Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G R Noble

Publications and source records attributed to G R Noble.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Response to influenza A vaccine among high-risk patients.

In recent years, it has been recommended that "high-risk" patients receive influenza immunizations annually. During the 1976 National Influenza Immunization Program, a higher priority was given to these patients than to the general population. The present study was undertaken to compare the antibody response of high-risk patients with that of a group of individuals with no underlying disease after immunization with 0.5 ml of bivalent, split-virus vaccine containing 200 CCA units each of influenza A/New Jersey/76 and A/Victoria/75. Sera were obtained before and after immunization from 41 "healthy" volunteers and from 57 cariology, 31 hematology, 13 hemodialysis, and 16 renal transplant patients. The control, cardiology, and hemodialysis groups responded equally well to A/Victoria/75 antigen, but the hematology and renal transplant groups did not respond as well (P less than .05). Only the hematology patients responded at a significantly lower level (P less than .05) than the control group to A/New Jersey/76. The control and renal transplant groups had a significantly greater response to A/New Jersey/76 antigen than to A/Victoria/75 antigen (P less than .002). Although the same pattern was demonstrated by the other patient groups, the differences were not significant. Because hematology and renal transplant patients responded relatively poorly to influenza immunization, prophylactic administration of amantadine during influenza outbreaks should be considered in patients with renal function adequate to excrete this drug.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1978

Co-circulation of two influenza A (H3N2) antigenic variants detected by virus surveillance in individual communities.

From March through June 1977 a total of 31 influenza A (H3N2) viruses were isolated from students with respiratory disease who were seen at the student health service on the Berkeley campus of the University of California, and 32 influenza A (H3N2) viruses were isolated from persons who participated in a city-wide febrile respiratory disease surveillance program in Seattle. The antigenic specificity of the hemagglutinin was determined for each isolate by hemagglutination inhibition testing with sera from ferrets infected with prototype strains A/Victoria/3/75 and A/Texas/1/77. In each of the three months, April, May and June, A/Victoria/3/75-like and A/Texas/1/77-like viruses were identified among isolates from both communities, and the numbers of isolates of the two antigenic variants from patients seen with influenza-like illnesses were similar. The findings emphasize the need to examine multiple isolates even from within single communities to determine the antigenic specificity of current strains of influenza virus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Influenza B-associated Reye's syndrome: incidence in Michigan and potential for prevention.

Prospective surveillance for Reye's syndrome in Michigan revealed the occurrence of 46 cases between December 15, 1973 and June 1, 1974. In an attempt to determine the incidence of influenza B-associated Reye's syndrome, a randomized point-prevalence survey of 1,041 schoolchildren was done in a county in Michigan where there had been simultaneous outbreaks of influenza B and Reye's syndrome. Of the children tested, 20% had titers of hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody to influenza virus B/Hong Kong/5/72 of greater than or equal 1:20. Based upon this countywide survey, the incidence of Reye's syndrome following influenza B was estimated as between 30.8 and 57.8 cases of Reye's syndrome per 100,000 cases of influenza B. A detailed epidemiologic investigation of the patients who developed Reye's syndrome indicated that the syndrome occurred four times more frequently in children living in rural areas than in children in the urban areas of the state. These studies indicate that, in addition to antecedent viral infections such as influenza B, factor(s) that are most likely extrinsic or environmental also play a role in the pathogenesis of Reye's syndrome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Identification and preliminary antigenic analysis of swine influenza-like viruses isolated during an influenza outbreak at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

The sequence of events and the laboratory procedures that resulted in the identification of swine influenza-like viruses isolated during an influenza outbreak at Fort Dix, New Jersey in January and February of 1976 are described. Preliminary antigenic analysis suggested that the isolates from Fort Dix are closely related to a 1975 isolate of swine influenza virus and distinguishable from earlier swine influenza strains.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed1977

Neuraminidase content of influenza vaccines and neuraminidase antibody responses after vaccination of immunologically primed and unprimed populations.

