Rituximab, a chimeric mouse/human monoclonal antibody that binds to the CD20 antigen, is part of current treatment of many B-cell malignancies and several autoimmune diseases. Very few cases of ...rituximab administration during pregnancy have been described. We report here the case of rituximab administration during the first trimester of pregnancy in a woman with autoimmune hemolytic anemia. No significant effects were observed in B-cell counts or the immune status of the newborn.
To determine the economic impact of childhood varicella vaccination in France and Germany.
A common methodology based on the use of a varicella transmission model was used for the two countries. Cost ...data (2002‰) were derived from two previous studies. The analysis focused on a routine vaccination program for which three different coverage rates (CRs) were considered (90%, 70%, and 45%). Catch-up strategies were also analyzed. A societal perspective including both direct and indirect costs and a third-party payer perspective were considered (Social Security in France and Sickness Funds in Germany).
A routine vaccination program has a clear positive impact on varicella-related morbidity in both countries. With a 90% CR, the number of varicella-related deaths was reduced by 87% in Germany and by 84% in France. In addition, with a CR of 90%, routine varicella vaccination induces savings in both countries from both societal (Germany 61%, France 60%) and third-party payer perspectives (Germany 51%, France 6.7%). For lower CRs, routine vaccination remains cost saving from a third-party payer perspective in Germany but not in France, where it is nevertheless cost-effective (cost per life-year gained of 6521‰ in the base case with a 45% CR).
Considering the impact of vaccination on varicella morbidity and costs, a routine varicella vaccination program appears to be cost saving in Germany and France from both a societal and a third-party payer perspective. For France, routine varicella vaccination remains cost-effective in worst cases when a third-party payer perspective is adopted. Catch-up programs provide additional savings.
Delayed extraction experiments were undertaken to precise the dynamical effects involved in the ion formation in ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (UV-MALDI). Careful ...examination of the ion time-of-flight variation with the extraction delay time were performed with a repulsive potential before ion extraction. Depending on the mass of the ion (matrix 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and peptides) and on the repulsing potential, some deviations from the linear relationship between the ion time-of-flight and the delay time were observed. Simulations of the ion time-of-flight clearly show that ions are not directly produced on the target surface but originate from the gas-phase decomposition of higher mass precursors. The size of the precursor, composed of the analyte surrounded by matrix molecules, increases with that of the analyte. Complete desolvation of the cluster-precursor could be likely induced by the high electric field transient during the pulse extraction. The existence of clusters as precursor of the ion production in MALDI highlights a new global frame to explain the analyte protonation in UV-MALDI.