Recognition and management of drug-induced cytopenias: the example of idiosyncratic drug-induced thrombocytopenia.

Background: Several hundred drugs, toxins and herbs have been reported to cause blood abnormalities, and drugs account for 20 - 40% of all instances of cytopenias.

Objective: In the present paper, we report and discuss the recognition and management of moderate to severe idiosyncratic drug-induced thrombocytopenia.

Methods: A bibliographic search was performed on the PubMed database of the US National Library of Medicine for articles published from January 1990 to November 2008.

An update on cobalamin deficiency in adults.

Cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency is particularly common in the elderly (>65 years of age), but is often unrecognized because of its subtle clinical manifestations; although they can be potentially serious, particularly from a neuropsychiatric and hematological perspective. In the general population, the main causes of cobalamin deficiency are pernicious anemia and food-cobalamin malabsorption. Food-cobalamin malabsorption syndrome, which has only recently been identified, is a disorder characterized by the inability to release cobalamin from food or its binding proteins.

Mite allergen content in mattress dust of Dermatophagoides-allergic asthmatics/rhinitics and matched controls.

It has been suggested that the mites Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae are important indoor environmental factors facilitating both the sensitization of atopic subjects and asthmatic attacks of house dust-sensitive patients. Contradictory results have been reported about the current exposure to mites or their allergens among patients and control groups of atopic or non-atopic subjects.