Identification of anti-α-enolase autoantibody as a novel serum marker for endometriosis

Diagnosis of endometriosis needs invasive maneuvers. New serum marker that possesses both high sensitivity and high specificity has long been desired. To establish novel serum marker for endometriosis, serum autoantibodies (autoAbs) were investigated using proteomic approach. AutoAbs in sera of endometriotic patients and healthy controls were analyzed using a mesothelial cell line, 2-DE and Western blotting. Proteins in reacted spots were identified using MALDI TOF-MS with MASCOT analysis. ELISAs were established using recombinant proteins and autoAb-titers were estimated in sera of endometriotic patients, disease and healthy controls. Several autoAbs were identified. Anti-α-enolase (Eno1)-autoAb levels in endometriotic patients were significantly elevated compared with both healthy and disease controls. Sensitivity and specificity of serum anti-Eno1-autoAb was nearly comparable to serum CA125. When anti-Eno1-autoAb and CA125 assays were combined, diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy improved. Serum anti-Eno1-autoAb can be a new serum endometriotic marker and it is useful as a supplement assay for CA125. This study validates further clinical evaluation of this novel marker.     

Using tissue samples for proteomic studies—Critical considerations

From my experience of 22 years working in a pathology research laboratory and overseeing dozens of collaborations with research groups from basic sciences and industry, I have the impression that researchers are rarely aware of the special issues related to acquisition and processing of frozen or formalin-fixed tissue samples for proteomic analysis. While challenges are expected for formalin-fixed tissues because of the cross-linking activities of formaldehyde, researchers believe when using frozen tissue samples they are safe and always have excellent material to analyze—but this is not always the case. It is alarming that many researchers do not question the quality of the tissue samples they are analyzing and focus only on their analytical technique. Standardization of the entire workflow from test ordering to the report of the proteomic assay, with special emphasis on the preanalytical phase, is crucial for successful integration of proteomic studies in the clinic as protein profiles may change due to sample processing before the proteomic analysis is performed. The aim of this review is to discuss the progress of proteomic studies with human tissues and to highlight the challenges that must be understood and addressed for successful translation of proteomic methods to clinical practice.     

Combining mascot with modula-2 to aid the engineering of real-time systems

This paper examines how the ‘MASCOT machine’ and the Modula-2 language may be used together as a basis for engineering a range of real-time systems. It is shown that Modula-2 provides the features required for a satisfactory MASCOT implementation language without the normal need to add extra features or use preprocessing. The paper also describes how the MASCOT design tools can be interpreted more widely than has previously been considered in order to provide support for a large range of problems.