UNIVERSAL VARICELLA VACCINATION IN THE SICILIAN PAEDIATRIC POPULATION: RAPID UPTAKE OF THE VACCINATION PROGRAMME AND MORBIDITY TRENDS OVER FIVE YEARS

Following the licensure of the Oka/Merck varicella vaccine in Italy in January 2003, the Sicilian health authorities launched a universal vaccination programme in all nine Local Health Units. A two-cohort vaccination strategy was adopted to minimise the shift of the mean age of varicella occurrence to older age groups, with the goal of vaccinating with one dose at least 80% of children in their second year of life and 50% of susceptible adolescents in their 12th year of life. Two studies were implemented in parallel to closely monitor vaccination coverage as well as varicella incidence. Overall, the programme achieved its target, with 87.5% vaccine coverage for the birth cohort 2005 and 90.…

Surveillance of Varicella in the Sicilian Pediatric Population Following in the Introduction of Universal Vaccination

Molecular analysis of sequence variants in the Fcepsilon receptor I beta gene and IL-4 gene promoter in Italian atopic families

The genetic variants in the Fcepsilon receptor I beta gene (Glu237Gly) and the T allele of the (C590T) polymorphism of interleukin (IL)-4 gene promoter were reported to be associated with atopy. But the data of the studies in different populations are contrasting with one another.

Pregnenolone sulphate (PREGS) affects spatial learning and memory in two different cognitive tasks in adult rats. Influence of the emotional state.

Pregnenolone sulphate (PREGS) is one of the most potent memory-enhancing neurosteroids in rodent learning studies, also involved in the modulation of the emotional state (Valleè et al 2001). Neurosteroids exert an important role as modulators of the neuronal activity by interacting with different receptors or ion channels (Urani et al 1998). Indeed PREGS acts as negative modulator of GABAA- and as positive modulator of NMDA -receptors. Altered levels of PREGS have also been reported during aging and in human neurodegenerative pathologies like Alzheimer’s disease. The aim of this study was to investigate, in adult male rats, the effects of a single injection of PREGS (10 mg/kg s.c.) on: i) o…