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Patients with cancer can be immunocompromised because of their disease and/or due to anticancer therapy. In this population, severe influenza virus infections are associated with an elevated risk of morbidity and mortality. Influenza vaccination is therefore highly recommended in cancer patients, including those receiving anticancer therapy. However, vaccination coverage remains far below the recommended target for vulnerable subjects. Six specialists in oncology, hematology, immunology, and public health/vaccinology convened with the objective of developing strategies, based on evidence and clinical experience, for improving influenza vaccination coverage in cancer patients. This viewpoint provides an overview of current influenza vaccination recommendations in cancer patients, discusses barriers to vaccination coverage, and presents strategies for overcoming said barriers. New immunization issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic are also addressed. Future directions include improving public education on influenza vaccination, providing the media with accurate information, improving knowledge among healthcare professionals, improving access to vaccines for cancer patients, co-administration of the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, increased collaboration between oncologists and other health professionals, increased accessibility of digital vaccination registries to specialists, shared information platforms, and promoting immunization campaigns by healthcare systems with the support of scientific societies.

Patients with cancer can be immunocompromised because of their disease and/or due to anticancer therapy. In this population, severe influenza virus infections are associated with an elevated risk of morbidity and mortality. Influenza vaccination is therefore highly recommended in cancer patients, including those receiving anticancer therapy. However, vaccination coverage remains far below the recommended target for vulnerable subjects. Six specialists in oncology, hematology, immunology, and public health/vaccinology convened with the objective of developing strategies, based on evidence and clinical experience, for improving influenza vaccination coverage in cancer patients. This viewpoint provides an overview of current influenza vaccination recommendations in cancer patients, discusses barriers to vaccination coverage, and presents strategies for overcoming said barriers. New immunization issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic are also addressed. Future directions include improving public education on influenza vaccination, providing the media with accurate information, improving knowledge among healthcare professionals, improving access to vaccines for cancer patients, co-administration of the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, increased collaboration between oncologists and other health professionals, increased accessibility of digital vaccination registries to specialists, shared information platforms, and promoting immunization campaigns by healthcare systems with the support of scientific societies.

Surveillance of meningococcal disease (MD) is crucial after the implementation of vaccination strategies to monitor their impact on disease burden. Adolescent vaccination could provide direct and indirect protection. Argentina, Brazil, and Chile have introduced meningococcal conjugate vaccines (MCV) into their National Immunization Programs (NIP), while Uruguay has not. Here, we analyze the epidemiology of MD and vaccination experience from these four South American countries to identify needs and plans to improve the current vaccination programs. Methodology: Descriptive study of MD incidence rates, serogroup distribution, case fatality rates (CFR), and MCV uptakes during the period 2010–2021 in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. Data were extracted from national surveillance programs, reference laboratories, NIPs, and Pubmed. Results: MD overall incidence from 2010 to 2021 have a decreasing trend in Argentina (0.37 [IQR = 0.20–0.61]), Brazil (0.59 [IQR = 0.54–1.22]), and Chile (0.45 [IQR = 0.40–0.77]), while a significant increase in Uruguay (0.47 [IQR = 0.33–0.69]) was found from 2016 to 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all countries sharply reduced their MD incidence. The highest incidence rates were observed among infants, followed by children 1–4 years of age. No second peak was evident in adolescents. A reduction in serogroup C, W, and Y cases has occurred in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile after introduction of MCV, serogroup B becoming predominant in all four countries. Median CFR was 9.0%, 21%, 19.9%, and 17.9% in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, respectively. Median uptake of MCV for Argentina and Brazil were 66.6% and 91.0% for priming in infants; 54.7% and 84.5% for booster in toddlers; and 47.5% and 53% for adolescents; while for Chile, 95.6% for toddlers. Conclusions: Experience after the implementation of MCV programs in South America was successful, reducing the burden of MD due to the vaccine serogroups. High vaccine uptake and the inclusion of adolescents will be crucial in the post-pandemic period to maintain the protection of the population. The increase in the proportion of serogroup B cases emphasizes the importance of continuous surveillance to guide future vaccination strategies.

Surveillance of meningococcal disease (MD) is crucial after the implementation of vaccination strategies to monitor their impact on disease burden. Adolescent vaccination could provide direct and indirect protection. Argentina, Brazil, and Chile have introduced meningococcal conjugate vaccines (MCV) into their National Immunization Programs (NIP), while Uruguay has not. Here, we analyze the epidemiology of MD and vaccination experience from these four South American countries to identify needs and plans to improve the current vaccination programs., Methodology: Descriptive study of MD incidence rates, serogroup distribution, case fatality rates (CFR), and MCV uptakes during the period 2010-2021 in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. Data were extracted from national surveillance programs, reference laboratories, NIPs, and Pubmed., Results: MD overall incidence from 2010 to 2021 have a decreasing trend in Argentina (0.37 [IQR = 0.20-0.61]), Brazil (0.59 [IQR = 0.54-1.22]), and Chile (0.45 [IQR = 0.40-0.77]), while a significant increase in Uruguay (0.47 [IQR = 0.33-0.69]) was found from 2016 to 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all countries sharply reduced their MD incidence. The highest incidence rates were observed among infants, followed by children 1-4 years of age. No second peak was evident in adolescents. A reduction in serogroup C, W, and Y cases has occurred in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile after introduction of MCV, serogroup B becoming predominant in all four countries. Median CFR was 9.0%, 21%, 19.9%, and 17.9% in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, respectively. Median uptake of MCV for Argentina and Brazil were 66.6% and 91.0% for priming in infants; 54.7% and 84.5% for booster in toddlers; and 47.5% and 53% for adolescents; while for Chile, 95.6% for toddlers., Conclusions: Experience after the implementation of MCV programs in South America was successful, reducing the burden of MD due to the vaccine serogroups. High vaccine uptake and the inclusion of adolescents will be crucial in the post-pandemic period to maintain the protection of the population. The increase in the proportion of serogroup B cases emphasizes the importance of continuous surveillance to guide future vaccination strategies.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) related cervical cancer represents an issue of public health priority. The World Health Organization recommended the introduction of HPV vaccination in all national public programs. In Europe, vaccines against HPV have been available since 2006. In Italy, vaccination is recommended and has been freely offered to all young girls aged 11 years since 2008. Three prophylactic HPV vaccines are available against high- and low-risk genotypes. The quadrivalent vaccine contains protein antigens for HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18. The bivalent vaccine includes antigens for HPV 16 and 18. The nonavalent vaccine was introduced in 2014, and it targets HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. Clinical trials demonstrated the effectiveness of the three vaccines in healthy young women. Likewise, all vaccines showed an excellent safety profile. The bivalent vaccine provides two doses in subjects aged between 9 and 14 years and three doses in subjects over 14 years of age. The quadrivalent vaccine provides two doses in individuals from 9 to 13 years and three doses in individuals aged 14 years and over. The nonavalent vaccine schedule provides two doses in individuals from 9 to 14 years of age and three doses in individuals aged 15 years and over at the time of the first administration. Preliminary results suggest that the HPV vaccine is effective in the prevention of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions even after local treatment. Given these outcomes, in general, it is imperative to expand the vaccinated target population. Some interventions to improve the HPV vaccine’s uptake include patient reminders, physicians-focused interventions, school-based vaccinations programs, and social marketing strategies. The Italian Society of Colposcopy and Cervico-Vaginal Pathology (SICPCV) is committed to supporting vaccination programs for children and adolescents with a catch-up program for young adults. The SICPCV also helps clinical and information initiatives in developing countries to decrease the incidence of cervico-vaginal and vulvar pathology.