Observational study of vaccination in cancer patients: How can vaccine coverage be improved?

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy increases the risk of infections, often severe, and some of them are vaccine-preventable infections. We aimed to assess vaccination coverage and associated factors in oncology and hematology patients. METHODS: Consecutive adult patients followed in a French university hospital for hematological malignancy or solid cancer voluntarily completed an anonymous questionnaire in September and October 2016. It included questions on underlying disease, chemotherapy, flu, and pneumococcal vaccination uptakes, and attitudes toward vaccination. Factors associated with vaccination uptake were assessed by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The response rate was 41.9% (N=671) among 1,600 questionnaires distributed; 232 patients had underlying hematological malignancy and 439 had solid cancer. Half of the patients were aged over 65 years. Chemotherapy was ongoing or discontinued for less than one year in 74.7% of patients. In patients aged <65 years undergoing chemotherapy, flu vaccination rate was 19.9% whereas patients aged >65 years had coverage of 47%. Pneumococcal vaccine uptake was 7.3%. However, 64.7% of patients were favorable to vaccination. Vaccine uptake was associated with age >65 years (OR 4.5 [2.9-7.0]), information about vaccination delivered by the family physician (OR 12.9 [5.5-30.1]), follow-up in hematology unit (OR 2.0 [1.3-3.1]), and positive opinion about vaccination (OR 2.0 [1.3-3.1]). CONCLUSION: Despite specific recommendations regarding immunocompromised patients, anti-pneumococcal and flu vaccinations were rarely conducted, even in elderly patients. Targeted information campaigns to family physicians, oncologists, and patients should be implemented to improve vaccine coverage in patients with underlying malignancies.

Thermodynamic temperature assignment to the point of inflection of the melting curve of high-temperature fixed points.

The thermodynamic temperature of the point of inflection of the melting transition of Re-C, Pt-C and Co-C eutectics has been determined to be 2747.84 ± 0.35 K, 2011.43 ± 0.18 K and 1597.39 ± 0.13 K, respectively, and the thermodynamic temperature of the freezing transition of Cu has been determined to be 1357.80 ± 0.08 K, where the ± symbol represents 95% coverage. These results are the best consensus estimates obtained from measurements made using various spectroradiometric primary thermometry techniques by nine different national metrology institutes. The good agreement between the institutes suggests that spectroradiometric thermometry techniques are sufficiently mature (at least in those institutes) to allow the direct realization of thermodynamic temperature above 1234 K (rather than the use of a temperature scale) and that metal-carbon eutectics can be used as high-temperature fixed points for thermodynamic temperature dissemination. The results directly support the developing mise en pratique for the definition of the kelvin to include direct measurement of thermodynamic temperature.

Las representaciones de apego y el estrés en las madres de niños nacidos pretérmino de muy bajo peso a los 2 años / Attachment representations and stress in mothers of very low birth weight preterm infants at two years of age

Introducción: Hay consenso en las investigaciones acerca de los efectos del nacimiento prematuro en las interacciones bebe-cuidador, aumentando los riesgos sobre el apego. Material y métodos: Se estudia a un grupo de 90 niños nacidos pretérmino con muy bajo peso (<1.500 g) seguidos en el Hospital de Cruces (Bizkaia, España) y 96 niños nacidos sanos a término, con edad y características sociodemográficas similares. El objetivo es evaluar, mediante una entrevista semiestructurada (entrevista R de representaciones maternas), el estrés materno y el modelo vincular sobre la base de las representaciones maternas de apego. Resultados: Los niños pretérmino tenían una inmadurez y riesgo biológico de grado medio-severo al nacimiento: EG media 29,9 semanas, PN 1.159,76 g y 57% más de 1 semana de hospitalización en la UCI. Las madres del grupo de los nacidos pretérmino presentaron más estrés durante el primer año de su hijo (61%) comparando con el grupo control (39%), pero no se encuentran diferencias en el modelo vincular o representacional de apego de las madres entre los 2 grupos. Discusión y conclusiones: Se confirma que el nacimiento pretérmino tiene gran influencia sobre el equilibrio emocional materno y la conveniencia de evaluar las reacciones de estrés en los padres y los signos de riesgo para el apego de esta población lo más temprano posible(AU)

Introduction: There is a consensus that prematurity could affect the risk of attachment impairment. Material and methods: We studied 90 very low birth weights preterm children (<1500 g) with follow-ups at Cruces Hospital (Bizkaia) and 96 healthy children born at term with similar age and sociodemographic characteristics. Our objective is to assess maternal stress and link model in accordance to attachment representations of mothers on both groups by using R Interview for Maternal Representations. Results: Preterm infants had a medium-to-severe degree of immaturity and biological risk: mean gestational age of 29.9 weeks and birth weight 1159.76 gr, with 57% staying in the ICU mayor 1 week. Mothers of preterm infants reported higher levels of stress during their first year of life (61%) than controls (39%), but no significant differences were found in link model (attachment representations) between the two groups. Discussion and conclusions: The results confirm that preterm birth has a great influence on maternal emotional responses, and indicate that stress responses in parents and alarm signs for attachment problems should be assessed as early as possible(AU)

[Attachment representations and stress in mothers of very low birth weight preterm infants at two years of age]. / Las representaciones de apego y el estrés en las madres de niños nacidos pretérmino de muy bajo peso a los 2 años.

