Therapeutic Advances in Vaccines and Immunotherapy最新文献

Background: Due to the COVID-19 situation, vaccination is a key factor in reducing the severity and transmission of the disease, especially in the vulnerable population, which includes pregnant women. Currently, various policies are in place to promote the vaccination of pregnant women against COVID-19; however, some pregnant women decline vaccination.

Objectives: To study pregnant women's knowledge, attitude, and acceptance regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.

Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women who received antenatal care at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Methods: Pregnant women who received antenatal care at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Chulalongkorn University from November 2021 to April 2022 were included. The participants answered an online questionnaire through their electronic devices. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the data.

Results: A total of 500 pregnant women participated in this study. Among them, 67.4% and 81.4% had great knowledge and a positive attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccine, respectively, with scores of 80% or higher in each section. Of the 500 participants, 468 (93.6%) accepted to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. After adjusting for certain variables through multivariate analysis, the factor associated with the decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was having great knowledge about the vaccine (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 13.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.45-71.61). However, the most significant factor associated with the decision to reject the COVID-19 vaccine was the recent COVID-19 infection (adjusted OR 0.11, 95% CI 0.02-0.62).

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic presents severe and life-threatening conditions for both pregnant women and their fetuses. The majority of the pregnant women in this study had great knowledge and acceptance of the vaccine and a positive attitude toward it. The pregnant women who had prior knowledge of the vaccine tended to accept to receive it during pregnancy, whereas those who recently contracted COVID-19 were hesitant to receive the vaccine.

Background: Two monovalent mRNA vaccines, available in December 2020, were demonstrated to have high efficacy against both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and variants circulating through the summer and into the fall of 2021. In the context of the Omicron/BA.1 variant, which was predominant from late fall 2021 into winter of 2022 in the United States, and subsequent Omicron subvariants that have been predominant thereafter, vaccine effectiveness of the monovalent mRNA vaccine option is attenuated.

Objectives: We aim to investigate the relative effectiveness of the bivalent booster compared to the monovalent booster against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the 60 days following administration in Shelby County, TN.

Design: This observational population-based cohort study utilizes COVID-19 surveillance data to identify adults who were vaccinated with a monovalent booster dose between August 1, 2022 and August 30, 2022 or a bivalent booster dose between September 1, 2022 and September 30, 2022. Both groups were followed for COVID-19 status for 60 days from their administration date.

Methods: We calculated incidence rates with 95% confidence intervals and propensity-adjusted hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals of COVID-19 diagnosis in the 60 days following administration of the booster dose between the bivalent group and the monovalent group. Stratified analysis was conducted by age group (18-34, 35-64, and 65+ years old).

Results: The incidence of reported SARS-CoV-2 infection was substantially higher for those who received the monovalent booster, across age groups. Overall, we observed a 51% lower hazard of infection during the study period among those who received the bivalent booster, compared to the monovalent booster.

Conclusion: These results support and extend prior findings that the bivalent booster dose may be more effective in preventing infection against the Omicron sub-variants of SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Hemoglobinopathies, such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia, are genetic disorders that affect hemoglobin structure or production, leading to various health complications, including an increased risk of infections. Vaccinations play a crucial role in managing these conditions by providing essential protection against preventable diseases. Ensuring timely and appropriate immunizations is vital for reducing infection-related morbidity and improving the overall health and quality of life for affected individuals.

Objectives: Our objective was to assess vaccination coverage, as well as knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward vaccination in Greek patients with hemoglobinopathies.

Design and methods: A nationwide survey of hemoglobinopathy patients in Greece using a 37-item questionnaire was conducted anonymously via Google Forms. It covered demographics, previous vaccinations, vaccine-preventable infections, beliefs about vaccines, and antibiotic prophylaxis post-splenectomy. The survey was distributed through Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Units and organizations.

