Recommendations for Mandatory Influenza Vaccinations for Health Care Personnel From AMDA's Infection Advisory Subcommittee.

Preventing influenza infections is a national health priority, particularly among geriatric and adults with frailty who reside in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) settings. Older adults account for more than 70% of deaths from influenza, a reflection of decreased vaccine effectiveness in that age group. Annually vaccinating health care personnel (HCP) working with these patients against influenza is critical to reducing influenza morbidity and mortality among patients.

Pneumococcal Vaccination Guidance for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Settings: Recommendations From AMDA's Infection Advisory Committee.

Efforts at preventing pneumococcal disease are a national health priority, particularly in older adults and especially in post-acute and long-term care settings The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that all adults ≥65 years of age, as well as adults 18-64 years of age with specific risk factors, receive both the recently introduced polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine against 13 pneumococcal serotypes as well as the polysaccharide vaccine against 23 pneumococcal serotypes. Nursing facility licensure regulations require facilities to assess the pneumococcal vaccination status of each resident, provide education regarding pneumococcal vaccination, and administer the appropriate pneumococcal vaccine when indicated. Sorting out the indications and timing for 13 pneumococcal serotypes and 23 pneumococcal serotypes administration is complex and presents a significant challenge to healthcare providers.

Placebo-controlled trial of amantadine for severe traumatic brain injury.

Background: Amantadine hydrochloride is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness after traumatic brain injury. Preliminary studies have suggested that amantadine may promote functional recovery.

Methods: We enrolled 184 patients who were in a vegetative or minimally conscious state 4 to 16 weeks after traumatic brain injury and who were receiving inpatient rehabilitation.

Predictors of short-term outcome in brain-injured patients with disorders of consciousness.

Objectives: To investigate predictors of recovery from the vegetative state (VS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) after brain injury as measured by the widely used Disability Rating Scale (DRS) and to explore differences in rate of recovery and predictors of recovery during inpatient rehabilitation in patients with non-traumatic (NTBI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design: Longitudinal observational cohort design and retrospective comparison study, in which an initial DRS score was collected at the time of study enrollment. Weekly DRS scores were recorded until discharge from the rehabilitation center for both NTBI and TBI patients.

Downregulation of Wip-1 phosphatase expression in MCF-7 breast cancer cells enhances doxorubicin-induced apoptosis through p53-mediated transcriptional activation of Bax.

The human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 carries an amplified PPM1 D/Wip-1 gene and over expresses Wip-1 phosphatase protein. MCF-7 cells also harbor a wild type p53 gene. We established stable isogenic lines (MCF-Sp53 clones) which exhibit decreased levels of p53 protein.