INTRODUCTION: There is a consensus that prematurity could affect the risk of attachment impairment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 90 very low birth weights preterm children (<1500 g) with follow-ups at Cruces Hospital (Bizkaia) and 96 healthy children born at term with similar age and sociodemographic characteristics. Our objective is to assess maternal stress and link model in accordance to attachment representations of mothers on both groups by using R Interview for Maternal Representations. RESULTS: Preterm infants had a medium-to-severe degree of immaturity and biological risk: mean gestational age of 29.9 weeks and birth weight 1159.76 gr, with 57% staying in the ICU ≥ 1 week. Mothers of preterm infants reported higher levels of stress during their first year of life (61%) than controls (39%), but no significant differences were found in link model (attachment representations) between the two groups. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that preterm birth has a great influence on maternal emotional responses, and indicate that stress responses in parents and alarm signs for attachment problems should be assessed as early as possible.

Principal Components Analysis on the spectral Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function of ceramic colour standards.

The Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) is essential to characterize an object's reflectance properties. This function depends both on the various illumination-observation geometries as well as on the wavelength. As a result, the comprehensive interpretation of the data becomes rather complex. In this work we assess the use of the multivariable analysis technique of Principal Components Analysis (PCA) applied to the experimental BRDF data of a ceramic colour standard. It will be shown that the result may be linked to the various reflection processes occurring on the surface, assuming that the incoming spectral distribution is affected by each one of these processes in a specific manner. Moreover, this procedure facilitates the task of interpolating a series of BRDF measurements obtained for a particular sample.

Experimental investigation of the effect of pump incoherence on nonlinear pump spectral broadening and continuous-wave supercontinuum generation.

The development of high-power cw fiber lasers has triggered a great interest in the phenomena of nonlinear pump spectral broadening and cw supercontinuum generation. These effects have very convenient applications in Raman amplification, optical fiber metrology, and fiber sensing. In particular, it was recently shown that pump incoherence has a strong impact in these processes. We study experimentally the effect of pump incoherence in nonlinear pump spectral broadening and cw supercontinuum generation in optical fibers. We show that under certain experimental conditions an optimum degree of pump incoherence yields the best performance in the broadening process. We qualitatively explain these results, and we point out that these results may have important implications in cw supercontinuum optimization.

Hydrogen burning of 17O in classical novae.

We report on the observation of a previously unknown resonance at E(lab)(R)=194.1+/-0.6 keV in the 17O(p,alpha)14N reaction, with a measured resonance strength omegagamma(palpha)=1.6 +/- 0.2 meV. We studied in the same experiment the 17O(p,gamma)18F reaction by an activation method and the resonance-strength ratio was found to be omegagamma(palpha)/omegagamma(pgamma) = 470 +/- 50. The corresponding excitation energy in the 18F compound nucleus was determined to be 5789.8 +/- 0.3 keV by gamma-ray measurements using the 14N(alpha, gamma)18F reaction. These new resonance properties have important consequences for 17O nucleosynthesis and gamma-ray astronomy of classical novae.

21Na(p,gamma)22Mg reaction and oxygen-neon novae.

The 21Na(p,gamma)22Mg reaction is expected to play an important role in the nucleosynthesis of 22Na in oxygen-neon novae. The decay of 22Na leads to the emission of a characteristic 1.275 MeV gamma-ray line. This report provides the first direct measurement of the rate of this reaction using a radioactive 21Na beam, and discusses its astrophysical implications. The energy of the important state was measured to be E(c.m.)=205.7+/-0.5 keV with a resonance strength omegagamma=1.03+/-0.16(stat)+/-0.14(sys) meV.

Gamma-Ray Emission from Novae Related to Positron Annihilation: Constraints on its Observability Posed by New Experimental Nuclear Data.

Classical novae emit gamma-ray radiation at 511 keV and below (with a cutoff at around 20-30 keV), related to positron annihilation and its Comptonization in the expanding envelope. This emission has been elusive up to now because it occurs at epochs well before the maximum in optical luminosity, but it could be detected by some sensitive instrument on board a satellite, provided that the nova is close enough and that it is observed at the right moment. The detection of this emission, which is a challenge for current and future gamma-ray instruments, would shed light into the physical processes that occur in the early phases of the explosion, which are invisible in other lower energy ranges. A good prediction of the emitted fluxes and of the corresponding detectability distances with different instruments relies critically on a good knowledge of reaction rates relevant to 18F destruction, which have been subject to strong revision after recent nuclear spectroscopy measurements. With respect to previous results, smaller ejected masses of 18F are predicted, leading to smaller emitted fluxes in the 20-511 keV range and shorter detectability distances.

[Acute respiratory infections (ARI) in the 0-14 years of age group during the winter period]. / Infecciones respiratorias agudas (IRA) en población de 0-14 años durante período invernal.

OBJECTIVE: Identification of factors associated with suffering Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI). DESIGN: A descriptive study using a direct survey. SETTING: "El Naranjo" Primary Care team, Area 9 Madrid. PATIENTS: 362 patients between 0 and 14. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 362 interviews were carried out, covering items connected with personal background, living conditions, situation and quality of life and activities, 180 patients attending with clinical symptoms of ARI were interviewed, as well as 182 who attended during the same period for other reasons. The profile of the patients interviewed was mainly: females between 6 and 10, with more history of catarrh than any other pathology, and who had taken aspirin to treat symptoms and mainly Penicillin as an aetiological treatment. They lived in homes measuring 100 square metres, with three bed-rooms which were shared in the main by two people, and had one brother aged between 1 and 9. CONCLUSION: No protective factors against ARI were found in the group of children studied.