The economic rationale for cell-based influenza vaccines in children and adults: A review of cost-effectiveness analyses.

Seasonal influenza significantly affects both health and economic costs in children and adults. This narrative review summarizes published cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) of cell-based influenza vaccines in children and adults <65 years of age, critically assesses the assumptions and approaches used in these analyses, and considers the role of cell-based influenza vaccines for children and adults. CEAs from multiple countries demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccines (QIVc) compared with egg-based trivalent/quadrivalent influenza vaccines (TIVe/QIVe).

Contributions of cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) to influenza vaccination policy for older adults in Europe.

This review describes the importance of economic evaluations and real-world evidence (RWE) for the assessment of enhanced influenza vaccines for older adults in Europe. Individuals ≥65 years of age are at increased risk of severe influenza outcomes and many countries in Europe recommend enhanced vaccines for this population to mitigate immunosenescence. Some National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) may preferentially recommend a specific enhanced vaccine, necessitating comparative economic evaluation and estimation of relative vaccine effectiveness between enhanced vaccine options in the absence of direct head-to-head efficacy data.

Real-World Evidence in Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Enhanced Influenza Vaccines in Adults ≥ 65 Years of Age: Literature Review and Expert Opinion.

Influenza vaccination can benefit most populations, including adults ≥ 65 years of age, who are at greater risk of influenza-related complications. In many countries, enhanced vaccines, such as adjuvanted, high-dose, and recombinant trivalent/quadrivalent influenza vaccines (aTIV/aQIV, HD-TIV/HD-QIV, and QIVr, respectively), are recommended in older populations to provide higher immunogenicity and increased relative vaccine efficacy/effectiveness (rVE) than standard-dose vaccines. This review explores how efficacy and effectiveness data from randomized controlled trials and real-world evidence (RWE) are used in economic evaluations.

An Economic Comparison in the Elderly of Adjuvanted Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine with Recombinant Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine in Spain.

Influenza infections impose a high burden of morbidity and mortality among older adults, at great cost to individuals and society. Enhanced influenza vaccines, which contain either an immune adjuvant or higher than normal doses of influenza virus antigens, are recommended for older adults. We used a health economics model to evaluate the cost effectiveness in Spain of a recently licensed recombinant quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVr), which contains three times the standard dose of influenza virus hemagglutinin but no neuraminidase, compared with an MF59-adjuvanted quadrivalent influenza vaccine (aQIV).

An Economic Evaluation of the Adjuvanted Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine Compared with Standard-Dose Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine in the Spanish Older Adult Population.

Standard-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccines (QIV) are designed to provide protection against all four influenza strains. Adjuvanted QIV (aQIV), indicated for individuals aged 65+ years, combines MF59 adjuvant (an oil-in-water emulsion of squalene oil) with a standard dose of antigen, and is designed to produce stronger and longer immune response, especially in the elderly where immunosenescence reduces vaccine effectiveness. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of aQIV vs.

Cost-Effectiveness and Burden of Disease for Adjuvanted Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccines Compared to High-Dose Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccines in Elderly Patients in Spain.

Influenza is a contagious respiratory disease that causes severe illness and death, particularly in elderly populations. Two enhanced formulations of quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) are available in Spain. Adjuvanted QIV (aQIV) is available for those aged 65+ and high-dose QIV (HD-QIV) for those aged 60+.

Estimated cost-effectiveness and burden of disease associated with quadrivalent cell-based and egg-based influenza vaccines in Spain.

Influenza is a viral respiratory disease that causes significant clinical and economic burden globally. Quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) is frequently used to protect people who have a high-risk of developing influenza complications due to comorbidities. QIV offers protection against influenza A (A/H1N1 and H3N2) and B (B/Victoria, and B/Yamagata) strains.

[Evaluation of susceptibility of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains against ceftolozane/tazobactam].

