To study the epidemiology of pertussis in Greece and epidemiologic changes throughout a period of twenty-nine years, we conducted a retrospective analysis of available data of pertussis cases for the past twenty-nine years (1980&#x2013;2008) and a prospective analysis of hospitalized pertussis cases from a children&#x2019;s hospital in Athens for eight years (2001&#x2013;2008). From 1980 through 2008, the incidence of pertussis in Greece declined from 11.2 to 0.05 cases per 100,000. Epidemic cycles occurring every 3 to 5 years were observed. Since pertussis circulation cannot be fully controlled by present immunization programs, efforts should be made to vaccinate infants at the recommended age, early diagnose, treatment as well as contact tracing of pertussis cases. Control of pertussis in social susceptible populations is necessary. A national program with adolescent and adult booster could decrease the circulation of B. pertussis. Despite an overall decrease for pertussis cases, pertussis is still a present and future challenge of public health service in Greece.

Maria Theodoridou

Georgia Dargenta

Maria Aptouramani

Panagiotis Papastergiou

Anna Katsiaflaka

Kalliopi Theodoridou

Christos Hadjichristodoulou

Pertussis Epidemiology in Greece and Emerging Risk Groups during the Vaccination Era (1980&#x2013;2008)

A consumer satisfaction study was conducted to examine the effectiveness on hangover of After-Effect&#xa9;, a new food supplement dedicated to improve well-being after an occasion of alcohol consumption. <inline-formula><mml:math id="M1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>N</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>113</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> persons were invited to participate in a home-based open label study to test the effectiveness of After-Effect&#xa9;. On a night when they intended to consume alcohol, three pills were taken before alcohol consumption and two pills afterwards, before going to bed. The following day, participants completed a survey on the amount of alcohol consumed, hangover symptom severity, and satisfaction of the product. <inline-formula><mml:math id="M2" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>N</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>103</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> participants completed the study. 88&#x25; of participants reported After-Effect&#xa9; to be effective in reducing alcohol hangover. After-Effect&#xa9; significantly improved overall hangover severity, and all individual hangover symptoms, except for palpitations. In addition, a significant reduction (<inline-formula><mml:math id="M3" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>P</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.0001</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula>) in the severity score on concentration problems was reported when using After-Effect&#xa9;. No gender differences were observed, and there was no relationship with the number of alcoholic drinks that were consumed. Consumers were satisfied with the product. In conclusion, consumer satisfaction and hangover severity scores suggest that After-Effect&#xa9; may be effective in reducing alcohol hangover. However, controlled, double-blind clinical trials should confirm these findings.

J. C. Verster

O. Berth&#xe9;lemy

Consumer Satisfaction and Efficacy of the Hangover Cure After-Effect&#xa9;

Phillip R. Pittman

Kelly T. McKee

Zygmunt F. Dembek

Advances in Development of Countermeasures for Potential Biothreat Agents

Hemophilia is an inherited disorder of clotting factor deficiencies resulting in musculoskeletal bleeding, including hemarthroses, leading to musculoskeletal complications. The articular problems of hemophiliac patients begin in infancy. These include: recurrent hemarthroses, chronic synovitis, flexion deformities, hypertrophy of the growth epiphyses, damage to the articular cartilage, and hemophilic arthropathy. The most commonly affected joints are the ankle, the knee, and the elbow. Hematologic prophylactic treatment from ages 2 to 18 years could avoid the development of hemophilic arthropathy if the concentration of the patient's deficient factor is prevented from falling below 1&#x25; of normal. Hemarthroses can be prevented by the administration of clotting factor concentrates (prophylaxis). However, high costs and the need for venous access devices in younger children continue to complicate recommendations for universal prophylaxis. Prevention of joint arthropathy needs to focus on prevention of hemarthroses through prophylaxis, identifying early joint disease through the optimal use of cost-effective imaging modalities and the validation of serological markers of joint arthropathy. Screening for effects on bone health and optimal management of pain to improve quality of life are, likewise, important issues. Major hemarthrosis and chronic hemophilic synovitis should be treated aggressively to prevent hemophilic arthropathy.

E. C. Rodriguez-Merchan

Prevention of the Musculoskeletal Complications of Hemophilia

Ricin toxin, an extremely potent and heat-stable toxin produced from the bean of the ubiquitous Ricinus communis (castor bean plant), has been categorized by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a category B biothreat agent that is moderately easy to disseminate. Ricin has the potential to be used as an agent of biological warfare and bioterrorism. Therefore, there is a critical need for continued development of ricin countermeasures. A safe and effective prophylactic vaccine against ricin that was FDA approved for “at risk” individuals would be an important first step in assuring the availability of medical countermeasures against ricin.