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) related cervical cancer represents an issue of public health priority. The World Health Organization recommended the introduction of HPV vaccination in all national public programs. In Europe, vaccines against HPV have been available since 2006. In Italy, vaccination is recommended and has been freely offered to all young girls aged 11 years since 2008. Three prophylactic HPV vaccines are available against high- and low-risk genotypes. The quadrivalent vaccine contains protein antigens for HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18. The bivalent vaccine includes antigens for HPV 16 and 18. The nonavalent vaccine was introduced in 2014, and it targets HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. Clinical trials demonstrated the effectiveness of the three vaccines in healthy young women. Likewise, all vaccines showed an excellent safety profile. The bivalent vaccine provides two doses in subjects aged between 9 and 14 years and three doses in subjects over 14 years of age. The quadrivalent vaccine provides two doses in individuals from 9 to 13 years and three doses in individuals aged 14 years and over. The nonavalent vaccine schedule provides two doses in individuals from 9 to 14 years of age and three doses in individuals aged 15 years and over at the time of the first administration. Preliminary results suggest that the HPV vaccine is effective in the prevention of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions even after local treatment. Given these outcomes, in general, it is imperative to expand the vaccinated target population. Some interventions to improve the HPV vaccine's uptake include patient reminders, physicians-focused interventions, school-based vaccinations programs, and social marketing strategies. The Italian Society of Colposcopy and Cervico-Vaginal Pathology (SICPCV) is committed to supporting vaccination programs for children and adolescents with a catch-up program for young adults. The SICPCV also helps clinical and information initiatives in developing countries to decrease the incidence of cervico-vaginal and vulvar pathology.

In this work, we describe compatibility assessments of a recombinant, trivalent non-replicating rotavirus vaccine (t-NRRV) candidate with a mock trivalent Sabin inactivated polio vaccine (t-sIPV). Both t-sIPV and t-NRRV are incompatible with thimerosal (TH), a preservative commonly used in pediatric pentavalent combination vaccines (DTwP-Hib-HepB) distributed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), preventing the development of a heptavalent combination. The compatibility of t-NRRV with a mock DTwP-Hib-HepB formulation is described in a companion paper. This case study highlights the analytical and formulation challenges encountered when combining a mock t-sIPV vaccine (unadjuvanted) with Alhydrogel® (AH) adjuvanted t-NRRV. Selective and stability-indicating competition ELISAs were implemented to monitor antibody binding to each of the six antigens (±AH). Simple mixing caused the undesired desorption of t-NRRV from AH with the concomitant binding of t-sIPV to AH. Although the former effect was mitigated by dialyzing sIPV bulks, decreased sIPV storage stability was observed at accelerated temperatures in the bivalent combination with a rank-ordering of P[8] > P[6] > P[4] and sIPV3 > sIPV2 > sIPV1. The compatibility of AH-adsorbed t-sIPV with alternative preservatives was evaluated, and parabens (methyl, propyl) were identified for potential use in this multi-dose bivalent formulation. Along with a companion paper, the lessons learned are discussed to facilitate the future formulation development of pediatric combination vaccines with new antigens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza vaccination is an important public health measure that can reduce disease burden, especially among older persons (those aged 65 and over) who have weaker immune systems. Evidence suggests enhanced vaccines, including adjuvanted quadrivalent vaccines (aQIV), may be particularly effective in this group. This study reports the results of a systematic review of the cost-effectiveness of aQIV in this population. The review was undertaken and reported in accordance with good practice guidelines. Medline and EMBASE were searched from 2013 to the present. Pre-selected eligibility criteria were employed and quality assessment undertaken using the Consensus Health Economic Criteria (CHEC-extended) checklist and Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standard (CHEERS) 2022 checklists. A total of 124 records were returned, with 10 full text papers retained. All were modelling studies and exhibited heterogeneity in approach, perspective, and parameter estimation. Nine papers reported cost-effectiveness ranging from EUR 6694/QALY to EUR 20,000/QALY in evaluations employing a payer perspective and from EUR 3936/QALY to EUR 17,200/QALY in those using a societal perspective. Results remained robust to a range of sensitivity analyses. One paper that reported contrary findings adopted a distinct modelling approach. It is reasonable to conclude that there is a broad consensus as to the cost-effectiveness of aQIV in this population group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Italy, the paper package leaflet (PPL) is the official document that is approved by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) for each medicine. PPLs of all medicines, including vaccines, are freely available online by accessing the AIFA website. To investigate people’s attitudes toward possible access to the PPLs of vaccines and the acceptability of switching to an electronic package leaflet (e-leaflet) in the future, we surveyed three target groups (pregnant women, young parents, and older people) in Italy, via an online survey. We collected 321 questionnaires from the cohorts, which comprised 104 pregnant women, 105 young parents, and 112 older people. The results indicate in all target groups that health care professionals (HCPs) do not usually offer the vaccine PPL during the vaccination session: only about 10.7% of respondents receive the PPL without asking for it, with pregnant women receiving it the most frequently. The acceptance rate for switching from a PPL to an e-leaflet is fairly high in all target groups (76.9% in pregnant women, 81.9% in young parents, and 66.1% in the elderly), especially if the option exists to request a paper print, to make sure that people with a low level of digital skills can access the PPL information as well. HCPs have an important role in ensuring access to the PPLs of vaccines. HCPs should be trained to inform their patients about the different options for accessing the PPLs (as well as online access) to increase their patients’ knowledge and satisfaction.

The coronavirus pandemic is the greatest crisis of our time, having claimed over 2 million lives and shocking the global economy. Scientists and governments have suggested the idea of a digital COVID-19 certificate, to identify vaccinated persons easily. This paper assesses the positions of stakeholders on COVID-19 vaccination certificates, their presentation, and their importance. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was applied in this study. Search terms with Boolean and/or operators were combined to increase relevant results. Four large digital databases were used for the search. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen 298 collated studies. Two reviewers independently assessed search results, extracted data, and assessed the quality of the included studies. It is essential to re-examine digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates, considering their benefits, such as real-time detection of fake vaccination certificates and identifying and mapping non-vaccinated areas for strategic vaccination planning. The use of a single electronic platform globally will ease verification processes while bringing economies back to their feet. Digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates may provide balance in this pandemic era. With digital COVID-19 certificate exceeding documentation purposes, it is important to recognise factors such as global economy and human rights, boosting free movements of persons.

