Hepatitis B immunity in teenagers vaccinated as infants: an Italian 17-year follow-up study.

We assessed the persistence of hepatitis B surface antigen antibody (anti-HBs) and immune memory in a cohort of 571 teenagers vaccinated against hepatitis B as infants, 17 years earlier. Vaccinees were followed-up in 2003 and in 2010 (i.e.

Bone augmentation for cancellous bone- development of a new animal model.

Background: Reproducible and suitable animal models are required for in vivo experiments to investigate new biodegradable and osteoinductive biomaterials for augmentation of bones at risk for osteoporotic fractures. Sheep have especially been used as a model for the human spine due to their size and similar bone metabolism. However, although sheep and human vertebral bodies have similar biomechanical characteristics, the shape of the vertebral bodies, the size of the transverse processes, and the different orientation of the facet joints of sheep are quite different from those of humans making the surgical approach complicated and unpredictable.

Immunogenicity and effectiveness of virosomal adjuvanted vaccines against influenza: a brief review of their utility in the elderly population.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that seasonal influenza affects approximately 5-15% of the population on an annual basis and these outbreaks are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality resulting in increased hospital admissions. Annual vaccination remains the main public health strategy for containing influenza. Inactivated influenza vaccines offer a great deal of protection against influenza but these vaccines are not optimal for older adults due to their waning immunity and other factors affecting immunogenicity.

Epidemiological and molecular assessment of a rubella outbreak in North-Eastern Italy.

From January to June 2008, a rubella outbreak involving 111 laboratory confirmed cases occurred in the Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region of North-Eastern Italy. The outbreak occurred initially in two residential homes for young adults disabled mentally and physically. Subsequently, the epidemic spread to the general population.

Focus on acute diarrhoeal disease.

Diarrhoea is an alteration of normal bowel movement characterized by an increase in the water content, volume, or frequency of stools. Diarrhoea needs to be classified according to the trends over time (acute or chronic) and to the characteristics of the stools (watery, fatty, inflammatory). Secretory diarrhoeas, mostly acute and of viral aetiology in more than 70% of cases, are by far the most important subtype of diarrhoeas in terms of frequency, incidence and mortality (over 2.