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S Piercy

Publications and source records attributed to S Piercy.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Persistence of immunologic memory for 13 years in recipients of a recombinant hepatitis B vaccine.

All subjects in this clinical study gave informed written consent, and guidelines of the authors' institution regarding human experimentation were observed in the conduct of the study. A booster dose of vaccine given to 18 adolescents (immunized as children) and 7 older adults immunized 13 years earlier with a 3-dose course of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine induced a strong secondary antibody response, demonstrating that the vaccinees retained immunologic memory for HbsAG. Within one week, booster vaccination induced an 11 to 24-fold rise in the GMT of anti-HBs which continued, reaching 52 to 319-fold after 4 weeks. Significantly even the 5 individuals with less than 10 mIU/ml of anti-HBs prior to the booster all had impressive responses to the booster dose.

Adolescent↗

Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in healthy children after one or two doses of varicella vaccine.

This study compared the immune responses of healthy children to one or two doses of Oka/Merck varicella vaccine. Both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses were significantly stronger 1 year later among children given two doses 3 months apart than among those given a single dose. Long-term follow-up studies are needed to determine whether two doses of vaccine indeed provide more complete and more durable protection than a single dose against breakthrough varicella in healthy children.

Antibodies, Viral↗

The effect of decreasing amounts of live virus, while antigen content remains constant, on immunogenicity of Oka/Merck varicella vaccine.

The purpose of the study was to establish the minimum immunizing dose of stored Oka/Merck varicella vaccine and mimic effects of prolonged storage of vaccine at freezer temperatures. Ninety children were randomized to one of three groups: group A (1770 pfu/dose), group B (400-500 pfu/dose), or group C (80-160 pfu/dose). Seroconversion rates for groups A-C were 97%, 96%, and 92%, respectively. Group A and B vaccinees had higher antibody titers at 1 year than did group C subjects (P = .01). The difference between groups B and C approached significance (P = .058). At 1 year after immunization, 73%, 83%, and 80% in groups A-C, respectively, demonstrated cell-mediated responses. Since freshly reconstituted vaccine contains 1770 pfu/dose, vaccine failure from loss of potency is unlikely if vaccine is stored properly and administered promptly after reconstitution.

Antibodies, Viral↗

Chronic prostatitis: comments on infectious etiologies and antimicrobial treatment.

Twenty-three males with the clinical diagnosis of chronic prostatitis were evaluated for a bacterial etiology by the Stamey and Meares method. In addition, 16 patients, regardless of culture results, were placed on either cefadroxil or oral carbenicillin antimicrobial therapy. Culture results identified only four (17%) of 23 patients with bacterial prostatitis: coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (2), Enterobacter agglomerans (1), and Haemophilus parainfluenzae, and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (1). Four of seven patients who received oral carbenicillin and three of nine patients who received cefadroxil reported symptomatic relief. This study did not identify a common etiology for chronic prostatitis or a consistently effective antimicrobial treatment. Rather, we observed that the etiologic agent in most cases of chronic prostatitis (83%) could not be identified by routine bacteriologic culture. Future research efforts in chronic prostatitis must address not only treatment regimens but expand the search for etiologic agents.

Adolescent↗