Karen Blum

Schizophrenia patients may underestimate their memory performance, according to a study conducted by Chien-Yeh Chiu of National Taiwan University in Taipei and colleagues.

Researchers assessed Feeling-of-Knowing (FOK) ability of 40 schizophrenia patients and 40 demographically matched normal controls through a recall-judgment-recognition task involving common Chinese word pairs. In a learning phase, participants were presented with 26 word pairs and told they would be asked to recall the target words later.

In a second phase, participants were asked to recall the target words and assess their FOK judgments. In a third phase, participants were presented with 20 targets and 20 distracters, and were asked to recognize whether each word had been learned in the learning phase. Researchers measured FOK accuracy by estimating the association between FOK judgment and correctness of recognition.

Schizophrenia patients as a group had less FOK than their normal counterparts, but their FOK ability varied, with 42.5% of patients exhibiting a below chance level performance. Patient self-reports of cognitive capacity should be treated “with caution,” the authors noted.

“Because patients with schizophrenia tend to underestimate their performance in upcoming memory tasks, they are more likely to prematurely terminate their memory searches,” they wrote. “Cognitive remediation programs to counteract this tendency may improve memory function, and routine neuropsychological assessment, including evaluation of metamemory function, should be helpful.”

Read the article in Psychiatry Research (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2015.09.046).

Schizophrenia patients may underestimate their memory performance, according to a study conducted by Chien-Yeh Chiu of National Taiwan University in Taipei and colleagues.

Researchers assessed Feeling-of-Knowing (FOK) ability of 40 schizophrenia patients and 40 demographically matched normal controls through a recall-judgment-recognition task involving common Chinese word pairs. In a learning phase, participants were presented with 26 word pairs and told they would be asked to recall the target words later.

In a second phase, participants were asked to recall the target words and assess their FOK judgments. In a third phase, participants were presented with 20 targets and 20 distracters, and were asked to recognize whether each word had been learned in the learning phase. Researchers measured FOK accuracy by estimating the association between FOK judgment and correctness of recognition.

Schizophrenia patients as a group had less FOK than their normal counterparts, but their FOK ability varied, with 42.5% of patients exhibiting a below chance level performance. Patient self-reports of cognitive capacity should be treated “with caution,” the authors noted.

“Because patients with schizophrenia tend to underestimate their performance in upcoming memory tasks, they are more likely to prematurely terminate their memory searches,” they wrote. “Cognitive remediation programs to counteract this tendency may improve memory function, and routine neuropsychological assessment, including evaluation of metamemory function, should be helpful.”

Read the article in Psychiatry Research (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2015.09.046).

Schizophrenia patients may underestimate their memory performance, according to a study conducted by Chien-Yeh Chiu of National Taiwan University in Taipei and colleagues.

Researchers assessed Feeling-of-Knowing (FOK) ability of 40 schizophrenia patients and 40 demographically matched normal controls through a recall-judgment-recognition task involving common Chinese word pairs. In a learning phase, participants were presented with 26 word pairs and told they would be asked to recall the target words later.

In a second phase, participants were asked to recall the target words and assess their FOK judgments. In a third phase, participants were presented with 20 targets and 20 distracters, and were asked to recognize whether each word had been learned in the learning phase. Researchers measured FOK accuracy by estimating the association between FOK judgment and correctness of recognition.

Schizophrenia patients as a group had less FOK than their normal counterparts, but their FOK ability varied, with 42.5% of patients exhibiting a below chance level performance. Patient self-reports of cognitive capacity should be treated “with caution,” the authors noted.

“Because patients with schizophrenia tend to underestimate their performance in upcoming memory tasks, they are more likely to prematurely terminate their memory searches,” they wrote. “Cognitive remediation programs to counteract this tendency may improve memory function, and routine neuropsychological assessment, including evaluation of metamemory function, should be helpful.”

Read the article in Psychiatry Research (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2015.09.046).

Antipsychotic polytherapy might be associated with a higher risk of akathisia among patients with schizophrenia, according to a study published by Dr. Fabrice Berna of the University Hospital of Strasbourg (France) and his colleagues with the FondaMental Academic Centers of Expertise for Schizophrenia group.

