Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 10: 10.1074/mcp.M111.009241, 1-15, 2011.”
“Background: Intradermally administered influenza vaccine is as immunogenic as intramuscular vaccine at a lower unit dose. New microinjection systems could allow self-administration of vaccine, potentially reducing the cost and inconvenience.\n\nObjective: To compare the immunogenicity, reactogenicity, success rate, and acceptability of self- versus nurse-administered intradermal selleck compound trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine.\n\nMethods: Adults (18-59 years old) were randomized

to either self- or nurse-administered intradermal vaccine. Prior to vaccination, participants completed a questionnaire and had blood drawn for hemagglutination inhibition titres. Participants in the nurse-administered group were vaccinated by study personnel. The self-administered group were given an instruction sheet and administered their own vaccine. All participants completed a questionnaire and adverse event diaries for 21 days post vaccination, at which time blood was again collected.\n\nResults: Of the 228 participants, 115 were randomized to self-administration and 113 to nurse administration. Groups did not differ by sex, age, or levels of seroprotection at baseline. Of the 114 who completed self-administration, 106 (93%) were successful on the first attempt. MK-8776 There were no group

differences in measures of immunogenicity for any of the strains. Self-administering participants reported a lower mean pain rating at vaccination but had larger areas of redness post-vaccination. Seventy percent of all participants said they would prefer intradermal over intramuscular vaccinations in the future, if given the choice.\n\nConclusion:

Compared to nurse-administered intradermal influenza vaccine, self-administered vaccine was immunologically non-inferior AS1842856 and reached all EMA immunogenicity criteria for the A strains, was highly successful and well-accepted by study participants. Together, these data provide preliminary evidence of feasibility for this method of influenza vaccine administration, which may improve vaccine uptake in adults and increase efficiency of vaccine delivery during outbreaks. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Although a chemokine CXCL12 is implicated in some infectious diseases, especially those in which T cell-mediated immunity plays critical roles, the relevance of CXCL12 to tuberculosis has never been elucidated. To determine the clinical efficacy of CXCL12 as a diagnostic marker for tuberculous (TB) pleurisy, we measured CXCL12 concentration in pleural fluid and serum from patients with various etiologies.\n\nOf 60 patients with pleural fluid, the median age of TB patients was 52 which was significantly lower than 71 of non-TB patients (P < 0.01).