Vaccines prepared with influenza A/swine/1976/37-like virus contained neuraminidase activity comparable to that of H3N2 vaccines, whereas little neuraminidase activity could be detected in influenza A/New Jersey/76 vaccines. In single-dose vaccine studies, A/swine/1976/37-like split-virus vaccine induced antibody to neuraminidase (NAAb) in about 20% of children younger than 18 years and this NAAb response was better than or equal to the antibody response to the vaccine's hemagglutinin (HAAb). In immunologically primed adults, the NAAb response to a single dose of Hsw1N1 or H3N2 vaccine was 38%-54%, but this value was about 1.7-fold lower than that for HAAb response. Children six to 17 years old given two doses of A/swine/1976/37-like vaccine had an overall 70% NAAb response, whereas children of similar age had an overall 30%-48% NAAb response to two doses of A/Victoria/3/75 (H3N2) virus. The findings support a hypothesis that the NAAb response to influenza vaccines can be suppressed if subjects receiving the vaccine are immunologically primed to its hemagglutinin component. NAAb responses in the absence of HAAb responses occur in only about 5% of vaccinated persons who are immunologically primed to both the hemagllutinin and neuraminidase of the vaccine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Measurement of hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody to influenza virus in the 1976 influenza vaccine program: methods and test reproducibility.

Titers of hemagglutination-inhibiting (HAI) antibody were determined for all sera obtained from participants in the 1976 Influenza Vaccine Test Program. At least eight control sera were included in each test during the vaccine trial period for the purpose of monitoring HAI test reproducibility. Estimates of day-to-day reproducibility were defined as the percentages of duplicate aliquots of the same sera, tested on two separate days, having HAI antibody titers that did not differ by more than one twofold dilution. These reproducibility estimates ranged from 89% to 97% with influenza A/New Jersey/76 and A/Mayo Clinic/74 antigens. In contrast, within-day reproducibility estimates obtained from all sets of control sera ranged from 96% to 98%. Estimates of day-to-day test reproducibility obtained with selected sera taken after vaccination that were titrated on two differen days ranged from 90% to 98%. Geometric mean titers of these sera tested weeks or months apart differed on some occasions during the test period.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1977

Swine influenza virus vaccination in patients with multiple sclerosis.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of inactivated influenza virus vaccines in patients with multiple sclerosis. The vaccine used contained 200 chick cell-agglutinating (CCA) units of influenza A/New Jersey/76 and 200 CCA units of influenza A/Victoria/75 whole viruses (Merrell-National Laboratories, Cincinnati, Ohio). The frequency of clinical relapses of multiple sclerosis was the same in the vaccine-treated (four of 33 patients) and placebo-treated (four of 33) groups. An untreated control group had a slightly higher rate of relapses (four of 22). Toxic reactions to the vaccine were not a significant problem. The efficacy of the vaccination as measured by titers of hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody was comparable to that reported for the general population. However, patients with preexisting antibody were less responsive to the vaccine than normal controls studied previously. The patients who did not respond to the vaccine tended to be older and more disabled. There were no changes in titers of antibody to rubeola or rubella virus after vaccination or in relation to change in clinical course. It is concluded that the vaccine is safe and effective in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1977

Clinical reactions and serologic responses in healthy children aged six to 35 months after two-dose regimens of inactivated A/New Jersey/76 influenza virus vaccines.

In collaborative clinical trials, two-dose regimens of four monovalent A/New Jersey (NJ)/76 influenza virus vaccines were evaluated in 89 children aged six to 35 months. Clinical reactions to vaccination consisted primarily of low-grade fever. Rectal temperatures of between 100 F and 102 F occurred less frequently after inoculation with split-product vaccines (seven [23%] of 31 children) than whole-virus vaccines (19 [33%] of 58). After administration of single doses of vaccines, titers of hemagglutination-inhibiting (HAI) antibody reached greater than or equal to 1:20 in three (13%) of the 23 recipients of split-product vaccines and in 23 (51%) of the 45 recipients of whole-virus vaccines. After administration of two doses, 89%-94% of recipients of Parke, Davis and Company (PD, Detroit, Mich.), Merrell-National Laboratories (Cincinnati, Ohio), and Merck Sharp and Dohme (West Point, Pa.) vaccines, but only 50% of the recipients of Wyeth Laboratories (Philadelphia, Pa.) vaccine, had titers of HAI antibody of greater than or equal to 1:20. Single doses of more reactogenic whole-virus vaccines may be justifiable for rapid immunization of young children during epidemics of influenza. Given in a two-dose regimen, however, PD split-product vaccine was immunogenic and was the most well-tolerated vaccine tested in this age group.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1977

Age-related heterologous antibody responses to influenza virus vaccination.

