Effectiveness of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine Among Nursing Home Residents During an Influenza Type A (H3N2) Epidemic

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111257/1/j.1532-5415.1999.tb04574.x.pd

Influence of albuminuria and glomerular filtration rate on blood pressure response to antihypertensive drug therapy

John M Flack1, Karl Duncan2, Suzanne E Ohmit3, Ruth Quah1, Xuefeng Liu1, Preeti Ramappa1, Sandra Norris1, Lowell Hedquist1, Amanda Dudley1, Samar A Nasser11Division of Translational Research and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; 2Department of Interventional Cardiology, Harper University Hospital, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA; 3School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USABackground: Albuminuria and glomerular filtration rate (GFR), two factors linked to kidney and vascular function, may influence longitudinal blood pressure (BP) responses to complex antihypertensive drug regimens.Methods: We reviewed the clinic records of 459 patients with hypertension in an urban, academic practice.Results: Mean patient age was 57-years, 89% of patients were African American, and 69% were women. Mean patient systolic/diastolic BP (SBP/DBP) at baseline was 171/98 mmHg while taking an average of 3.3 antihypertensive medications. At baseline, 27% of patients had estimated (e)GFR <60 ml/min/1.732, 28% had micro-albuminuria (30–300 mg/g) and 16% had macro-albuminuria (300 mg/g). The average longitudinal BP decline over the observation period (mean 7.2 visits) was 25/12 mmHg. In adjusted regression models, macro-albuminuria predicted a 10.3 mmHg lesser longitudinal SBP reduction (p < 0.001) and a 7.9 mmHg lesser longitudinal DBP reduction (p < 0.001); similarly eGFR <60 ml/min/1.732 predicted an 8.4 mmHg lesser longitudinal SBP reduction (p < 0.001) and a 4.5 lesser longitudinal DBP reduction (p < 0.001). Presence of either micro- or macro-albuminuria, or lower eGFR, also significantly delayed the time to attainment of goal BP.Conclusions: These data suggest that an attenuated decline in BP in drug-treated hypertensives, resulting in higher average BP levels over the long-term, may mediate a portion of the increased risk of cardiovascular-renal disease linked to elevated urinary albumin excretion and reduced eGFR.Keywords: albuminuria, glomerular filtration rate, blood pressure, antihypertensive drug therap

Efficacy Studies of Influenza Vaccines: Effect of End Points Used and Characteristics of Vaccine Failures

Background. End points used to detect influenza in vaccine efficacy trials have varied. Both the inactivated and live attenuated influenza vaccines are efficacious; however, failure to protect occurs