Illness and Diseases

Use of High‐Dose, Twice‐Yearly Albendazole and Ivermectin to Suppress Wuchereria bancrofti Microfilarial Levels. Part 5

Ivermectin and albendazole are broad‐spectrum anthelmintics that have been shown to decrease the prevalence and intensity of intestinal helminth infections in the setting of mass distribution programs for lymphatic filariasis, providing additional benefit to treated communities. In contrast, the effect of standard‐dose annual ivermectin and albendazole on M. perstans infection has been unimpressive. In the […]

November 18, 2010 – 4:07 pm | By Dan Frost | Posted in Other | Comments (0)

Use of High‐Dose, Twice‐Yearly Albendazole and Ivermectin to Suppress Wuchereria bancrofti Microfilarial Levels. Part 4

Although no patients had test results negative for W. bancrofti circulating antigen by 24 months, circulating antigen levels decreased in both groups over time. Median percentages of pretreatment levels at 12, 18, and 24 months were 21%, 97%, and 28% in the twice‐yearly treatment group, compared with 23%, 60%, and 31% in the annual treatment […]

November 17, 2010 – 9:17 pm | By Dan Frost | Posted in Other | Comments (0)

Use of High‐Dose, Twice‐Yearly Albendazole and Ivermectin to Suppress Wuchereria bancrofti Microfilarial Levels. Part 3

Study population. Patients were recruited and screened in April 2007 and began treatment in July 2007. On the basis of the screening results, 51 eligible patients were identified and randomized to receive standard, annual therapy or high‐dose, twice‐yearly therapy. Seven patients (3 in the annual group and 4 in the twice‐yearly group) declined to participate […]

November 13, 2010 – 12:35 am | By Dan Frost | Posted in Other | Comments (0)

Use of High‐Dose, Twice‐Yearly Albendazole and Ivermectin to Suppress Wuchereria bancrofti Microfilarial Levels. Part 2

Nonpregnant volunteers of both sexes, 14–65 years of age, were screened with a brief medical history and physical examination and venipuncture between 10 pm and 2 am for detection of W. bancrofti microfilariae by calibrated thick smear of 60 μL of blood, assessment of W. bancrofti circulating antigen levels by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (TropBio), and […]

November 11, 2010 – 6:56 am | By Dan Frost | Posted in Other | Comments (0)

Use of High‐Dose, Twice‐Yearly Albendazole and Ivermectin to Suppress Wuchereria bancrofti Microfilarial Levels. Part 1

More than 120 million people in approximately 80 countries are infected with the mosquito‐transmitted filarial nematodes, Wuchereria bancrofti or Brugia species. Furthermore, it is estimated that >40 million people have chronic, disabling disease manifestations, including lymphedema, hydrocele, and elephantiasis. Despite successful elimination programs in some countries, transmission of lymphatic filariasis remains a problem in many […]

November 9, 2010 – 2:52 pm | By Dan Frost | Posted in Other | Comments (0)

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine and Increased Risk of Pandemic A/H1N1‐Related Illness. Part 7

Because of limitations in study design and because they represented unexpected findings, we interpreted the results of this outbreak investigation as a paradoxical signal of possible concern—thought‐provoking but inconclusive and warranting further evaluation. Canadian investigators thus embarked on a series of confirmatory studies using more rigorous methods and laboratory‐confirmed outcomes through the summer of 2009, […]

November 5, 2010 – 6:46 pm | By Dan Frost | Posted in Infections | Comments (0)

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine and Increased Risk of Pandemic A/H1N1‐Related Illness. Part 6

There are, however, several limitations to this study warranting cautious interpretation of the results. First, the study relied upon a nonspecific clinical outcome (ILI) for defining pH1N1‐related illness. There are many causes of ILI, as evidenced by other contributing viruses identified through passive surveillance during the study period. We attempted to validate the ILI case […]

November 4, 2010 – 3:24 pm | By Dan Frost | Posted in Infections | Comments (0)

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine and Increased Risk of Pandemic A/H1N1‐Related Illness. Part 5

In additional sensitivity analyses based on logistic regression and restricted to the period of peak ILI activity (27 April–11 May 2009), the overall OR for 2008–2009 TIV effect adjusted for age, chronic conditions, Aboriginal status, and household density was higher (3.55; 95% CI, 1.70–7.34). When we used control subjects defined as fully asymptomatic persons rather […]

November 2, 2010 – 12:00 am | By Dan Frost | Posted in Infections | Comments (0)

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine and Increased Risk of Pandemic A/H1N1‐Related Illness. Part 4

On‐reserve household participants.Two hundred twenty‐four individuals who participated in the community survey were reported as living on a surrounding reserve. After excluding individuals with unknown 2008–2009 TIV status (n=29), unknown chronic condition (n=1), or age 6 months on 31 December 2008 (n=4), the on‐reserve analysis included 191 survey participants, of whom 100 (52%) were aged

October 30, 2010 – 5:02 pm | By Dan Frost | Posted in Infections | Comments (0)

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine and Increased Risk of Pandemic A/H1N1‐Related Illness. Part 3

Of the 45 participants from the affected elementary school households, 14 (31%) were seropositive for pH1N1 (13 of 14 persons with ILI). Of the 29 on‐reserve participants, 13 (45%) were seropositive for pH1N1 (12 of 13 persons with ILI). Of the 48 serum samples from participants belonging to off‐reserve households without children in the affected […]

October 28, 2010 – 4:40 pm | By Dan Frost | Posted in Infections | Comments (0)