True and false contraindications to vaccines.

Nowadays, the awareness of risks related to infectious diseases has decreased, whereas THE perception of risks related to vaccination is growing. Therefore, it may be difficult for health care providers to convince people of the importance of vaccination and adherence to the immunisation schedule. Selected situations that might raise uncertainties about vaccine recommendations are discussed in order to help health care providers to identify real and perceived contraindications to vaccines, and cases to be referred to specialised pre-vaccination consultation due to an increased risk of adverse events to vaccines.

Effect of a More Permeable Dialysis Membrane on ESA Resistance in Hemodialysis Patients--A Pilot Investigation.

Background/aims: Hemodialysis (HD) patients often show impaired response to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). Extended HD membrane permeability may potentially improve ESA response.

Methods: Twenty-four prevalent HD patients were randomly assigned to 12 weeks use of high cut-off (HCO) membrane (in every second dialysis treatment) or continued treatment with high-flux membrane.

Vaccination in children with allergy to non active vaccine components.

Childhood immunisation is one of the greatest public health successes of the last century. Vaccines contain an active component (the antigen) which induces the immune response. They may also contain additional components such as preservatives, additives, adjuvants and traces of other substances.

Microcirculation as a novel marker of membrane biocompatibility.

Background: It is possible to consider microcirculation as a kind of OwitnessO of the complex biological reactions triggered by the dialytic treatment. The reactivity of microcirculation to the dialytic stress may represent a measure of the overall biocompatibility of the membrane. In this study we tested the hypothesis that different synthetic membranes may have different biological effects, particularly related to microcirculation.

A case control study of dermatophagoides immunotherapy in children below 5 years of age.

Background: In this study we investigate the effects of parenteral immunotherapy on children below 5 years of age in order to prove the safety and clinical efficacy of dust mite specific immunotherapy (SIT) in such young patients. In young children, allergy is often due to dermatophagoides and causes a persistent inflammation that leads to recurrent respiratory infections. This condition impairs the normal development of airways by inducing remodelling.

Plasma lipids and fatty acid levels in chronically uremic patients undergoing blood purification with different methods.

Levels of plasma lipids and the fatty acid composition of major plasma lipid classes have been determined in chronically uremic patients before and after treatments with hemofiltration, high efficiency paired filtration dialysis, or acetate-free biofiltration. The major findings are a decrease of triglycerides and an increase of total free fatty acids (FFAs) at the end of the dialytic session--already reported in the literature--that do not appear to be strictly dependent on heparin administration. The changes in the plasma concentrations of selected saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which may contribute to alteration of functional parameters in the cardiovascular system in dialyzed patients, are different in the various types of techniques.

Short time treatment with high-efficiency paired filtration dialysis for chronic renal failure.

With the aim of treating with short sessions even chronic uremic patients with cardiovascular instability, we have developed our previous findings about paired filtration dialysis (hemofiltration-hemodialysis in series) by a method we call high-efficiency paired filtration dialysis (HEPFD). We have treated with this method for 6 months 6 chronic anuric uremic patients previously treated for 6 months with hemofiltration (HF) because of their cardiovascular instability. By comparison with HF, HEPFD shows much higher clearances of small molecules with consequent significant decrease of their predialytic values, improvement of Kt/V value, lower beta 2-microglobulin clearance (its predialytic value remains unchanged), and the same tolerability.

Dermatophagoides and storage mites: statistical analysis of RAST results.

R.I.A.