SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Trained Immunity”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 505 records · Page 28Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Cutaneous manifestations of biological warfare and related threat agents.

The specter of biological warfare (BW) looms large in the minds of many Americans. The US government has required that emergency response teams in more than 100 American cities be trained by the year 2001 to recognize and contain a BW attack. The US military is requiring active duty soldiers to receive immunization against anthrax. Dermatologists need not feel helpless in the face of a potential BW attack. Many potential agents have cutaneous manifestations that the trained eye of a dermatologist can recognize. Through early recognition of a BW attack, dermatologists can aid public health authorities in diagnosing the cause so that preventive and containment measures can be instituted to mitigate morbidity and mortality. This article reviews bacterial, viral, and toxin threat agents and emphasizes those that would have cutaneous manifestations following an aerosol attack. We conclude with clues that can help one recognize a biological attack.

Anthrax↗

PubMed1997

Physical exercise, endogenous opioids and immune function.

The experimental data available today strongly indicate that various types of physiological stressors, including physical exercise and emotional stress, can influence immune function. Natural immunity represents a first line of defence in viral infections and cytotoxicity to a variety of tumour cells. Natural immunity is strongly influenced by chronic exercise and this regulation includes interaction between the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. Central mechanisms including the endogenous opioids are of great interest. Chronic activation of endogenous opioid systems augments natural cytotoxicity and the possible involvement the opioids in the exercise-induced enhancement of natural immunity is discussed. Also, catecholamines seem to play an important role in the regulation of immune function, both after chronic exercise and emotional stress. The physiological significance of the reported changes in natural cytotoxicity after exercise-training is as yet unclear.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Determinants of infant and early childhood mortality in Cameroon: the role of socioeconomic factors, housing characteristics, and immunization status.

This study examines factors impinging on the survival of children in Cameroon using longitudinal data collected by the United Nations Demographic Training and Research Institute of Yaoundé, Cameroon. It deals especially with the role of socioeconomic factors (mother's education, employment, marital status, ethnicity, and household income), housing characteristics (construction materials, power source, source of water supply, extent of crowding), and immunization status on infant and child mortality. Two-state parametric and nonparametric hazards models for the risk of death at any time within the course of the study are used, with and without accounting for unmeasured heterogeneity. Overall, overcrowding has robust deleterious effects on infant and child survival. As regards the effects of socioeconomic variables, the robustness of the effects of household income and ethnic differentials are unchanged, even after controlling for unmeasured heterogeneity; the deleterious effects of marital status are also apparent, but these effects are largely explained by unmeasured covariates. The data also suggest that the protective effects of full immunization status are robust and not contaminated by confounding factors, at least in the first 16 months of life. These findings provide solid ground to support immunization programs and efforts as a means to reduce significantly infant and child mortality.

Cameroon↗

PubMed2006

The impact of educational interventions on primary health care workers' knowledge of occupational exposure to blood or body fluids.

AIM: To assess the impact of educational interventions on primary health care workers' knowledge of management of occupational exposure to blood or body fluids. METHODS: Cluster-randomized trial of educational interventions in two National Health Service board areas in Scotland. Medical and dental practices were randomized to four groups; Group A, a control group of practices where staff received no intervention, Group B practices where staff received a flow chart regarding the management of blood and body fluid exposures, Group C received an e-mail alert containing the flow chart and Group D practices received an oral presentation of information in the flow chart. Staff knowledge was assessed on one occasion, following the educational intervention, using an anonymous postal questionnaire. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifteen medical and dental practices were approached and 114 practices participated (response rate 53%). A total of 1120 individual questionnaires were returned. Face to face training was the most effective intervention with four of five outcome measures showing better than expected knowledge. Seventy-seven percent of staff identified themselves as at risk of exposure to blood and body fluids. Twenty-one percent of staff believed they were not at risk of exposure to blood-borne viruses although potentially exposed and 16% of exposed staff had not been immunized against hepatitis B. Of the 856 'at risk' staff, 48% had not received training regarding blood-borne viruses. CONCLUSIONS: We found greater knowledge regarding management of exposures to blood and body fluids following face to face training than other educational interventions. There is a need for education of at risk primary health care workers.

