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Item does not contain fulltext Dialysis patients show impaired responses to several vaccines. Limited recent data are available on influenza vaccination in these patients. In the 1998-1999 influenza season, 44 dialysis patients received a standard trivalent vaccination followed by a booster two months later. The serum antibody responses in these patients were compared with those found in healthy subjects. A fourfold rise in serum hemagglutination inhibition titre was achieved in 23-58% of all patients. Protective titres were reached in 53-93% of the patients. Since protective antibody titers can be induced, it is recommended to vaccinate dialysis patients annually against influenza.

To evaluate the role of some immunological phenomena involved in the pathogenesis of preeclamptic toxaemia, we studied the humoral immune reactivity in patients with preeclamptic toxaemia during the third trimester of pregnancy, and three days and six weeks after delivery. The results were compared with those of patients with intrauterine growth retardation and with uneventful pregnancy. During the third trimester, patients with complicated preeclamptic toxaemia had significantly lower IgG, CH50, C4 and C3 levels than normal pregnants. Post-partum levels of IgM were significantly higher than in all other groups of patients. Circulating immune complexes were not detectable by a C1q binding assay in patients and controls. However, with a conglutinin binding assay and a granulocyte phagocytosis test complexes were demonstrable in patients with complicated preeclampsia (incidence 44% and 33%, respectively). In addition, 66% of these patients showed deposits of immunoglobulins and complement components in superficial blood vessels of the skin biopsy, suggestive of the presence of tissue deposits of immune complexes. This was found in about 30% of the other patient groups and in none of control pregnants. Allo-antibodies to lymphocytes were present in 63% of complicated preeclamptic toxaemia patients and 22% of normal pregnants. Our data show several changes in humoral immune reactivity in preeclamptic toxaemia which may contribute to the pathogenesis of this disorder.