To the Editor—We read the article by Maertens et al [1] with great interest. In a series of 58 patients who received a diagnosis of proven or probable invasive aspergillosis (IA), the authors confirmed previous work that the diagnostic performance of galactomannan antigen levels in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples is good and that the procedure is safe in critically ill hematology pat...

To the Editor—We read the article by Maertens et al [1] with great interest. In a series of 58 patients who received a diagnosis of proven or probable invasive aspergillosis (IA), the authors confirmed previous work that the diagnostic performance of galactomannan antigen levels in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples is good and that the procedure is safe in critically ill hematology pat...

To handle a large amount of unlabeled data, batch active learning (BAL) queries humans for the labels most valuable data points at every round. Most current BAL strategies are based on human-designed heuristics, such as uncertainty sampling or mutual information maximization. However, there exists disagreement between these heuristics and ultimate goal BAL, i.e., optimizing model's final perfor...

Recently, an increased number of mast cells have been reported in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) of patients with farmer's lung disease. Some authors pointed out the pathogenetic importance of mast cells in farmer's lung on the basis of their correlation with the activity of the disease, with the BAL lymphocyte counts, and with the markers of lung fibrosis. To determine whether BAL reflects...

Attachment of oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing benzaldehyde (BAL) groups to semicarbazide-coated glass (SC-glass) slides is described. 5'-BAL-ODNs are prepared using automated DNA synthesis and an acetal-protected BAL phosphoramidite reagent. The hydrophobic protecting group simplifies purification of BAL-ODNs by reverse phase HPLC and is easily removed using standard acid treatment. The...

BACKGROUND Plasma cells are usually absent in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Extrinsic allergic alveolitis is associated with increased numbers of T and B lymphocytes in BAL fluid, as well as the presence of a few plasma cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between the presence of plasma cells and other cells, and immunoglobulin levels in BAL flui...

The liver is one of the most complex and metabolically active organs in the body and performs many detoxification and protein synthetic functions that are essential to life. Extracorporeal bioartificial liver (BAL) systems consisting of functioning, viable hepatocytes may provide temporary support for patients with acute hepatic failure and save the lives of patients awaiting orthotopic liver t...

Using a sensitive single isotope enzymatic assay we measured bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid histamine in asymptomatic normal (nonallergic), allergic rhinitic, and allergic asthmatic subjects. Normal subjects were found to have little or no detectable amounts of histamine in BAL fluid (11 +/- 11 pg/ml), and few BAL fluid mast cells. In comparison, the allergic rhinitics and allergic asthmati...

To obtain information on the cellular reactions to Mycobacterium (M) tuberculosis in the lung, we analyzed the cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from pulmonary lesions in comparison with those in BAL fluid from nonaffected regions of the lungs, and control lungs, and in peripheral blood of patients with tuberculosis. Neutrophils and lymphocytes were increased in number in BAL fluid fr...

PURPOSE To assess, in lung cancer patients, the effects of thoracic radiotherapy (RT) on the concentrations of transforming growth factor-beta(1) (TGF-beta(1)) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. METHODS AND MATERIALS Eleven patients with lung cancer requiring RT as part of their treatment were studied. BAL was performed bilaterally before, during, and 1, 3, an...