Dancing partners at the ball: Rational selection of next generation anti-CD20 antibodies for combination therapy of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the novel agents era.

The anti-CD20 antibodies represent a major advancement in the therapeutic options available for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The addition of rituximab, ofatumumab and obinutuzumab to various chemotherapy regimens has led to considerable improvements in both response and survival. Ocaratuzumab, veltuzumab and ublituximab are currently being explored within the trial setting. We review the current status of these antibodies, and discuss how their mechanisms of action may impact on the choice of combinations with novel small molecule agents.

Glucose metabolism in the neonate: the short and sweet of it.

Many patients the neonatal nurse cares for daily have the potential for abnormal blood glucose levels. Recognizing infants at risk can facilitate timely and appropriate interventions. The quality of the information received from tests and observation depends on decisions made by the nurse. Therefore, knowledge of glucose kinetics and monitoring techniques is essential.

Neonatal glucose determinations obtained from an umbilical artery catheter: evaluation for accuracy using an in vitro model.

Accuracy of glucose values is crucial in the management of the critically ill neonate. Sampling for these values may be obtained from an umbilical artery catheter (UAC), but dextrose solutions infused through these catheters may contaminate samples obtained for glucose determination. An in vitro study was conducted to evaluate the effect of blood withdrawal amount and normal saline irrigation on the accuracy of glucose measurements obtained from a UAC. Methods included randomization of blood withdrawal amounts and irrigation with normal saline solution prior to obtaining the blood for glucose measurement. Two hundred and eighty glucose samples were obtained. Results revealed a significant difference between measured and baseline glucose values for all withdrawal amounts and varying flush volumes. This inability to approximate the baseline glucose values could mean that a UAC sample may not reflect the neonate's actual glucose value.

Human cardiorespiratory and analgesic effects of intravenous diazepam and local anesthesia.

The only clinically detectable cardiovascular changes after intravenous diazepam administration are a moderate fall in systolic blood pressure and a rise in pulse rate. But it will produce significant cardiovascular changes, principally the lowering of total peripheral resistance and stroke volume. The drug has a long history of safety but is not totally innocuous. It is suggested that if diazepam is used in combination with methohexital, consideration should be given to the additive effects on total peripheral resistance.

A real-time software system on the PDP-11 for two-channel EEG spectral analysis during surgery.

Three functions are performed in real time by a stand-alone PDP-11-assembly language program. First two channels of EEG data are acquired by quantization techniques; second spectral analysis of the EEG data is carried out; third the resulting spectra are displayed as time compressed spectral profiles on an X-Y plotter. The method provides EEG time trends during anesthesia, permitting evaluation of brain functions.