306

Hepatitis B virus immunization inrenal disease

The study by George et al. I proves once againthat in India patients with renal disease whoare undergoing haemodialysis run a high riskof developing hepatitis B virus infection.

Out of the 131patients registered 50 developedthe infection, i.e. one-third of the populationat risk. This has great importance particularlyto the long term prospects of renal transplantrecipients.

Notices

THE NATIONAL MEDICAL JOURNAL OF INDIA

Hepatitis B virus infection in these patientsis acquired through needle sticks during varioustests, blood transfusion and dialysis.

The poor or delayed antibody response inpatients with chronic renal failure needs to beconsidered when planning a vaccinationschedule. It may be worth vaccinating allpatients registered in a clinic before they gointo renal failure. Once chronic renal failure isestablished perhaps the dose of vaccine shouldbe increased t040l'gfrom 20l'g. It is, of course,important to assess the antibody response.

It is time to consider a policy of universal

VOL. 7, NO.6, 1994

vaccination for all patients undergoing dialysiswho are to undergo renal transplantation.

12 September 1994 Sethu BabuCOR Hospitals

HyderabadAndhra Pradesh

REFERENCE

George J •. John GT. Jacob CK. Shastry JCM.Active immunizationagainsthepatitis B infectionof a haemodialysispopulation. Natl Med J India1994;7:115-17.

1. Third Annual Conference of theIndian Society of Hypertension,Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh7-18 December 1994Information:

V. ShantaramDepartment of MedicineNizam's Institute of Medical SciencesPanjaguttaHyderabad 500482Andhra Pradesh

2. Twenty-seventh Annual Conferenceof the Indian Pharmacological Society,Bombay, Maharashtra21-24 December 1994Information:

N. A. KshirsagarDepartment of Clinical

PharmacologySeth G.S. Medical College and

K. E. M. HospitalParelBombay 400012Maharashtra

3. Seventieth All India MedicalConference of the Indian MedicalAssociation, Vijayawada, AndhraPradesh 25-30 December 1994Information:

G. SamaranOrganizing SecretaryVasavya Nursing HomePatamataVijayawada 520010Andhra Pradesh

4. III Annual Conference of IndianSociety of Otology, Bombay,Maharashtra 2-4 January 1995Information:

Anand K. ShahKKR ENT Hospital and Research

Institute827, Poonamallie High RoadMadras 600010Tamil Nadu

5. X Annual Convention of the IndianVirological Society, Trivandrum,Kerala 16-18 January 1995Information:

J. ShanmugamDepartment of MicrobiologySree Chitra Tirunal Institute of

Medical Science and TechnologyTrivandrum 695011KeralaIndia

6. First International Conference onLifestyle and Health, New Delhi20-21 January 1995Information:

Bimal K. ChhajerDepartment of PhysiologyAll India Institute of Medical

SciencesAnsari NagarNew Delhi 110029India

7. Second International Conference onDietary Assessment Methods, Boston,Massachusetts, USA22-24 January 1995Information:

Conference on Dietary AssessmentMethods

Harvard School of Public Health677 Huntington Avenue LL-23Boston, MA 02115-6023USA

8. Third International Congress onBiological Response Modifiers,Cancun, Mexico 26-29 January 1995Information:

CME Inc.POBox 712Princeton JunctionNJ 08550USA

9. Forty-ninth Indian DentalConference, Ludhiana, Punjab27-31 January 1995Information:

Bahgwant SinghA-6 Gurudwara Shaheedan RoadModel TownLudhianaPunjabIndia

10. Fifth International Congress onAnti-Cancer Chemotherapy:Neoadjuvant, adjuvant, andexperimental, Paris, France31 January-3 February 1995Information:

David KhayatSOMPS-Hopital de la

pitie-salpetriere47 Boulevard del'Hopital75651 Paris Cedex 13France

11. Fifty-third All India OphthalmologicalSociety Conference, Bombay,Maharashtra 2-5 February 1995Information:

Kirit K. ModySalil Eye Clinic506 Om Chambers123 August Kranti MargKemps ComerBombay 400036Maharashtra

