Impact of maternal characteristics on the effect of maternal influenza vaccination on fetal outcomes.

Background: Maternal infections during pregnancy have been associated with adverse fetal and infant health outcomes, and vaccination against influenza is the most effective tool to prevent morbidity and mortality due to seasonal and pandemic influenza. We evaluated the association between receipt of the inactivated seasonal influenza vaccine on preterm and small for gestational age (SGA) births, with the aim to assess racial and socioeconomic variations in vaccine effect.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of state-wide surveillance data from Georgia for the most recent four years available at the beginning of the study, a total of 8393 live births in Georgia from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2008.

Clinical characteristics and direct medical cost of respiratory syncytial virus infection in children hospitalized in Suzhou, China.

Background: There have been few studies on children hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) published from mainland China. We performed a retrospective review of medical charts to describe the epidemiology, clinical features and direct medical cost of laboratory-proven RSV children hospitalized in Suzhou, China.

Methods: Testing is routine for RSV for children admitted to the respiratory ward at Suzhou University Children's Hospital.

Assessments of vaccines for prenatal immunization.

The strategy of prenatal maternal immunization to protect the pregnant woman and her infant was first used with tetanus toxoid, when it was recognized that young infants had very high rates of tetanus disease, well before the age when infant immunizations are provided. Antenatal immunization has now been recommended and utilized for additional vaccines to prevent infections in pregnancy and the young infant. There are several issues to consider which are unique to the strategy of antenatal immunization.

IgA and neutralizing antibodies to influenza a virus in human milk: a randomized trial of antenatal influenza immunization.

Background: Antenatal immunization of mothers with influenza vaccine increases serum antibodies and reduces the rates of influenza illness in mothers and their infants. We report the effect of antenatal immunization on the levels of specific anti-influenza IgA levels in human breast milk. (ClinicalTrials.

UVB radiation generates sunburn pain and affects skin by activating epidermal TRPV4 ion channels and triggering endothelin-1 signaling.

At our body surface, the epidermis absorbs UV radiation. UV overexposure leads to sunburn with tissue injury and pain. To understand how, we focus on TRPV4, a nonselective cation channel highly expressed in epithelial skin cells and known to function in sensory transduction, a property shared with other transient receptor potential channels.

Endometrial carcinomas with significant mucinous differentiation associated with higher frequency of k-ras mutations: a morphologic and molecular correlation study.

Objectives: K-ras gene product in the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway is critical in the development of certain types of malignancies. K-ras mutation-associated pancreatic and ovarian carcinomas often display mucinous differentiation. Previous studies have shown that k-ras mutation is found in 10% to 30% of endometrial carcinomas.

Efficacy and safety of once-daily topical brimonidine tartrate gel 0.5% for the treatment of moderate to severe facial erythema of rosacea: results of two randomized, double-blind, and vehicle-controlled pivotal studies.

Background: Brimonidine tartrate, a highly selective α2-adrenergic receptor agonist with potent vasoconstrictive activity, was shown to reduce erythema of rosacea.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of topical brimonidine tartrate gel 0.5% for the treatment of erythema of rosacea.

[Current insights into the pathophysiology of rosacea].

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease mainly affecting the face. Four major clinical subtypes of rosacea can be identified: erythemato-telangiectatic, papulopustular, phymatous and ocular rosacea. Still, it is currently unclear whether these subtypes develop consecutively or if any subtypes may occur individually as part of a syndrome.

Recapitulating atopic dermatitis in three dimensions: cross talk between keratinocytes and nerve fibers.

Roggenkamp et al. (2013) report a significant advance in the in vitro reconstruction of atopic dermatitis (AD) by coculturing lesional human keratinocytes with sensory nerve fibers. This work has important implications for understanding the interaction between the resident skin cells and the peripheral nervous system in AD, and it sheds light on the pathways leading to the pruritus that typifies this disease.

Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 mediates chronic pancreatitis pain in mice.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a devastating disease characterized by persistent and uncontrolled abdominal pain. Our lack of understanding is partially due to the lack of experimental models that mimic the human disease and also to the lack of validated behavioral measures of visceral pain. The ligand-gated cation channel transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) mediates inflammation and pain in early experimental pancreatitis.

Identification of ovarian cancer metastatic miRNAs.

Serous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients often succumb to aggressive metastatic disease, yet little is known about the behavior and genetics of ovarian cancer metastasis. Here, we aim to understand how omental metastases differ from primary tumors and how these differences may influence chemotherapy. We analyzed the miRNA expression profiles of primary EOC tumors and their respective omental metastases from 9 patients using miRNA Taqman qPCR arrays.

The TGR5 receptor mediates bile acid-induced itch and analgesia.

