The prevalence of clinically unrecognized CD, found by EMA screening, is much higher in Austrian children with diabetes than in a comparable population without diabetes. The prevalence of CD in diabetic children in Austria is distinctly lower, however, than in several other countries.

Asbestos, proven to be carcinogenic in humans and animals, is reported to have no genotoxic effect. Asbestos workers have an increased risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other tumours. Earlier findings showed that crocidolite can induce DNA strand breaks in cultured rat embryo cells as assessed by nick translation. We investigated DNA double-strand breaks in white blood cells (WBC) of ten workers occupationally exposed to asbestos. According to our results, obtained with neutral filter elution, individuals who had been exposed to asbestos fibres showed two to four times more DNA double-strand breaks (dsb) in white blood cells than ten non-exposed persons. The induced DNA fragments are of about 250 kb (compared to chromosomal DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae standard marker). Using additionally the chromosomal DNA protective method of agarose-plugs, DNA fragments in the range of 200 to 1000 kb have been found in the white blood cells of the same ten workers occupationally exposed to asbestos. In the white blood cells of non-exposed subjects no DNA fragments could be detected with this method. Compared to 51 non-exposed persons, elevated anti-ds DNA antibody concentrations were found in ten workers occupationally exposed to asbestos. The fact that workers occupationally exposed to asbestos have distinctly more double-strand breaks and anti-ds DNA antibodies could mean that an increased incidence of DNA-fragments may be an important indicator in the chronic effect of asbestos-associated carcinogenesis. Apparently, the chronic effects of asbestos observed here do not seem to be identical with that of previously reported acute in vitro effects.

Celiac disease patients display IgA antibody reactivity to wheat as well as to human proteins. We used serum IgA from celiac patients and, for control purposes, from patients with Crohn′s disease, ulcerative colitis and from healthy individuals to identify celiac disease‐specific IgA autoantigens in nitrocellulose‐blotted extracts from various human cell types (epithelial, endothelial, intestinal cells, fibroblasts). The pattern, recognition intensity and time course of IgA autoreactivity was monitored using serial serum samples obtained from celiac children before and under gluten‐free diet. By immunoblot inhibition and subcellular (cytosolic, nuclear) cell fractionation we identified a 55 kDa nuclear autoantigen expressed in intestinal, endothelial cells and in fibroblasts which was recognized by IgA antibodies of approximately half of the celiac disease patients and cross‐reacted with wheat proteins. IgA reactivity to the 55 kDa autoantigen disappeared during gluten‐free diet and was inhibited after pre‐absorption of sera with wheat proteins but not with tissue transglutaminase, previously reported as the unique celiac disease‐specific autoantigen. In conclusion, we defined a novel 55 kDa celiac disease‐specific nuclear IgA autoantigen which shares epitopes with wheat proteins and which is different from tissue transglutaminase and calreticulin. Although the newly defined autoantigen was recognized much less frequently than tissue transglutaminase, our data suggest molecular mimicry between wheat and human proteins as a possible pathomechanism for the induction and/or maintenance of mucosal tissue damage in celiac disease.

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