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An 11-year-old boy with no medical or family history was diagnosed with Stanford type B acute aortic dissection. Although a conservative treatment approach was adopted, deep sedation was required to keep him still during computed tomography. It revealed enlargement of the false lumen of the descending aorta, bilateral pleural effusion, and atelectasis. Thus, he underwent descending aortic replacement. After amelioration of perioperative rhabdomyolysis, he was discharged post-recovery. Since there have been no clinical guidelines for management of pediatric aortic dissection, it was difficult to decide between surgical and conservative approaches. Considering difficulty of mild sedation in children, if conservative approaches seem to be problematic, an early surgical approach with aortic replacement is sometimes necessary. < Learning objective: Acute aortic dissection rarely occurs in children or adolescents. There have been no clinical guidelines for management of pediatric aortic dissection. Therefore, it is difficult to decide between surgical and conservative approaches. Considering difficulty of mild sedation in children, if conservative approaches seem to be problematic, an early surgical approach might be effective.> [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, freeze-dried live attenuated Oka-strain varicella-zoster virus vaccine, VVL (BIKEN), is available for adults aged ≥50 years to prevent herpes zoster (HZ). Although an increase in the antibody titer and cellular immune response has been demonstrated following vaccination with VVL (BIKEN), to date, no clinical studies have shown that the vaccine decreases the incidence of HZ and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). This study investigated the incidence of HZ and PHN among adults aged ≥50 years who received a single dose of VVL (BIKEN) to prevent HZ. This retrospective cohort study investigated the incidence of HZ and PHN among adults aged ≥50 years who received a single dose of VVL (BIKEN) at a large hospital and affiliated clinics in Japan. A dispensing database and electronic medical records were used to identify vaccine recipients and cases of HZ and PHN. The end date of the follow-up period and the reason to end the follow-up were defined to avoid underestimating the incidence. The analysis was stratified according to age, sex, immunocompromising conditions, and use of immunosuppressant therapy. Vaccine effectiveness was estimated using published estimates of the incidence of HZ and PHN in the unvaccinated population in Japan. A total of 1175 patients were enrolled in the study. During a median follow-up period of 3.36 years, HZ was diagnosed in 27 participants (15 men [2.8%] and 12 women [1.9%]). The incidence of HZ among VVL (BIKEN) recipients was 7.67/1000 person-years. The incidence of PHN was 0.82/1000 person-years. The vaccine effectiveness was estimated as 27.8% [95% confidence interval (CI), −29.8 to 63.9%] and 73.8% [95% CI, 38.6–100%] against HZ and PHN, respectively. The VVL (BIKEN) had limited effectiveness at preventing HZ, but relatively good effectiveness at preventing PHN. VVL (BIKEN) might have a role as an affordable alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]