Delayed Diagnosis and Complications of Predominantly Antibody Deficiencies in a Cohort of Australian Adults.

Background: Predominantly antibody deficiencies (PADs) are the most common type of primary immunodeficiency in adults. PADs frequently pass undetected leading to delayed diagnosis, delayed treatment, and the potential for end-organ damage including bronchiectasis. In addition, PADs are frequently accompanied by comorbid autoimmune disease, and an increased risk of malignancy.

Low-dose rituximab and concurrent adjuvant therapy for pemphigus: Protocol and single-centre long-term review of nine patients.

Pemphigus is an autoimmune B-cell mediated blistering disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Rituximab has proven effective for the treatment of steroid-refractory pemphigus, although there is controversy over the optimum dosing protocol. Additionally, effective disease control often requires long-term immunosuppression, even in disease-free periods.

General anesthetic allergy testing.

Anaphylaxis in the setting of general anesthesia is a rare but potentially lethal event. The investigation of severe reactions is important for confirming the clinical diagnosis and identifying likely causative agents and safe agents that may be used in the future. Many comprehensive reports have described the testing protocol of individual specialized units, whereas there has been no standardization of testing techniques or formal assessment of these tests' diagnostic accuracy.