Delayed lymphocyte re-population following discontinuation of dimethyl fumarate and after switching to other disease modifying drug therapies.

Background: Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) reduces absolute lymphocyte counts, CD4, and CD8 counts, without significantly affecting total white blood cell counts. However, the recovery rate of these cells after discontinuation of DMF is unknown. The effect of subsequent disease modifying therapies (DMTs) on re-population rate is also unknown.

The effect of dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera™) on lymphocyte counts: A potential contributor to progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy risk.

Dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera™) is an effective therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Our study suggests that this drug may have immunosuppressive properties evidenced by significant sustained reduction in CD8 lymphocyte counts and, to a lesser extent, CD4 lymphocyte counts. This observation is relevant in light of the recent case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in a patient receiving this drug.

Evaluation of filtering methods for acquiring radial intra-artery blood pressure waveforms.

The methods for evaluating noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitors using an intra-arterial reference are detailed in the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2:2009 standard. In a recent study, GE Healthcare obtained invasive radial arterial blood pressure waveforms. The work presented here describes the development of filtering strategies for obtaining high fidelity intra-arterial pressure waveforms for NIBP accuracy testing using the 81060-2 standard.

Validation of a conical cuff on the forearm for estimating radial artery blood pressure.

Introduction: There has been a growing need for and interest in measuring noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) in obese patients. In many situations, available rectangular upper arm blood pressure cuffs do not fit properly, closing in a crisscross manner or overlapping the elbow. To address this issue, GE Healthcare has designed a conically shaped cuff for use on the forearm to estimate radial arterial blood pressure.