Novel production method for traceable surface sources by aluminium functionalisation.

Accurate detection of low-level radioactivity is critical in decommissioning. However, commercial sources used for calibration lack representativeness due to their flat surface. The objective of this work is to produce flexible and large area surface sources for alpha and beta emitters by functionalising aluminium foil. Functionalisation strategies were developed to provide these sources. The manganese oxide coated sample shows the highest fixation yield for 241Am: (70.0 ± 2.6)% and conforms to ISO 8769 for uniformity (92%).

Potency and suppurative adenitis in BCG vaccination.

Studies performed up to now in animal and man show that potent BCG strains guarantee a higher protection against tuberculosis than strains with weak virulence. Vaccine prepared from a strong BCG strain may be administered in lower doses, reducing the incidence of suppurative adenitis to a level acceptable by the individual patients and the health authorities.

Immuno BCG Pasteur F vaccine.

Immuno BCG Pasteur-F (fresh) vaccine is prepared from young cultures, 7-8 days old. Suspended in Dubos' modified medium it may be preserved for 3 months at 4 degrees C or for many years at--70 degrees C. Tests with the vaccine for colony-forming units during storage, biological controls in animals and allergy in children have demonstrated its good stability.

WHO respiratory disease survey in children: a serological study.

This paper is a report on the first (serological) phase of a study organized by WHO in collaboration with the WHO International Reference Centre for Respiratory Virus Diseases other than Influenza in Bethesda, Md., USA, to define the viral etiology of severe respiratory infections in children, particularly in tropical areas. Paired sera from 528 children up to 5 years old admitted to hospital with severe respiratory illness of probable viral etiology were collected in 10 countries and sent frozen to the International Reference Centre, where standard complement-fixation tests were made for the following agents: parainfluenza virus types 1, 2 and 3, influenza virus types A and B, adenoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Coxiella burneti and psittacosis-ornithosis.Some 41% of paired sera showed rising antibody titres for one or more of these agents, multiple infections being observed in 8%. In most of the countries the pattern of infection was similar. RS virus was the most important respiratory tract pathogen of early life, particularly in the first year of life and in cases of bronchiolitis and pneumonia; the parainfluenza viruses were next in importance, particularly in cases of croup, but, in contra-distinction to RS virus infections, they were commoner in older children. Influenza, adenoviruses, and M. pneumoniae were of moderate importance, and C. burneti and the psittacosis-ornithosis agents were relatively rare. This pattern is similar to that which has been observed in temperate climates.

The use of jet-injectors in BCG vaccination.

In mass vaccination programmes, the jet-injection of vaccine may have considerable operational advantages over the classical techniques. The technical performance of two models of jet-injector, the Dermo-Jet and the Ped-O-Jet, in BCG vaccination was assessed in a number of studies which are reviewed by the authors. It is shown that the jet-injectors do not administer the full dose for which they are calibrated and that the size of the vaccination lesion varies more than after vaccination by syringe.By increasing the dosage considerably, the results of vaccination by jet-injection may be improved to a certain extent but the risk of unpleasant reactions is also increased.