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Immune Responses To Flu Vaccine Are Diminished In Lupus Patients
Patients with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an increased risk of infection, due to both disturbances in their immune responses and treatment with immunosuppressive drugs. Because morbidity and mortality related to influenza are increased in immunocompromised patients, it is recommended that patients with SLE get annual flu shots, which are safe and do not increase disease activity. Both antibody and cell-mediated responses are involved in the immune response to influenza; in SLE, antibody responses to the vaccine are diminished, but it is not known if the same effect is seen in cell-mediated responses. A new study was the first to examine cell-mediated responses in SLE patients prior to and following influenza vaccination. The study was published in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism .

National Survey Finds Six In Ten Americans Believe Serious Outbreak Of Influenza A (H1N1) Likely In Fall/Winter
As part of a series about Americans" response to the H1N1 flu outbreak, the Harvard Opinion Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health is releasing a national poll that focuses on Americans" views and concerns about the potential for a more severe outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) in the fall or winter. The polling was done June 22-28, 2009.
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Oldest Mother Dies At 69 Orphaning Twin IVF Babies
Single mother Març­a Carmen del Bousada de Lara, a retired shop worker from Cadiz in Spain, has died at the age of 69, orphaning her two and a
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Link Between Common Antibacterial Treatment And Sensorineural Hearing Loss In Cystic Fibrosis Patients

An otherwise effective treatment for cystic fibrosis places patients at a high risk of sensorineural hearing loss, according to new research published in the July edition of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. Researchers reviewed the medical records of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients at Children"s Hospital Boston over a 13 year period, and found that seven of 50 CF patients (14%) suffered from sensorineural hearing loss. Of that group, 43 percent of those that had received aminoglycosides intravenously had received more than 10 courses of the treatment; patients who were treated more than five times with nasal irrigation of aminoglycosides were also at risk of sensorineural hearing loss. Because CF patients are prone to suffer from infections of the pulmonary and sinonasal systems, aminoglycosides are commonly administered to CF patients because of the potent effect they have on bacteria. The treatment is considered so effective that it outweighs the well-known side-effects, which include hair cell loss, and thus hearing loss. The authors contend that CF patients should have routine hearing evaluations that specifically target the detection of sensorineural hearing loss, especially when repeated courses of systemic or intranasal aminoglycosides have be used in treatment. They also note that further investigation through a prospective study is warranted in order to replicate these results. The study"s authors are Alan G. Cheng, MD; Patrick R. Johnston, MMath; Jeniffer Luz, BS; Ahmet Uluer, DO; Brian Fligor, ScD; Greg R. Licameli, MD, MHCM; Margaret A. Kenna, MD, MPH; and Dwight T. Jones, MD. Matt Daigle American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery


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