At present, there are no vaccines available for hand, foot, and mouth disease, which is caused by Coxsackie virus A16 (CVA16) infection. In the present study, we isolated epidemic strains of CVA16 and optimized the production of the virus in Vero cells. The system comprised growing the infected cells on polymer fiber paper carriers in a serum-free medium containing 0.5% (w/v) lactalbumin hydrolysate a mini bioreactor. Disposable Bioflo310 and AmProtein Current perfusion bioreactors were used to monitor virus infection and Vero cell culture. The total number of cells increased from 1.5 × 109 to 3.0 × 1010. In our optimized culture process, the virus titer reached 7.8 × 107 TCID50/mL at three days after infection. The inactivated CVA16 prepared from our optimized culture procedure elicited a slightly higher neutralizing antibody titer compared with that derived from routine culture procedures. These results will promote the large-scale production of inactivated CVA16 vaccines using nonwoven polymer fiber paper cell cultures.

The author believes that the principles of statistical methods for vaccine safety can be divided into three categories: comparison of adverse event incidence rates between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, analysis of incidentality in the vaccinated group, and a combination of both. The first category includes the cohort study; the second, the self-controlled risk interval design (SCRI); and the third, the self-controlled case series method. A single p-value alone should not determine a scientific conclusion, and analysis should be performed using multiple statistical methods with different principles. The author believes that using both the cohort study and the SCRI for analysis is the best method to assess vaccine safety. When the cohort study may not detect a significant difference owing to a low incidence rate of an adverse event in the vaccinated group or a high one in the unvaccinated group, the SCRI may detect it. Because vaccines must have a higher level of safety than the pharmaceuticals used for treatment, vaccine safety is advisable to be assessed using methods that can detect a significant difference even for any value of the incidence rate of an adverse event. The author believes that the analyses of COVID-19 vaccine safety have areas for improvement because the proportion of papers that used the cohort study and the SCRI was negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correction notice addresses an error in a published paper titled "Immunoinformatics and Immunogenetics-Based Design of Immunogenic Peptides Vaccine against the Emerging Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus (TBEV) and Its Validation through In Silico Cloning and Immune Simulation." The authors discovered that the abstract of the paper was an exact duplicate of the abstract from a previously published paper by the same authors. This mistake occurred due to a wrong version being mistakenly uploaded during the publication process. The corrected abstract provides information about the design of a potential antigenic and non-allergenic multi-epitope subunit vaccine against TBEV, which shows promise for both in vitro and in vivo analyses. The authors state that this error does not affect the scientific conclusions of the paper. [Extracted from the article]

The coronavirus pandemic is the greatest crisis of our time, having claimed over 2 million lives and shocking the global economy. Scientists and governments have suggested the idea of a digital COVID-19 certificate, to identify vaccinated persons easily. This paper assesses the positions of stakeholders on COVID-19 vaccination certificates, their presentation, and their importance. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was applied in this study. Search terms with Boolean and/or operators were combined to increase relevant results. Four large digital databases were used for the search. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen 298 collated studies. Two reviewers independently assessed search results, extracted data, and assessed the quality of the included studies. It is essential to re-examine digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates, considering their benefits, such as real-time detection of fake vaccination certificates and identifying and mapping non-vaccinated areas for strategic vaccination planning. The use of a single electronic platform globally will ease verification processes while bringing economies back to their feet. Digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates may provide balance in this pandemic era. With digital COVID-19 certificate exceeding documentation purposes, it is important to recognise factors such as global economy and human rights, boosting free movements of persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical importance of adaptable and resilient public health systems capable of rapid response to emerging health crises. This paper synthesizes the lessons learned from the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and explores strategies to enhance vaccine uptake in the post-pandemic era. Key challenges identified include logistical, economic, sociocultural, and policy dimensions that impact vaccination efforts, particularly in low-resource settings. The analysis highlights the need for resilient supply chains, effective communication, community engagement, and equitable access to healthcare resources. The rapid development and deployment of mRNA vaccines exemplify the potential of innovative vaccine technologies, though public trust and acceptance remain crucial. Strategies such as partnerships with local leaders, tailored messaging, and integration of digital tools are essential for combating vaccine hesitancy. By applying these insights, future vaccination campaigns can be more efficient, equitable, and resilient, ultimately improving public health outcomes globally. This paper aims to inform policy and practice, ensuring that public health strategies are evidence based and context specific, thus better preparing for future health challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination has been the most effective way to control the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers and types of vaccines have reached considerable proportions, even if the question of vaccine procedures and frequency still needs to be resolved. We have come to learn the necessity of defining vaccination distribution strategies with regard to COVID-19 that could be used for any future pandemics of similar gravity. In fact, vaccine monitoring implies the existence of a strategy that should be measurable in terms of input and output, based on a mathematical model, including death rates, the spread of infections, symptoms, hospitalization, and so on. This paper addresses the issue of vaccine diffusion and strategies for monitoring the pandemic. It provides a description of the importance and take up of vaccines and the links between procedures and the containment of COVID-19 variants, as well as the long-term effects. Finally, the paper focuses on the global scenario in a world undergoing profound social and political change, with particular attention on current and future health provision. This contribution would represent an example of vaccination experiences, which can be useful in other pandemic or epidemiological contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic presented the unique challenge of having to deliver novel vaccines during a public health crisis. For pediatric patients, it was further complicated by the delayed timeline for authorizing the vaccine and the differences in dosing/products depending on the patient's age. This paper investigates the relationship between the spatial accessibility and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine in King County, WA, USA. Public data for COVID-19 vaccine sites were used to calculate spatial accessibility using an enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) technique. Spatial regression analyses were performed to look at the relationship between spatial accessibility and ZIP-code-level vaccination rates. The relationships of these data with other socioeconomic and demographic variables were calculated as well. Higher rates of vaccine accessibility and vaccine coverage were found in adolescent (12- to 17-year-old) individuals relative to school-age (5- to 11-year-old) individuals. Vaccine accessibility was positively associated with coverage in both age groups in the univariable analysis. This relationship was affected by neighborhood educational attainment. This paper demonstrates how measures such as E2SFCA can be used to calculate the accessibility of the COVID-19 vaccine in a region and provides insight into some of the ecological factors that affect COVID-19 vaccination rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends vaccination against hepatitis B as soon as possible following birth for all infants, regardless of prematurity. Hepatitis B vaccination at birth is clearly justified, represents a crucial step in the global control of perinatally acquired hepatitis B and there are no safety concerns in infants born at term. However, there is limited information on the safety of the hepatitis B vaccine in preterm infants, whose immune responses and morbidity risk differ from those in infants born at term. Objectives: The objectives of this paper are to systematically