Results: Participants were predominantly university-educated married women aged 30-50 years with transfusion-depended thalassemia (n = 149, 60.5%) or sickle cell anemia (n = 52, 21.1%). Reported childhood vaccination rates aligned with Greece's national immunization program. However, adult coverage was suboptimal across all age groups for measles (10%), varicella (27%), zoster (2% for over 50 years old individuals), hepatitis A (13.9% of those with chronic liver disease) and hepatitis B (41%), pneumococcal (81.3%), meningococcal (37%), tetanus (20.3%), and influenza (67.1%) vaccines compared to guidelines. Participants relied predominantly on healthcare providers for vaccine information but perceived limited engagement. Those over age 50 demonstrated lower adult vaccination rates and higher misconceptions compared to younger cohorts.

Conclusion: Addressing educational and access gaps could help protect this vulnerable population. Our findings highlight the need for coordinated efforts to optimize adult immunization for those with hemoglobinopathies.

Due to their high specificity and scalability, Monoclonal IgY antibodies have emerged as a valuable alternative to traditional polyclonal IgY antibodies. This abstract provides an overview of the production and purification methods of monoclonal IgY antibodies, highlights their advantages over polyclonal IgY antibodies, and discusses their recent applications. Monoclonal recombinant IgY antibodies, in contrast to polyclonal IgY antibodies, offer several benefits. such as derived from a single B-cell clone, monoclonal antibodies exhibit superior specificity, ensuring consistent and reliable results. Furthermore, it explores the suitability of monoclonal IgY antibodies for low- and middle-income countries, considering their cost-effectiveness and accessibility. We also discussed future directions and challenges in using polyclonal IgY and monoclonal IgY antibodies. In conclusion, monoclonal IgY antibodies offer substantial advantages over polyclonal IgY antibodies regarding specificity, scalability, and consistent performance. Their recent applications in diagnostics, therapeutics, and research highlight their versatility.

Background: Vaccination is a fundamental tenet of public and population health. Several barriers to vaccine uptake exist, exacerbated post-COVID-19, including misconceptions about vaccine efficacy and safety, vaccine hesitancy, vaccine inequity, costs, religious beliefs, and insufficient education and guidance for healthcare professionals. Vaccine uptake may be aided using microarray patches (MAPs) due to reduced pain, no hypodermic needle, enhanced thermostability, and potential for self and lay administration.

Objectives: This protocol outlines the development of a scale that aims to accurately measure the perceived safety, usability, and acceptability of MAPs for vaccination among laypeople, MAP recipients, clinicians, and parents or guardians of children.

Methods and analysis: This study will follow three phases of scale development and validation, including (1) item development, (2) scale development, and (3) scale evaluation. Inductive (interviews) and deductive methods (literature searches) will be used to develop scale items, which experts from target populations will assess through an online survey. Cognitive interviews will be conducted to observe their processes of answering the draft survey. Thematic analysis will be conducted to analyse qualitative data. Lastly, four surveys will be administered online to our target populations over two time points to determine their repeatability. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Cronbach's alpha, and construct validity will be performed.

Ethics: This study was approved by Metro South Health (HREC/2021/QMS/81653) and Western Sydney Local Health District (2023/ETH00705) Human Research Ethics Committees.

Discussion: The scale will support a standardised approach to assessing the social and behavioural aspects of MAP vaccines, enabling comparison of outcomes across studies. Once validated, this scale will assist vaccination programmes in developing effective strategies for integrating MAPs and overcoming barriers to vaccination. This includes improving vaccine equity and accessibility, especially in lower- and middle-income countries and rural or remote locations.

Background: Immunization is one of the most significant health initiatives of recent times. Despite this, vaccine hesitancy is increasing and was listed as one of the top 10 threats to global health by the World Health Organization in 2019. A major factor associated with vaccine hesitancy is thought to be the viral spread of misinformation by a small but active anti-vaccination movement.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the influences of social media on vaccine decision-making in parents.

Design: This study is part of a larger body of research that explored vaccine decision-making in parents. Other methods included were an online survey and semi-structured interviews. This study investigated the influence of cyberculture on parents in an online environment.

