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Biomedical subjects

L Thun-Hohenstein

Publications and source records attributed to L Thun-Hohenstein.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Hepatitis B vaccination and immune response in children with malignant diseases.

Fifty children with malignant diseases were vaccinated against hepatitis B. Twenty-nine children suffered from leukaemia or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; 14 of these were on intensive chemotherapy (group I) and 15 were without intensive therapy (group II). The other 21 children had various forms of solid tumours, 14 of them were on intensive therapy (group III) and 7 were without intensive therapy (group IV). To evaluate the immune response, we determined antibody titres over a period of more than 14 weeks after the first vaccination. As 22 out of 50 patients had received passive immunisation together with either the first or the first and second vaccination, antibody titres at the 14th and 18th week (i.e. more than 10 weeks after passive immunisation) were used to evaluate the vaccination results. An antibody titre of greater than or equal to 10 mIU/ml was considered to be a positive response. All patients of group IV, but only 4 out of 14 in group III, 4 out of 15 in group II, and 0 out of 14 in group I produced antibody titres higher than 50 mIU/ml. In contrast to the full response in group IV, two-thirds of all other patients had no immune response (less than 10 mIU/ml). Based on our experience we recommend vaccinating patients suffering from solid tumours and receiving no intensive therapy (group IV) against hepatitis B and protecting all the other children with malignant diseases by passive immunisation, if necessary.

Adolescent↗

[Protein malnutrition in pediatric patients with oncologic diseases].

To study the frequency of protein-caloric malnutrition in children (n = 16) with malignant diseases, we measured serum-albumin, -transferrin, -prealbumin and -retinol-binding protein (Radial immunodiffusion) before treatment was started. In 9 children at least 3 of the 4 rapid-turnover proteins were below the age-specific reference values. 7 patients (44%) with low rapid turnover proteins were free from infection, liver and renal dysfunction and thus, diagnosis of protein-caloric malnutrition was established. Anthropometric parameters as weight for age and the weight/height ratio did not predict protein-caloric malnutrition. Nutritional therapy (enteral, parenteral) during a period of 2 weeks resulted in significant increase of albumin (p less than 0.05), prealbumin (p less than 0.01) and retinol-binding protein (p less than 0.01). Rapid turnover proteins can be easily measured in each laboratory and are useful in diagnosis and treatment of protein-caloric malnutrition of children with malignant diseases as long as the limitations of this method are not neglected.

Adolescent↗