review the literature regarding the safety and risk of adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs) associated with the administration of the hepatitis B vaccine (monovalent or as part of a combination vaccine) to preterm infants. Methods: We performed a search for relevant papers published between 1 January 2002 and 30 March 2023 in the Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and CINAHL Plus databases. Two authors independently reviewed and analysed each article to include in the systematic review. Narrative synthesis is presented. Results: Twenty-one relevant papers were identified and included in this systematic review. The vast majority of data pertained to multi-antigen (combination) vaccine preparations and vaccination episodes from 6 weeks of age onwards. We found no publications investigating the timing of the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, and AEFI reporting was exclusively short-term (hours to days following administration). There was substantial variability in the reported rate of AEFIs between studies, ranging from 0% to 96%. Regardless of frequency, AEFIs were mostly minor and included injection site reactions, temperature instability and self-limiting cardiorespiratory events. Six studies reported serious adverse events (SAEs) such as the requirement for escalation of respiratory support. However, these occurred predominantly in high-risk infant populations and were rare (~1%). Using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) approach, the certainty of evidence was assessed as very low. Conclusions: Despite substantial variability between the relatively small number of published studies in terms of cohort selection, definitions, vaccine preparations and reporting, hepatitis B-containing vaccines (mostly as combination vaccines) appear to be relatively well tolerated in preterm infants from 6 weeks of age. Research focusing on the safety of hepatitis B vaccine in preterm infants specifically within 7 days of birth is lacking, particularly regarding long-term morbidity risk. Further research in this area is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on every individual in the United States. The launch of the COVID-19 vaccines is estimated to have averted millions of deaths and reduced over 18 million COVID-19-related hospitalizations. In September 2023, the updated 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccine, which includes a monovalent component that corresponds to the omicron variant XBB.1.5, reflecting the predominant circulating variant at the time of strain selection, was approved and was recommended for use in all people ≥ 6 months of age. Despite this recommendation, the US uptake of the updated COVID-19 vaccines over the 2023–2024 season has been far from optimal, placing many people at unnecessary risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes. This paper provides an overview of the current state of COVID-19 in 2023–2024 and barriers to vaccine uptake. With the continued evolution of the virus, the potential for more virulent variants, reduced public acceptance of vaccination, and the potential barriers that contributed to low vaccine uptake are explored to provide solutions for improving COVID-19 protection for future seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite treatment and other interventions, an effective prophylactic HIV vaccine is still an essential goal in the control of HIV. Inducing robust and long-lasting antibody responses is one of the main targets of an HIV vaccine. The delivery of HIV envelope glycoproteins (Env) using nanoparticle (NP) platforms has been shown to elicit better immunogenicity than soluble HIV Env. In this paper, we describe the development of a nanoparticle-based vaccine decorated with HIV Env using the SpyCatcher/SpyTag system. The Env utilised in this study, CAP255, was derived from a transmitted founder virus isolated from a patient who developed broadly neutralising antibodies. Negative stain and cryo-electron microscopy analyses confirmed the assembly and stability of the mi3 into uniform icosahedral NPs surrounded by regularly spaced CAP255 gp140 Env trimers. A three-dimensional reconstruction of CAP255 gp140 SpyTag–SpyCatcher mi3 clearly showed Env trimers projecting from the centre of each of the pentagonal dodecahedral faces of the NP. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the formation of SpyCatcher pentamers on the dodecahedral faces of mi3 NPs. To investigate the immunogenicity, rabbits were primed with two doses of DNA vaccines expressing the CAP255 gp150 and a mosaic subtype C Gag and boosted with three doses of the NP-developed autologous Tier 2 CAP255 neutralising antibodies (Nabs) and low levels of heterologous CAP256SU NAbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the impact of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 vaccinations on special populations. It addresses vaccine hesitancy as a reason for under-vaccination and emphasizes the importance of building confidence in the efficacy and safety of vaccines. The document includes ten papers that focus on four population groups prone to vaccine hesitancy: children, adolescents, older adults, patients with comorbid conditions, risk-averse individuals, and individuals who have been previously infected. The papers provide evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of vaccination in these populations, highlighting the need for comprehensive guidelines and education to promote vaccination uptake. Overall, the document emphasizes the importance of vaccination in preventing disease, preserving health, and avoiding societal disruptions. [Extracted from the article]

Vaccination hesitancy is considered by the World Health Organization as a danger to global health. In recent years, vaccine hesitancy rates to COVID-19 have been studied worldwide. In our study, we aim to provide an overview of the concept of vaccine hesitancy, with regard to the post-COVID era, and to provide prevention and management strategies. A search of the international literature until March 2023 was conducted in the PubMed database. The 5723 papers found were divided into two groups: prior to the COVID-19 era and from 2021 onward. Papers about the vaccine hesitation phenomenon are becoming more common during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and following the marketing that the vaccine companies have carried out on the different types of COVID-19 vaccines. It is advisable that healthcare authorities, at the national and international level, as well as healthcare professionals, at the local level, should promote a series of activities to reduce the vaccine hesitancy rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 80+ existing autoimmune disorders (ADs) affect billions with little prevention or treatment options, except for temporary symptomatic management, leading to enormous human suffering and a monumental financial burden. The autoantibodies formed in most ADs have been identified, allowing the development of novel anti-idiotypic antibodies to mute the autoantibodies using vaccines. Nucleoside vaccines have been successfully tested as antigen-specific immunotherapies (ASI), with mRNA technology offering multi-epitope targeting to mute multiple autoantibodies. This paper proposes using mRNA technology to produce anti-idiotypic antibodies with broad effectiveness in preventing and treating them. This paper delves into the state-of-the-art mRNA design strategies used to develop novel ASIs by selecting appropriate T cell and B cell epitopes to generate anti-idiotypic antibodies. The low cost and fast development of mRNA vaccines make this technology the most affordable for the global control of ADs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic posed substantial challenges to healthcare systems globally and severely disrupted essential health services, including routine immunization programs. In India, these disruptions were exacerbated due to the sudden emergence of the pandemic and lockdown measures, leading to mass migrations and a shortage of healthcare workers. Caregivers' concerns about routine immunization sessions further compounded the problem, resulting in a sharp increase in zero-dose children. This review paper examines India's strategies for conducting one of the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination programs while effectively restoring and perpetuating its Universal Immunization Program (UIP). The UIP played a pivotal role in sustaining immunization services during the pandemic, ultimately improving immunization coverage compared to pre-pandemic levels. India's accomplishments in this regard are highlighted through key performance indicators, the reach of immunization services, a reduction in zero-dose children, and antigen-wise coverage. The paper also discusses the successful integration of COVID-19 vaccination within the UIP framework, underscoring the significance of existing infrastructure, technology, and capacity building. India's dedication to concurrently managing routine immunization and COVID-19 vaccination showcases the adaptability and resilience of its healthcare system. India's journey serves as a global example of efficient mass immunization during challenging times, emphasizing the importance of political will, healthcare infrastructure investment, skilled healthcare workforces, and comprehensive vaccination programs. In a world