Heterologous hemagglutination-inhibiting (HAI) antibody responses to influenza A/New Jersey/76 (Hsw1N1) virus vaccine were examined in individuals receiving doses of 200, 400, or 800 chick cell-agglutinating units of whole-virus or split-virus products during the 1976 National Influenza Vaccine Test Program. Vaccination with influenza A/New Jersey/76 virus produced a high rate of heterologous antibody response to influenza A/PR/8/34 (H0N1) and A/FM/1/47 (H1N1) viruses in persons whose original antigenic experience according to their age was with H0N1 or H1N1 strains, respectively. Vaccination with A/New Jersey/76 virus produced only low levels of HAI antibody to influenza A/Japan/305/57 (H2N2) and A/Victoria/3/75 (H3N2) viruses, and these responses were less clearly related to primary infections. Thus the greatest heterologous HAI antibody responses occurred when there were shared antigenic determinants between the hemagglutinins of the vaccine virus and the viruses that had caused the initial priming infection. However, when vaccinations or infections with H3N2 and Hsw1N1 strains may both be occurring in the population, even infrequent formation of heterologous antibody may make it difficult to interpret serologic data precisely.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Evaluation of the single radial hemolysis test for measuring hemagglutinin- and neuraminidase-specific antibodies to H3N2 influenza strains and antibodies to influenza B.

Antibodies to the H3 hemagglutinin of influenza A virus could be specifically measured by single radial hemolysis (SRH) when test antigens were recombinant viruses containing the relevant H3 hemagglutinin antigen and irrelevant Neq1 neuraminidase of A/equine/Prague/1/56 virus. Antibodies to influenza B virus could also be measured by the SRH technique. Antibody rises to influenza A or B virus measured by SRH agreed with results of hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests for about 80% of the sera tested, including sera from volunteers receiving killed influenza vaccine and sera from patients naturally infected with influenza. Correlation between antibody titers measured by SRH and HI was also good. Antibodies to the N2 neuraminidase of influenza A virus could be specifically measured by SRH when test antigens were recombinant viruses containing the relevant N2 neuraminidase antigen and irrelevant Heq1 hemagglutinin of A/equine/Prague/1/56 virus. The SRH test for neuraminidase antibodies was more strain specific than was the SRH test for hemagglutinin antibodies. Probably for this reason, agreement between neuraminidase antibody determinations in human sera by the SRH test and by the neuraminidase inhibition test was poorer than agreement between the SRH test for hemagglutinin antibodies and the HI test.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1976

A nationwide outbreak of Reye's Syndrome. Its epidemiologic relationship of influenza B.

Between December 15 and June 30, 1974, 379 cases of confirmed Reye's syndrome were reported to the Center for Disease Control. Of these, 316 occurred during February and March 1974. A simultaneous surveillance system for influenza B indicated that this clustering of cases of Reye's syndrome correlated both temporally and geographically with influenza B outbreaks. The incidence of Reye's syndrome was higher in rural than in urban centers. Epidemiologically, two groups of cases of Reye's syndrome emerge: those which occur in older children (median age 11 years), cluster in time and geographic region, and are associated with antecedent influenza B infection; and those which occur sporadically thoughout the year, are isolated in occurrence, occur in younger children (median age 6 years), and are associated with a wide variety of antecedent viral illnesses.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Live, attenuated influenza A/England/42/72 (H3N2) virus vaccine: a field trial.

Two doses of a live, attentuated influenza A/England/42/72 (H3N2) vaccine virus (inhibitor-insensitive Alice strain) were administered intranasally to 130 university students, and placebo was given to 134 students. Fourfold or greater rises in titer of hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody occurred in 68% of all vaccine recipients and in 88% of those with initial titers of less than 1:8; the geometric mean titer of hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody increased from 1:15 to 1:77. A 3.2-fold rise in titer of neuraminidase-inhibiting antibody occurred in 24% of the students. Side effects produced by administration of the vaccine include mild rhinitis and sore throat, which were found only during the first four days after administration of the first dose. Inhibitor-insensitive virus was shed only by three of 31 intensively studied vaccine recipients; these three subjects all had initial serum titers of hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody of less than 1:8. No transmission of vaccine virus to spouses was detected. During a 12-month interval after vaccination, the geometric mean titer of hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody in serum and the prevalence of antibody decreased minimally among the 47 vaccine recipients still available for study.

Administration, Intranasal↗