Researchers followed 372 community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia (n = 291) or schizoaffective disorder (n = 81) and measured akathisia using the 6-point Barnes Akathisia Scale (BAS).

The global prevalence of akathisia (defined by a score of 2 or higher on the BAS) among these patients was 18.5% (58 of 372). Polytherapy with two first-generation antipsychotics was associated with a twofold increase of akathisia, compared with monotherapy with a first-generation antipsychotic (21.4% vs. 40%). Polytherapy with two second-generation antipsychotics was associated with a threefold increase of akathisia, compared with monotherapy with a second-generation antipsychotic (10.9% vs. 34.2%). Polytherapy with a first- and second-generation antipsychotic was associated with an akathisia prevalence of 14.7%.

“Our results indicate that antipsychotic polytherapy should be at best avoided and suggest that monotherapy should be recommended in cases of akathisia,” the authors wrote. “Long-term administration of benzodiazepines or anticholinergic drugs does not seem to be advisable in cases of akathisia, given the potential side effects of these medications.”

Read the article in Schizophrenia Research (doi: 10/1016/j/schres.2015.10/040).

Antipsychotic polytherapy might be associated with a higher risk of akathisia among patients with schizophrenia, according to a study published by Dr. Fabrice Berna of the University Hospital of Strasbourg (France) and his colleagues with the FondaMental Academic Centers of Expertise for Schizophrenia group.

Researchers followed 372 community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia (n = 291) or schizoaffective disorder (n = 81) and measured akathisia using the 6-point Barnes Akathisia Scale (BAS).

The global prevalence of akathisia (defined by a score of 2 or higher on the BAS) among these patients was 18.5% (58 of 372). Polytherapy with two first-generation antipsychotics was associated with a twofold increase of akathisia, compared with monotherapy with a first-generation antipsychotic (21.4% vs. 40%). Polytherapy with two second-generation antipsychotics was associated with a threefold increase of akathisia, compared with monotherapy with a second-generation antipsychotic (10.9% vs. 34.2%). Polytherapy with a first- and second-generation antipsychotic was associated with an akathisia prevalence of 14.7%.

“Our results indicate that antipsychotic polytherapy should be at best avoided and suggest that monotherapy should be recommended in cases of akathisia,” the authors wrote. “Long-term administration of benzodiazepines or anticholinergic drugs does not seem to be advisable in cases of akathisia, given the potential side effects of these medications.”

Read the article in Schizophrenia Research (doi: 10/1016/j/schres.2015.10/040).

Antipsychotic polytherapy might be associated with a higher risk of akathisia among patients with schizophrenia, according to a study published by Dr. Fabrice Berna of the University Hospital of Strasbourg (France) and his colleagues with the FondaMental Academic Centers of Expertise for Schizophrenia group.

Researchers followed 372 community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia (n = 291) or schizoaffective disorder (n = 81) and measured akathisia using the 6-point Barnes Akathisia Scale (BAS).

The global prevalence of akathisia (defined by a score of 2 or higher on the BAS) among these patients was 18.5% (58 of 372). Polytherapy with two first-generation antipsychotics was associated with a twofold increase of akathisia, compared with monotherapy with a first-generation antipsychotic (21.4% vs. 40%). Polytherapy with two second-generation antipsychotics was associated with a threefold increase of akathisia, compared with monotherapy with a second-generation antipsychotic (10.9% vs. 34.2%). Polytherapy with a first- and second-generation antipsychotic was associated with an akathisia prevalence of 14.7%.

“Our results indicate that antipsychotic polytherapy should be at best avoided and suggest that monotherapy should be recommended in cases of akathisia,” the authors wrote. “Long-term administration of benzodiazepines or anticholinergic drugs does not seem to be advisable in cases of akathisia, given the potential side effects of these medications.”

Read the article in Schizophrenia Research (doi: 10/1016/j/schres.2015.10/040).

The number of pneumococcal serotypes with high potential for causing invasive disease decreased in France after the introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), according to a study published in Vaccine by Dr. Emmanuelle Varon of the Hospital Européen Georges Pompidou in Paris and her colleagues.