Ronald B. Reisler

Leonard A. Smith

The Need for Continued Development of Ricin Countermeasures

This analysis aims to discuss the implications of the “health asset concept”, introduced by the WHO, and the “investment for health model” requiring a “participatory approach” of cooperative programme development applied on a physical activity programme for socially disadvantaged women and to demonstrate the related costing issues as well as the relevant decision context. 
The costs of programme implementation amounted to €48,700. Adding the costs for developing the programme design of €48,800 results in total costs of €97,500; adding on top of that the costs of asset assessment running to €35,600 would total €133,100. These four different cost figures match four different types of potentially relevant decisions contexts. Depending on the decision context the total costs, and hence the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of a health promotion intervention, could differ considerably. Therefore, a detailed cost assessment and the identification of the decision context are of crucial importance.

Silke B. Wolfenstetter

Bernd Schweikert

Jürgen John

Programme Costing of a Physical Activity Programme in Primary Prevention: Should the Costs of Health Asset Assessment and Participatory Programme Development Count?

Since the terrorist attacks and anthrax release in 2001, almost &#x24;32 billion has been allocated to biodefense and biosurveillance in the USA alone. Surveillance in health care refers to the continual systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of data. When attempting to detect agents of bioterrorism, surveillance can occur in several ways. Syndromic surveillance occurs by monitoring clinical manifestations of certain illnesses. Laboratory surveillance occurs by looking for certain markers or laboratory data, and environmental surveillance is the process by which the ambient air or environment is continually sampled for the presence of biological agents. This paper focuses on the ways by which we detect bioterrorism agents and the effectiveness of these systems.

Nicholas E. Kman

Daniel J. Bachmann

Biosurveillance: A Review and Update

The development of vaccines for microorganisms and bacterial toxins with the potential to be used as biowarfare and bioterrorism agents is an important component of the US biodefense program. DVC is developing two vaccines, one against inhalational exposure to botulinum neurotoxins A1 and B1 and a second for Yersinia pestis, with the ultimate goal of licensure by the FDA under the Animal Rule. Progress has been made in all technical areas, including manufacturing, nonclinical, and clinical development and testing of the vaccines, and in assay development. The current status of development of these vaccines, and remaining challenges are described in this chapter.

Mary Kate Hart

George A. Saviolakis

Susan L. Welkos

Robert V. House

Advanced Development of the rF1V and rBV A/B Vaccines: Progress and Challenges

One of the difficulties in developing countermeasures to biothreat agents is the challenge inherent in demonstrating their efficacy in man. Since the first publication of the Animal Rule by the FDA, there has been increased discussion of potential correlates of protection in animal models and their use to establish surrogate markers of efficacy in man. The latter need to be relatively easy to measure in assays that are at least qualified, if not validated, in order to derive a quantitative assessment of the clinical benefit conferred. The demonstration of safety and clinical benefit is essential to achieve regulatory approval for countermeasures for which clinical efficacy cannot be tested directly, as is the case for example, for biodefence vaccines. Plague is an ancient, serious infectious disease which is still endemic in regions of the modern world and is a potential biothreat agent. This paper discusses potential immune correlates of protection for plague, from which it may be possible to derive surrogate markers of efficacy, in order to predict the clinical efficacy of candidate prophylaxes and therapies.

E. D. Williamson

The Role of Immune Correlates and Surrogate Markers in the Development of Vaccines and Immunotherapies for Plague

The Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule in May 2002 to permit the Agency to approve drugs or license biological products on the basis of animal efficacy studies for use in ameliorating or preventing serious or life-threatening conditions caused by exposure to lethal or permanently disabling toxic biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear substances.  Only two drugs were approved in the first nine years of the &#x201c;Animal Rule&#x201d; despite massive investment by the federal government since 2001 to stimulate development of medical countermeasures to biological threats.  This article therefore examines the Food and Drug Administration reviews made public after approval of those two drugs and the public discussion at the Agency's Anti-Infective Drugs Advisory Committee of one biological product under development under the Animal Rule.  Despite the paucity of approved drugs or licensed biological products as medical countermeasures, several investigational drugs have been placed in the National Strategic Stockpile for use as medical countermeasures, if needed.

Paul Aebersold

FDA Experience with Medical Countermeasures under the Animal Rule

About this journal

Advances in Preventive Medicine publishes original research articles and&nbsp;review articles in all areas of preventive medicine.

Journal profile

Meet the editorial board

Advances in Preventive Medicine maintains an Editorial Board of practicing researchers from around the world, to ensure manuscripts are handled by editors who are experts in the field of study.

Editor spotlight

Submit your proposal

Do you think there is an emerging area of research that really needs to be highlighted? Or an existing research area that has been overlooked or would benefit from deeper investigation? Raise the profile of a research area by leading a Special Issue.

Special Issues

Author guidelines

Editorial board

Databases and indexing

Advances in Preventive Medicine - Table of contents 2012

Advances in Preventive Medicine | Hindawi

title

Advances in Preventive Medicine publishes original research articles and review articles in all areas of preventive medicine.

Advances in Preventive Medicine