grappling with the dual challenge of COVID-19 and routine immunization, India's experience provides a roadmap for strengthening healthcare systems and promoting public health as the critical agenda in challenging times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Italy, the paper package leaflet (PPL) is the official document that is approved by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) for each medicine. PPLs of all medicines, including vaccines, are freely available online by accessing the AIFA website. To investigate people's attitudes toward possible access to the PPLs of vaccines and the acceptability of switching to an electronic package leaflet (e-leaflet) in the future, we surveyed three target groups (pregnant women, young parents, and older people) in Italy, via an online survey. We collected 321 questionnaires from the cohorts, which comprised 104 pregnant women, 105 young parents, and 112 older people. The results indicate in all target groups that health care professionals (HCPs) do not usually offer the vaccine PPL during the vaccination session: only about 10.7% of respondents receive the PPL without asking for it, with pregnant women receiving it the most frequently. The acceptance rate for switching from a PPL to an e-leaflet is fairly high in all target groups (76.9% in pregnant women, 81.9% in young parents, and 66.1% in the elderly), especially if the option exists to request a paper print, to make sure that people with a low level of digital skills can access the PPL information as well. HCPs have an important role in ensuring access to the PPLs of vaccines. HCPs should be trained to inform their patients about the different options for accessing the PPLs (as well as online access) to increase their patients' knowledge and satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2021 WHO and UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) reported approximately 25 million under-vaccinated children in 2021, out of which 18 million were zero-dose children who did not receive even the first dose of a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-(DPT) containing vaccine. The number of zero-dose children increased by six million between 2019, the pre-pandemic year, and 2021. A total of 20 countries with the highest number of zero-dose children and home to over 75% of these children in 2021 were prioritized for this review. Several of these countries have substantial urbanization with accompanying challenges. This review paper summarizes routine immunization backsliding following the COVID-19 pandemic and predictors of coverage and identifies pro-equity strategies in urban and peri-urban settings through a systematic search of the published literature. Two databases, PubMed and Web of Science, were exhaustively searched using search terms and synonyms, resulting in 608 identified peer-reviewed papers. Based on the inclusion criteria, 15 papers were included in the final review. The inclusion criteria included papers published between March 2020 and January 2023 and references to urban settings and COVID-19 in the papers. Several studies clearly documented a backsliding of coverage in urban and peri-urban settings, with some predictors or challenges to optimum coverage as well as some pro-equity strategies deployed or recommended in these studies. This emphasizes the need to focus on context-specific routine immunization catch-up and recovery strategies to suit the peculiarities of urban areas to get countries back on track toward achieving the targets of the IA2030. While more evidence is needed around the impact of the pandemic in urban areas, utilizing tools and platforms created to support advancing the equity agenda is pivotal. We posit that a renewed focus on urban immunization is critical if we are to achieve the IA2030 targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph: Figure 7 Immunization schedule and protective efficacy of immunization with LV20 in adjuvant DP against M. tuberculosis H37Ra infection. A VLP-Based Vaccine Displaying HBHA and MTP Antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Induces Potentially Protective Immune Responses in M. tuberculosis H37Ra Infected Mice. After conducting an investigation in collaboration with the academic editors, the authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper: We changed the title of the paper from "A VLP-Based Vaccine Displaying HBHA and MTP Antigens of I Mycobacterium tuberculosis i Induces Protective Immune Responses in I M. tuberculosis i H37Ra Infected Mice" to "A VLP-Based Vaccine Displaying HBHA and MTP Antigens of I Mycobacterium tuberculosis i Induces Potentially Protective Immune Responses in I M. tuberculosis i H37Ra Infected Mice". [Extracted from the article]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is one of the most important pathogens in pig production worldwide and responsible for enormous production and economic losses. PRRSV infection in gestating gilts and sows induces important reproductive failure. Additionally, respiratory distress is observed in infected piglets and fattening pigs, resulting in growth retardation and increased mortality. Importantly, PRRSV infection interferes with immunity in the respiratory tract, making PRRSV-infected pigs more susceptible to opportunistic secondary pathogens. Despite the availability of commercial PRRSV vaccines for more than three decades, control of the disease remains a frustrating and challenging task. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of PRRSV, covering its history, economic and scientific importance, and description of the viral structure and genetic diversity. It explores the virus's pathogenesis, including cell tropism, viral entry, replication, stages of infection and epidemiology. It reviews the porcine innate and adaptative immune responses to comprehend the modulation mechanisms employed by PRRS for immune evasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross-sectional survey study aimed to assess the attitudes and knowledge of children's guardians in Poland towards tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and its vaccine, as well as to compare these attitudes to those regarding other infectious diseases and their vaccines. Data were collected through anonymous questionnaires, both paper-based and online, from 3030 respondents across Poland, with the majority being from TBE-endemic areas. The survey included questions on demographic characteristics, general vaccination beliefs, and specific perceptions of TBE and its vaccine. Statistical analysis revealed significant associations between willingness to vaccinate against TBE and factors such as general vaccination attitudes, information sources, vaccine safety ratings, and perceptions of disease severity. Results indicated that guardians from larger cities and those with fewer children were more likely to vaccinate. Additionally, parents who supported general vaccinations were significantly more willing to vaccinate against TBE. The study concludes that enhancing public awareness about the safety and importance of the TBE vaccine, especially in endemic regions, is crucial for improving vaccination rates. Targeted public health interventions addressing misconceptions and providing accurate information are essential strategies to increase TBE vaccine uptake and protect children from this serious disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correction notice addresses mistakes in a published paper titled "Immune Response to Initial and Booster SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination in Patients Treated with Siponimod." The errors include incorrect figures, legends, and labels, as well as missing data. The authors have made the necessary corrections, and the scientific conclusions remain unaffected. The notice was approved by the Academic Editor, and the original publication has been updated. [Extracted from the article]

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for approximately 50 million infections worldwide. Effective drug treatments while available face access barriers, and vaccine development is hampered by viral hypervariability and immune evasion mechanisms. The CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses targeting HCV non-structural (NS) proteins have shown a role in the viral clearance. In this paper, we reviewed the studies exploring the relationship between HCV structural and NS proteins and their effects in contributing to the elicitation of an effective T-cell immune response. The use of different vaccine platforms, such as viral vectors and virus-like particles, underscores their versability and efficacy for vaccine development. Diverse HCV antigens demonstrated immunogenicity, eliciting a robust immune response, positioning them as promising vaccine candidates for protein/peptide-, DNA-, or RNA-based vaccines. Moreover, adjuvant selection plays a pivotal role in modulating the immune response. This review emphasizes the importance of HCV proteins and vaccination strategies in vaccine development. In particular, the NS proteins are the main focus, given their pivotal role in T-cell-mediated immunity and their sequence conservation, making them valuable vaccine targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunization through vaccines among children has contributed to improved childhood survival and health outcomes globally. However, vaccine coverage among children is unevenly distributed across settings and populations. The measurement of inequalities is essential for understanding gaps in vaccine coverage affecting certain sub-populations and monitoring progress towards achieving equity. Our study aimed to characterize the methods of reporting inequalities in childhood vaccine coverage, inclusive of the settings, data source types, analytical methods, and reporting modalities used to quantify and communicate inequality. We conducted a scoping review of publications in academic journals which included analyses of inequalities in vaccination among children. