Search results for "General Immunology and Microbiology"
showing 10 items of 784 documents
Vaccination against the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) among healthcare workers in the major teaching hospital of Sicily (Italy)
2011
The aim of the study was to investigate factors involved in vaccination acceptance among healthcare workers (HCWs) and adverse reactions rates associated with pandemic influenza vaccination. The study was carried out in the major teaching hospital of Sicily from November 2009 to February 2010 on 2267 HCWs. A total of 407 (18%) HCWs were vaccinated against the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1). A logistic regression analysis indicates an increased risk of non-vaccination against pandemic influenza in females (OR = 1.6; 95% CI = 1.3-2.1) compared to males, in nurses/technicians/administrative workers (OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.3-2.2) compared to doctors/biologists, and in HCWs who were non-vaccinat…
The role of intrinsic pathway in apoptosis activation and progression in Peyronie's Disease.
2014
Peyronie’s disease (PD) is characterized with formation of fibrous plaques which result in penile deformity, pain, and erectile dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in plaques from PD patients. Tunica albuginea from either PD or control patients was assessed for the expression of bax, bcl-2 and caspases 9 and 3 using immunohistochemistry and by measurement of apoptotic cells using TUNEL assay. Bax overexpression was observed in metaplastic bone tissue, in fibroblasts, and in myofibroblast of plaques from PD patients. Little or no bcl-2 immunostaining was detected in samples from either patients or controls. Caspase 3 immunos…
Pharmacoeconomic assessment of implementing a universal PCV-13 vaccination programme in the Valencian public health system (Spain).
2011
Background: Heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) was licensed to provide immunity against pneumococcal disease caused by seven serotypes of S. pneumoniae. Thirteen-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) includes 6 additional serotypes for preventing invasive pneumococcal disease. Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the potential health benefits, costs, and cost-effectiveness of vaccination with PCV-13 in the Community of Valencia and to generate valuable information for policy makers at regional and country levels. Methods: A decision tree was designed to determine the health and economic outcomes in hypothetical cohorts of vaccinated and unvaccinate…
Single dose vaccination with AS03-adjuvanted H5N1 vaccines in a randomized trial induces strong and broad immune responsiveness to booster vaccinatio…
2009
Priming a population with a pre-pandemic vaccine is being considered to maximize the response upon subsequent vaccination with a true pandemic vaccine more closely matched to the causative pandemic strain. The present study explored this prime-boost concept by evaluating different primary schedules with the pre-pandemic A/Vietnam/1194/2004(NIBRG-14) vaccine, containing 3.75 microg of HA, followed by a 6-month booster with a vaccine formulated with 3.75 microg HA of either the same strain or with A/Indonesia/05/2005(IBCDC-RG2), a heterologous strain from a different clade. In this multicentre, open, randomized study (NCT00430521) we measured immune responses in four groups (N = 48-60) of adu…
Effectiveness of pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines in preventing pandemic influenza-associated hospitalization.
2011
Vaccines are leading pharmacological measures for limiting the impact of pandemic influenza in the community. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of influenza (pandemic and seasonal) vaccines in preventing pandemic influenza-associated hospitalization. We conducted a multicenter matched case-control study in 36 Spanish hospitals. Patients hospitalized with confirmed pandemic influenza between November 2009 and February 2010 and two hospitalized controls per case, matched according to age, date of hospitalization and province of residence, were selected. Multivariate analysis was performed using conditional logistic regression. Subjects were considered vaccinated…
Is Health-Related Quality of Life Associated with Upper and Lower Airway Inflammation in Asthmatics?
2013
Background.Allergic diseases impair health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). However, the relationship between airway inflammation and HR-QoL in patients with asthma and rhinitis has not been fully investigated. We explored whether the inflammation of upper and lower airways is associated with HR-QoL.Methods.Twenty-two mild allergic asthmatics with concomitant rhinitis (10 males, 38 ± 17 years) were recruited. The Rhinasthma was used to identify HR-QoL, and the Asthma Control Test (ACT) was used to assess asthma control. Subjects underwent lung function and exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) test, collection of exhaled breath condensate (EBC), and nasal wash.Results.The Rhinasthma Global Summary sc…
New Tools for Embryo Selection: Comprehensive Chromosome Screening by Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization
2014
The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of comprehensive chromosome screening (CCS) using array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). The study included 1420 CCS cycles for recurrent miscarriage (n=203); repetitive implantation failure (n=188); severe male factor (n=116); previous trisomic pregnancy (n=33); and advanced maternal age (n=880). CCS was performed in cycles with fresh oocytes and embryos (n=774); mixed cycles with fresh and vitrified oocytes (n=320); mixed cycles with fresh and vitrified day-2 embryos (n=235); and mixed cycles with fresh and vitrified day-3 embryos (n=91). Day-3 embryo biopsy was performed and analyzed by aCGH followed by day-5 embryo tran…
Effectiveness of the 2010–2011 seasonal influenza vaccine in preventing confirmed influenza hospitalizations in adults: A case–case comparison, case-…
2012
Highlights ► We perform a case–case comparison as an improvement of the test-negative design. ► We report IVE estimates with a low probability of bias. ► Influenza vaccination halved the risk of confirmed influenza hospitalization. ► This effect was consistent regardless of age over 60. ► The measured effect was specific for confirmed influenza hospitalizations.
Correlation between Density and Resorption of Fresh-Frozen and Autogenous Bone Grafts
2014
Trial Design. This analysis compared the outcome of fresh-frozen versus autologous bone block grafts for horizontal ridge augmentation in patients with Cawood and Howell class IV atrophies.Methods. Seventeen patients received autologous grafts and 21 patients received fresh-frozen bone grafts. Patients underwent CT scans 1 week and 6 months after surgery for graft volume and density analysis.Results. Two autologous and 3 fresh-frozen grafts failed. Autologous and fresh-frozen grafts lost, respectively, 28% and 46% of their initial volume(P=0.028). It is noteworthy that less dense fresh-frozen blocks lost more volume than denser grafts (61% versus 16%).Conclusions. According to these 6-month…
Immunization Campaigns and Strategies against Human Papillomavirus in Italy: The Results of a Survey to Regional and Local Health Units Representativ…
2019
Objective. The study aimed to assess the impact of HPV immunization campaigns organizational aspects, the characteristics of immunization program (vaccination targets and type of offer), and communicative strategies adopted by four Italian administrative regions on vaccination coverage observed. Methods. From November 2017 to March 2018, regional and Local Health Units (LHUs) representatives were invited to complete an online survey including 54 questions evaluating vaccination invite systems, access systems to vaccination centres, reminder and recall systems, and adverse events surveillance. An overall descriptive analysis was conducted. Since observed vaccine coverage (VC) obtained in fem…