Immune globulin therapy and kidney disease: Overview and screening, monitoring, and management recommendations.

Purpose: This report calls attention to the potential risks of diminished kidney function when administering immune globulin (IG). The goal is to increase awareness of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney function impairment in patients receiving IG and provide recommendations for screening, monitoring, and management to promote risk prevention and mitigation.

Summary: Human IG preparations for intravenous (IVIG) or subcutaneous (SCIG) administration are the mainstay of treatment in patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Transient lymphadenopathy during intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in a patient with pemphigus vulgaris.

This is the first case of transient cervical lymphadenopathy as an adverse event during IVIg infusion. IVIg plays a vital role in the treatment of many dermatological conditions and identification of adverse events can facilitate patient counseling.

Occurrence and Distribution of Hexavalent Chromium in Ground and Surface Waters in Cyprus.

The origin and distribution of hexavalent chromium, Cr (VI) over four seasonal cycles was investigated through a conceptual model that included three aquifer systems in Cyprus. An extensive water sampling grid covered two sea water intruded coastal aquifers, namely the Kokkinochoria (A1) and Kiti-Pervolia (A2) aquifers and the Troodos massif (A3). Analytical results give a first insight to the presence of Cr (VI) in Cyprus ground and surface waters.

Rationale for including intravenous immunoglobulin in the multidrug protocol of curative treatment of pemphigus vulgaris and development of an assay predicting disease relapse.

Analysis of reported outcomes of treatment of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) patients demonstrated that the multidrug approach offers a lower relapse rate compared to the FDA-approved prednisone/rituximab regimen. The multidrug protocol protects keratinocytes from autoantibody attack by systemic corticosteroids and mitochondrion-protecting drugs, selectively eliminates pathogenic autoantibodies by intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and inhibits autoantibody production by cytotoxic immunosuppressors. Therefore, IVIg should be always added to the prednisone/rituximab regimen that does not eliminate circulating autoantibodies.

The Use of and Experiences With Telelactation Among Rural Breastfeeding Mothers: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Telelactation services connect breastfeeding mothers to remotely located lactation consultants through audio-visual technology and can increase access to professional breastfeeding support in rural areas.

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify maternal characteristics associated with the demand for and use of telelactation and to describe visit characteristics.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive study within the context of a randomized controlled trial.

Safety of liquid intravenous immunoglobulin for neuroimmunologic disorders in the home setting: a retrospective analysis of 1085 infusions.

Objective: To examine the overall safety of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) administered according to a clinically defined, home-based therapeutic regimen in patients with neuroimmunologic diseases.

Methods: A total of 1,085 infusions of a new liquid IVIG 10% preparation were administered to 70 patients diagnosed with neuroimmunologic diseases over a 9-month period. These infusions were retrospectively reviewed for safety and tolerability.

The National Children's Study of environmental effects on child health and development.

Increasing recognition that children may be more susceptible than adults to environmental exposures and that they experience potentially life-long consequences of such exposures has led to widespread support for a large new cohort study in the United States. In this article, we propose a framework for a new cohort study of children, with follow-up beginning before birth and continuing to age 21 years. We also describe the administrative structure that has been built to develop the proposal further.

Use of a pharmacokinetic model to assess chlorpyrifos exposure and dose in children, based on urinary biomarker measurements.

Chlorpyrifos is a common agricultural insecticide and has been used residentially in the United States until the year 2000 when this use was restricted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.

A modeling framework for estimating children's residential exposure and dose to chlorpyrifos via dermal residue contact and nondietary ingestion.

To help address the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, a physically based probabilistic model has been developed to quantify and analyze dermal and nondietary ingestion exposure and dose to pesticides. The Residential Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation Model for Pesticides (Residential-SHEDS) simulates the exposures and doses of children contacting residues on surfaces in treated residences and on turf in treated residential yards. The simulations combine sequential time-location-activity information from children's diaries with microlevel videotaped activity data, probability distributions of measured surface residues and exposure factors, and pharmacokinetic rate constants.

Children's exposure assessment: a review of factors influencing Children's exposure, and the data available to characterize and assess that exposure.

We review the factors influencing children's exposure to environmental contaminants and the data available to characterize and assess that exposure. Children's activity pattern data requirements are demonstrated in the context of the algorithms used to estimate exposure by inhalation, dermal contact, and ingestion. Currently, data on children's exposures and activities are insufficient to adequately assess multimedia exposures to environmental contaminants.

Ozone uptake in the intact human respiratory tract: relationship between inhaled dose and actual dose.

Inhaled concentration (C), minute volume (MV), and exposure duration (T) are factors that may affect the uptake of ozone (O(3)) within the respiratory tract. Ten healthy adult nonsmokers participated in four sessions, inhaling 0.2 or 0.

A respiratory ozone analyzer optimized for high resolution and swift dynamic response during exercise conditions.

The breath-to-breath determination of total respiratory ozone (O3) uptake requires the monitoring of O3 concentration at the airway opening with an instrument that responds rapidly relative to the frequency of respiration. Originally, the authors developed an analyzer that used the homogeneous chemiluminescent reaction of O3 with 2-methyl-2-butene, but it was suitable only for monitoring O3 during quiet breathing and light exercise (Ben-Jebria and Ultman, Rev Sci Instrum 1989; 60:3004-11, and Ben-Jebria et al., Rev Sci Instrum 1990; 61:3435-39).

Improvement of a respiratory ozone analyzer.

The breath-to-breath measurement of total respiratory ozone (O3) uptake requires monitoring O3 concentration at the airway opening with an instrument that responds rapidly relative to the breathing frequency. Our original chemiluminescent analyzer, using 2-methyl-2-butene as the reactant gas, had a 10% to 90% step-response time of 110 msec and a minimal detectable concentration of 0.018 parts per million (ppm) O3 (Ben-Jebria et al.

Longitudinal distribution of ozone absorption in the lung: effects of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and ozone exposures.

Investigators used an ozone bolus inhalation method to study the effects of continuous exposure to ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide on ozone absorption in the conducting airways of human lungs. Healthy, young nonsmokers (6 males, 6 females) were exposed on separate days for 2 h to air containing 0.36 ppm nitrogen dioxide, 0.

Longitudinal distribution of ozone absorption in the lung: effect of continuous inhalation exposure.

The effect of continuous exposure to ozone on the absorption of ozone in the conducting airways of human lungs was investigated with a bolus-response method. Eleven healthy nonsmoking college students (8 males, 3 females) were exposed at rest for 2 h on 3 separate days to air containing 0 ppm, 0.12 ppm, and 0.