Bakgrund: Glykerat hemoglobin i blod (B-HbA1c) speglar den genomsnittliga blodsocker-nivån de senaste 8 till 12 veckorna. B-HbA1c används för att följa behandlingen vid diabetes mellitus. B-HbA1c kan mätas på olika sätt och mätresultaten kan ibland skilja sig åt. I detta arbete har en ny immunkemisk metod, HbA1c Advanced (Beckman Coulter, USA) (AU-metoden) utvärderats.   Metod: Med patientprover och kontroller, dubbelprover, beräknades imprecision och bias samt korrelation med laboratoriets ordinarie jonbyteskromatografiska metod, Tosoh G11 (G11-metoden).   Resultat: Imprecision inomserie blev <3 %, total imprecision 5 %, och bias var -2,8 till -5,3 %. AU-metoden gav i medeltal 2,5 mmol/mol (3,9 %) lägre värde än G11-metoden med en korrelationskoefficient på 0,9967. AU-metoden mätte korrekt de vanligaste hemoglobin-varianterna men inte en patologisk ökning av fraktionen HbF.      Slutsats: AU-metodens precision och bias uppfyller nationella kvalitetsmål och korrelationen med laboratoriets ordinarie metod är god för såväl prover utan som med de vanligare hemo-globinvarianterna. Som förväntat för immunkemiska metoder ger AU-metoden för lågt värde vid uttalad ökning av HbF.   AU-metoden fungerar så väl som en immunkemisk metod kan göra och bedöms vara lämplig för kliniskt bruk för att mäta B-HbA1c. / Background: Glycated hemoglobinin blood (B-HbA1c) reflects the average blood sugar level over the last 8 to 12 weeks. B-HbA1c is used to monitor the treatment of diabetes mellitus. B-HbA1c can be measured in different ways with eventual results that sometimes differ from each other. During this project, a new immunochemical method, HbA1c Advanced (Beckman Coulter, USA) (AU method) was evaluated.   Methods: With patient samples, precision and bias were calculated as well as correlation with the laboratory's ordinary ion exchange chromatographic method, Tosoh G11 (G11 method).    Results: Imprecision in-series was <3 %, total imprecision was 5 %, and bias was -2.8 to -5.3  %. On average, the AU method gave values that were lower than the G11 method (2.5 mmol/mol (3.9 %) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9967. The AU method correctly measured the most common hemoglobin variants but not a pathological increase in the HbF fraction.   Conclusion: The precision and bias of the AU method fulfill the national quality objectives and the correlation with the laboratory's ordinary method, the G11 method is good for samples both with and without the most common hemoglobin variants. As expected for immunochemical methods, the AU method gives too low a value for samples with a pronounced increase in HbF.    In conclusion, the AU method fulfills the quality goals as is expected for an immunochemical method for measuring B-hbA1c and is concidered appropriate to use in clincical work.

T-lymphocytes are an essential cell type of the adaptive immune system. Due to their importance in immune responses and disorders, the molecular mechanisms leading to T-lymphocyte activation have been the subject of extensive research which has translated into important therapeutic developments. Early signalling events involving tyrosine phosphorylation are well characterised. However, later events involving other post-translational modifications are less well understood. Several studies have provided evidence suggesting a role for protein arginine methylation in T-lymphocyte activation. Arginine methylation is an essential post-translational modification in mammals and yet has not been extensively studied. No large scale analysis of arginine methylation sites has been performed. To gain insight into the role of protein arginine methylation in T-lymphocyte activation, the aims of this work were to: 1. Establish whether levels of arginine methylation are altered during Tlymphocyte activation 2. Use mass spectrometry based proteomics to identify arginine methylated proteins in the T-lymphocyte proteome 3. Further characterise an arginine methylated protein important to Tlymphocyte activation Arginine methylation was found to be induced after long term (>20 hours) stimulation of primary T-lymphocytes. Large increases in the main protein arginine methyltransferase, PRMT1, were also observed. Enrichment and labelling methods were developed to detect arginine methylated peptides from T-lymphocytes by mass spectrometry. This resulted in the identification of 265 unique arginine methylation sites in 141 proteins. 204 of the methylation sites were novel and 103 of the proteins had not previously been described as arginine methylated. Individual arginine methylation sites were characterised before and after activation of T-lymphocytes, with some sites showing significant changes in abundance. Among the novel arginine methylated proteins discovered were Dynamin II, WASp and WIPF1. These proteins are involved in re-organisation of the actin cytoskeleton at the immunological synapse formed between a Tlymphocyte and an antigen presenting cell. The functional consequences of the arginine methylation sites inWASp were characterised. WASp is essential for T-lymphocyte activation and some initial evidence showed that one of the arginine methylation sites is important for WASp activation.