Allied Health Personnel↗

PubMed1991

Aerobic exercise training in an AIDS risk group.

Increases in physical fitness are often associated with improvements in certain chronic diseases, such as hypertension and coronary heart disease. Recent evidence has shown that exercise also influences the neuroendocrine and immune systems, resulting in a potential to benefit those with chronic immunodeficiency diseases. Therefore, exercise may prove to have a profound impact on the management of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Our current work includes the investigation of the immunologic and stress-attenuating effects of an aerobic exercise training program for individuals at risk for AIDS. Upon completion of training, the subjects showed a significant increase in helper/inducer (CD4) cells and the inducer subset (CD45RA+CD4+) which activate suppressor/cytotoxic (CD8) cells. These increases, which average about 50 cells per cubic millimeter, are comparable to those observed in some studies of the AIDS drug comparable to those observed in some studies of the AIDS drug azidothymidine (AZT), but without the accompanying side effects. Also, individuals undergoing aerobic training reported no increases in anxiety and depression in response to notification of a positive HIV-1 serologic status. These findings taken together indicate that an aerobic exercise training program may enhance certain critical components of cellular immunity as well as acting as a buffer for the detrimental mood changes that typically accompany stress, thus providing a timely, promising behavioral approach to helping HIV-1-infected individuals.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2004

The overtraining syndrome in athletes: a stress-related disorder.

Physical exercise is a type of allostatic load for several endocrine systems, notably the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Athletes undergoing a strenuous training schedule can develop a significant decrease in performance associated with systemic symptoms or signs: the overtraining syndrome (OTS). This is a stress-related condition that consists of alteration of physiological functions and adaptation to performance, impairment of psychological processing, immunological dysfunction and biochemical abnormalities. Universally agreed diagnostic criteria for OTS are lacking. The pituitary-adrenal response to a standardized exercise test is usually reduced in overtrained athletes. This HPA dysfunction could reflect the exhaustion stage of Selye's general adaptation syndrome. The most attractive hypothesis that accounts for the observed neuro-endocrine-immune dysregulation is the Smith's cytokine hypothesis of OTS. It assumes that physical training can produce muscle and skeletal trauma, thus generating a local inflammatory reaction. With the excessive repetition of the training stimulus the local inflammation can generate a systemic inflammatory response. The main actors of these processes are the cytokines, polypeptides that modulate HPA function in and outside the brain at nearly every level of activity. It is hoped that future research will focus on endogenous risk factors for morbidities related to the neuro-endocrine-immune adaptation to exercise.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed1992

Reasons for partial/non-immunization with oral polio vaccine/triple antigen among children under five years.

To identify the reasons for non-immunization/postponing immunization, parents of 615 poliomyelitis (APM) children and 908 children attending the Outpatient Department (OPD) for other ailments were interviewed. A total of 165 (26.9%), 185 (30.1%) and 264 (43%) among APM and 645 (71%), 183 (20.2%) and 80 (8.8%) among OPD children were immunized, partially immunized and unimmunized, respectively. Forty two per cent and 21% among parents of APM and OPD children, respectively in the unimmunized group were unaware of the need for immunization. The other reasons are minor illnesses, lack of interest, fear of side reaction, non-availability of vaccine or vaccinator. The decision to withhold immunization was mostly by parents when the child had some minor illnesses, mostly respiratory infections. It is recommended to educate the health personnel-clinicians and para-clinical workers by seminar and training and the public through mass media and group contact on the need for and completion of the immunizations.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1993

Selected scientific aspects of marathon racing. An update on fluid replacement, immune function, psychological factors and the gender difference.

