IntroductionPneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) is included in the World Health Organization’s routine immunization schedule and is recommended by WHO for vaccination in high-risk children up to 60 months. However, many countries do not recommend vaccination in older age groups, nor have donors committed to supporting extended age group vaccination. To better inform decision-making, this systematic review examines the direct impact of extended age group vaccination in children over 12 months in low and middle income countries.MethodsAn a priori protocol was used. Using pre-specified terms, a search was conducted using PubMed, LILACS, Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CAB Abstracts, clinicaltrials.gov and the International Symposium on Pneumococci and Pneumococcal Diseases abstracts. The primary outcome was disease incidence, with antibody titers and nasopharyngeal carriage included as secondary outcomes.ResultsEighteen studies reported on disease incidence, immune response, and nasopharyngeal carriage. PCV administered after 12 months of age led to significant declines in invasive pneumococcal disease. Immune response to vaccine type serotypes was significantly higher for those vaccinated at older ages than the unimmunized at the established 0.2ug/ml and 0.35ug/ml thresholds. Vaccination administered after one year of age significantly reduced VT carriage with odds ratios ranging from 0.213 to 0.69 over four years. A GRADE analysis indicated that the studies were of high quality.DiscussionPCV administration in children over 12 months leads to significant protection. The direct impact of PCV administration, coupled with the large cohort of children missed in first year vaccination, indicates that countries should initiate or expand PCV immunization for extended age group vaccinations. Donors should support implementation of PCV as part of delayed or interrupted immunization for older children. For countries to effectively implement extended age vaccinations, access to affordably-priced PCV is critical.

In electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID), a metal-bonded grinding wheel is dressed as a result of anodic dissolution. In this paper we describe experiments to evaluate the potential for ELID on bronze wheels in fixed-load grinding applications. A constant-force grinding apparatus was used to determine appropriate ELID conditions for a 10–20 μm bronze bonded diamond grinding wheel used to machine silicon carbide. A practical implementation of ELID was demonstrated using a low speed bronze bonded diamond wafering saw. Optimum ELID current was determine for different workpiece materials, and the wear rate of the saw blade using ELID was found to be of the same order as the wear rate of the saw blade using intermittent dressing with a porous ceramic stick. Some of the important factors controlling the rate of dressing by ELID (rate of film growth, rate of film wear and rate of diamond wear) and their combined effects are discussed. Successful use of ELID on bronzebonded wheels in other applications will be facilitated by understanding these phenomena, developing a general process model based on them and being able to predict useful ELID parameters.

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PMWS should be considered in the differential diagnoses of sudden onset of respiratory dyspnoea, diarrhoea, and rapid loss of body condition in young pigs in New Zealand pig herds.