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed and Web of Science and included relevant articles published between 8 December 2013 and 7 December 2023. Overall, 242 publications were identified, including 204 assessing inequalities in a single country and 38 assessing inequalities across more than one country. We observed that analyses on inequalities in childhood vaccine coverage rely heavily on Demographic Health Survey (DHS) or Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) data (39.3%), and papers leveraging these data had increased in the last decade. Additionally, about half of the single-country studies were conducted in low- and middle-income countries. We found that few studies analyzed and reported inequalities using summary measures of health inequality and largely used the odds ratio resulting from logistic regression models for analyses. The most analyzed dimensions of inequality were economic status and maternal education, and the most common vaccine outcome indicator was full vaccination with the recommended vaccine schedule. However, the definition and construction of both dimensions of inequality and vaccine coverage measures varied across studies, and a variety of approaches were used to study inequalities in vaccine coverage across contexts. Overall, harmonizing methods for selecting and categorizing dimensions of inequalities as well as methods for analyzing and reporting inequalities can improve our ability to assess the magnitude and patterns of inequality in vaccine coverage and compare those inequalities across settings and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical importance of vaccination to global health security and highlighted the potential of digital health solutions to improve immunization strategies. This article explores integrating digital health technologies with immunization programs to improve coverage, monitoring, and public health outcomes. It examines the current landscape of digital tools used in immunization initiatives, such as mobile health apps, electronic health records, and data analytics platforms. Case studies from different regions demonstrate the effectiveness of these technologies in addressing challenges such as vaccine hesitancy, logistics, and real-time monitoring of vaccine distribution and adverse events. The paper also examines ethical considerations, data privacy issues, and the need for a robust digital infrastructure to support these innovations. By analyzing the successes and limitations of digital health interventions in immunization campaigns during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, we provide recommendations for future integration strategies to ensure resilient and responsive immunization systems. This research aims to guide policymakers, health professionals, and technologists in leveraging digital health to strengthen immunization efforts and prepare for future public health emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the development of a value of vaccination (VoV) framework for health technology assessment/cost-effectiveness analysis (HTA/CEA), and identification of three vaccination benefits for near-term inclusion in HTA/CEA, this final paper provides decision makers with methods and examples to consider benefits of health systems strengthening (HSS), equity, and macroeconomic gains. Expert working groups, targeted literature reviews, and case studies were used. Opportunity cost methods were applied for HSS benefits of rotavirus vaccination. Vaccination, with HSS benefits included, reduced the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) by 1.4–50.5% (to GBP 11,552–GBP 23,016) depending on alternative conditions considered. Distributional CEA was applied for health equity benefits of meningococcal vaccination. Nearly 80% of prevented cases were among the three most deprived groups. Vaccination, with equity benefits included, reduced the ICER by 22–56% (to GBP 7014–GBP 12,460), depending on equity parameters. Macroeconomic models may inform HTA deliberative processes (e.g., disease impact on the labour force and the wider economy), or macroeconomic outcomes may be assessed for individuals in CEAs (e.g., impact on non-health consumption, leisure time, and income). These case studies show how to assess broader vaccination benefits in current HTA/CEA, providing decision makers with more accurate and complete VoV assessments. More work is needed to refine inputs and methods, especially for macroeconomic gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of potency assays is critical in the development of life-saving vaccines. The traditional plaque assay or fifty percent tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) assay used to measure the potency of live virus vaccines is time consuming, labor intensive, low throughput and with high variability. Described here is the development and qualification of a cell-based reporter potency assay for two vaccines for respiratory viral infection, one based on the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) backbone, termed Vaccine 1 in this paper, and the other based on the measles virus vector, termed Vaccine 2. The reporter potency assay used a Vero E6 cell line engineered to constitutively express NanuLuc® luciferase, termed the VeroE6-NLuc or JM-1 cell line. Infection of JM-1 cells by a live virus, such as rVSV or measles virus, causes a cytopathic effect (CPE) and release of NanuLuc® from the cytoplasm into the supernatant, the amount of which reflects the intensity of the viral infection. The relative potency was calculated by comparison to a reference standard using parallel line analysis (PLA) in a log–log linear model. The reporter assay demonstrated good linearity, accuracy, and precision, and is therefore suitable for a vaccine potency assay. Further evaluation of the Vaccine 1 reporter assay demonstrated the robustness to a range of deliberate variation of the selected assay parameters and correlation with the plaque assay. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that the reporter assay using the JM-1 cell line could be used as a potency assay to support the manufacturing and release of multiple live virus vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deamidation is a post-translational chemical modification that occurs within proteins and can be influenced by many factors, including temperature and pH. In vaccines, deamidation is considered undesirable as it may lead to changes in structure, function, stability, and immunogenicity. Detecting deamidation in vaccines, especially adjuvanted vaccines, can be challenging due to the lack of simple quantitative techniques. In this study, the quantification of isoaspartic acid (isoAsp) was used to assess deamidation in model antigens in the presence and absence of common vaccine adjuvants. This study shows that the detection of isoAsp was possible in the presence of various types of adjuvants with little to no interference. High levels of isoAsp were detected in thermally and pH-stressed adjuvanted vaccines, suggesting significant deamidation and highlighting the stability-indicating capabilities of the assay. The quantification of isoAsp in stability programs of a vaccine drug product could possibly find applications in product shelf-life determination, using thermal kinetic modeling to predict deamidation over time. The ability to detect deamidation early in vaccine development enhances process improvements and ultimately improves the vaccine's stability. To summarize, this paper describes a rapid and simple method to determine deamidation in adjuvanted vaccines. This method could be applicable to formulation development, stability assessment, or shelf-life determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaculture has rapidly emerged as one of the fastest growing industries, expanding both on global and on national fronts. With the ever-increasing demand for proteins with a high biological value, the aquaculture industry has established itself as one of the most efficient forms of animal production, proving to be a vital component of global food production by supplying nearly half of aquatic food products intended for human consumption. As in classic animal production, the prevention of diseases constitutes an enduring challenge associated with severe economic and environmental repercussions. Nevertheless, remarkable strides in the development of aquaculture vaccines have been recently witnessed, offering sustainable solutions to persistent health-related issues challenging resilient aquaculture production. These advancements are characterized by breakthroughs in increased species-specific precision, improved vaccine-delivery systems, and innovations in vaccine development, following the recent advent of nanotechnology, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence in the -omics