Post-traumatic pleural effusion: demonstration of local complement consumption.

The present case report describes a 27-year-old patient who presented with post-traumatic pleural effusion. Analysis of the pleural fluid showed hypereosinophilia (990 mm-3), a decreased level of total complement, and decreased levels of C3 and C4 fractions (less than 50% of normal serum levels), indicating a local consumption mechanism for complement. Complement serum levels (CH50, C3, C4) were normal.

Dust and airborne exposure to allergens derived from cockroach (Blattella germanica) in low-cost public housing in Strasbourg (France).

Background: Although a strong association between allergy to cockroach (CR) and asthma has been observed in the United States and Asia, there are little data about the extent of exposure to CR allergen in Europe.

Objective: To determine the levels of CR allergens in dust samples from apartments in Strasbourg and to determine the concentration and size of CR allergens in the air.

Methods: Nine apartments in a public housing complex were chosen on the basis of visual evidence of CR infestation.