Cytokines and Chemokines Are Detectable in Swivel-Derived Exhaled Breath Condensate (SEBC): A Pilot Study in Mechanically Ventilated Patients.

Unlabelled: . Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a noninvasive method to collect samples from the respiratory tract. Usually, a thermoelectric cooling module is required to collect sufficient EBC volume for analyses.

An unusual presentation of a patient with severe hypogammaglobulinemia.

We present a patient who was diagnosed with severe hypogammaglobulinemia after her newborn child presented with two episodes of meningitis. The patient had no history or symptoms suggestive of immunodeficiency. Thus far, a cause for the immunodeficiency has not been found, even after extensive immunological evaluation.

Case report on a defective antibody response against pneumococcal serotype 9V in a patient with a single episode of pneumonia.

Background: Patients with recurrent respiratory tract infections and an impaired response to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination are diagnosed with a specific antibody deficiency. In adult patients with pneumococcal pneumonia an impaired antibody response to the infecting pneumococcal serotype can sometimes be found. It is unknown whether these patients are unable to produce an adequate anti-polysaccharide antibody response to pneumococcal vaccination after recovery.

Persistent changes in circulating white blood cell populations after splenectomy.

The effect of splenectomy on the incidence of infections and thromboembolisms has been investigated thoroughly. Nevertheless, the long-term effects of splenectomy on immunological profile and circulating blood counts have not been described before. To study such long-term effects, we analysed several parameters in splenectomised trauma patients and compared the results of this group ("otherwise healthy patients") to patients with a specific underlying disease.

Long-term Clinical Outcome of Antibody Replacement Therapy in Humoral Immunodeficient Adults With Respiratory Tract Infections.

In severe humoral immunodeficiency the indication for antibody replacement therapy (ART) is clear, and supported by several large studies. However, for milder forms of humoral immunodeficiency, the indication for ART is less clear. This is a retrospective cohort study of 87 adults with recurrent respiratory tract infections who received ART.