Efficacy of hepatitis B immunization with reduced intradermal doses.

Intradermally (I.D.) administered reduced doses of HB-Vax and Hevac-B were tested against the standard protocols for administering these two vaccines. Immunogenicity, efficacy and possible side effects were evaluated. Four-hundred-sixty-two healthy subjects were vaccinated as follows: Fifty-two subjects received HB-Vax and 99 Hevac B according to the standard regimens. The remaining subjects received 3 I.D. injections in the deltoid region at one-month intervals in the following doses: 165 subjects with 2 micrograms doses of HB-Vax, 118 subjects with 1 microgram doses of Hevac-B and 28 subjects with 0.5 micrograms (minimal) doses of Hevac-B. Post-vaccination tests (anti-HBs titres and other serological markers for HBV) were to be performed 30, 60, 90, 180, 270 and 360 days after the first injections. Side effects seen with the experimental protocols were acceptable and limited to local reactions. It was found that, on the whole, reduced I.D. doses of both vaccines produced very high immune responses showing a consistently greater efficacy than those of the standard protocols, though the differences were not always statistically significant. Ninety days after the first injections, 80.8% and 82.7% of subjects vaccinated with reduced I.D. doses of HB-Vax showed seroconversion as opposed to only 62.0% of those receiving standard protocol HB-Vax. Seroconversion rates at 90 days in subjects receiving reduced I.D. doses of Hevac-B were 92.0% and 87.9% and for those receiving the minimal doses of this vaccine, 94.1%. The rate of seroconversion obtained with standard administration of Hevac-B was 83.8%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Salmonella infections in workers at food shops during the period 1979-1985 in the province of Sassari]. / Infezioni da salmonella in operatori del settore alimentare nel periodo 1979-1985 nella provincia di Sassari.

Various categories of subjects working in food shops were tested for Salmonellae. The strains were isolated through serological typing and testing for sensitivity to antibiotics allowed us to know the epidemiological situation of those microorganisms in our area and their variations compared to previous studies.

[Relation between blood eosinophilia and allergic respiratory disease in 2 different school-age populations]. / Relazione tra eosinofilia ematica e malattie respiratorie allergiche in due differenti popolazioni dell'età scolare.

Two groups of children from 6 to 14 years old have been compared to explain correlation between haematic eosinophils and allergic respiratory diseases related with the environment where they live. First group was formed by 350 pupils of Sesto S. Giovanni, and industrialized town, the second group by 345 pupils of Cogliate, a country place. The screening was been preceded by a set of questions self-managed and it consisted in the determinations percentage of peripheral blood eosinophils. Patients whose eosinophils were more than 4% have been considered eosinophilia carrier. The results have been elaborated with statistical method "chi square". Results proved the greatest prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases in urban population with a greater eosinophilia spreading (33% in comparison with 26%; p less than 0.05). Eosinophilia appeared connected with recurrent rhinitis (p less than 0.001) relapsing bronchitis (p less than 0.001) relapsing bronchitis (p less than 0.001) asthmatic bronchitis (p less than 0.001) positive results of skin tests to 4 allergens (p less than 0.001) and in rural district also with male sex (p less than 0.05). In industrialized areas, in special way there is a closed relation between respiratory diseases and peripheral blood eosinophils increased. Eosinophilia will be find in relapsing respiratory pathology and it will apply to allergology controls. It could represent an unfavourable element of prognosis foresee the possibility that episodic bronchus-spasms will be frequent in patients with asthmatic syndrome.