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Serum protein electrophoresis and typing of monoclonal components (MCs) are routine but time-consuming and technically demanding assays. We evaluated capillary electrophoresis (Paragon CZE 2000) for automation of the two assays. CZE and cellulose acetate electrophoresis gave similar data on 794 samples. Within-run and between-run CVs were < 2% for albumin and gamma-globulins and 4-7% for alpha 1-, alpha 2-, and beta-globulins. Bilirubin, hemoglobin, triglycerides, and fibrinogen were found not to interfere. No carryover by capillaries was detected. The detection limit for MC was < 0.5 g/L. MC assessment by immunosubtraction on 403 samples identified the monoclonal type in all samples with peak concentrations > 10 g/L; only 50% of MCs that could not be quantified by densitometric scan were typed.

Ad CFTR, a replication-deficient adenovirus expressing the human cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), was administered by aerosolization in a single escalating dose to three pairs (cohorts) of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Buffer only was administered to the nose and lungs 9-14 days before nasal instillation of virus followed the day after by aerosolization of Ad CFTR to the lung. Nasal doses (defined in terms of viral plaque forming units, pfu) were 10(5), 10(7), and 4 x 10(8), whereas aerosolized doses were 10(7), 10(8), 5.4 x 10(8) for each cohort, respectively. No acute toxic effects were observed in the first 4 weeks after virus treatment. Shedding of infectious Ad CFTR was never detected, whereas detection of vector DNA sequences and CFTR expression demonstrated DNA transfer to the nose and airways of patients. No significant deviations in immunological and inflammatory parameters were observed in serum and in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Importantly, for all patients, the serum anti-adenovirus antibody levels did not change significantly from baseline and no antibodies against adenovirus were found in BAL.

We assessed the combined use of serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) and nephelometric measurement of immunoglobulin heavy- and light-chain components for detecting serum monoclonal immunoglobulins (monoclonal components, MC) in 4788 unselected samples from 4173 patients. MC were detected in 514 samples from 390 patients. In 356 these were detected by SPE; the other 34 had a normal SPE pattern but an abnormal kappa:lambda light-chain ratio (KLR). Only 208 of the 356 (58%) samples with bands by SPE had abnormal KLRs. Samples with MC concentrations greater than 5 g/L had a higher proportion of abnormal KLRs (75%) than those with concentrations less than 5 g/L (42%). The KLR was abnormal in 13% of samples in which no MC were visible by SPE or immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE). Compared with quantitative measurements of immunoglobulin heavy and light chains, high-quality SPE remains the method of choice for the detection of MC. Quantitative methods, however, are able to detect additional MC, especially those containing free light chains, and in the absence of SPE and IFE will detect about 75% of MC present at greater than 5 g/L.

A major human acute phase protein, the serum amyloid A protein, has been tested in vitro for its effect on lymphocyte proliferation, the formation of E-stable rosettes, as well as the growth of HeLa and MRC5 cell cultures. Serum amyloid A protein has been found to be markedly inhibitory at 30, 100, 200, and 300 micrograms/mL, and is a very potent inhibitor of in vitro biological functions.