Do adolescent cancer survivors need health care and psychosocial services?: An Indonesian experience

Objective

Advances in childhood cancer treatment have contributed to an increased survival rate among childhood cancer patients. The increasing number of survivors means that more help is needed to support them in dealing with the physical and psychosocial problems following their cancer therapy. This study explored the needs of adolescent cancer survivors in terms of health care and psychosocial services.

Can demographic and anthropometric characteristics predict clinical improvement in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain?

Objective

To identify potential prognostic factors that may predict clinical improvement of patients treated with different physical therapy interventions in the short-term.

Molecular epidemiological analysis of the acinetobacter baumannii isolates from blood and sputum specimens of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia北大核心CSCD

Objective To investigate the molecular epidemiological characteristics of the Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from blood and sputum samples of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in ICU. Methods The patients were analyzed in two groups: Group A, A. baumannii was isolated from both blood and sputum, and Group B, A. baumannii was isolated only from sputum. Clinical data of the patients were collected, including the results of antimicrobial susceptibility test. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were performed for the strains. Results During the study period from June 2015 to December 2105, 28 nonduplicate A. baumannii strains were collected from 14 patients in group A and 28 nonduplicate strains from 28 patients in group B. The 56 A. baumannii strains were multidrug-resistant (MDR). More than 80% of the strains were resistant to carbapenem, third-generation cephalosporins or aminoglycoside, but highly sensitive to tigecycline. No significant difference was found for the resistance rates between group A and group B. The nonduplicate A. baumannii isolates from blood and sputum samples of the same patient in group A were all homologous strains confirmed by PFGE. Six pulsotypes were identified from the 28 strains in Group A and 9 pulsotypes in Group B. Five pulsotypes were shared between the two groups. MLST analysis showed that there were 9 ST types (ST195, ST208, ST229, ST369, ST373, ST457, ST836 and two new phenotypes ST N2, ST N5) in Group A and 8 ST types (ST195, ST208, ST381 and 5 new phenotypes ST N1, ST N2, ST N3, ST N4, ST N5) strains in group B. There was no significant difference in the proportion of the main ST types between the two groups. eBURST analysis indicated that ST195, ST208, ST457, ST369, ST N1, ST N2, ST N51 belonged to CC92 prevalent strain. Conclusions The antimicrobial susceptibility profile and genotype of A. baumannii isolates from blood and sputum samples are similar. There was CC92 prevalent strain in the ward. There is no direct relation between the risk factors for bloodstream infection in VAP patients and the genotype of A. baumannii strain. It is particularly important to reinforce infection control for prevention and treatment of A. baumannii bloodstream infections. © 2018, Editorial Department of Chinese Journal of Infection. All rights reserved.     

Safety and immunogenicity of high-dose trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in adults 50–64 years of age

BackgroundIndividuals 50–64 years of age have reduced immune responses to influenza vaccines. The current study examined whether a high-dose inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine (IIV3-HD) might improve immune responses over a standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3-SD) in this age group.MethodsThis was a multicenter, observer-blinded, randomized, active-controlled phase II trial. Adults 50–64 years of age were randomized 1:1 to receive IIV3-HD or IIV3-SD. Hemagglutination inhibition titers were measured before and 28 days after vaccination. Reactogenicity was recorded for 7 days after vaccination and adverse events for 28 days.Results148 participants received IIV3-HD and 152 received IIV3-SD. For all vaccine strains, day 28 geometric mean hemagglutination inhibition titers were significantly higher in the IIV3-HD group than in the IIV3-SD group (geometric mean titer ratio [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 1.43 [1.04–1.97] for A/H1N1, 1.65 [1.21–2.25] for A/H3N2, and 1.60 [1.23–2.08] for B). Seroconversion rates were significantly higher in the IIV3-HD group than in the IIV3-SD group for strains A/H3N2 and B but not A/H1N1 (difference [95% CI] = 13.5% [4.76–22.0] for A/H3N2, 23.1% [11.7–33.6] for B, and −0.2% [−9.66 to 9.18] for A/H1N1). The post-vaccination seroprotection rate was significantly higher in the IIV3-HD group than in the IIV3-SD group for strain B but not for strains A/H1N1 or A/H3N2 (difference = 9.1% [2.95–15.7] for B, 2.0% [−0.907 to 5.68] for A/H1N1, and 0.6% [−3.14 to 4.43] for A/H3N2). Reactogenicity was higher in the IIV3-HD group than in the IIV3-SD group, but reactions were mostly of low intensity, transient, and self-limited. Rates of unsolicited adverse events were similar between groups. No serious AEs, AEs leading to early withdrawal, or deaths were reported.ConclusionsThe study suggests that in adults 50–64 years of age, IIV3-HD may improve immunogenicity compared to IIV3-SD while maintaining an acceptable safety profile.     

