BackgroundImmunosuppressed individuals present serious morbidity and mortality from influenza, therefore it is important to understand the safety and immunogenicity of influenza vaccination among them.MethodsThis multicenter cohort study evaluated the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of an inactivated, monovalent, non-adjuvanted pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine among the elderly, HIV-infected, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), cancer, kidney transplant, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients. Participants were included during routine clinical visits, and vaccinated according to conventional influenza vaccination schedules. Antibody response was measured by the hemagglutination-inhibition assay, before and 21 days after vaccination.Results319 patients with cancer, 260 with RA, 256 HIV-infected, 149 elderly individuals, 85 kidney transplant recipients, and 83 with JIA were included.The proportions of seroprotection, seroconversion, and the geometric mean titer ratios postvaccination were, respectively: 37.6%, 31.8%, and 3.2 among kidney transplant recipients, 61.5%, 53.1%, and 7.5 among RA patients, 63.1%, 55.7%, and 5.7 among the elderly, 59.0%, 54.7%, and 5.9 among HIV-infected patients, 52.4%, 49.2%, and 5.3 among cancer patients, 85.5%, 78.3%, and 16.5 among JIA patients. The vaccine was well tolerated, with no reported severe adverse events.ConclusionsThe vaccine was safe among all groups, with an acceptable immunogenicity among the elderly and JIA patients, however new vaccination strategies should be explored to improve the immune response of immunocompromised adult patients. (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01218685)

Most persons aged ≥ 60 y may be safely vaccinated against YF. Before vaccination, they must be carefully screened for conditions associated to altered immunocompetence and for risk of exposure to YF.

Na Análise Experimental do Comportamento três procedimentos são comumente descritos como “custo da resposta”. Eles envolvem (a) aumento do esforço físico necessário para emissão de uma resposta operante; (b) aumento no requerimento para o reforçamento (comumente o aumento no número de respostas exigidas em um programa de reforço de razão); e (c) a perda de reforçadores condicionais (como pontos ou fichas) contingente à resposta operante. O objetivo do artigo foi analisar algumas pesquisas experimentais que empregaram procedimentos que exemplificam estas três definições de custo de resposta, discutindo suas diferenças, semelhanças e implicações para a Análise do Comportamento. Apesar de algumas semelhanças em relação aos efeitos comportamentais destes três tipos de procedimentos, puderam ser observadas algumas características distintas, tanto no delineamento experimental quanto nos efeitos comportamentais observados. Assim, recomenda-se cautela em descrever como “custo da resposta” os efeitos obtidos, visto que não foram encontradas evidências empíricas suficientes que indiquem que estes procedimentos produzem efeitos comportamentais funcionalmente equivalentes.

SUMMARY Neisseria meningitidis is a cause of several life-threatening diseases and can be a normal commensal in the upper respiratory tract of healthy carriers. The carrier rate is not well established especially because there is no standard method for the isolation of N. meningitidis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare identification methods for the carrier state. Two swabs were collected from 190 volunteers: one was cultured and the other had DNA extracted directly from the sample. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed to determine species and serogroups and compared the results between the methods. PCR for species determination used two pairs of primers and when there was only one amplicon, it was sequenced. The culture technique was positive in 23 (12.1%) subjects while the direct extraction method was positive in 132 (69.5%), p < 0.001. Among the 135 subjects with positive N. meningitides tests, 88 (65.2%) were serogroup C; 3 (2.2%) serogroup B; 5 (3.7%) were positive for both serogroup B and C, and 39 (28.9%) did not belong to any of the tested serogroups. In this study, PCR from DNA extracted directly from swabs identified more N. meningitidis asymptomatic carriers than the culture technique.

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Resumo:A Teoria do Momentum Comportamental (TMC) foi proposta para sistematizar os dados de pesquisas sobre resistência do comportamento à mudança, definindo-a como a tendência de um comportamento continuar ocorrendo quando se altera o ambiente no qual ele está sendo mantido. O presente artigo discorre acerca dos aspectos históricos, teóricos e metodológicos sobre a resistência do comportamento à mudança de acordo com o quadro conceitual da TMC e apresenta algumas das implicações dessa área de pesquisa para a Análise do Comportamento Aplicada. Observa-se que a resistência comportamental é um fenômeno complexo que pode ser afetado por diversas variáveis, tais como a taxa ou a magnitude dos reforços, diferentes exigências sobre a taxa de respostas e pelo atraso dos reforços. Tais resultados promoveram o desenvolvimento e refinamento de protocolos de intervenção, principalmente no trabalho com indivíduos com desenvolvimento atípico. A continuidade da pesquisa nessa área fornecerá maior e melhor conhecimento sobre o comportamento dos organismos, bases para revisões teóricas sobre os determinantes da resistência do comportamento à mudança bem como promoverá o desenvolvimento de intervenções comportamentais mais efetivas. Palavras-chave:Persistência, resistência à mudança, artigo de revisão, momentum comportamental; ressurgência Abstract: Behavioral Momentum Theory (BMT) was proposed to systematize research data on behavioral resistance to change, defining it as the tendency of a behavior to continue occurring when the environment in which it is being maintained is altered. This article discusses the historical, theoretical and methodological aspects of behavioral resistance to change according to the conceptual framework of BMT and presents some of the implications of this area for Applied Behavior Analysis. It is noted that behavioral resistance is a complex phenomenon that can be affected by several variables, such as the rate or magnitude of reinforcement, different response-rate requirements and reinforcement delay. Such results promoted the development and refinement of intervention protocols, mainly in the work with individuals with atypical development. The continuity of research in this area will provide greater and better knowledge about the behavior of organisms, bases for theoretical reviews on the determinants of behavioral resistance to change, as well as promote the development of more effective behavioral interventions.Resumen: La Teoría del Momentum Conductual (TMC) fue propuesta para sistematizar los datos de investigaciones sobre la resistencia de la conducta al cambio, definiéndolo como la tendencia de una conducta continuar ocurriendo cuando se altera el ambiente que la mantenía. El presente artículo discurre sobre los aspectos históricos, teóricos y metodológicos acerca de la resistencia de la conducta al cambio de acuerdo con lo marco conceptual de la TMC y presenta algunas de las implicaciones de esta área de investigación para el Análisis Conductual Aplicada. Se observa que la resistencia condu...

Introduction: This paper describes adverse events (AEs) temporally associated to the pandemic infl uenza A (H1N1) vaccine observed in a reference center in São Paulo, Brazil, during a 2010 mass vaccination campaign. Methods: A retrospective study involving persons who sought medical care for AEs following infl uenza vaccination. Data were retrieved from medical records, vaccine AE notifi cation forms, and a computerized system for immunobiological registration. Results: Sixty-six vaccinees sought medical care for AEs after immunization. The most frequent AEs were fever, headache, myalgia, and pain at the injection site. No serious AEs were reported. Conclusions: Few vaccinees spontaneously reported AEs to infl uenza A (H1N1) vaccine at this center.