Orthostatic hypotension in the nursing home setting.

Orthostatic hypotension is a common condition among nursing home (NH) residents. NH residents tend to have multiple disease processes and tend to be on multiple medications associated with orthostatic hypotension and are predisposed to a myriad of negative clinical consequences, most notably falls. This article discusses a commonsense approach to diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of patients with this disorder, with an emphasis on nonpharmacological interventions, such as patient and staff education.

Phage display cloning and characterization of an immunogenetic marker (perinuclear anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody) in ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is genetically associated with a marker serum Ab (pANCA), identified by its reactivity with a neutrophil Ag. This study utilized phage display technology to clone and characterize pANCA, which has resisted conventional isolation strategies. Since spontaneous pANCA-secreting B cells are detectable in UC lamina propria lymphocytes, this cell source was used to construct a complete IgG1-kappa Ig library.