Effectiveness of influenza vaccine against laboratory-confirmed influenza, in the late 2011-2012 season in Spain, among population targeted for vaccination

Background: In Spain, the influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) was estimated in the last three seasons using the observational study cycEVA conducted in the frame of the existing Spanish Influenza Sentinel Surveillance System. The objective of the study was to estimate influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) against medically attended, laboratory-confirmed influenza-like illness (ILI) among the target groups for vaccination in Spain in the 2011-2012 season. We also studied influenza VE in the early (weeks 52/2011-7/2012) and late (weeks 8-14/2012) phases of the epidemic and according to time since vaccination. Methods: Medically attended patients with ILI were systematically swabbed to collect information on exposure, laboratory outcome and confounding factors. Patients belonging to target groups for vaccination and who were swabbed 4 months, respectively, since vaccination. A decrease in VE with time since vaccination was only observed in individuals aged ≥ 65 years. Regarding the phase of the season, decreasing point estimates were only observed in the early phase, whereas very low or null estimates were obtained in the late phase for the shortest time interval. Conclusions: The 2011-2012 influenza vaccine showed a low-to-moderate protective effect against medically attended, laboratory-confirmed influenza in the target groups for vaccination, in a late season and with a limited match between the vaccine and circulating strains. The suggested decrease in influenza VE with time since vaccination was mostly observed in the elderly population. The decreasing protective effect of the vaccine in the late part of the season could be related to waning vaccine protection because no viral changes were identified throughout the season

Atomic force microscopy investigations of morphologies in ultrathin polyaniline films

Preliminary results of two studies of the morphology of polyaniline, studied by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), are reported. (1) Emeraldine base (EB)/camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) highly oriented fibers were prepared by a 'hot-drawing' technique. In addition to imaging the drawn fibers themselves, within the fibers, an internal structure with a clear orientation in the drawing direction is observed. (2) Submonolayer coverages of EB/CSA spin-coated from a chloroform solution onto highly oriented graphite (HOPG) were studied, and geometrically shaped crystalline islands are observed. The internal structure of these islands is attributed to the presence of compact coils. Morphological changes upon 'secondary doping' using m-cresol vapor were studied. Upon secondary doping, the crystallinity is lost