Two cases of the nephrotic syndrome with an apparently identical defect of blood coagulation, discovered during preparation for renal biopsy are described. Plasma from both patients showed prolongation of thrombin and kaolin cephalin times which was probably due to abnormally slow polymerization of fibrin monomer. Corticosteroid therapy reversed the abnormal times in one case. One of the patien...

members, healthcare plans, ophthalmic clinics, and workplace productivity due to health-related absenteeism. The cost of prescription medicines for ocular allergy was estimated at over $200 million in the US in 2002, with a projected rise of 25% per year as prescription medicines continue to improve and show benefit over less efficacious over-the-counter products. Ocular inflammatory conditions...

Currently there is no influenza vaccination guidance for European general practitioners. Furthermore, although the European Council recommends a target seasonal influenza vaccination rate of 75% in the elderly (65 years and above) and in anyone aged >6 months with a chronic medical condition, there remain wide discrepancies throughout Europe. A harmonised guideline regarding not only vaccinatio...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE In areas with a high number of allergens and high allergen concentrations, it is essential to identify the main causes of allergy, especially in pediatric patients. This study was conducted in allergic patients aged 14 or less to identify sensitization profiles during an initial phase, and to then evaluate changes in these profiles after 3 years of follow-up. This artic...

Exposure to grass pollens during the pollen season, reveals in sensitive patients symptoms of allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and/or bronchial asthma. It is not well understood why, in some patients, only symptoms of rhinitis occur while in others similar exposure causes symptoms of asthma and rhinitis. An association study is reported here, where the possible contribution of human leucocyte ...

Methods We present a case history of 4,5 years old girl investigated because of severe diarrhoea and malnutrition. The child has been diagnosed with biliary duct atresia with porto-entero anastomosis being created in her age of 7 days. At the age of 4 years, she has been examined elsewhere for seasonal complaints and she was diagnosed with grass allergy. She has had detected positivity of speci...

The infection of CD4+ cells by HIV leads to the progressive destruction of CD4+ T lymphocytes and, after a severe reduction of CD4+ cells, to AIDS. The aim of the study was to investigate whether HIV-infected patients with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/µl can suffer from symptoms of IgE-mediated allergy, produce allergen-specific IgE antibody responses and show boosts of allergen-specific IgE prod...

Antihistamines are effective for treatment of seasonal nasal allergy. Recently, prophylactic treatment with antihistamines in patients with pollinosis was reported to be more effective when started before the pollen season. The administration with antihistamines from 2 to 6 weeks before onset of the pollen season is recommended for management of allergic rhinitis in Japan. To determine the reas...

BACKGROUND The character of immune responses to allergens during the first years of life may decide whether the individual will become tolerant or develop allergy later in life. OBJECTIVE To study the development of immune responses to the seasonal inhalant allergen birch over the first 7 years of life. METHODS Blood samples were obtained from 21 children who were followed prospectively fro...