Ontwikkelingen in de capillaire elektroforese

This article highlights some developments in the field of capillary electrophoresis (CE). Although the utilisation of CE in clinical chemistry is limited, some applications are already used in practice. Sensitivity is an important research area and several strategies such as stacking and different detection principles are discussed. Miniaturisation of CE hardware to chip size is one of the most fascinating developments. These chips are used in combination with all kinds of detectors and separation systems, including biosensors. The Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography technique combines chromatographic with electrophoretic principles and offers great flexibility. Chiral CE is used within e.g. pharmaceutical analysis, research on stereoselective metabolism and forensic analysis

Effect of inflammatory attacks in the classical type hyper-IgD syndrome on immunoglobulin D, cholesterol and parameters of the acute phase response

Background. Classical type hyper-immunoglobulin D (IgD) syndrome (HTDS) is an hereditary autoinflammatory disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, lymphadenopathy, abdominal distress and a high serum concentration of IgD. It is caused by mevalonate kinase deficiency. Objective. To further characterize the acute phase response during fever attacks in HIDS in order to improve diagnosis. Subjects. Twenty-two mevalonate kinase-deficient HIDS patients. Methods. Blood samples were drawn during and in between febrile attacks, and concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, procalcitonin, pentraxin 3, IgD and cholesterol in several lipoprotein fractions were determined. Results. The marked acute phase response at the time of a fever attack in classical type HIDS is reflected by a rise in CRP accompanied by a moderate but statistically significant rise in procalcitonin and pentraxin 3. In only two of 22 patients, procalcitonin concentration rose above 2 ng mL-1during fever attack, compatible with the noninfectious nature of these attacks. Ferritin does not reach the high concentrations found in adult-onset Still's disease. Despite the defect in mevalonate kinase, a component of cholesterol metabolism, serum cholesterol did not change during attacks. IgD concentration is elevated regardless of disease activity, although there is appreciable variation during life. Its role in HIDS remains unclear. Conclusion. The combination of high CRP concentration plus procalcitonin concentratio