A wait-list randomized controlled trial of loving-kindness meditation programme for self-criticism.

Unlabelled: Self-criticism is a vulnerability risk factor for a number of psychological disorders, and it predicts poor response to psychological and pharmacological treatments. In the current study, we evaluated the efficacy of a loving-kindness meditation (LKM) programme designed to increase self-compassion in a sample of self-critical individuals. Thirty-eight individuals with high scores on the self-critical perfectionism subscale of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale were randomized to an LKM condition (n = 19) or a wait-list (WL) condition (n = 19).

A prospective study of the patterns and dynamics of colonization with Candida spp. in very low birth weight neonates.

Background: Knowledge of fungal colonization patterns in very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is essential in understanding the process of fungal infections in neonates. We analyzed prospectively, during 2009-2010, the patterns and dynamics of fungal colonization in VLBWI, including timing, colonization sites, and species involved.

Methods: Weekly skin, oropharynx, and rectum/stool surveillance fungal cultures were collected from admission until discharge in VLBWI in the NICU.

Community-acquired pneumonia in children: quantifying the burden on patients and their families including decrease in quality of life.

Objectives: Childhood respiratory infections have an important impact on society and are a frequent cause of physician visits, consumption of antibiotics and over-the-counter drugs, work loss, and reduction of quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess the burden of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) on children and their families, including quantification of expenses and decrease in quality of life.

Methods: Patients <3 years old with pneumonia were enrolled in 3 sites in southern Israel: pediatric wards, the pediatric emergency department, and a primary health clinic.

Tolerability and immunogenicity of an eleven valent mixed carrier Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular polysaccharide-diphtheria toxoid or tetanus protein conjugate vaccine in Finnish and Israeli infants.

Background: To have wide global coverage of pneumococcal serotypes, the number of serotypes covered by the current 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine must be increased. We have studied the safety and immunogenicity of an 11-valent mixed carrier vaccine (PncDT11) in infants.

Methods: The study vaccine contained polysaccharide antigens of serotypes 1, 4, 5, 7F, 9V, 19F and 23F conjugated to tetanus protein and serotypes 3, 6B, 14 and 18C conjugated to diphtheria toxoid.

The burden of acute otitis media on the patient and the family.

Unlabelled: The aim of our study was to determine the burden of acute otitis media (AOM) on patients and their families. Parents of children with AOM were interviewed with regard to the week preceding the AOM diagnosis and every 3 days henceforth for an additional 21 days. The interview included information on loss of workdays, use of health care services and impact on the patient's and family's quality of life.

Effect of a nonavalent conjugate vaccine on carriage of antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in day-care centers.

Background: In the developed societies, day-care centers (DCCs) play an important role in the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumococci both within the facility and from the facility to the community. This study was conducted to determine the effect of a nonavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-9) on the carriage of antibiotic-resistant pneumococci in the DCC.

Subjects And Methods: Healthy DCC attendees ages 12 to 35 months were randomized to receive either PCV-9 or a control vaccine (conjugate meningococcus C vaccine) in a double blinded manner.

Reduction of nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae after administration of a 9-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to toddlers attending day care centers.

A double-blind, randomized study involving 264 toddlers attending day care centers was conducted to document the effect of a 9-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on the carriage rate of pneumococci. Of 3750 cultures done on nasopharyngeal samples obtained from subjects during a 2-year follow-up period after vaccination, 65% were positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae. In all age windows, the rate of carriage of vaccine-type pneumococci was lower among subjects who received the pneumococcal vaccine than among control subjects, because the acquisition rate was lower in the former group.