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen associated with high morbidity and mortality. For multidrug-resistant strains (MDR), ceftolozane/tazobactam (CTZ) has been authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for complicated urinary tract infections, acute pyelonephritis, and complicated intraabdominal infections.

Aim: To determine the susceptibility to CTZ of P.

Direct bacterial identification from positive blood cultures using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: The rapid identification of bacteraemia-causing pathogens could assist clinicians in the timely prescription of targeted therapy, thereby reducing the morbidity and mortality of this infection. In recent years, numerous techniques that rapidly and directly identify positive blood cultures have been marketed, with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) being one of the most commonly used.

Methods: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the accuracy of MALDI-TOF (Bruker) for the direct identification of positive blood culture bottles.

[Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of tigecycline for treatment of respiratory tract infections: systematic review of literature].

Background: Tigecycline is indicated for the treatment of complicated skin infections, soft tissue and intraabdominal infections. Its use could be extended to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and hospital pneumonia (HN). The objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tigecycline in the treatment of respiratory infections.

[Assessment of nucleic acid testing (NAT) for screening hepatitis B in blood donors. Systematic review].

The new techniques of molecular biology called "nucleic acid testing" (NAT), enable the detection of particles of viral DNA in hepatitis B, regardless of the disease stage. These NAT techniques increase the sensitivity of screening, so the risk of infection through transfusion could be reduced. The aim of the study was to assess NAT techniques for screening hepatitis B in blood donors.

[Effectiveness of lumbar sympathectomy in the treatment of occlusive peripheral vascular disease in lower limbs: systematic review].

Background And Objectives: The aim of this work has been to check the scientific evidence on the efficacy of lumbar sympathectomy in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease of lower limbs.

Material And Methods: Systematic review of the literature.

Data Source: MedLine, Embase, Cochrane Library, INHATA, CRD, BioMed Central, and ClinicalTrials.

[Out-patient determination of glycosylated haemoglobin in the monitoring and control of diabetes mellitus: systematic review of the literature].

Objective: To compare out-patient determination of HbA(1c) with lab figures, by measuring metabolic control, quality of life and hypoglycaemia episodes, in adults with type-1 or -2 diabetes mellitus.

Design: Systematic review.

Data Sources: MEDLINE (1966-August 2006), EMBASE (2000-August 2006), bases held by the Center for Reviews and Dissemination (DARE, INAHTA, NHS-EED), Cochrane Library (number 3, 2006), European Medication Agency, Food and Drug Administration and the European Network of Emerging Technologies.

[Dermatophytoses due to Microsporum gypseum: report of eight cases and literature review].

Microsporum gypseum is a geophilic fungus infrequent agent of human dermatophytoses and world-wide in distribution. In Cadiz, Spain, between 1997 and 2003, a study of 133 positive cases showed that the fifth more isolated dermatophyte was M. gypseum (6.

[In vitro activity of amphotericin B, itraconazole and voriconazole against 20 species of Aspergillus using the Sensititre microdilution method].

Background: The in vitro activity of antifungal agents against Aspergillus has been recently investigated. We studied the susceptibility to amphotericin B, itraconazole and voriconazole of 68 strains belonging to 20 different Aspergillus species.

Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for 10 strains of A.

[Carbohydrate assimilation by clinical and environmental Rhodotorula glutinis strains].

This study was carried to determine the carbohydrate assimilation patterns of Rhodotorula strains isolated from clinical and environmental specimens. We have tested the commercial system ID 32C (bioMerieux, France) on 80 different strains of Rhodotorula glutinis: 47 strains from clinical samples and 33 strains from environmental samples. The assimilation percentages obtained in our study for galactose, cellobiose, gluconate and sorbose were lower than those showed in the identification table of the method.

[Candida ciferrii in an immunocompromised patient].

A case of possible infection due to Candida ciferrii in an immunocompromised patient is presented. This fungal species has been rarely reported as cause of human infection. The isolate showed in vitro resistance to fluconazole.