era. The objective of this paper was to assess recent developments and milestones revolving around aquaculture vaccinology and provide an updated overview of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the sector, by incorporating and comparatively discussing various diffuse advances that span across a wide range of topics, including emerging vaccine technologies, innovative delivery methods, insights on novel adjuvants, and parasite vaccine development for the aquaculture sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global measles cases are on the rise following disruptions to routine immunisation programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, with devastating consequences. According to the World Health Organization, the behavioural and social drivers of vaccination include what people think and feel about vaccines, social processes, motivation to vaccinate and practical barriers to vaccination. However, the drivers of measles vaccine uptake are not necessarily the same as those for other childhood vaccines, and we lack data on how these drivers specifically have changed during and since the COVID-19 pandemic. Without accurately measuring the behavioural and social drivers for measles vaccination, and ideally measuring them serially over time, countries cannot design, target and implement interventions that effectively increase and sustain measles vaccine coverage. This paper outlines what is and is not known about the behavioural and social drivers of measles vaccination and provides recommendations for improving their post-pandemic assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor. Standard treatments including surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, have failed to significantly improve the prognosis of glioblastoma patients. Currently, immunotherapeutic approaches based on vaccines, chimeric antigen-receptor T-cells, checkpoint inhibitors, and oncolytic virotherapy are showing promising results in clinical trials. The combination of different immunotherapeutic approaches is proving satisfactory and promising. In view of the challenges of immunotherapy and the resistance of glioblastomas, the treatment of these tumors requires further efforts. In this review, we explore the obstacles that potentially influence the efficacy of the response to immunotherapy and that should be taken into account in clinical trials. This article provides a comprehensive review of vaccine therapy for glioblastoma. In addition, we identify the main biomarkers, including isocitrate dehydrogenase, epidermal growth factor receptor, and telomerase reverse transcriptase, known as potential immunotherapeutic targets in glioblastoma, as well as the current status of clinical trials. This paper also lists proposed solutions to overcome the obstacles facing immunotherapy in glioblastomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As vaccinations against the SARS-CoV-2 virus have become a crucial tool in controlling the spread of the disease, reports of rare health complications have emerged, including new-onset antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). We systematically reviewed new-onset AAV following COVID-19 vaccination case reports and case series published in three databases before January 2024 following PRISMA guidelines to understand the characteristics of possible causal relationships or coincidences. In total, 404 articles were screened respectively by title, abstracts, and full-texts. Thirty-four papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria and have been analyzed, covering 44 patients with new-onset AAV after COVID-19 vaccination with no prior history of COVID-19 infection. Data regarding patients' metrics, comorbidities, vaccination characteristics, symptoms, diagnostics, treatment, and outcomes were investigated and summarized. The cohort consisted predominantly of females. AAV diagnosis was confirmed via biopsy, with renal dysfunction as a prevailing manifestation. In most cases, the first symptoms of AAV developed after the second dose; moreover, Pfizer-BioNTech was the most frequently administered vaccine among the analyzed cohort. Primary treatment involved glucocorticoid therapy, with a mostly favourable response. This systematic review aims to raise awareness among clinicians in the field regarding this rare but possible complication, to promote the prompt recognition and diagnosis of de novo ANCA-positive small-vessel vasculitis in timely association with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bursa of Fabricius, an avian unique humoral immune organ, is instrumental to B cell development. Bursal-derived peptide BP9 fosters B-cell development and formation. Yet, the exact mechanism wherein BP9 impacts B cell differentiation and antigenic presentation remains undefined. In this paper, B cell activation and differentiation in the spleen cells from mice immunized with the AIV vaccine and BP9 were detected following flow cytometry (FCM) analysis. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism of BP9 in B cell differentiation in vivo was investigated with RNA sequencing technology. To verify the potential functional mechanism of BP9 in the antigenic presentation process, the transcriptome molecular basis of chicken macrophages stimulated by BP9 was measured via high-throughput sequencing technology. The results proved that when given in experimental dosages, BP9 notably accelerated total B cells, and enhanced B-cell differentiation and plasma cell production. The gene expression profiles of B cells from mice immunized with 0.01 mg/mL BP9 and AIV vaccine disclosed that 0.01 mg/mL BP9 initiated the enrichment of several biological functions and significantly stimulated key B-cell pathways in immunized mice. Crucially, a total of 4093 differentially expressed genes were identified in B cells with BP9 stimulation, including 943 upregulated genes and 3150 downregulated genes. Additionally, BP9 induced various cytokine productions in the chicken macrophage HD11 cells and activated 9 upregulated and 20 downregulated differential miRNAs, which were involved in various signal and biological processes. Furthermore, BP9 stimulated the activation of multiple transcription factors in HD11 cells, which was related to antigen presentation processes. In summary, these results suggested that BP9 might promote B cell differentiation and induce antigen presentation, which might provide the valuable insights into the mechanism of B cell differentiation upon bursal-derived immunomodulating peptide stimulation and provide a solid experimental groundwork for enhancing vaccine-induced immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Romania, influenza vaccination uptake among healthcare workers decreased over time despite access to the vaccine being constantly improved. The aim of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of the knowledge and attitudes of Dental Medicine and Medicine students towards recommended vaccinations for healthcare workers, focusing on influenza vaccination. A cross-sectional study was conducted during the entire 2021–2022 academic year. Data were collected using 2 electronic questionnaires which were applied to the students from the Faculty of Medicine (n = 883) and, respectively, the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania. The questionnaires were offered to 1187 students and completed by 911 students (response rate = 77%). Out of these, 85% (n = 778) identified the influenza vaccine as recommended; 35% (n = 321) reported getting an annual influenza vaccination; and 37% (333) reported getting an influenza vaccination in the previous season. Overall, 45% (n = 222) of the respondents who completed the questionnaires from October 2021 to February 2022 reported that they intend to get vaccinated against influenza in the 2021–2022 season and approximately 8% (n = 39) reported that they had already been vaccinated. The multivariable analysis showed that the habit of getting annually vaccinated against influenza as well as the knowledge that influenza vaccine is recommended for all healthcare workers were associated with a higher probability of intending to get vaccinated. The current study emphasizes the need to raise awareness among medical students regarding influenza vaccination and to involve medical education institutions, public health authorities, and healthcare facilities in promoting this vaccination among students since the influenza vaccine uptake rate among medical students included in this study was suboptimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal-based tests are used for the control of vaccine quality. However, because highly purified and safe vaccines are now available, alternative approaches that can replace or reduce animal use for the assessment of vaccine outcomes must be established. In vitro tests for vaccine quality control exist and have already been implemented. However, these tests are specifically designed for some next-generation vaccines, and this makes them not readily available for testing other vaccines. Therefore, universal non-animal tests are still needed. Specific signatures of the innate immune response could represent a promising approach to predict the outcome of vaccines by non-animal methods. Type I interferons (IFNs) have multiple immunomodulatory activities, which are exerted through effectors called interferon stimulated genes (ISGs), and are one of the most important