Long-term subcutaneous immunoglobulin use in inflammatory myopathies: A retrospective review of 19 cases.

Subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) therapy is indicated in primary and secondary immunodeficiency diseases. Its use in practice is being extended to autoimmune diseases. Few studies investigated the feasibility and safety of SCIg in these rare conditions.

Corrigendum to "high-dose subcutaneous immunoglobulins for the treatment of severe treatment-resistant polymyositis".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2014/458231.].

Quantification of IgA and IgG and specificities of antibodies to viral proteins in parotid saliva at different stages of HIV-1 infection.

Paired sera and parotid saliva from 75 HIV-1-infected patients, divided in three equal groups with CD4+ cell counts > 500, 200-500 and < 200/mm3, respectively, were analysed for IgG, IgA and secretory IgA (sIgA) concentrations and for IgG and IgA antibody directed to HIV-1. Twenty-nine age-matched HIV-subjects were used as controls. In serum the concentrations of immunoglobulins were significantly increased in HIV-infected subjects compared with controls, and a progressive increase of IgA and sIgA was noticed while the CD4+ cell count decreased.

Are somatosensory evoked potential recording and magnetic resonance imaging useful for evaluating the risk of neurologic compromise in rheumatoid arthritis patients with atlantoaxial subluxation?

The objective of this study was to determine whether early somatosensory evoked potential recording and/or magnetic resonance imaging are helpful for evaluating and monitoring the risk of neurologic compromise in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Thirty-seven patients with definite rheumatoid arthritis were studied, including 18 with atlantoaxial subluxation. A physical examination, roentgenograms of the cervical spine, early somatosensory evoked potential recording at all four limbs and magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine were done in each case.

Arthritis, hypercalcemia, and lytic bone lesions after hepatitis B vaccination.

We report a case of arthritis, hypercalcemia, and lytic bone lesions that occurred shortly after repeated administration of recombinant hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine in a 44-year-old man who had had myasthenia gravis 20 years earlier. He presented with ankle and knee arthritis and hypercalcemia. Radiographs revealed small lytic lesions and densitometry showed severe osteopenia.

[Hypercalcemia induced by lactation in 2 patients with treated hypoparathyroidism].

The authors report two cases of hypercalcemia which occurred in hypoparathyroid women treated with vitamin D and calcium. A recent literature review suggests a major role for parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP), secreted by the mammary tissue, in this phenomenon with obvious implications for clinical practice.

Bacterial pyomyositis in a patient with a multiple myeloma.

Pyomyositis is relatively rare in regions with a temperate climate. The most common aetiologic agent is staphylococcus aureus. Most patients with pyomyositis from temperate regions involve immunocompromised states.