Approximately every fifth person in Europe and almost all adults in large parts of Asia are not able to digest lactose. This is referred to as lactose intolerance. Actually, lactose intolerance is not a disease, but the natural state in mammals. After weaning, the activity of the digestive enzyme lactase, which splits lactose into the […]
In December 2017, the German Society for Rheumatology (DGRh) published their first guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of ANCA-associated forms of vasculitis (AAV) [1]. The AAV encompass granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA, formerly Wegener’s granulomatosis), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA, formerly Churg-Strauss syndrome), which all occur with autoantibodies against cytoplasmic antigens
In persons with type I allergies, the immune system forms IgE antibodies at first contact with a usually harmless substance (allergen) from the environment, e.g. against certain proteins in pollen, animal hair or food. At every further contact, the binding between the antibodies and the allergen can cause diverse immune reactions, including swelling of mucous
Uromodulin, which was first described as Tamm-Horsfall protein in 1950, is an important biomarker in nephrology. The protein is exclusively expressed in the kidney and is mostly secreted into the renal tubules. A small amount also ends up in the blood circulation. Both uromodulin concentration in urine as well as in serum are used as
A good jog to start the day and wake the brain up! That was the first item on the agenda of the workshop on neurodegenerative diseases, organised by Dr Britta Brix for the colleagues from the international EUROIMMUN subsidiaries. The company has by now a large number of test systems for the determination of biomarkers
