Incidence of pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum in patients with aspiration pneumonia requiring ventilatory support

In a prospective study of patients with ventilatory support, six (38 percent) of 16 patients who had ventilatory support because of aspiration pneumonia developed pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum. In contrast, the incidence of barotrauma in the entire group of patients who had ventilatory support during a year was 4 percent (22/553) (P less than 0.001). This greater incidence in the group with aspiration pneumonia was also observed when patients who were receiving ventilatory support with positive end-expiratory pressure were excluded.

Isolation and characterization in vitro of an allergen from plane-tree (Platanus acerifolia) pollen

A plane-tree pollen allergen was obtained by ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. It is a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 22,000. By isoelectrofocusing, two isomers with a high cross-allergenicity were obtained. The results suggest that this fraction is not the only allergen but certainly the most active.