12. Molecular biology of cancer:Implications for prevention andtherapy Maui, Hawaii13-18 February 1995Information:

American Association for CancerResearch

Public Ledger Bldg620 Chestnut StSuite 816 PhiladelphiaPA 19106USA

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13. XII International Conference onCalcium Regulating Hormones,Melbourne, Australia14-19 February 1995Information:

Secretary, XIIth ICCRHc/o St Vincent's Institute of

Medical Research411 Victoria ParadeFitzroy Victoria 3065Australia

14. Second International Congress onVitamins and Biofactors in LifeSciences (ICVB), San Diego,California, USA16-19 February 1995Information:

Susan J. BuntjerConference Co-ordinator and

SupervisorThe Scripps Research Institute10666 North Torrey Pines RoadLa Jolla, CA 92037USA

15. Fifteenth International Symposiumon Intensive Care and EmergencyMedicine, Brussels, Belgium21-24 March 1995Information:

J. L. VincentDepartment of Intensive CareErasme University HospitalRoute de Lennik 808B-1070 BrusselsBelgium

16. Fourth International Congress onTravel Medicine, Acapulco, Mexico23-27 April 1995Information:

ICfM4 8000 Westpark DrSuite 130 McleanVA 22102USA

17. Eighth International Conference onAntiviral Research, Santa Fe,New Mexico, USA23-28 April 1995Information:

Earl J. KernDepartment of PediatricsChildren's Hospital TowerSuite 653University of AlabamaBirminghamAL 35294USA

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18. Sixth International Centre forBiotechnology Symposium onCytoplasmic Protein-TyrosineKinases, Stockholm, Sweden12-14 May 1995Information:

C. I. Edvard Smith and MaunoVihinen

Karolinska Institute Centre forBiotechnology

Novum S 141 57 HuddingeSweden

19. Fifth International Symposium onHighway Potlution, Copenhagen,Denmark 22-25 May 1995Information:

Ron HamiltonMiddlesex UniversityBounds Green RdLondon NIl 2NQUK

20. Ninth Congress of the WorldAssociation of Emergency andDisaster Medicine, Jerusalem,Israel 28 May-2 June 1995Information:

KENESPOB 50006Tel Aviv 61500Israel

21. International Society of TechnologyAssessment in Health Care, EleventhAnnual Meeting, Stockholm, Sweden5-7 June 1995Information:

CONGREX (Sweden) ABAtt: ISTAHC, P.O. Box 5619S-114 86 StockholmSweden

22. Eighth International Symposium onLoss Prevention and SafetyPromotion in the Process Industries,Antwerp, Belgium 19-22 June 1995Information:

c/o Ingenieurshuis vzwDesguinlei 214B-2018 AntwerpenBelgium

23. World Confederation for PhysicalTherapy Congress, WashingtonD.C., USA 25-30 June 1995Information:

American Physical TherapyAssociation

1111 North Fairfax StreetAlexandriaVA 22314-1488USA

NOTICES

24. Third Endodontic World Congress,Rome, Italy 28 June-I July 1995Information:

Congress PresidentViale Ippocrate97-00161 RomaItaly

25. The International Society of MagneticResonance, Sydney, Australia15-20 July 1995Information:Les FieldISMAR-95Department of Organic ChemistryUniversity of SydneySydney NSW 2006Australia

26. Ninth International Congress ofImmunology, San Francisco,California, USA 23-29 July 1995Information:

American Assciation ofImmunologists

9650 Rockville PikeBethesda, MD 20814USA

27. Tenth International Congress ofVirology, Jerusalem, Israel11-16 August 1995Information:

Organizing SecretaryPO Box 50006Tel Aviv 61500Israel

28. Fourth National NeurotraumaConference, Cochin, Kerala12-14 August 1995Information:

A. N. Subba RaoDepartment of NeurosurgeryMedical Trust HospitalCochin 682016KeralaIndia

29. Thirty-seventh International Congresson Alcohol' and Drug Dependence,San Diego, California, USA2~25 August 1995Information:

San Diego, Alcohol, Tobacco andOther Drug Studies

UCSD ExtensionUniversity of California0176,9500 Gilman DriveLa JollaCA 92093-0176USA