 is 1.46 g/l for IgA2 0.21 g/l and for total IgA 1.94 g/l. Individual IgA2 values correlate significantly (p < 0.0001) with IgA1 values (r(2) = 0.5433). In addition, there was a highly significant (p < 0.0001) correlation (r(2) = 0.9530) between the measured total IgA and the sum of the two IgA subclasses indicating that immunonephelometry using highly specific polyclonal antisera might be superior to other methods. CONCLUSIONS: These results and the availability of age-dependent reference values make it worthwhile to reassess the role of IgA subclasses in immunodeficiency and autoimmune diseases where conventional methods have led to conflicting results.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Levels of antibodies specific to tetanus toxoid, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide in healthy children and adults.

Antibody levels specific for capsular polysaccharides of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and for tetanus toxoid were measured in serum samples of 386 age-stratified subjects. The study group consists of healthy adult blood donors and hospitalized children undergoing elective surgery, excluding individuals with a history of infection. In children, anti-tetanus toxoid antibody levels displayed two peaks of 1.20 IU/ml (20.4 mg/liter) and 1.65 IU/ml (28.1 mg/liter) related to the schedule of routine childhood immunization in the first year and at 8 years of age. Eighty percent of the antibodies are of the immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) isotype. For pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide (PCP), the specific antibody levels represent the acquisition of natural immunity. The initial concentration of 9.2 mg/liter was low in infancy (0.5 to 1 years of age) and remained low until 3 to 4 years of age (14.6 mg/liter). During this period PCP antibodies were almost 100% of the IgG2 subclass. Thereafter, IgG anti-PCP antibody titers increased steadily to adult levels (59.5 mg/liter). The data are intended to provide reference ranges to aid in the interpretation of specific antibody determinations in the clinical setting.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

IgG subclass concentrations in certified reference material 470 and reference values for children and adults determined with the binding site reagents.

BACKGROUND: There is currently no international reference preparation for IgG subclass (IgGSc) quantification. This situation has led to calibration differences among assays and a variety of reference interval values with consequential difficulties in comparing results. We therefore evaluated IgGSc concentrations in Certified Reference Material 470 (CRM 470). METHODS: Pure, polyclonal IgG1, -2, -3, and -4 were prepared from a large serum pool for use as primary standards. The IgG mass in each preparation was calculated from amino-acid analysis data. IgGSc concentrations were assessed in CRM 470 by nephelometry with modern analytical techniques, using these reference preparations. Subsequently, IgGSc concentrations were measured in 380 healthy individuals (250 males and 130 females), and age-dependent reference intervals were established. RESULTS: IgGSc concentrations in CRM 470 were as follows: IgG1, 5028 mg/L; IgG2, 3418 mg/L; IgG3, 579 mg/L, and IgG4, 381 mg/L, with a total IgG concentration of 9406 mg/L, 2.83% below the certified total IgG value of 9680 mg/L. Age-dependent percentile curves for the four IgGSc were constructed using a Box-Cox transformation. Maximum median values were as follows: IgG1, 6.02 g/L at 11 years; IgG2, 3.45 g/L at 31 years; IgG3, 0.63 g/L at 17 years; and IgG4, 0.48 g/L at 14 years. No significant sex-related differences were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between the summation of individual IgGSc and separate measurements of total IgG concentrations was good and supports the accuracy of the results. The results are based on The Binding Site assays and should not be considered appropriate for other assays unless so demonstrated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Efficacy of combination treatment with anti-IgE plus specific immunotherapy in polysensitized children and adolescents with seasonal allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Specific immunotherapy (SIT) and treatment with monoclonal anti-IgE antibody have complementary modes of action. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether combined therapy could provide better efficacy than either treatment alone. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blinded trial to assess the efficacy and safety of subcutaneously administered anti-IgE (omalizumab) or placebo in children and adolescents with seasonal allergic rhinitis in both a birch pollen season and a grass pollen season (sequential seasons together lasting an average of 84 days). There were 4 treatment arms. Each subject was started on SIT-birch or SIT-grass, and anti-IgE or placebo was started before and maintained during the anticipated pollen seasons (a total of 24 weeks). The primary efficacy variable was symptom load, the sum of daily symptom severity score plus rescue medication use. RESULTS: A total of 221 subjects (intent-to-treat population) aged 6 to 17 years were analyzed for efficacy. Combination therapy reduced symptom load over the 2 pollen seasons by 48% (P <.001) over SIT alone. When analyzed separately by season, the 2 groups receiving unrelated SIT were considered placebo controls. In the grass season, symptom loads were as follows: unrelated (birch) SIT + placebo, 0.89 (reference value); unrelated (birch) SIT + anti-IgE, 0.49 (-45%); SIT-grass + placebo, 0.61 (-32%); SIT-grass + anti-IgE, 0.26 (-71%). CONCLUSION: Anti-IgE therapy conferred a protective effect independent of the type of allergen. Additional clinical benefit was demonstrated in both pollen seasons, whether there was coverage by SIT or not. This combination might prove useful for the treatment of allergic rhinitis, particularly for polysensitized patients.

Adolescent↗