0000000000524112
AUTHOR
R. Clemens
NOROVIRUS GASTROENTERITIS IS AN IMPORTANT CAUSE OF NOSOCOMIAL INFECTIONS IN GERMANY
Noroviruses are the most important global cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Testing for norovirus in patients hospitalized with AGE is incentivized in Germany because a positive diagnosis impacts reimbursement. We estimated the number of nosocomial infections overall and by age-group for norovirus gastroenteritis (NGE) using federal German databases. All hospitalizations in Germany are registered with the German Federal Statistics Office (DESTATIS). We extracted aggregate data for patients hospitalized with NGE (ICD-10 codes A08.1) as primary or non-primary diagnosis for the period 2007–2012. Cases with a non-primary diagnoses were assumed to be due to nosocomial infection.
Active immunization of homosexual men using a recombinant hepatitis B vaccine
Twenty homosexual men [13 anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive, seven anti-HIV negative] without HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc were vaccinated with three 20 micrograms doses of a recombinant hepatitis B vaccine. All anti-HIV-positive homosexuals were nonresponders independent of the initial number of CD4-positive cells. Among seven anti-HIV-negative individuals, five responded. After three doses of the vaccine, CD4-positive cells fell in anti-HIV positive individuals by 22.4%. A similar fall in CD4-positive cells of an average 24.9% was noted in 17 matching, but nonvaccinated, anti-HIV-positive homosexuals. The study indicates that the efficacy of vaccination in anti-HIV-positiv…
Hemodynamic effects of dobutamine in children with cardiovascular failure.
The effect of dobutamine, a synthetic catecholamine, was studied in 12 patients aged one day to 14 years with low cardiac output syndromes. After initial stabilization of the patients dobutamine was administered by continuous infusion in a dosage of 7.5 or 10 μg/kg/min. Heart rate, cardiac output (using thermodilution technique and/or pulse contour method), mean systemic and mean pulmonary artery pressures were determined before and after the dobutamine infusion. Systemic and pulmonary vascular resistances, cardiac index and stroke volume index were calculated. Cardiac output and cardiac index increased significantly in every patient, whereas the heart rate changed only slightly, suggesting…
Immunogenicity and safety of an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine in anti-HIV positive and negative homosexual men.
The immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine were assessed in anti-HIV positive homosexual men. Fourteen anti-HIV positive (group 1) and 20 anti-HIV negative (group 2) men received vaccine (containing 720 ELISA units of hepatitis A antigen per dose) intramuscularly at 0, 1, and 6 months. Twelve unvaccinated anti-HIV positive men (group 3) were included as controls to evaluate disease progression. Seroconversion (anti-hepatitis V virus (HAV ⩾20 mlU/ml) was higher in group 2 than group 1 at months 2 (100% vs. 73%) and 7 (l00%vs. 77%). Group 2 had higher antibody titres than group 1 at months 1 (201 vs. 92 mlU/ml) and 7 (1, 687 vs. 636 mlU/ml). The decli…
Pertussis-specific cell-mediated immunity in infants after vaccination with a tricomponent acellular pertussis vaccine.
The aim of this study was to investigate pertussis-specific cell-mediated immunity in infants vaccinated with a tricomponent acellular vaccine. Infants were investigated during a primary vaccination schedule from the third month of life to the sixth month as well as before and after a booster at 15 to 24 months. This is the first report of specific cell-mediated immune responses to pertussis-related antigens in infants below the age of 12 months. Our data show that the vaccine induces T-cell responses specific for the vaccine components, detoxified pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin, and pertactin, that increase progressively over the course of the vaccination schedule. In contrast …