[Sociomedical implications of the inability to commute in patients with cold urticaria]. / Sozialmedizinische Bedeutung der Wegefähigkeit bei der Kälteurtikaria.

One of the important functions of the dermatologist working within a social medicine framework is the determination of social security disability benefits. The primary decision deals with the question which type of work the applicant can be asked to do and to what extent. Depending on the results of the medical assessment, social security disability benefits may be approved given that other insurance criteria specific to the applicant have been met. The following case demonstrates for the first time that a significant idiopathic cold urticaria leads to a severe constraint on keeping employment due to the inability to commute. The scenario shows that the cold urticaria severely restricts social and professional interactions and that the reduced ability to commute to the place of employment must receive special consideration within the context of a sociomedical evaluation.

[3H-thymidine-paper strip-counting of in vitro lymphocyte transformation. II. Specific antigens in the whole blood assay (author's transl)]. / Die 3H-Thymidin-Papierplättchen-Modifikation des lymphozytentransfomationstestes (LTT). II. Vollblut-LTT mit Einsatz spezifischer Antigene.

Erythrocytes did not influence the harvesting procedure or the paper strip counting method in a liquid scintillation counter using the whole blood assay of lymphocyte transformation test. The leucocyte-erythrocyte-ratio influences the blastogenesis in vitro. Only 1--2 ml of peripheral blood are necessary to proof lymphocyte reactivity to mitogens or antigens. The storage of the blood is possible over a period of 24 hours (4 degrees C) if the absolute lymphocytes count remains constant.