Summary An allergy examination was made on forty‐eight consecutive bronchiectasis patients, with a mean age of 37 years. Eleven had confirmed asthma and another nine, making twenty in all (42%), had distinct allergic diathesis. Allergy to a specific allergen was established in five cases. 50% of the patients in the total series had bronchial histamine hyper‐reactivity, eleven without asthma or distinct allergic diathesis. The results corroborate views previously reported of the role of asthmatic symptoms and allergic diathesis as aetiological factors of bronchiectasis.

SUMMARY The toxicological aspects of sterilizing respirators with glutaraldehyde (GA) were studied. It was found that rubber and plastic parts adsorb detectable amounts of GA during cold sterilization. Considering die values for acute and inhalation toxicity presented in the literature and our own inhalation tests on mice, diese amounts seem to constitute no danger to the patients. In the course of diis work it also became evident that the tendency of different synthetic materials to adsorb GA varies considerably. Accordingly, the manufacturers of respiratory equipment should study the adsorption of sterilizing agents when choosing plastic and rubber materials for their products. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Es wurden die toxikologischen Aspekte der Sterilisation von Respiratoren mit Glutaraldehyd (GA) untersucht. Dabei stellte sich heraus, dass Gummi‐ und Plastikteile erkennbare Mengen von GA während der Kaltsterilisation adsorbieren. Angesichts der in der Literatur angegebenen Werte für die akute und die Inhalationstoxizität, sowie unserer eigenen Inhalationsversuche an Mäusen, scheinen diese Mengen keine Gefahr für die Patienten darzustellen. Im Verlauf unserer Untersuchungen stellte sich auch heraus, dass die Tendenz verschiedener synthetischer Materialien, GA zu adsorbieren, beträchdich variiert. Dementsprechend sollten die Erzeuger von Respiratorbestandteilen die Adsorption von Sterilisationsagentien durch Gummi‐ und Plastikmaterial der von ihnen verwendeten Produkte untersuchen.

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Serum a1-antitrypsin mass concentrations were estimated in 664 Finnish young males by means of single radial immunodiffusion techniques. The distribution was symmetrical with a mean of 2.70 811 and a standard deviation of 0.545 g/l. Sera containing low concentrations were re-analyzed by antigen-antibody-crossed electrophoresis. One serum contained very low levels of ai-antitrypsin and 34 moderately lowered concentrations corresponding to values seen in Pi-phenotypes ZZ and MZ, respectively. The incidence of serum at-antitrypsin deficiency seems to be similar to that found in Scandinavian populations.Scand J Clin Lab Invest Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by QUT Queensland University of Tech on 11/20/14For personal use only.