Patients with cholestatic disease exhibit pruritus and analgesia, but the mechanisms underlying these symptoms are unknown. We report that bile acids, which are elevated in the circulation and tissues during cholestasis, cause itch and analgesia by activating the GPCR TGR5. TGR5 was detected in peptidergic neurons of mouse dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord that transmit itch and pain, and in dermal macrophages that contain opioids.

Neonatal outcomes after antenatal influenza immunization during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic: impact on preterm birth, birth weight, and small for gestational age birth.

Background: Influenza infection during pregnancy is associated with adverse fetal outcomes such as preterm birth and small for gestational age (SGA). Maternal influenza immunization may prevent these adverse infant outcomes during periods of influenza circulation.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of live births within Kaiser Permanente (KP) Georgia and Mid-Atlantic States (n = 3327) during the period of 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus circulation.

Combined effects of antenatal receipt of influenza vaccine by mothers and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine receipt by infants: results from a randomized, blinded, controlled trial.

A 2 × 2 factorial trial was performed to determine the efficacy of antennal influenza vaccination of mothers plus pneumococcal conjugate vaccination of their infants against respiratory illness during early infancy. The efficacy of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV; delivered to mothers) plus 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7; delivered to infants) was higher than the efficacy of TIV alone or PCV7 alone. During the period of the study in which influenza was circulating, the efficacy of TIV plus PCV7 was 72.

The effect of exclusive breast-feeding on respiratory illness in young infants in a maternal immunization trial in Bangladesh.

Background: Exclusive breast-feeding reduces the risk of respiratory illness in infants younger than 6 months of age in developing countries by approximately half. We evaluated the effect of exclusive breast-feeding on respiratory illness with fever (RIF) in Bangladeshi infants in the context of a randomized maternal influenza immunization trial.

Methods: Infants in a maternal vaccine trial in Dhaka, Bangladesh, were prospectively assessed at weekly intervals for 6 months after birth for breast-feeding practices and RIF.

Invasive pneumococcal disease associated with high case fatality in India.

Objective: To study the seroepidemiology and antimicrobial resistance pattern of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in older subjects who are admitted to hospitals in India.

Study Design And Setting: Prospective surveillance of IPD in patients older than 18 years in seven large academic teaching hospitals in India from 1993 to 2008. All subjects who had Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from normally sterile body fluids or were antigen positive in cerebrospinal fluid, ascitic fluid, and pleural fluid were identified as IPD cases in the study.

Serum kallikrein-8 correlates with skin activity, but not psoriatic arthritis, in patients with psoriatic disease.

Background: About 30% of cutaneous psoriasis (PsC) patients develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the joint, which is under-recognized by dermatologists. Biomarkers for PsA are needed so that early referral to a rheumatologist is made. Kallikreins (KLKs) are secreted serine proteases implicated in skin desquamation and inflammation.

Pregnancy modifies the antibody response to trivalent influenza immunization.

We report the immunogenicity of trivalent influenza immunization in 29 pregnant women compared with 22 nonpregnant women. We obtained blood specimens on day 0 prior to 2011-2012 influenza vaccine administration and day 28 after immunization. Hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) geometric mean titers were similar before immunization but were significantly reduced by 40%-50% in pregnant women after immunization for influenza A/California(H1N1) (P = .

The clinical characteristics and direct medical cost of influenza in hospitalized children: a five-year retrospective study in Suzhou, China.

Background: There have been few studies on children hospitalized with influenza published from mainland China. We performed a retrospective review of medical charts to describe the epidemiology, clinical features and direct medical cost of laboratory-proven influenza hospitalized children in Suzhou, China.

Methods: Retrospective study on children with documented influenza infection hospitalized at Suzhou Children Hospital during 2005-2009 was conducted using a structured chart review instrument.

A review of fetal and infant protection associated with antenatal influenza immunization.

The well-described burden of influenza morbidity in the pregnant woman and her young infant have led to increasing interest in the use of antenatal immunization to protect both the mother and the infant. In this review, we summarize the recent data on the effect of antenatal influenza infection, and influenza immunization, on mothers and infants. Antenatal influenza immunization can improve intrauterine growth in Asia and North America and reduce preterm deliveries.

New tools for assessing the individual risk of metastasis in renal cell carcinoma.

Localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) progresses to metastatic disease in 20-40 % after surgical resection. Affected patients might benefit from adjuvant treatment and have to be reliably identified for treatment indication. However, existing molecular markers and classification nomograms lack sufficient validity for clinical application so far.

Detection and serotyping of lyophilized nonculturable pneumococcal isolates.

One hundred fifty-two nonculturable lyophilized carriage pneumococcal isolates from a vaccine trial were subjected to PCR for serotyping, and 149 (98%) were successfully classified as vaccine or nonvaccine types, which were similar to viable isolates. The methodology will be useful for analysis of this and other studies where stored pneumococcal isolates fail to grow.