Analysis of charge distribution of lambda- and kappa-IgA in IgA nephropathy by focused antigen capture immunoassay

They finding that eluted mesangial IgA and serum IgA from patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) had a restricted anionic charge contrasting with normal serum IgA prompted us to examine the charge of κ- and λ-subclasses of IgA. Previous studies are not totally satisfactory because either total IgA without further dividing into subclass or only κ- and λ-IgA 1 was examined. A new approach is described to study the electrostatic property of total IgA and its light chain subclasses. The new focused antigen capture immunoassay (FACIA) allows us to separate the immunoglobulins by isoelectric point, then to capture by the heavy chain class and finally to visualize according to the light chain class. This method works well with whole blood or serum without the need of prior purification by affinity chromatography. The serum total IgA and λ-IgA levels in patients with IgAN were significantly higher than that of healthy controls. Elevated λ-IgA levels in patients with IgAN resulted in reduced κ/λ ratio of total IgA. Similar to our previous findings in IgA 1 with O-linked oligosaccharide side chain, λ- IgA from patients with IgAN or health controls is highly anionic whereas κ- IgA is relatively cationic. The higher anionic/cationic ratio observed in total IgA from patients compared with controls was due to the higher concentration of λ-IgA from the former group. Raised antonio λ-IgA in IgAN may be contributory to the immumopathogenesis through its selective mesangial binding.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Occupational health and safety management in organizations: A review

In examining the research literature on occupational health and safety (OHS), this paper argues that the growth in the number of specialists in OHS has resulted in an emphasis on policy and practice away from more scholastic concerns previously addressed by academics in the disciplines of psychology and sociology. A hiatus has occurred, and this is evidenced by the general absence of studies in management, even though OHS is increasingly seen as a key operational and strategic concern of business organizations. The authors call for OHS to be placed firmly on the research agenda of management scholars, and advocate the need for greater conceptual development, empirical study and theoretical reflection to complement existing pragmatic concerns of OHS specialists. In this review, the contributions of psychology, sociology, industrial relations and management studies are assessed, and five categories of specialist OHS literature are analysed, namely: prescriptive; systematic OHS management; success based; error and disaster based; and culture, climate and high-reliability studies. The conceptual and methodological limitations of this specialist focus are discussed, and future research opportunities are highlighted, for which the authors argue that management scholars embrace a range of methodological approaches. The authors advocate the value of extended case studies which examine OHS in context and over time in particular workplace settings. There remains considerable scope to develop this field further and, in conclusion, particular attention is drawn to the value of processoriented contextual approaches for understanding OHS management in organizations