Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics最新文献

Parental vaccine hesitancy is a major obstacle to childhood vaccination. We examined parental socioeconomic status (SES) disparities in vaccine hesitancy, and the potential mediating roles of perceived social support and health literacy. A questionnaire survey was given to parents with children aged below 6 years from six provinces in China. SES was examined by educational attainment, annual household income, and a subjective measure of SES (using a scale of 1-10). Linear regression was applied to assess the association between SES and vaccine hesitancy. Bootstrapping mediation analysis was performed with 5,000 samples bootstrapped. A total of 1,638 parents were included. Using annual household income > 200,000 Chinese yuan (CNY) as a reference, parents with lower household income (CNY 100,001-150,000) experienced higher vaccine hesitancy. Educational attainment was not associated with vaccine hesitancy. Subjective SES had a U-shaped relationship with vaccine hesitancy. Perceived social support and health literacy independently and sequentially mediated the effects of subjective SES (indirect effect: -0.240) and annual household income (indirect effect: 1.250 for ≤ CNY 100,000 and 0.759 for CNY 100,001-150,000) on vaccine hesitancy. Socioeconomic disparities influenced parental vaccine hesitancy in China, which were mediated by perceptions of social support and health literacy.

Acute hepatitis E infection could induce severe outcomes among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Between 2016 and 2017, an open-label study was conducted to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of hepatitis E vaccine (HepE) in CHB patients, using healthy adults as parallel controls in China. Eligible participants who were aged ≥30 y were enrolled in the study. The CHB group included participants who had ever developed symptoms of hepatitis because of CHB but was currently at a clinically stable stage, which was defined as ALT ≤ 1.5 times of upper limit of the normal range (ULN) in this study. The control group included healthy adults who had hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) negative. HepE was administered for 0, 1, 6 months for all participants. At 1 month after the third-dose vaccination (month 7), the seroconversion rates of anti-HEV IgG were >97% in both groups. The geometric mean concentration (GMC) of anti-HEV IgG in the CHB group was non-inferior to the healthy adult group (0.69 WU/mL, 95% CI 0.55-0.85). The proportion of the participants with adverse events ≥ grade 3 was similar in both groups (p = .99), and no vaccine-associated severe adverse events were identified. Changes in the liver function indicators were not of clinical significance. The HepE was highly immunogenic and well tolerated among clinically stable CHB patients and healthy adults.

Given the growing significance of immunotherapy in addressing the limitations of conventional acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatments, this study aimed to elucidate the hotspot evolution and frontiers of immunotherapy in AML using bibliometric analysis. With a strict retrieval strategy applied in the Web of Science Core Collection, 2411 publications were obtained and exported. The temporal and geographical distributions of these publications and the countries, institutions, journals, and authors who contributed to the field were investigated. An in-depth content analysis was performed. The United States had various research institutions dedicated to AML immunotherapy. Frontiers in Immunology had the highest number of publications, but Blood had the highest H-index. Marion Subklewe was the most productive author. The current research hotspots of AML immunotherapy included chimeric antigen receptor-T-cell therapy, antibody-based immunotherapies, immune checkpoint blockade, and combination therapy, highlighting the key aspects of immunotherapy for AML treatment and providing comprehensive insights into the research status and advances in this field. Novel immunotherapies combined with chemotherapy may become the primary focus of AML treatment.

