Surgical management of large bowel obstruction and significant hepatic displacement caused by Chilaiditi syndrome.

Chilaiditi's sign is the presence of pseudopneumoperitoneum caused by colonic distension and interposition with the liver on radiographic films. Most patients with Chilaiditi's sign are asymptomatic. Chilaiditi's syndrome is defined as the development of abdominal pain or symptoms of bowel obstruction along with the presence of Chilaiditi's sign.

Combined Haemophilus influenzae respiratory infection and allergic airways disease drives chronic infection and features of neutrophilic asthma.

Background: 20-30% of patients with asthma have neutrophilic airway inflammation and reduced responsiveness to steroid therapy. They often have chronic airway bacterial colonisation and Haemophilus influenzae is one of the most commonly isolated bacteria. The relationship between chronic airway colonisation and the development of steroid-resistant neutrophilic asthma is unclear.

Haemophilus influenzae infection drives IL-17-mediated neutrophilic allergic airways disease.

A subset of patients with stable asthma has prominent neutrophilic and reduced eosinophilic inflammation, which is associated with attenuated airways hyper-responsiveness (AHR). Haemophilus influenzae has been isolated from the airways of neutrophilic asthmatics; however, the nature of the association between infection and the development of neutrophilic asthma is not understood. Our aim was to investigate the effects of H.

Acute exacerbations in COPD and their control with oral immunization with non-typeable haemophilus influenzae.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) a term based on the demonstration of irreversible airways obstruction, introduced to unify a range of chronic progressive diseases of the airways consequent upon inhalation of toxins. While disease is initiated and progressed by inhaled toxins, an additional pathway of damage has emerged, with particular relevance to acute exacerbations. Exacerbations of disease due to an increase in the level of intrabronchial inflammation have taken on a new significance as their role in determining both acute and chronic outcomes is better understood.

Oral immunotherapy with inactivated nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae reduces severity of acute exacerbations in severe COPD.

Background: Acute exacerbations of COPD reflect in part an inappropriate host response to abnormal bacterial colonization. Orally administered inactivated nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) can drive a specific T-cell response that by promoting intrabronchial phagocytosis down-regulates bronchus inflammation.

Methods: Subjects with recurrent exacerbations of COPD were studied in a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, to test efficacy of an NTHi oral immunotherapeutic (HI-164OV).

Mucosal immunology down under: Special Interest Group in Mucosal Immunology workshop, Australasian Society for Immunology, Sydney, Australia, 2 December 2007.

The Mucosal Immunology Special Interest Group (SIG-MI) of the Australasian Society of Immunology was formed 14 years ago and has run regular symposia and workshops in conjunction with the Australasian Society of Immunology since that time. In December 2007 the Mucosal Immunology Special Interest Group held a 1-day satellite workshop in conjunction with the annual Australasian Society of Immunology scientific meeting in Sydney to celebrate the decade since hosting the 9th International Congress of Mucosal Immunology (9-ICMI) in 1997, which was also held in Sydney. The meeting that was attended by 65 delegates focussed on 4 session themes: reproductive immunology, respiratory immunology, mucosal immunology of the gastrointestinal tract and mucosal vaccines.

"Not-for-resuscitation" orders in Australian public hospitals: policies, standardised order forms and patient information leaflets.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and content of policies, standardised order forms (SOFs) and patient information leaflets (PILs) pertaining to "not-for-resuscitation" (NFR) orders in Australian public hospitals.

Design And Setting: Cross-sectional postal survey conducted across Australia from August to December 2005, using a one-page questionnaire.

Participants: Directors of Medical, Nursing or Clinical Services of all public hospitals in Australia with 60 or more beds, excluding psychiatric, military and private hospitals.

Response of IgG1 and IgG2 subclasses to Helicobacter pylori in subjects with chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa, atrophy and gastric cancer in a country with high Helicobacter pylori infection prevalence.

Polarized immune response to Helicobacter pylori and induction of chronic inflammation may increase the risk of gastric atrophy and adenocarcinoma. We studied the association of the response of IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies to H. pylori with grade of gastric chronic inflammation and atrophy in a population with a high prevalence of H.

Safety and immunogenicity of an oral inactivated whole-cell pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine administered to healthy human subjects.

This study examines the safety and immunogenicity of an oral, whole-cell Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine administered to healthy volunteers. Thirty subjects received an oral dose of Pseudostat in two timed, measured doses with serological follow-up to 56 days postvaccination. Following vaccination, several individuals were identified as antibody responders for all three immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes tested, specifically against whole-cell P.

Selective reduction of anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG subclass antibody in gastric carcinoma.

Background: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated strong links between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric adenocarcinoma. Recent studies suggest that cell-mediated immunity influences the outcome of infection, including the development of gastric adenocarcinoma. The T-cell response can be characterized in terms of the secreted cytokine profile, which in turn influences the B-cell response including the balance of IgG subclass antibody.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa-specific IgG1 and IgG2 subclasses in enhancement of pulmonary clearance following passive immunisation in the rat.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen, which causes serious debilitating infections in patients with compromised lung function. The mechanism by which P. aeruginosa is cleared from the lung is not fully defined, although our previous studies have established a role for cellular immunity in protection against P.

Immunisation with non-integral OMPs promotes pulmonary clearance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen that can cause fatal acute lung infections in critically ill individuals. Lung damage due to chronic infections in cystic fibrosis sufferers is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in this group. The bacterium produces various immunomodulatory products that enable it to survive in the lung.