Safety of Russian-backbone seasonal trivalent,live-attenuated influenza vaccine in a phase II randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial among children in urban Bangladesh

IntroductionLive-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) have the potential to be affordable, effective, and logistically feasible for immunization of children in low-resource settings.Material and methodsWe conducted a phase II, randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled trial on the safety of the Russian-backbone, seasonal trivalent LAIV among children aged 24 through 59 months in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2012. After vaccination, we monitored participants for six months with weekly home visits and study clinic surveillance for solicited and unsolicited adverse events, protocol-defined wheezing illness (PDWI), and serious adverse events (SAEs), including all cause hospitalizations.ResultsThree hundred children were randomized and administered LAIV (n = 150) or placebo (n = 150). No immediate post-vaccination reactions occurred in either group. Solicited reactions were similar between vaccine and placebo groups during the first 7 days post-vaccination and throughout the entire trial. There were no statistically significant differences in participants experiencing PDWI between LAIV and placebo groups throughout the trial (n = 13 vs. n = 16, p = 0.697). Of 131 children with a history of medical treatment or hospitalization for asthma or wheezing at study entry, 65 received LAIV and 66 received placebo. Among this subset, there was no statistical difference in PDWI occurring throughout the trial between the LAIV or placebo groups (7.7% vs. 19.7%, p = 0.074). While there were no related SAEs, LAIV recipients had six unrelated SAEs and placebo recipients had none. These SAEs included three due to traumatic injury and bone fracture, and one each due to accidental overdose of paracetamol, abdominal pain, and acute gastroenteritis. None of the participants with SAEs had laboratory-confirmed influenza, wheezing illness, or other signs of acute respiratory illness at the time of their events.ConclusionsIn this randomized, controlled trial among 300 children aged 24 through 59 months in urban Bangladesh, Russian-backbone LAIV was safe and well tolerated. Further evaluation of LAIV safety and efficacy in a larger cohort is warranted.     

The tuberculosis vaccine H4:IC31 is safe and induces a persistent polyfunctional CD4 T cell response in South African adults: A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundNew, more effective vaccines to prevent tuberculosis (TB) disease are needed urgently. H4:IC31 is an investigational vaccine that contains a fusion protein of the immunodominant antigens TB10.4 and Ag85B, formulated in IC31^® adjuvant. We assessed the safety and immunogenicity of H4:IC31 in South African adults from a TB endemic setting.MethodsIn this double blind, placebo controlled, phase I trial, Mycobacterium tuberculosis-uninfected, HIV-uninfected, healthy adults with a history of childhood BCG vaccination were randomly allocated to two intramuscular vaccinations with 5, 15, 50 or 150 μg H4 formulated in 500 nmol IC31^®, two months apart. Vaccinees were followed for six months to assess safety; immunogenicity was measured by ELISpot and intracellular cytokine staining assays.ResultsThirty-two participants received H4:IC31 and 8 received placebo. Injection site adverse events were common but mild; mild fatigue was the most common systemic adverse event. Frequencies of adverse events did not differ between dosage groups. Detectable antigen-specific CD4 T cell responses were induced by all doses of H4:IC31, but doses below 50 μg induced the highest frequencies of CD4 T cells, comprised predominantly of IFN-γ⁺TNF-α⁺IL-2⁺ or TNF-α⁺IL-2⁺ cells. These memory responses persisted up to the end of follow up, on study day 182.ConclusionsH4:IC31 demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and was immunogenic in South African adults. In this trial, the 15 μg dose appeared to induce the most optimal immune response.     

玻璃化冷冻胚胎和新鲜胚胎移植的临床结局比较

目的 探讨玻璃化冷冻胚胎移植(FET)和新鲜胚胎移植(NET)的临床结局。方法回顾性分析2013年1月至2014年3月在中山大学孙逸仙纪念医院行体外受精-新鲜胚胎移植(IVF-NET)577个周期及单精子卵细胞浆内显微注射-新鲜胚胎移植(ICSI-NET)118个周期、FET 175个周期共870个周期的临床资料,比较NET组和FET组(曾经NET未成功妊娠,后行FET者)的临床特征和助孕结局,再将FET组分为妊娠亚组和未妊娠亚组进一步分析比较。采用二分类logistic回归分析影响妊娠结局的因素。结果 FET组的种植率(26.27% vs. 31.98%,P=0.01)、临床妊娠率(47.43% vs. 65.18%,P<0.001)均明显低于NET组,差异均有统计学意义;FET组的流产率(P=0.63)、生化妊娠率(P=0.17)和胎儿出生体重(P=0.33)与NET组相比差异均无统计学意义。FET组中妊娠亚组与未妊娠亚组女方年龄(30.69岁±3.37岁 vs. 32.00岁±5.09岁,P=0.03)的差异有统计学意义;BMI、不孕年限、基础内分泌等指标的差异均无统计学意义。二分类logistic回归分析显示是否行FET(P<0.001)、女方年龄(P<0.001)、BMI(P=0.011)和优质胚胎数(P<0.001)为影响妊娠结局的因素。结论 曾经行NET未成功的妊娠者,随后使用FET者其种植率和妊娠率均较低,但不增加流产率,未影响胎儿出生体重,未发现FET对妊娠结局有不良影响。