People in Australia have access to different influenza vaccines, but may be unaware of their options and features. Preference studies for differentiated influenza vaccines including cell-based vaccines are limited, particularly in Australia. This study investigated which influenza vaccine attributes people in Australia value using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). Adults in Australia ineligible for free influenza vaccines had been vaccinated in the last 5 years and intended to be vaccinated again completed an online survey. Participants (N = 1203) were presented three influenza vaccine profiles described by eight attributes. Half the DCE scenarios described influenza season severity to be the same as last year, and the other half as more severe. DCE data were analyzed using a mixed multinomial logit (MMNL) model. All eight attributes significantly predicted vaccine choice (p < .05). Regardless of influenza season severity, participants preferred a vaccine: with greater protection, designed to be an exact match to circulating strains (match), using modern technology, manufactured by an Australian company, available at pharmacies, preferred by health care professionals (HCP), government funded for high-risk individuals and having lower cost. The top three attributes by importance were protection, match and cost. Participants were willing to pay more for match and higher protection. The Marginal Willingness to Pay (MWTP) for the most important attributes, excluding cost, were AUD $1.61/$2.18 for each additional percent in protection (same/more severe season), AUD $25.37/$32.37 for match and AUD $4.06/$15.97 for HCP preference. Findings indicate that match, protection, cost and HCP preference are key to vaccine choice, highlighting the importance of shared decision-making.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a unique set of risks to pregnant women and pregnant people. SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of severe illness and adverse perinatal outcomes. However, evidence regarding the use of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy shows safety and efficacy. Despite eligibility and recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women and pregnant people in Canada, uptake remains lower compared to the general population, warranting exploration of influencing factors. The COVERED study, a national prospective cohort, utilized web-based surveys to collect data from pregnant women and pregnant people across Canada on COVID-19 vaccine attitudes, uptake, and hesitancy factors from July 2021 to December 2023. Survey questions were informed by validated tools including the WHO Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Of 1093 respondents who were pregnant at the time of the survey, 87.7% received or intended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy. TPB variables such as positive attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.08-1.14), direct social norms, and indirect social norms were significantly associated with vaccine acceptance. Perceived vaccine risks, assessed by the WHO VHS, were greater in those not accepting of the vaccine. Our study identified several key factors that play a role in vaccine uptake: perceived vaccine risks and safety and social norms. These findings may guide public health recommendations and prenatal vaccine counseling strategies.

This study reports on the long-term stability of a recombinant 9-valent HPV vaccine, addressing a gap in the literature as previous research did not extend beyond 72 months. The vaccine targets HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58 and was produced using an E. coli expression system. We optimized soluble HPV L1 protein expression by truncating the N- and C-termini, resulting in HPV L1 virus-like particles (VLPs). Structural analysis confirmed the VLPs' resemblance to natural ones, suitable for vaccine production. Stability testing encompassed appearance, dosage, pH, osmolarity, aluminum content, polysorbate 80, in vitro relative potency, abnormal toxicity, in vivo potency, sterility, and endotoxin levels. The vaccine showed stability under extreme conditions of light (4500 lx) and shaking table vibration (10-30 rpm) for at least 7 days at 5 ± 3°C. Long-term storage at 5 ± 3°C maintained stability for up to 72 months, while accelerated testing at 25 ± 2°C showed stability for at least 12 months. The findings suggest that the vaccine's potency is best preserved under protection from high temperatures and direct light, with even harsh conditions not significantly compromising stability. This enhances the global distribution potential of the HPV vaccine.

WHO had warned of the impending "X disease," emphasizing the need to quickly establish an immune barrier. The willingness of vaccination staff to recommend vaccines was crucial in such scenarios. This study aimed to investigate willingness and influencing factors of Non-EPI Vaccines recommendations among Chinese vaccination staff in Hangzhou, China. We selected vaccination staff in 191 vaccination clinics from Hangzhou for a questionnaire-based survey using a cross-sectional survey. Descriptive statistics were made on the characteristics of participants. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to determine the influencing factors of Non-EPI Vaccines recommendations. The overall recommendation rate was 76.2%. Compared to Supplementary and Individual Non-EPI Vaccines, vaccination staff were more willing to recommend Alternative ($x^2$ = 215.655, P < 0.05) and Combined Non-EPI Vaccines ($x^2$ = 214.998, P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that vaccination staff who did not participate in COVID-19 vaccination work (OR = 2.942, 95%CI:1.121 ~ 9.302), believe they had an obligation to recommend Non-EPI Vaccines (OR _disagree = 7.957, 95%CI:1.238 ~ 87.69; OR _neutrality = 4.187, 95%CI:1.66 ~ 10.563), and think that the effects of non-routine immunization vaccines were very good (OR _disagree = 3.133, 95%CI:1.677 ~ 14.495; OR _neutrality = 2.512, 95%CI:1.164 ~ 5.418) were more willing to recommend Non-EPI Vaccines. On the contrary, vaccination staff who believe that recommending Non-EPI vaccines increased their workload (OR _disagree = 0.307, 95%CI:0.11 ~ 0.856; OR _neutrality = 0.642, 95%CI:0.258 ~ 0.986) would decrease willingness to recommend them. The most of vaccination staff were willing to recommend non-EPI vaccines under major infectious disease outbreaks. To further control the pandemic of major infectious diseases, the health management departments should enhance the knowledge of vaccines among vaccination staff and alleviate their workload.

