The case reported refers to a patient who developed status epilepticus in the day of her third dose of hepatitis B vaccination and we review the literature on this subject. A 12 year-old girl, without a relevant previous history, taking no drugs, developed a seizure attack followed by unconsciousness, and eventually died after three days of her third dose of hepatitis B (HB) vaccination. Autopsy study revealed cerebral edema with congestion and herniation and diffuse interstitial type pneumonitis. There seem to be a straight forward time relationship between the third HB vaccine, the event of convulsion and the sudden death of the patient. We suggest that, in some cases, vaccination may be the triggering factor for autoimmune and neurological disturbances in genetically predisposed individuals and physicians should be aware of this possible association.

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for prevention of radiation pneumonitis in patients with lung cancer.Twenty-five patients were prospectively enrolled in this study and randomized to either intervention group or control group. The patients assigned to the intervention group received 15 minutes of acupuncture treatment twice a week. The patients assigned to the control group received RT alone without acupuncture treatment. The primary endpoint was incidence of radiation pneumonitis. The secondary endpoints were FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second), DLCO (diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide), 6-minute walk distance, and modified Borg scale.The intervention group showed lower incidences of grade 3 and grade≥2 radiation pneumonitis than the control group (10% vs 30% for grade 3 and 50% vs 60% for grade ≥2). In the control group, mean DLCO value was decreased from 62.1% at baseline to 49.1% after RT (= .004). The DLCO was also decreased after RT in the intervention group, but the decrement was not statistically significant (56.7% at baseline and 50.9% after RT,= .204). The FEV1 and 6-minute walk distance were decreased after RT in the control group. However, FEV1 and 6-minute walk distance were increased after RT in the intervention group.This study found that patients who received acupuncture treatment showed a lower incidence of radiation pneumonitis and a protective effect against aggravation of pulmonary function after RT in patients with lung cancer. To confirm the results of this study, well-designed randomized studies with large sample sizes will be required.