Antibody-based proteomics provides a powerful approach for the functional study of the human proteome involving the systematic generation of protein-specific affinity reagents. We used this strategy to construct a comprehensive, antibody-based protein atlas for expression and localization profiles in 48 normal human tissues and 20 different cancers. Here we report a new publicly available database containing, in the first version, ϳ400,000 high resolution images corresponding to more than 700 antibodies toward human proteins. Each image has been annotated by a certified pathologist to provide a knowledge base for functional studies and to allow queries about protein profiles in normal and disease tissues. Our results suggest it should be possible to extend this analysis to the majority of all human proteins thus providing a valuable tool for medical and biological research.

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A need to consider possible gender differences in pain research has been recognized by researchers during the last decades. As part of a psychometric evaluation of the Swedish version of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI-S), we performed gender-differentiated analyses of the internal consistency, validity and sensitivity to change of the MPI-S in a sample of 235 individuals (129 females, 106 males) suffering from long-term non-specific pain from the lower back and/or neck region. The construct validation and sensitivity analyses were performed by using validated self-report measures and direct observational assessment techniques as external constructs. For sections 1 and 2 of the MPI-S, the results support the internal consistency (alpha coefficients ranged from 0.74 to 0.85 for females and 0.62 to 0.89 for males) and construct validity across gender. The General Activity (GA) scale of section 3 of the MPI-S displayed acceptable internal consistency across gender (alpha = 0.79 for females, 0.80 for males) but not a satisfactory construct validity. Furthermore, the results yielded some support for the sensitivity to change of the Pain Severity (PS), Interference (I), Life Control (LC) and Affective Distress (AD) scales (from section 1) across gender. Unfortunately, the GA scale did not display a satisfactory sensitivity either for females or males. Altogether, the results showed a similar pattern across gender, although some divergences were detected, such as the substantially weaker negative correlation between perceived supportive behaviour from significant others and punishing responses for males compared to females. In conclusion, we recommend the use of sections 1 and 2 of the MPI-S as a psychometrically evaluated and comprehensive instrument in the assessment of individuals suffering from chronic non-specific low back pain or neck pain. Copyright 1999 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

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OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis, C. psittaci and C. pneumoniae antibodies in sera from altogether 931 blood donors, patients with symptoms of urethritis, assumed salpingitis and sexually acquired reactive arthritis (SARA), and women with fertility problems. METHODS: IgG antibodies to C. trachomatis, C. psittaci and C. pneumoniae were determined by microimmunofluorescence (MIF) tests. All patients were also tested for genital C. trachomatis infection using direct immunofluorescence (DIF) tests. RESULTS: The DIF-positive cases had a significantly (p < 0.0001) higher prevalence of C. trachomatis antibodies than the DIF negatives, i.e. 88.5% versus 14% in men with urethritis, 94.3% versus 36.4% in women with salpingitis, 66.7% versus 16.7% in SARA patients and 90.6% versus 20.8% in women with fertility problems. Antibody reactivity to all three chlamydial species was found significantly (p < 0.0001) more often in the patient groups and in those with a DIF-confirmed genital C. trachomatis infection than in blood donors. CONCLUSIONS: Presence of serum antibodies to C. trachomatis is tightly associated with the presence of chlamydiae in the genital tract, which also influences the cross-reactivities occurring in the MIF tests between chlamydial species.