Four topics are addressed: fluid/fuel replacement during the marathon, marathoning and susceptibility to infection, psychological aspects of elite marathoners and the gender gap in marathon performance. Although these topics are diverse, they all relate to practical questions raised by coaches and athletes. Evidence from laboratory and field studies indicates that it is advisable for marathoners to consume 800 to 1000 L/h of sports drink providing 45 to 60 g/h of carbohydrate. It is strongly suggested to practice fluid consumption during training sessions as it is probable that tolerance to drinking during running is a trainable adaptation. Epidemiological and clinical research support the concept that marathon training and racing increase the runner's risk of upper respiratory tract infections because of negative changes in immune function. Susceptibility to infection may be reduced by proper nutrition, adequate sleep, appropriate recovery between vigorous workouts and minimal exposure to sick people during periods of heavy training and major races. Although psychological research in this area is still limited, evidence suggests that elite marathoners rely primarily on associative strategies during competition while judiciously dissociating in order to cope with pain. It is recommended that coaches and athletes interested in employing psychological interventions seek assistance from professionals well trained in the fields of both psychology and exercise science. Will women soon outrun men? Over the past 2 decades societal views and training practices of women distance runners have changed greatly, yet certain performance-related biological differences between men and women are unlikely to change.

Disease Susceptibility↗

PubMed2004

Student health policy of a German medical school--results of a cross sectional study concerning students' immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases.

Medical students come into contact with infectious materials early in their medical education. Aim of this study was to assess medical students' immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases and to ensure immunity against hepatitis B. An occupational health medical was offered to all medical students with special emphasis on preclinical students. The examination included a check of the certificates of vaccination and serological tests concerning hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and, on request, HIV. A lecture on occupational risks and general precautions was given to the students. In 7 of 804 tested students serological markers of a previous hepatitis B infection were discovered, fortunately none of the students was infectious. No case of infection with the hepatitis C virus (n=804) or HIV (n=700 tested voluntary) was identified. For 52 percent of the students vaccination against hepatitis B was necessary to guarantee protective immunity. Documented protection against other vaccine-preventable diseases as tetanus (71%), diphtheria (67%), poliomyelitis (56%), pertussis (2%), measles (32%), mumps (24%) and rubella (25%) was also insufficient. As a result a vaccination against hepatitis B in childhood without documented response doesn't guarantee a sufficient protection. An occupational health medical at the beginning of preclinical training seems to be an adequate method of making medical students aware of occupational risks, immunization policies and the importance of occupational medicine.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

[Natural immunity of the pupils in a secondary vocational and technical school for rubber and plastics].

In connection with the reconstruction of the educational system and occupational training of the youths, the problem of the effect of the occupational factors on the organism of the juveniles is of exceptional importance. The search of early changes by the application of immunological tests in that aspect is very rational. The state of microflora of the deep layers of the skin, the microbic contamination of nasal mucosa have been studied as well as the content of complement in serum and serum immunoglobulins G, A and M and the phagocytosis in the students from SPTS. The experimental subjects have exposed to a complex of toxic-chemical substances with different intensity during their occupational training and practice. It has been established that the training under the specific conditions for mastering the specialty has led to a slight decrease of the antimicrobic resistance and reduction of the phagocytic function of leukocytes, not affecting the humoral factors of natural immunity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1981

Antibody response to immunization with influenza A/USSR/77 (H1N1) virus in young individuals primed or unprimed for A/New Jersey/76 (H1N1) virus.

A group of 269 pupils of the Harbour and Transport Training Institute in Rotterdam (group A), aged 13-20 years, and of 109 patients of the Dr Mr Willem van den Bergh Foundation at Noordwijk (group B), aged 11-21 years, were immunized with a whole virus vaccine containing 10, 20, or 40 microgram HA of A/USSR/92/77 (H1N1) influenza virus. A booster vaccination was administered 6 weeks later with 20 microgram HA of the same virus. Many of the participants had been immunized during the two preceding years with a whole virus vaccine containing A/New Jersey/8/76 (H1N1) (A/NJ/76) virus. The side-effects, mostly of a moderate nature, increased with the dose of virus in the vaccine. In group A side effects were least frequent in the vaccinees who had never received A/NJ/76 vaccine. A single dose of A/USSR/77 vaccine did not produce satisfactory levels of homologous antibodies. After booster immunization with 20 microgram HA of A/USSR/77 virus participants showed a higher homologous antibody response in all vaccine-dose groups if they had not been immunized with A/NJ/76 virus in previous years. After primary and especially after booster immunization with A/USSR/77 virus, a very high response against A/NJ/76 virus and adequate levels of A/NJ/76 antibody were found in participants who had been immunized previously with A/NJ/76 virus. Those who had not been immunized with this virus previously showed no or a very low antibody response to A/NJ/76 virus.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Unsafe sex, substance abuse, and domestic violence: how do recently trained obstetricians-gynecologists fare at lifestyle risk assessment and counseling on STD prevention?

