title: Comparison between the traditional and a rapid screening test for cryoimmunoglobulins detection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A new rapid, automatic, and sensitive screening test useful to detect cryoglobulins in serum samples is proposed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The increase of turbidity during the cryoglobulin aggregation was monitored spectrophotometrically in sera from 400 patients with clinical evidence of cryoglobulinemia related disorders and 100 controls. Results were correlated to those obtained by the traditional method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Kinetics of the aggregation curves were described by their maximum turbidity increase, lag time, and slope. Despite a partial correspondence between the traditional and the rapid test, patients with symptomatic cryoglobulinemia showed turbidity values significantly higher than the determined cutoff. Moreover, a functional classification of cryoglobulins is proposed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to its high reproducibility, operator independence, low cost, and results obtained within 2 hours, the rapid test can be used as a "real time" monitoring of cryoglobulinemia related diseases and for the evaluation of plasmapheresis efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Romitelli
authors.affiliation: I.N.M.I. "L. Spallanzani" I.R.C.C.S. Laboratorio di Biochimica Clinica e Farmacologia, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Leopoldo Paolo
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Pucillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Basile
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1047-4261
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Stasio
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods*; D003449:Cryoglobulinemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D003450:Cryoglobulins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood*; D007700:Kinetics; D010956:Plasmapheresis / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003450:Cryoglobulins; D007136:Immunoglobulins