Method: This study employed netnography, a form of qualitative inquiry with its roots in ethnography as methodology and a purpose-designed Facebook page as the means of exploring a purpose-designed online community with a particular focus on the culture, belief systems and influences present. Both manual and computer-assisted thematic analyses were used to analyse the data obtained.

Results: Three key themes were identified in this study. These included vaccine safety concerns, the emotional debate and COVID-19-specific issues. The results indicated the presence of strong anti-vaccination sentiment combined with an 'infodemic' of conspiracy theories, misinformation and vitriol with the potential to negatively impact parents seeking immunization information.

Conclusion: Given the popularity and accessibility of social media and the ready access to misinformation present online, it is evident that parental vaccine decision-making may be impacted adversely. Therefore, it is important that healthcare professionals are aware of this and provide adequate and timely education prior to parents seeking information on social media.

COVID-19 infection is a multi-system clinical disorder that was associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Even though antiviral therapies such as Remdesvir offered modest efficacy in reducing the mortality and morbidity, they were not efficacious in reducing the risk of future infections. So, FDA approved COVID-19 vaccines which are widely administered in the general population worldwide. These COVID-19 vaccines offered a safety net against future infections and re-infections. Most of these vaccines contain inactivated virus or spike protein mRNA that are primarily responsible for inducing innate and adaptive immunity. These vaccines were also formulated to contain supplementary adjuvants that are beneficial in boosting the immune response. During the pandemic, clinicians all over the world witnessed an uprise in the incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (COVID-Heart Syndrome) in patients with and without cardiovascular risk factors. Clinical researchers were not certain about the underlying reason for the upsurge of cardiovascular disorders with some blaming them on COVID-19 infections while others blaming them on COVID-19 vaccines. Based on the literature review, we hypothesize that adjuvants included in the COVID-19 vaccines are the real culprits for causation of cardiovascular disorders. Operation of various pathological signaling events under the influence of these adjuvants including autoimmunity, bystander effect, direct toxicity, anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS), anaphylaxis, hypersensitivity, genetic susceptibility, epitope spreading, and anti-idiotypic antibodies were partially responsible for stirring up the onset of cardiovascular disorders. With these mechanisms in place, a minor contribution from COVID-19 virus itself cannot be ruled out. With that being said, we strongly advocate for careful selection of vaccine adjuvants included in COVID-19 vaccines so that future adverse cardiac disorders can be averted.

Background: Vaccines are safe and effective, but adverse reactions can occur. Immunization errors (IEs) are one of the types of adverse events following immunization. The Moroccan Pharmacovigilance Centre (MPC) received a cluster of IEs from a maternity university hospital (MUH) regarding six newborns who were inadvertently administered rocuronium instead of hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine. The newborns experienced respiratory distress and one had a fatal outcome.

Objectives: The study aimed to describe the investigation findings, the underlying causes, and contributing factors of the IEs cluster, and proposed risk minimization actions.

Design: We carried out a descriptive analysis of the cluster of IEs related to the HepB vaccine reported to the MPC.

Methods: An investigation was conducted by the Ministry of Health according to the World Health Organization guidance. The root cause analysis was performed to identify underlying causes and contributing factors that lead to IE occurrence.

Results: The cluster analysis showed that the main contributing factors were the look-alike rocuronium and HepB vaccine packaging, the first-time running HepB vaccination for newborns in the MUH, the lack of a full-time pharmacist, and the unsafe storage of rocuronium and vaccines. The administration of Sugammadex to the newborns followed by their transfer to the neonatal care unit resulted in the recovery of five of the six newborns. Proposed recommendations included (1) raising awareness of healthcare professionals to the risk related to look-alike medications, (2) training nurses to ensure vaccination to implement procedures related to immunization practices, (3) nomination of a full-time pharmacist, (4) reassessment of the safety of drug storage and dispensing at the hospital pharmacy, particularly for high-alert medications.

Conclusion: Reporting IEs, particularly serious ones, allows us to identify causes and contributing factors that led to their occurrence. Lessons learned from errors are key to take risk minimization actions to improve vaccine safety worldwide.