A Escherichia coli enteropatogênica (EPEC) é um dos principais agentes etiológicos da diarréia infecciosa tanto em crianças no primeiro ano de vida, como em adultos. As infecções por EPEC são prevalentes nos países em desenvolvimento, principalmente nas populações de baixo nível sócio-econômico, como as encontradas no Brasil. A resposta imune na infecção por EPEC permanece pobremente caracterizada. O uso das novas tecnologias no desenvolvimento de vacinas vem reforçar à importância de se levar em consideração a via natural de infecção do patógeno e utilizá-la como tema de estudo, quando se pretende estudar a resposta imune a um determinado agente infeccioso. O objetivo deste trabalho foi efetuar o estudo da resposta imune em animais inoculados com bactérias vivas ou mortas, por meio de diferentes vias de imunização. As bactérias em estudo foram: a cepa de E. coli O86:H34 e a cepa protótipo de E. coli O127:H6. A cepa de E. coli pertencente ao sorotipo O86:H34 foi isolada de fezes de crianças com diarréia. Foram empregadas as cepas : E2348/69, DH5α e as mutantes E2348/69 flic-, E2348/69 Δtir, E2348/69 EscN-, CVD 206 ΔeaeA, UMD 872 ΔEspA, UMD 864 ΔEspB, UMD 870 ΔEspD. No presente estudo os camundongos BALB/c foram inoculados pela via intragástrica com a cepa de E. coli O86:H34 viva ou cepas O86:H34 e O127:H6 mortas por formol, que foram utilizadas nas imunizações pela via intragástrica e pela via intramuscular. Por meio de ELISA foram determinados os níveis de anticorpos específicos dos isotipos IgG, IgA e IgM, assim como o direcionamento da resposta imune para importantes antígenos que participam do mecanismo de patogenicidade da bactéria. De acordo com o perfil de reatividade no Immunoblot foi avaliada a especificidade dos anticorpos presentes nos soros imunes obtidos, frente aos antígenos de \"whole cells\" ou complexo de membrana externa bacteriana, empregados na técnica de \"immunoblotting\". A resposta imune a proteínas, como EspA, EspB, Tir, intimina, flagelos e BFP observada em camundongos, tem um importante papel no esclarecimento da infecção por este patógeno .Pela primeira vez foi realizado um estudo utilizando diferentes vias de imunização por EPEC em camundongos. Este estudo permitiu a análise de antígenos de E. coli reconhecidos pelos anticorpos produzidos pelas inoculações de bactérias vivas ou mortas por meio de vias intragástrica e intramuscular em camundongos, em comparação com aqueles reconhecidos na infecção natural ou experimental humana. Por conseguinte, os dados obtidos poderão auxiliar no esclarecimento desse complexo mecanismo de patogenicidade e orientar na seleção de peptídeos a serem utilizados no preparo de produtos vacinais específicos. / Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli is one of the major ethiologic agent that causes infectious diarrhoea in both infants and adults individuals. EPEC infections are prevalent in developing countries, mainly in low social-economic populations, as those found in Brazil. The immune response of this infection is still insufficiently known. Use of new technologies in the development of vaccines has been reinforced the importance of taking in account the natural route of infeccion of pathogens and use of it in investigation on immune response to be elicited against a certain to infectious agent. The aim of the present investigation was to study the immune response in mice inoculated with dead or alive bacteria, by means of diverse immunization routes. E. coli O86:H34 strain and E. coli O127:H6 prototype were employed for immunization. E. coli strain belonging to O86:H34 serotype was isolated from faeces from infants with diarrhoea. The strains: E2348/69, DH5 α and the mutants strains E2348/69 flic-, E2348/69 Δtir, E2348/69 EscN-, CVD 206 ΔeaeA, UMD 872 ΔEspA, UMD 874 ΔEspB, UMD 870 ΔEspD were employed. BALB/c mice were inoculated by intragastric route with alive E. coli O86:H34 strain or formalin-killed O86:H34 and O127:H6 strains intragastric and intramuscular immunization routes. The specific antibodies of isotypes IgA, IgG and IgM were determinated by means of ELISA and the course of the immune response for important antigens that participate in the patogenicity mechanism of bacteria could be analysed. By means of reactivity profile on immunobloting, the specificity of antibodies present in obtained sera against whole cells or the outer membrane complex of the bacteria were analysed. Immune response to proteins like EspA, EspB, Tir, intimin, flagelin and BFP in immunized mice may have an important meaning for elucidation of infection in this pathogen At the first time a research using different routes of immunization with EPEC strains in mice has been conducted. This study allowed to compare antigens from E. coli recognized in natural or experimental human infection, and consequentently these data may help in the elucidation of this complex mechanism of pathogenicity, and also to orientate the selection of peptides to be used in preparation of specific vaccines.

