World Health Organization

About: World Health Organization is a government organization based out in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Public health. The organization has 13330 authors who have published 22232 publications receiving 1322023 citations. The organization is also known as: World Health Organisation & WHO.

Speaking the same language: treatment outcome definitions for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Abstract: CONTEXTE : On estime qu'au niveau mondial il y a en l'an 2000,273.000 nouveaux cas de tuberculose a germes multiresistants (TB-MR, resistance a l'isoniazide et a la rifampicine). Pour repondre a la prise en charge de la TB-MR dans le contexte de la strategie DOTS, l'OMS et ses partenaires ont soutenu une strategie elargie de traitement appelee DOTS-Plus. Toutefois, des definitions standard n'existent pas en ce qui concerne l'enregistrement et les resultats du traitement des TB-MR. OBJECTIF: Proposer un ensemble standardise de groupes d'enregistrement des cas et de definitions des resultats du traitement pour la TB-MR ainsi que les procedures utiles pour mener des analyses de cohorte au sein de la strategie DOTS-Plus. SCHEMA: En utilisant comme guide les definitions publiees pour la TB a germes sensibles, nous avons entrepris une serie de reunions, conferences et echanges de correspondance durant 2 ans pour la revision de la litterature publiee, de l'experience des programmes specifiques par pays et pour arriver a un accord international. RESULTATS: On a elabore des definitions pour categoriser les patients atteints de TB-MR, la negativation des frottis et des cultures, et les resultats du traitement (guerison, traitement termine, deces, abandon, echec, transfert vers l'exterieur). On a developpe des standards pour realiser les analyses de resultats afin de permettre la comparaison entre programmes. CONCLUSION: Les strategies optimales de prise en charge de TB-MR n'ont pas ete evaluees dans des essais cliniques controles. Des definitions standardisees ainsi que des analyses de cohorte faciliteront l'evaluation et la comparaison des performances de programmes. Ces donnees contribueront a la base de donnees objectives afin d'informer les decideurs sur la facon d'aborder la lutte contre la TB-MR.

Influence of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin on antibody and cytokine responses to human neonatal vaccination

Abstract: The immaturity of the immune system increases the susceptibility of young infants to infectious diseases and prevents the induction of protective immune responses by vaccines. We previously reported that Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination induces a potent Th1 response to mycobacterial Ags in newborns. In this study, we evaluated the influence of BCG on the response to unrelated vaccines given in early life. Newborns were randomly allocated to one of three study groups receiving BCG at birth, when infants received their first dose of hepatitis B and oral polio vaccines; at 2 mo of age, when infants received their first dose of diphtheria and tetanus vaccines; or at 4.5 mo of age, when immune responses to vaccines were measured. Administration of BCG at the time of priming markedly increased the cellular and Ab responses to the hepatitis B vaccine, but had only a limited influence on the cytokine response to tetanus toxoid and no effect on the Ab responses to tetanus and diphtheria toxoids. Although BCG induced a potent Th1-type response to mycobacterial Ags, it promoted the production of both Th1- and Th2-type cytokines in response to unrelated vaccines. The effect of BCG was apparent at the systemic level, as it increased the Ab response to oral polio vaccine. These results demonstrate that BCG influences the immune response to unrelated Ags in early life, likely through its influence on the maturation of dendritic cells.