BACKGROUND: Unsafe sexual practices, substance abuse, and domestic violence impact women's health. This study examined whether lifestyle risk assessment during a general medical examination and counseling about sexually transmitted disease during consultations for adolescent contraception and treatment of a sexually transmitted disease were more frequently done by recently trained obstetricians-gynecologists compared to those of obstetrician-gynecologists licensed before 1990. It also documented obstetrician-gynecologists' evaluations of their medical training in that area. METHODS: A pretested anonymous mail survey was conducted in 1995 with all 241 obstetrician-gynecologists practicing in Quebec, Canada; 66% responded (N = 158). RESULTS: Compared to less recently trained obstetrician-gynecologists, recently trained obstetrician-gynecologists reported routinely assessing tobacco use (77 vs 51%, P = 0.01), alcohol use (50 vs 23%, P = 0.004), and illicit drug use (33 vs 17%, P = 0.05) more frequently during a patient's general medical evaluation. However, they did not assess condom use (50%), number of sexual partners, sexual partners' sexually transmitted disease risk (30%), or experiences of sexual abuse or domestic violence (3%) more frequently than less recently trained obstetrician-gynecologists. They were also not more likely to counsel teenagers about sexually transmitted disease prevention during a contraceptive consultation (30-60%) or to discuss human immunodeficiency virus infection (29%) and hepatitis B immunization (13%) during a sexually transmitted disease consultation. CONCLUSION: Although evaluation of substance use was better among recently trained OB-Gyn physicians, little or no improvement has been noted regarding STD prevention or the evaluation of sexual abuse or domestic violence, all important lifestyle risks that directly affect women's health and well-being.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Effect of strenuous physical stress on circulating lymphocyte number and function before and after training.

Seventeen young male subjects underwent a six-week training period and their physical fitness was examined using a bicycle ergometer test. Twelve subjects without any marked training served as controls. Venous blood was drawn immediately before and after exercise on a bicycle ergometer both before and after training. After exercise, the subjects developed a leukocytosis as well as lymphocytosis where the proportion of E-rosettes, theophylline resistant E-rosettes and SIg-positive cells remained stable but their absolute number rose by more than 100% before training and more than 50% after training. In spite of the rise of immunocompetent cells in the circulation, the post exercise increase of lymphocyte transformation was not more than 10% both before and after training. After training the response to physical stress is manifested by a significantly weaker mobilization of lymphocytes into the circulation than before training. Consequently, when physical fitness is high fewer immunocompetent cells are required to produce a normal immune response than when physical fitness is low. Our findings indicate that in healthy individuals improved physical fitness compensates for the influence of stress on the immune system.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation.

OBJECTIVE: The underlying changes in biological processes that are associated with reported changes in mental and physical health in response to meditation have not been systematically explored. We performed a randomized, controlled study on the effects on brain and immune function of a well-known and widely used 8-week clinical training program in mindfulness meditation applied in a work environment with healthy employees. METHODS: We measured brain electrical activity before and immediately after, and then 4 months after an 8-week training program in mindfulness meditation. Twenty-five subjects were tested in the meditation group. A wait-list control group (N = 16) was tested at the same points in time as the meditators. At the end of the 8-week period, subjects in both groups were vaccinated with influenza vaccine. RESULTS: We report for the first time significant increases in left-sided anterior activation, a pattern previously associated with positive affect, in the meditators compared with the nonmeditators. We also found significant increases in antibody titers to influenza vaccine among subjects in the meditation compared with those in the wait-list control group. Finally, the magnitude of increase in left-sided activation predicted the magnitude of antibody titer rise to the vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that a short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function. These findings suggest that meditation may change brain and immune function in positive ways and underscore the need for additional research.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Down-regulation of beta2-adrenergic receptor expression by exercise training increases IL-12 production by macrophages following LPS stimulation.