A Escherichia coli enteropatogênica (EPEC) é um dos principais agentes etiológicos da diarréia infecciosa tanto em crianças no primeiro ano de vida, como em adultos. As infecções por EPEC são prevalentes nos países em desenvolvimento, principalmente nas populações de baixo nível sócio-econômico, como as encontradas no Brasil. A resposta imune na infecção por EPEC permanece pobremente caracterizada. O uso das novas tecnologias no desenvolvimento de vacinas vem reforçar à importância de se levar em consideração a via natural de infecção do patógeno e utilizá-la como tema de estudo, quando se pretende estudar a resposta imune a um determinado agente infeccioso. O objetivo deste trabalho foi efetuar o estudo da resposta imune em animais inoculados com bactérias vivas ou mortas, por meio de diferentes vias de imunização. As bactérias em estudo foram: a cepa de E. coli O86:H34 e a cepa protótipo de E. coli O127:H6. A cepa de E. coli pertencente ao sorotipo O86:H34 foi isolada de fezes de crianças com diarréia. Foram empregadas as cepas : E2348/69, DH5α e as mutantes E2348/69 flic-, E2348/69 Δtir, E2348/69 EscN-, CVD 206 ΔeaeA, UMD 872 ΔEspA, UMD 864 ΔEspB, UMD 870 ΔEspD. No presente estudo os camundongos BALB/c foram inoculados pela via intragástrica com a cepa de E. coli O86:H34 viva ou cepas O86:H34 e O127:H6 mortas por formol, que foram utilizadas nas imunizações pela via intragástrica e pela via intramuscular. Por meio de ELISA foram determinados os níveis de anticorpos específicos dos isotipos IgG, IgA e IgM, assim como o direcionamento da resposta imune para importantes antígenos que participam do mecanismo de patogenicidade da bactéria. De acordo com o perfil de reatividade no Immunoblot foi avaliada a especificidade dos anticorpos presentes nos soros imunes obtidos, frente aos antígenos de \"whole cells\" ou complexo de membrana externa bacteriana, empregados na técnica de \"immunoblotting\". A resposta imune a proteínas, como EspA, EspB, Tir, intimina, flagelos e BFP observada em camundongos, tem um importante papel no esclarecimento da infecção por este patógeno .Pela primeira vez foi realizado um estudo utilizando diferentes vias de imunização por EPEC em camundongos. Este estudo permitiu a análise de antígenos de E. coli reconhecidos pelos anticorpos produzidos pelas inoculações de bactérias vivas ou mortas por meio de vias intragástrica e intramuscular em camundongos, em comparação com aqueles reconhecidos na infecção natural ou experimental humana. Por conseguinte, os dados obtidos poderão auxiliar no esclarecimento desse complexo mecanismo de patogenicidade e orientar na seleção de peptídeos a serem utilizados no preparo de produtos vacinais específicos. / Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli is one of the major ethiologic agent that causes infectious diarrhoea in both infants and adults individuals. EPEC infections are prevalent in developing countries, mainly in low social-economic populations, as those found in Brazil. The immune response of this infection is still insufficiently known. Use of new technologies in the development of vaccines has been reinforced the importance of taking in account the natural route of infeccion of pathogens and use of it in investigation on immune response to be elicited against a certain to infectious agent. The aim of the present investigation was to study the immune response in mice inoculated with dead or alive bacteria, by means of diverse immunization routes. E. coli O86:H34 strain and E. coli O127:H6 prototype were employed for immunization. E. coli strain belonging to O86:H34 serotype was isolated from faeces from infants with diarrhoea. The strains: E2348/69, DH5 α and the mutants strains E2348/69 flic-, E2348/69 Δtir, E2348/69 EscN-, CVD 206 ΔeaeA, UMD 872 ΔEspA, UMD 874 ΔEspB, UMD 870 ΔEspD were employed. BALB/c mice were inoculated by intragastric route with alive E. coli O86:H34 strain or formalin-killed O86:H34 and O127:H6 strains intragastric and intramuscular immunization routes. The specific antibodies of isotypes IgA, IgG and IgM were determinated by means of ELISA and the course of the immune response for important antigens that participate in the patogenicity mechanism of bacteria could be analysed. By means of reactivity profile on immunobloting, the specificity of antibodies present in obtained sera against whole cells or the outer membrane complex of the bacteria were analysed. Immune response to proteins like EspA, EspB, Tir, intimin, flagelin and BFP in immunized mice may have an important meaning for elucidation of infection in this pathogen At the first time a research using different routes of immunization with EPEC strains in mice has been conducted. This study allowed to compare antigens from E. coli recognized in natural or experimental human infection, and consequentently these data may help in the elucidation of this complex mechanism of pathogenicity, and also to orientate the selection of peptides to be used in preparation of specific vaccines.