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Introduction: Research on SARS-CoV-2 virus has focused on aspects such as treatment, virology, epidemiology and vaccine development. The efficacy of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 is important for controlling the pandemic. This study assessed how the immune response is affected by age and gender, and its role in causing inflammation as measured by neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in vaccinated patients versus non-vaccinated COVID-19 negative patients. Methodology: A case-control study was done involving 187 randomly selected patients who had undergone laboratory examinations to evaluate the SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody titer and hematological parameters at 21 to 31 days after the second dose of vaccination. Patients were divided into case and control groups according to their vaccination status. Results: The average age among the cases was 51 ± 13 years whereas the average age among the control group was 47 ± 15 years. In cases where the response to immunization was measured by SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody, results had a median of 7.7 U/mL characterized by a large variation (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference based on age (p = 0.451) and gender (p = 0.622) in SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody titers in patients vaccinated with two doses of Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, there was no significant difference in NLR ratio between cases and controls (p = 0.117). Conclusions: Our data showed that there is no inflammation at 21 to 31 days post vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of age and gender, based on the hematological parameters.

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Background Renal insufficiency may affect up to 10% of HIV patients as a result of HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN), a consequence of HIV replication in the kidney, AIDS-related kidney disease or drug treatment. Tenofovir, atazanavir and abacavir are mainly used, and it is important to consider the potential impact of kidney disease on antiretroviral therapy.1 2 The increasing number of older patients with HIV coupled with the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in this age group and the side effects of antiretrovirals leads us to select them as an at-risk population for clinical drug monitoring. Purpose Assessment of kidney function in older patients infected by HIV treated with antiretrovirals. Materials and methods Retrospective study (2010) of HIV-infected older patients (≥65 years) followed at the infectious disease unit of the author's hospital to identify those with CKD. Data were obtained from patient clinical files, pharmacy drug database and laboratory test results. CKD is defined as either GFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 for ≥3 months or presence of kidney damage (KD) for ≥3 months, with or without decreased GFR, manifest by either pathological abnormalities or markers of KD. Proteinuria (>30 mg/dl) is an early and sensitive marker of KD.3 The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation was used to estimate the GFR (eGFR).3 The stages (1–5) of CKD are defined based on the level of kidney function. Results Of 63 patients (48 men) with mean age 70.6 (65–84) and mean serum creatinine 0.99±0.31 mg/dl, 15 were diabetic, 19 had CKD at different levels of kidney function: stage 1=3, stage 2=3, stage 3=11, stage 4=1, stage 5=1. Of this nineteen, 14 were men, mean age 70.9 (65–79), 18 with mean serum creatinine 1.25±0.39 mg/dl and 1 with 10.92 mg/dl on haemodialysis, 12 were being treated with tenofovir, 3 with abacavir and 1 with atazanavir+abacavir. Conclusions A significant number of this population had a decreased eGFR and had CKD probably due to age, HIVAN, but also to the use of tenofovir, abacavir or atazanavir.

Latex allergy is a common occupational disease among healthcare workers who use latex gloves. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of allergy to latex gloves among dental students and the role of exposure duration in latex allergy. In this prospective study, a total of 240 students completed a self-administered questionnaire aiming at providing information about glove, working habits, signs and symptoms related to glove use, precautions taken to minimize it, etc. The challenge and patch tests were performed through latex gloves, and skin prick test with commercial extracts. The questionnaire items and diagnostic tests revealed that one-fourth of subjects were suspicious for latex gloves hypersensitivity. Their mean value for skin reactions like contact urticaria, irritant or allergic dermatitis was between 10% and 14%, while for non-cutaneous symptoms the mean value was under 5%. The average latex exposure (in hours) is estimated to be about 214±71 (SE), with a maximum of 11500 hours. The correlation between studied variables and the time exposure to latex gloves revealed weak to moderate relations with respect to reported latex allergy, eczematous reactions, hand erythema after glove wearing, irritant reactions during wash/washout procedures, concentration oscillations during usage of latex gloves, or dyspnea attack during latex exposure. Due to the relationship between allergic reactions to latex gloves and some medical histories during school practice, it seems to be necessary to undergo pre-matriculation evaluation and periodic health surveillance of dental students. 2017 Vol.4, No.3, pp.45-49 ISSN(e): 2313-2752 ISSN(p): 2313-7746 DOI: 10.18488/journal.9.2017.43.45.49 © 2017 Contribution/Originality: AB designed the questionnaire, assisted students to complete them, conducted diagnostic tests and collected the data; DK and SS coordinated and helped with the study design and conduction; DM assisted on students' enrollment in the study and helped with the study design from the stomatological perspective; EP assisted on statistical analysis of the data; ÇM coordinated the students' enrollment in the study; AR assisted on manuscript copyediting, EÇM drafted the manuscript. International Journal of Medical and Health Sciences Research