Only two nonvaccine serotypes, 24F and 12F, had a high invasive disease potential in children under the age of 2 years after PCV13 was made available in 2010, researchers found. This is a decrease from five serotypes – 7F, 3, 1, 24F and 19A – previously known to have had a high invasive disease potential, when children were offered a seven-valent vaccine (PCV7).

©Steve Mann/thinkstockphotos.com

During two study periods, 2008-2009 (before PCV13) and 2012-2013 (after PCV13), researchers looked at 355 pneumococci isolated from 1,212 healthy children aged 6-24 months and from 569 children with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), including 166 with meningitis, 114 with pneumonia, and 289 with other IPDs. During the second study period, the number of pneumococcal isolates was reduced for overall IPD (53%), meningitis (37%), pneumonia (66%), and other IPDs (56%). PCV7 serotypes almost disappeared between the two time frames.

Ongoing surveys are needed “to further characterize the little-known [nonvaccine serotypes], which are still poorly represented,” the authors wrote.

Read the article in Vaccine (doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.10.015).

The number of pneumococcal serotypes with high potential for causing invasive disease decreased in France after the introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), according to a study published in Vaccine by Dr. Emmanuelle Varon of the Hospital Européen Georges Pompidou in Paris and her colleagues.

Only two nonvaccine serotypes, 24F and 12F, had a high invasive disease potential in children under the age of 2 years after PCV13 was made available in 2010, researchers found. This is a decrease from five serotypes – 7F, 3, 1, 24F and 19A – previously known to have had a high invasive disease potential, when children were offered a seven-valent vaccine (PCV7).

©Steve Mann/thinkstockphotos.com

During two study periods, 2008-2009 (before PCV13) and 2012-2013 (after PCV13), researchers looked at 355 pneumococci isolated from 1,212 healthy children aged 6-24 months and from 569 children with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), including 166 with meningitis, 114 with pneumonia, and 289 with other IPDs. During the second study period, the number of pneumococcal isolates was reduced for overall IPD (53%), meningitis (37%), pneumonia (66%), and other IPDs (56%). PCV7 serotypes almost disappeared between the two time frames.

Ongoing surveys are needed “to further characterize the little-known [nonvaccine serotypes], which are still poorly represented,” the authors wrote.

Read the article in Vaccine (doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.10.015).

The number of pneumococcal serotypes with high potential for causing invasive disease decreased in France after the introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), according to a study published in Vaccine by Dr. Emmanuelle Varon of the Hospital Européen Georges Pompidou in Paris and her colleagues.

Only two nonvaccine serotypes, 24F and 12F, had a high invasive disease potential in children under the age of 2 years after PCV13 was made available in 2010, researchers found. This is a decrease from five serotypes – 7F, 3, 1, 24F and 19A – previously known to have had a high invasive disease potential, when children were offered a seven-valent vaccine (PCV7).

©Steve Mann/thinkstockphotos.com

During two study periods, 2008-2009 (before PCV13) and 2012-2013 (after PCV13), researchers looked at 355 pneumococci isolated from 1,212 healthy children aged 6-24 months and from 569 children with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), including 166 with meningitis, 114 with pneumonia, and 289 with other IPDs. During the second study period, the number of pneumococcal isolates was reduced for overall IPD (53%), meningitis (37%), pneumonia (66%), and other IPDs (56%). PCV7 serotypes almost disappeared between the two time frames.

Ongoing surveys are needed “to further characterize the little-known [nonvaccine serotypes], which are still poorly represented,” the authors wrote.

Read the article in Vaccine (doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.10.015).

One hundred cases of tularemia have been reported in 2015 among residents of Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This represents a substantial increase in the annual mean number of cases (2 to 7) reported in each of these states during the past decade.

Although the cause for the increase in cases is unclear, Dr. Caitlin Pedati of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service and colleagues wrote in the Dec. 4 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that possible factors include increased rainfall promoting vegetation growth, pathogen survival, increased rodent and rabbit populations, and increased disease awareness (MMWR. 2015 Dec 4;64[47]:1317-8).

CDC/ Emory Univ.

The infected patients ranged in age from 10 months to 89 years, and most commonly presented with the pneumonic form of respiratory disease, skin lesions with lymphadenopathy, and a general febrile illness without localizing signs. A total of 48 people were hospitalized and one died. Possible exposure routes included animal contact, environmental aerosolizing activities, and arthropod bites.

