Supporting transgender patients with their personal hygiene.

Attending to one's personal hygiene is a private and ritualistic act that is linked to self-expression and is important for one's well-being and self-esteem. Providing effective support with personal hygiene to patients can demonstrate thoughtfulness and sensitivity to their individual needs. Nurses in all fields of nursing may encounter patients who identify as transgender, but many nurses have expressed concerns about their lack of knowledge and confidence in that area of care. This article discusses the use of gender-affirming language and the factors to consider when supporting transgender patients with their personal hygiene as part of personalised, equitable and inclusive nursing care.

Persistence of the immune response at 5 years of age following infant immunisation with investigational quadrivalent MenACWY conjugate vaccine formulations.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Serogroup A, C, W-135 and Y meningococcal (MenACWY) conjugate vaccines are recommended for routine adolescent immunisation in the United States and Canada. We evaluated the persistence of bactericidal antibodies through early childhood, following infant immunisation with varying schedules of MenACWY-CRM(197) vaccine. METHODS: UK and Canadian infants were immunised with 2-3 doses of MenACWY-CRM(197) or 2 doses of serogroup C meningococcal (MenC) conjugate vaccine, and either MenACWY-CRM(197), 1/5 dose of MenACWY polysaccharide vaccine or no booster at 12 months. Control groups recruited at 60 months had received country-specific infant doses of MenC conjugate vaccine. hSBA titres were measured in participants at 40 and 60 months of age. RESULTS: 382 children were enrolled in 12 groups (22-40 per group). By age 60 months, 3-11% of children primed and boosted with MenACWY-CRM(197) had hSBA titres≥1:8 against serogroup A, 14-45% against serogroup C, 57-85% against serogroup W-135 and 42-71% against serogroup Y. Children primed with MenC and boosted with MenACWY-CRM(197) had similar results, except for serogroup C (59%). In age-matched controls administered MenC vaccine at 2, 3, and 4 months (UK), 2 and 12 months or 12 months only (Canada), percentages with hSBA titres≥1:8 were 0-3%, 29-53%, 34-36% and 10-29% against serogroups A, C, W-135 and Y respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Serogroup-specific bactericidal antibody wane following infant immunisation with MenACWY-CRM(197), most markedly against serogroup A. Best persistence against serogroup C is observed with MenC conjugate vaccine priming and MenACWY-CRM(197) at 12 months, compared to schedules using only MenACWY-CRM(197), with the potential for providing broader protection compared to monovalent MenC vaccines alone.

Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a 13-valent-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine administered at 2, 4, and 12 months of age: a double-blind randomized active-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: A 2-, 4-, and 12-month schedule of a novel 13-valent-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), containing serotype 1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F, and 23F polysaccharides individually conjugated to CRM197 was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, controlled infant study. METHODS: Two hundred eighty-six healthy infants received PCV13 or the 7-valent-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) at 2, 4, and 12 months of age, alongside a serogroup C meningococcal (MenC) vaccine (2 and 4 months of age), DTaP-IPV-Hib (2, 3, and 4 months), and a Hib-MenC vaccine (12 months). Specific antibody responses were assessed at age 5, 12, and 13 months. RESULTS: At 13 months of age, >97% of PCV13 recipients had pneumococcal serotype-specific serum IgG concentrations ≥0.35 µg/mL for each vaccine serotype except serotype 3 (88.2%), and at least 93% of PCV13 recipients had OPA titers ≥1:8 for each serotype. At 5 months, 110/114 (96.5%) of PCV13 recipients and 100/102 (98.0%) of PCV7 recipients had serum anti-PRP (Hib) IgG concentration ≥0.15 µg/mL (difference, 1.5%; CI, -7.1%­3.7%), while 119/120 (99.2%) and 117/118 (99.2%), respectively, had MenC serum bactericidal assay titers of ≥1:8. All PCV13 recipients and 110/113 (97.3%) of PCV7 recipients had IgG concentrations against fimbrial agglutinogens of ≥2.2 EU/mL; IgG concentrations for the remaining pertussis antigens were ≥5 EU/mL for all participants. Local reactions and systemic events were similar in the PCV13 and PCV7 groups. CONCLUSIONS: A 2-, 4-, and 12-month course of PCV13 was immunogenic for all 13 vaccine serotypes and was well tolerated.