STUDY OBJECTIVE To investigate the predictive value of atopy, smoking, and living in a farm environment in the development of chronic bronchitis. DESIGN This was a cross sectional and longitudinal study. SETTING Postal surveys carried out in Finland in 1975 and 1981. PARTICIPANTS The study was part of the Finnish twin cohort study, which included adult twin pairs born in Finland before 19...

BACKGROUND Botryomycosis is a rare infectious disease which usually affects the skin. The low virulence of the bacteria tending to form grains and the immune status of the host are important factors in the development of the disease. METHODS We report a case of cervicofacial botryomycosis and review the current literature. RESULTS A 47-year-old male with a long history of moderate-to-severe...

Only 40 cases of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S. maltophilia) endocarditis have been reported to date, and there is no description in patients with underlying autoimmunity. A 23-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) overlapping rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and no risk factors for endocarditis was admitted in our hospital because of community-acquired tricuspid valve endocarditis....