Clinical disease signs of tularemia could include fever and chills with muscle and joint pain, cough or difficulty breathing, swollen lymph nodes with or without skin lesions, conjunctivitis, pharyngitis, or abdominal pain with vomiting and diarrhea, the authors noted. Case fatality rates range from <2% to 24%, depending on the strain. Streptomycin is considered the drug of choice for treatment.

“Health care providers should be aware of the elevated risk for tularemia within these states and consider a diagnosis of tularemia in any person nationwide with compatible signs and symptoms,” wrote Dr. Pedati and colleagues.

Read the full article in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

One hundred cases of tularemia have been reported in 2015 among residents of Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This represents a substantial increase in the annual mean number of cases (2 to 7) reported in each of these states during the past decade.

Although the cause for the increase in cases is unclear, Dr. Caitlin Pedati of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service and colleagues wrote in the Dec. 4 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that possible factors include increased rainfall promoting vegetation growth, pathogen survival, increased rodent and rabbit populations, and increased disease awareness (MMWR. 2015 Dec 4;64[47]:1317-8).

CDC/ Emory Univ.

The infected patients ranged in age from 10 months to 89 years, and most commonly presented with the pneumonic form of respiratory disease, skin lesions with lymphadenopathy, and a general febrile illness without localizing signs. A total of 48 people were hospitalized and one died. Possible exposure routes included animal contact, environmental aerosolizing activities, and arthropod bites.

Clinical disease signs of tularemia could include fever and chills with muscle and joint pain, cough or difficulty breathing, swollen lymph nodes with or without skin lesions, conjunctivitis, pharyngitis, or abdominal pain with vomiting and diarrhea, the authors noted. Case fatality rates range from <2% to 24%, depending on the strain. Streptomycin is considered the drug of choice for treatment.

“Health care providers should be aware of the elevated risk for tularemia within these states and consider a diagnosis of tularemia in any person nationwide with compatible signs and symptoms,” wrote Dr. Pedati and colleagues.

Read the full article in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

One hundred cases of tularemia have been reported in 2015 among residents of Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This represents a substantial increase in the annual mean number of cases (2 to 7) reported in each of these states during the past decade.

Although the cause for the increase in cases is unclear, Dr. Caitlin Pedati of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service and colleagues wrote in the Dec. 4 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that possible factors include increased rainfall promoting vegetation growth, pathogen survival, increased rodent and rabbit populations, and increased disease awareness (MMWR. 2015 Dec 4;64[47]:1317-8).

CDC/ Emory Univ.

The infected patients ranged in age from 10 months to 89 years, and most commonly presented with the pneumonic form of respiratory disease, skin lesions with lymphadenopathy, and a general febrile illness without localizing signs. A total of 48 people were hospitalized and one died. Possible exposure routes included animal contact, environmental aerosolizing activities, and arthropod bites.

Clinical disease signs of tularemia could include fever and chills with muscle and joint pain, cough or difficulty breathing, swollen lymph nodes with or without skin lesions, conjunctivitis, pharyngitis, or abdominal pain with vomiting and diarrhea, the authors noted. Case fatality rates range from <2% to 24%, depending on the strain. Streptomycin is considered the drug of choice for treatment.

“Health care providers should be aware of the elevated risk for tularemia within these states and consider a diagnosis of tularemia in any person nationwide with compatible signs and symptoms,” wrote Dr. Pedati and colleagues.

Read the full article in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

A pro-vaccine community outreach campaign that uses local advocates and taps into common values can change attitudes among some people who traditionally doubt or refuse vaccines, according to a study published in Vaccine by Katie Attwell and Melanie Freeman of Murdoch University in Perth and of the Immunisation Alliance of Western Australia.

The “I immunise” campaign, conducted in 2014 in Freemantle, Western Australia, featured pro-vaccine testimonials from six community advocates on a website; posters uploaded to the campaign’s Facebook page and distributed to doctors’ offices, child health clinics, child care centers, playgroups, and private businesses; and billboards or large signs displayed on public buildings. Freemantle is one of the country’s lowest areas for vaccination coverage and has a prominent alternative lifestyle community.

