Background: Infants <6 months of age are too young to receive influenza vaccine, despite being at high risk for severe influenza-related complications.
Methods: To examine the effectiveness of maternal influenza vaccination in preventing influenza in their infants, we conducted a prospective cohort study of 3441 infants born at participating hospitals before the 2013-2014 influenza season. At the time of recruitment, their mothers completed a questionnaire about influenza vaccination status for the 2013-2014 season. A follow-up survey was conducted after the end of the 2013-2014 season to collect information regarding influenza diagnosis and hospitalization among infants.
Results: During the 2013-2014 influenza season, 71 infants (2%) had influenza diagnosed, and 13 infants (0.4%) were hospitalized with influenza. Maternal influenza vaccination (especially prenatal vaccination) decreased the odds of influenza among infants. The effectiveness of prenatal vaccination was 61% (95% confidence interval, 16%-81%), whereas that of postpartum vaccination was 53% (-28%-83%). Although maternal influenza vaccination was also associated with a decreased odds of influenza-related hospitalization among infants, vaccine effectiveness (73%) did not reach statistical significance, owing to the limited number of infants hospitalized because of influenza.
Conclusions: The present findings indicated that pregnant women and postpartum women should receive influenza vaccination to protect their infants.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jix629 | DOI Listing |
Nutrients
January 2025
Unit of Internal Medicine, AOU Policlinico "P. Giaccone", Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Maternal and Infant Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (PROMISE), University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, several observational studies proved a certain efficacy of nutraceuticals, herbal products, and other dietary supplements as adjuvant therapies used alongside antiviral drugs. Although their use has not been widespread in Italy, according to preliminary evidence, many supplements with demonstrated immunomodulatory effects, such as vitamins C and D, herbal medicines and essential oils, might relieve the respiratory symptoms of COVID-19, since SARS-CoV-2 can activate inflammasome-mediated inflammatory signaling pathways. Other observational studies have shown that herbal treatments, such as and ginseng, help alleviate respiratory symptoms and reduce serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, which are typically overexpressed in both adult and pediatric SARS-CoV-2 patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceuticals (Basel)
January 2025
Departamento de Farmacia, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Wilfrido Massieu 399, Mexico City C.P. 07738, Mexico.
: In recent years the global incidence of cancer during pregnancy is rising, occurring in 1 out of every 1000 pregnancies. In this regard, the most used chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer are alkylating agents such as cyclophosphamide (Cp). Despite its great efficacy, has been associated with the production of oxidative stress and DNA damage, leading to embryotoxicity, genotoxicity, and teratogenicity in the developing .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife (Basel)
January 2025
Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology, Riga Stradins University, Kronvalda Boulevard 9, LV-1010 Riga, Latvia.
Background: Numerous studies have shown the presence of multiple defence factors in placental tissue, although their role is partially understood; therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB); human beta-defensin 2, 3, and 4 (HBD-2,3,4); cathelicidine (LL-37); heat shock protein 60 (HSP60); and interleukin 10 (IL-10) in dissimilar gestational week placental tissue and display correlations between immunoreactive cells.
Methods: A total of 15 human placental tissue samples were acquired from mothers with different gestational weeks: 28, 31, and 40. Routine staining and immunohistochemistry for the samples were executed.
Int J Mol Sci
January 2025
Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Alcohol is the second-most misused substance after tobacco. It has been identified as a causal factor in more than 200 diseases and 5.3% of all deaths and is associated with significant behavioral, social, and economic difficulties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2025
Department of Medical Surgical Disciplines, Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University of Bucharest, 031593 Bucharest, Romania.
In approximately half of the recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) cases, the underlying cause is unknown. However, most unexplained miscarriages are thought to be linked to immune dysfunction. This review summarizes the current evidence regarding the immunological evaluations of patients with RSA, with potential implications for clinical research.
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