In countries in which rotavirus vaccines have been introduced for young infants, the incidence of rotavirus infections has dramatically decreased. This report presents an outbreak of rotavirus gastroenteritis among travelers. Data regarding the long-term protective effect of rotavirus vaccines after years of vaccination are scarce. A Japanese group of 14 children and nine adults traveled to Malaysia over 4 weeks. During travel, 15 of 23 patients developed gastroenteritis symptoms (Figure 1). Stool samples were collected from two symptomatic patients that tested positive for rotavirus. None of the five members with a history of rotavirus gastroenteritis developed symptoms. Nine of the 10 vaccinated children developed symptoms of acute gastroenteritis without the need for hospitalization. The only child without a history of vaccination or infection developed acute gastroenteritis and required hospitalization for continuous intravenous hydration. While individuals with a history of infection did not develop acute gastroenteritis, the protective effects of vaccination against symptomatic infection did not sustain long. This indicates the potential need for a booster dose of the rotavirus vaccine for travelers to rotavirus-endemic countries.

This study evaluated pneumococcal vaccination status using evaluable data collected from 445 of 1,313 managing directors of elderly care facilities in Japan through an online survey (September 5, 2022-November 25, 2022; UMIN000048747); comparisons were made with the influenza (2021-2022 vaccination only) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination status. Among facilities who kept pneumococcal vaccination records (n = 42), the mean pneumococcal vaccination rate was 31.1%, with the rate being higher for the influenza (93.1%; n = 234) and COVID-19 (94.3%; n = 285) vaccines. Overall, excluding facilities that answered that the corresponding vaccine status at their sites was unknown, the percentage of facilities with high vaccination rates (80% to 100%) was substantially higher for the influenza (80.5%; 351/436) and COVID-19 (89.6%; 396/442) vaccines than for the pneumococcal vaccine (6.5%; 24/370). Multivariable analysis showed that major factors associated with a high pneumococcal vaccination rate (≥15%) were "managing director's willingness to recommend" and "pneumococcal vaccination request from the residents." The most common reason for their willingness to recommend the pneumococcal vaccine was that it is an effective disease prevention strategy (83.3%; 65/78) and for their unwillingness to recommend the pneumococcal vaccine was the inability to understand the effectiveness of the vaccine (43.6%; 17/39). In conclusion, there is a need to improve pneumococcal vaccination rates in elderly care facilities in Japan. Strategies such as increasing awareness and encouraging pneumococcal vaccine recommendation among managing directors, especially for residents not eligible for the national subsidy program, and providing regular training on the pneumococcal vaccine for staff and residents are required.

The dissemination of tumor cells with ensuing metastasis is responsible for most cancer-related deaths. Cancer vaccines may, by inducing tumor-specific effector T cells, offer a strategy to eliminate metastasizing tumor cells. However, several obstacles remain in the development of effective cancer vaccines, including the identification of adjuvants that enhance the evolvement and efficacy of tumor-specific T cells. Cholera toxin-based adjuvants have shown efficacy in vaccines for infectious diseases, but their role in cancer vaccine therapies remains to be elucidated. Here, we explored the potential of cholera toxin A1 (CTA1)-based adjuvants to boost anti-tumor T cell responses and protect against metastasis. We report that an adjuvant where CTA1 was fused to a dimer from Staphylococcus aureus protein A (DD) enhanced immune responses against the tumor-associated antigens TRP2 and Twist1 in mice, providing protection against B16F1 melanoma and 4T1 breast cancer metastasis, respectively. Both mucosal (intranasal) and systemic (intraperitoneal) vaccine administration provided effective protection against intravenously injected tumor cells, with intranasal administration leading to superior induction of CD4⁺ T cells at metastatic sites. When comparing antigens admixed with CTA1-DD to those fused with a CTA1-based adjuvant, the fusion construct elicited the strongest immunogenicity. Nevertheless, by administrating a 20-fold higher antigen dose also the admix formulation provided efficient protection against metastasis.