©luiscar/Thinkstockphotos.com

In an online survey of 304 local residents (93 adhering to an alternative lifestyle and 211 following a traditional lifestyle) after the launch of the campaign, results showed that the campaign had polarized attitudes toward vaccination and led some (17%) to feel more negatively. However, it had an overall positive effect for at least 77%, including a third of responders who previously had refused or doubted vaccines. Some parents who responded positively said they would update their own vaccinations, share the campaign on their Facebook pages, or keep their children away from those who were not immunized.

The fact that the campaign had a positive impact on at least three-quarters of the target group “suggests that it has value as one type of influencing tool,” the authors wrote. But “more research is required into how [anti-vaccine] attitudes develop and how communities, governments, and health professionals can effectively challenge them.”

Read the article in Vaccine (2015 Nov 17;33[46]:6235-40).

A pro-vaccine community outreach campaign that uses local advocates and taps into common values can change attitudes among some people who traditionally doubt or refuse vaccines, according to a study published in Vaccine by Katie Attwell and Melanie Freeman of Murdoch University in Perth and of the Immunisation Alliance of Western Australia.

The “I immunise” campaign, conducted in 2014 in Freemantle, Western Australia, featured pro-vaccine testimonials from six community advocates on a website; posters uploaded to the campaign’s Facebook page and distributed to doctors’ offices, child health clinics, child care centers, playgroups, and private businesses; and billboards or large signs displayed on public buildings. Freemantle is one of the country’s lowest areas for vaccination coverage and has a prominent alternative lifestyle community.

©luiscar/Thinkstockphotos.com

In an online survey of 304 local residents (93 adhering to an alternative lifestyle and 211 following a traditional lifestyle) after the launch of the campaign, results showed that the campaign had polarized attitudes toward vaccination and led some (17%) to feel more negatively. However, it had an overall positive effect for at least 77%, including a third of responders who previously had refused or doubted vaccines. Some parents who responded positively said they would update their own vaccinations, share the campaign on their Facebook pages, or keep their children away from those who were not immunized.

The fact that the campaign had a positive impact on at least three-quarters of the target group “suggests that it has value as one type of influencing tool,” the authors wrote. But “more research is required into how [anti-vaccine] attitudes develop and how communities, governments, and health professionals can effectively challenge them.”

Read the article in Vaccine (2015 Nov 17;33[46]:6235-40).

A pro-vaccine community outreach campaign that uses local advocates and taps into common values can change attitudes among some people who traditionally doubt or refuse vaccines, according to a study published in Vaccine by Katie Attwell and Melanie Freeman of Murdoch University in Perth and of the Immunisation Alliance of Western Australia.

The “I immunise” campaign, conducted in 2014 in Freemantle, Western Australia, featured pro-vaccine testimonials from six community advocates on a website; posters uploaded to the campaign’s Facebook page and distributed to doctors’ offices, child health clinics, child care centers, playgroups, and private businesses; and billboards or large signs displayed on public buildings. Freemantle is one of the country’s lowest areas for vaccination coverage and has a prominent alternative lifestyle community.

©luiscar/Thinkstockphotos.com

In an online survey of 304 local residents (93 adhering to an alternative lifestyle and 211 following a traditional lifestyle) after the launch of the campaign, results showed that the campaign had polarized attitudes toward vaccination and led some (17%) to feel more negatively. However, it had an overall positive effect for at least 77%, including a third of responders who previously had refused or doubted vaccines. Some parents who responded positively said they would update their own vaccinations, share the campaign on their Facebook pages, or keep their children away from those who were not immunized.

The fact that the campaign had a positive impact on at least three-quarters of the target group “suggests that it has value as one type of influencing tool,” the authors wrote. But “more research is required into how [anti-vaccine] attitudes develop and how communities, governments, and health professionals can effectively challenge them.”

Read the article in Vaccine (2015 Nov 17;33[46]:6235-40).

A pro-vaccine community outreach campaign that uses local advocates and taps into common values can change attitudes among some people who traditionally doubt or refuse vaccines, according to a study published in Vaccine by Katie Attwell and Melanie Freeman of Murdoch University in Perth and of the Immunisation Alliance of Western Australia.

