Ambient BTEX exposure and mid-pregnancy inflammatory biomarkers in pregnant African American women.

Air pollution is associated with preterm birth (PTB), potentially via inflammation. We recently showed the mixture benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) is associated with PTB. We examined if ambient BTEX exposure is associated with mid-pregnancy inflammation in a sample of 140 African-American women residing in Detroit, Michigan.

Lymphocyte subset abnormalities in early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis.

Background: Abnormalities in lymphocyte surface markers and functions have been described in systemic sclerosis (SSc), but conflicting results abound, and these studies often examined patients with heterogeneous disease duration, severity, clinical phenotype, and concurrent immunosuppressive agents. We studied a clinically homogeneous group of early diffuse cutaneous SSc patients not exposed to immunosuppressive drugs who were enrolled in a clinical trial and compared their immune parameters to healthy control subjects.

Methods: Lymphocyte subsets were enumerated by multi-parameter flow cytometry of peripheral blood mononuclear cells at baseline visit.