Three-week exercise training decreased the steady state level of beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (beta(2)AR) mRNA in peritoneal macrophages from BALB/c mice. When peritoneal macrophages from both exercise-trained and sedentary control mice were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin (IL)-12 mRNA and protein expression was markedly higher in trained mice than in control mice. To determine whether enhanced production of IL-12 was associated with decreased expression of beta(2)AR, we transfected the macrophage cell line, RAW264, with a eukaryotic expression vector containing beta(2)ar cDNA, establishing a cell line overexpressing beta(2)AR (RAWar). Following LPS stimulation, IL-12 mRNA and protein expression was significantly lower in RAWar cells than in RAW264 cells transfected with vector alone (RAWvec). Furthermore, when the expression of transfected beta(2)AR in RAWar cells was down-regulated by a tetracycline repressor-regulated mammalian expression system, expression of IL-12 mRNA and protein following LPS stimulation tended to return to the levels in RAWvec cells. These findings indicate that macrophage production of IL-12 following LPS stimulation is regulated by the expression level of beta(2)AR, suggesting that the down-regulation of beta(2)AR expression associated with exercise training improves IL-12-induced type 1 helper T cell-mediated immune responses.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Immunology of the eye.

The eye is one of the major targets of allergic disorders, accounting for over 20% of the conditions presenting to the allergist. It is also a major target organ of many systemic immunologic reactions (e.g., cytotoxic antibody mediated-cicatricial pemphigoid, immune complex or cell mediated-vasculitis, uveitis). The allergist/immunologist is uniquely trained to assist the ophthalmologist in the systemic immunologic evaluation and treatment of suspected hypersensitivity allergic and immunologic disorders.

Conjunctivitis↗

PubMed2001

Coping with changing conditions: alternative strategies for the delivery of maternal and child health and family planning services in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The door-to-door distribution of contraceptives and information on maternal and child health and family planning (MCH-FP) services, through bimonthly visits to eligible couples by trained fieldworkers, has been instrumental in increasing the contraceptive prevalence rate and immunization coverage in Bangladesh. The doorstep delivery strategy, however, is labour-intensive and costly. More cost-effective service delivery strategies are needed, not only for family planning services but also for a broader package of reproductive and other essential health services. Against this backdrop, operations research was conducted by the Centre for Health and Population Research at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) from January 1996 to May 1997, in collaboration with government agencies and a leading national nongovernmental organization, with a view to developing and field-testing alternative approaches to the delivery of MCH-FP services in urban areas. Two alternative strategies featuring the withdrawal of home-based distribution and the delivery of basic health care from fixed-site facilities were tested in two areas of Dhaka. The clinic-based service delivery strategy was found to be a feasible alternative to the resource-intensive doorstep system in urban Dhaka. It did not adversely affect programme performance and it allowed the needs of clients to be addressed holistically through a package of essential health and family planning services.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

More women use prenatal services.

Growing numbers of women understand the importance of prenatal care and are acting to improve their own health and that of their babies, according to a report from the Aga Khan Foundation. In 8 of the foundation's primary health care program areas in Kenya, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, more women receive prenatal care, more are immunized against tetanus, and more give birth in the presence of a trained attendant than a few years ago. Statistics of improvement vary considerably between programs, not least because of differing levels of acceptance and availability of services when the programs began. However, the overall trend in the 4 countries is towards greater knowledge of health issues and greater readiness to act upon that knowledge. In Mombasa, Kenya, 81% of pregnant women received prenatal care at least once in 1986, and this has since risen to 87%. In Vur, Bangladesh, where only 27% of pregnant women received prenatal care in 1986, this has now risen to 75%.

Behavior↗