The “I immunise” campaign, conducted in 2014 in Freemantle, Western Australia, featured pro-vaccine testimonials from six community advocates on a website; posters uploaded to the campaign’s Facebook page and distributed to doctors’ offices, child health clinics, child care centers, playgroups, and private businesses; and billboards or large signs displayed on public buildings. Freemantle is one of the country’s lowest areas for vaccination coverage and has a prominent alternative lifestyle community.

©luiscar/Thinkstockphotos.com

In an online survey of 304 local residents (93 adhering to an alternative lifestyle and 211 following a traditional lifestyle) after the launch of the campaign, results showed that the campaign had polarized attitudes toward vaccination and led some (17%) to feel more negatively. However, it had an overall positive effect for at least 77%, including a third of responders who previously had refused or doubted vaccines. Some parents who responded positively said they would update their own vaccinations, share the campaign on their Facebook pages, or keep their children away from those who were not immunized.

The fact that the campaign had a positive impact on at least three-quarters of the target group “suggests that it has value as one type of influencing tool,” the authors wrote. But “more research is required into how [anti-vaccine] attitudes develop and how communities, governments, and health professionals can effectively challenge them.”

Read the article in Vaccine (2015 Nov 17;33[46]:6235-40).

A pro-vaccine community outreach campaign that uses local advocates and taps into common values can change attitudes among some people who traditionally doubt or refuse vaccines, according to a study published in Vaccine by Katie Attwell and Melanie Freeman of Murdoch University in Perth and of the Immunisation Alliance of Western Australia.

The “I immunise” campaign, conducted in 2014 in Freemantle, Western Australia, featured pro-vaccine testimonials from six community advocates on a website; posters uploaded to the campaign’s Facebook page and distributed to doctors’ offices, child health clinics, child care centers, playgroups, and private businesses; and billboards or large signs displayed on public buildings. Freemantle is one of the country’s lowest areas for vaccination coverage and has a prominent alternative lifestyle community.

©luiscar/Thinkstockphotos.com

In an online survey of 304 local residents (93 adhering to an alternative lifestyle and 211 following a traditional lifestyle) after the launch of the campaign, results showed that the campaign had polarized attitudes toward vaccination and led some (17%) to feel more negatively. However, it had an overall positive effect for at least 77%, including a third of responders who previously had refused or doubted vaccines. Some parents who responded positively said they would update their own vaccinations, share the campaign on their Facebook pages, or keep their children away from those who were not immunized.

The fact that the campaign had a positive impact on at least three-quarters of the target group “suggests that it has value as one type of influencing tool,” the authors wrote. But “more research is required into how [anti-vaccine] attitudes develop and how communities, governments, and health professionals can effectively challenge them.”

Read the article in Vaccine (2015 Nov 17;33[46]:6235-40).

A pro-vaccine community outreach campaign that uses local advocates and taps into common values can change attitudes among some people who traditionally doubt or refuse vaccines, according to a study published in Vaccine by Katie Attwell and Melanie Freeman of Murdoch University in Perth and of the Immunisation Alliance of Western Australia.

The “I immunise” campaign, conducted in 2014 in Freemantle, Western Australia, featured pro-vaccine testimonials from six community advocates on a website; posters uploaded to the campaign’s Facebook page and distributed to doctors’ offices, child health clinics, child care centers, playgroups, and private businesses; and billboards or large signs displayed on public buildings. Freemantle is one of the country’s lowest areas for vaccination coverage and has a prominent alternative lifestyle community.

©luiscar/Thinkstockphotos.com

In an online survey of 304 local residents (93 adhering to an alternative lifestyle and 211 following a traditional lifestyle) after the launch of the campaign, results showed that the campaign had polarized attitudes toward vaccination and led some (17%) to feel more negatively. However, it had an overall positive effect for at least 77%, including a third of responders who previously had refused or doubted vaccines. Some parents who responded positively said they would update their own vaccinations, share the campaign on their Facebook pages, or keep their children away from those who were not immunized.

The fact that the campaign had a positive impact on at least three-quarters of the target group “suggests that it has value as one type of influencing tool,” the authors wrote. But “more research is required into how [anti-vaccine] attitudes develop and how communities, governments, and health professionals can effectively challenge them.”

Read the article in Vaccine (2015 Nov 17;33[46]:6235-40).