immune signatures that might provide potential candidate molecular biomarkers for this purpose. This paper will mainly examine if this idea might be feasible by analyzing all relevant published studies that have provided type I IFN-related biomarkers for evaluating the safety and efficacy profiles of vaccines using an advanced transcriptomic approach as an alternative to the animal methods. Results revealed that such an approach could potentially provide biomarkers predictive of vaccine outcomes after addressing some limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ticks and tick-borne diseases affect human and animal health worldwide. Although some tick-protective antigens have been identified and characterized, further research is needed for the development and application of effective anti-tick vaccines, which currently are unavailable for human protection. To study the trends and gaps in anti-tick vaccine approaches, herein we used scientometric analysis to evaluate several aspects of tick vaccinology. Co-authorship and citations networks pointed out two main research fronts, one focused on the laboratory protocols driving the recognition of candidate antigens and the other devoted to field experiments of protection against ticks. The analysis demonstrated the prominence of research in European countries on the topic. The scientometric approach allowed the recognition of isolated teams working casually on the topic, the lack of cooperation between middle- and low-income countries, and the need for sustained and integrated research. Most important, we identified a considerable lack of new candidates for vaccine development, as well as the participation of African and Asian countries. These results provide significant insights obtained from bibliographical analysis, suggest the strength and weaknesses in this field of research, and highlight new directions to advance in the development of effective vaccines for the control of tick infestations and tick-borne pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper simulates a hypothetical pan-coronavirus vaccine that confers immediate sterilizing immunity against all SARS-CoV-2 variants. Simulations used a SEIIS (susceptible, exposed, infective, immune, susceptible) spreadsheet model that ran two parallel subpopulations: one that accepted vaccination and another that refused it. The two subpopulations could transmit infections to one another. Using data from the United States (US), the simulated vaccine was tested against limiting factors such as vaccine hesitancy, slow vaccination distribution, and the development of high-transmission variants. The vaccine was often successful at reducing cases, but high-transmission variants and discontinuation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as masking greatly elevated cases. A puzzling outcome was that if NPIs were discontinued and high-transmission variants became common, the model predicted consistently higher rates of disease than are actually observed in the US in 2024. However, if cumulative exposure to virus antigens increased the duration of immunity or decreased the infectivity of the virus, the model predictions were brought back into a more realistic range. The major finding was that even when a COVID-19 vaccine always produces sterilizing immunity against every SARS-CoV-2 variant, its ability to control the epidemic can be compromised by multiple common conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Despite widespread prophylactic vaccination, cervical cancer continues to be a major health problem with considerable mortality. Currently, therapeutic vaccines for HPV-associated cervical malignancies are being evaluated as a potential complement to the standard treatment. Objective: The present systematic review was conducted on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to investigate the effects of therapeutic vaccines on the treatment of patients with cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) of Grades 2 and 3. Evidence Review: The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched. Only articles in English published up until 31 January 2024 were selected. Also, reference lists of the selected original papers and recent review articles were manually searched for additional sources. Data on study characteristics were extracted from the selected articles. Data on outcomes of interest were synthesized, and vaccine efficacy endpoints (histological lesion regression, clinical response, and overall survival) were selected as the basis for grouping the studies. Findings: After screening 831 articles, nine RCTs with 800 participants were included, of which seven studies with 677 participants involved CIN2 and CIN3 and examined lesion regression to ≤CIN1 as the efficacy endpoint. Results of two of these studies were deemed to have a high risk of bias, and another one did not contain statistical analyses. Results of the other four studies were quantitively synthesized, and the pooling of p-values revealed a significant difference between the vaccine and placebo groups in terms of lesion regression (p-values of 0.135, 0.049, and 0.034 in RCTs, yielding a combined p-value of 0.010). The certainty of the evidence was rated as moderate. Patients with advanced cervical cancers were studied in two RCTs with 123 participants. Clinical response and overall survival were taken as endpoints, and the results were reported as not significant. The certainty of the evidence of these results was rated as very low, mainly due to the very small number of events. All studies reported good tolerance for the vaccines. Conclusions and Relevance: The results indicate the potential for therapeutic vaccines in the regression of CIN2 and CIN3 lesions. Moreover, a potential gap in evidence is identified regarding the very low number of RCTs in patients with advanced cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm of antenatal care, vaccinations serve as a cornerstone, crucial for safeguarding the health of both the mother and the fetus, while also extending protection to the newborn against communicable diseases. Nevertheless, vaccine adherence among pregnant women remains very low. The aim of our study was to evaluate the uptake of vaccines (influence, pertussis, and COVID-19) among women during pregnancy and to understand pregnant women's knowledge of vaccines and the diseases they protect against. The purpose was to investigate the reasons why pregnant women chose not to be vaccinated and to develop effective strategies for informing them about the importance of vaccination for both maternal and fetal safety. A prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, "Ospedale Santa Maria della Misericordia" in Udine, from 1 December 2021 to 30 June 2022. During this period, a self-completed paper questionnaire was administered to women at the end of pregnancy or during the puerperium. A total of 161 questionnaires were collected. Higher educational level was found to be significantly associated with influenza vaccination uptake (p = 0.037, OR = 2.18, 95% CI 1.05–4.51). Similarly, for pertussis vaccination, adherence was mainly associated with higher educational level (p = 0.014, OR = 2.83, 95% CI 1.24–6.47), but also with Italian nationality (p = 0.003, OR = 3.36, 95% CI 1.56–8.43) and pregnancy attended by a midwife or private gynecologist (p = 0.028, OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.17–0.90). Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, the only factor positively influencing uptake was Italian nationality (p = 0.044, OR = 2.66, 95% CI 1.03–6.91). Women's fear that vaccines would endanger the fetus appeared to be the most important reason for refusing vaccinations. Simultaneously, patients also exhibited a desire to receive more information about maternal vaccination, particularly from their general physician or gynecologist. For this reason, it is imperative to enhance maternal vaccination counselling, making it a routine step in prenatal care from the first antenatal visit until the postpartum period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of vaccines is a crucial objective in modern biotechnology and molecular pharmacology. In this context, conducting research to expedite the selection of a potent immunogen is imperative. The candidate vaccine should induce the production of antibodies that can recognize the immunogenic epitopes of the target protein, resembling the ones found in recovered patients. One major challenge in vaccine development is the absence of straightforward and reliable techniques to determine the extent to which the spectrum of antibodies produced after vaccination corresponds to antibodies found after recovery. This paper describes a newly developed method to detect antibodies specific to immunogenic epitopes of the target protein in blood plasma and to compare them with antibody spectra generated post vaccination. Comparing the antibody pool generated in the human body after recovering from an infectious disease with the pool formed through vaccination can become a universal method for screening candidate vaccines. This method will enable the identification of candidate vaccines that can induce the production of antibodies similar to those generated in response to a natural infection. Implementing this approach will facilitate the rapid development of new vaccines, even when faced with a pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]