Administering flu vaccines to pregnant women during their second and third trimesters results in high seroprotection against all influenza strains for most women and for more than half of their newly born babies, reported Dr. M.P. Kostinov and colleagues at the I.I. Mechnikov Scientific Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera, at Ul’yanovsk State University, Moscow. The study was published in the Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination.

Researchers gave influenza vaccines (the Grippol Plus vaccine) to 27 women in their second trimesters and 21 women in their third trimesters of pregnancy during 2010-2012. Each 0.5-mL dose of the preservative-free vaccine contained antigens of the following strains: A/California/7/2009/H1N1/v-like (5 mcg), A/H₃N₂/(Victoria)-like (5 mcg), and B/Brisbane-like (5 mcg) flu.

kdshutterman/Thinkstock.com

Within 1 month after vaccination, the seroprotection rate against all influenza strains was above the recommended threshold level of 1:40 in more than 70% of pregnant women. A gradual decrease in the seroprotection rates against all three influenza strains was reported in the postpartum period.

In infants, protective levels of antibodies were detected within 2-3 days of delivery and ranged from 52% to 62% regardless of the trimester when the vaccination was given. Within 3 months, this seroprotection decreased, and within 6 months it disappeared. The mothers’ protective levels against vaccine strains were 46%-65% after delivery.

Read the article in the Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination (Pakhomov et al. J Vaccines Vaccin. 2015,6:5).

Administering flu vaccines to pregnant women during their second and third trimesters results in high seroprotection against all influenza strains for most women and for more than half of their newly born babies, reported Dr. M.P. Kostinov and colleagues at the I.I. Mechnikov Scientific Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera, at Ul’yanovsk State University, Moscow. The study was published in the Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination.

Researchers gave influenza vaccines (the Grippol Plus vaccine) to 27 women in their second trimesters and 21 women in their third trimesters of pregnancy during 2010-2012. Each 0.5-mL dose of the preservative-free vaccine contained antigens of the following strains: A/California/7/2009/H1N1/v-like (5 mcg), A/H₃N₂/(Victoria)-like (5 mcg), and B/Brisbane-like (5 mcg) flu.

kdshutterman/Thinkstock.com

Within 1 month after vaccination, the seroprotection rate against all influenza strains was above the recommended threshold level of 1:40 in more than 70% of pregnant women. A gradual decrease in the seroprotection rates against all three influenza strains was reported in the postpartum period.

In infants, protective levels of antibodies were detected within 2-3 days of delivery and ranged from 52% to 62% regardless of the trimester when the vaccination was given. Within 3 months, this seroprotection decreased, and within 6 months it disappeared. The mothers’ protective levels against vaccine strains were 46%-65% after delivery.

Read the article in the Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination (Pakhomov et al. J Vaccines Vaccin. 2015,6:5).

Administering flu vaccines to pregnant women during their second and third trimesters results in high seroprotection against all influenza strains for most women and for more than half of their newly born babies, reported Dr. M.P. Kostinov and colleagues at the I.I. Mechnikov Scientific Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera, at Ul’yanovsk State University, Moscow. The study was published in the Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination.

Researchers gave influenza vaccines (the Grippol Plus vaccine) to 27 women in their second trimesters and 21 women in their third trimesters of pregnancy during 2010-2012. Each 0.5-mL dose of the preservative-free vaccine contained antigens of the following strains: A/California/7/2009/H1N1/v-like (5 mcg), A/H₃N₂/(Victoria)-like (5 mcg), and B/Brisbane-like (5 mcg) flu.

kdshutterman/Thinkstock.com

Within 1 month after vaccination, the seroprotection rate against all influenza strains was above the recommended threshold level of 1:40 in more than 70% of pregnant women. A gradual decrease in the seroprotection rates against all three influenza strains was reported in the postpartum period.

In infants, protective levels of antibodies were detected within 2-3 days of delivery and ranged from 52% to 62% regardless of the trimester when the vaccination was given. Within 3 months, this seroprotection decreased, and within 6 months it disappeared. The mothers’ protective levels against vaccine strains were 46%-65% after delivery.

Read the article in the Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination (Pakhomov et al. J Vaccines Vaccin. 2015,6:5).