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Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world. High-risk HPVs (HPVs 16 and 18) are linked to the development of cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide; while those at low risk (HPV 6 and 11) are the cause of 92 % of anogenital warts, in addition to cause recurrent respiratory papillomatosis and other less frequent types of cancer. For these reasons implementation of vaccines against the most frequent types of HPV, both high and low risk, has been necessary. These vaccines are composed of virus-like particles (VLP), formed by the L1 protein of the viral capsid, but their high prices make them inaccessible to developing countries where the incidence of infection is higher. To achieve a greater coverage of HPV vaccination and to bring it to low-income populations, different strategies are developed to obtain VLP, including the expression of L1 protein in yeast and bacteria, among others. In Cuba, there is insufficient information on the prevalence and incidence of HPV 6 and 11 infections; however, the few available studies suggest a wide distribution in both female and male population from an early age, therefore it is necessary to implement an HPV vaccine in the national vaccination scheme. The objective of this work is to provide elements that support the development of vaccine candidates against HPV 6 and 11 infections, as well as the strategies addressed for it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To assess the cost-effectiveness of the quadrivalent vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) in Argentina from the health system perspective. Materials and methods. A dynamic transmission model was used to estimate the impact of the vaccine on the incidence of cervical cancer, warts, and other HPV related diseases; in quality adjusted life years (QALYs); and in healthcare costs. Results. Vaccination could reduce the risk of cervical cancer by 60% and by 67% the risk of genital warts. Compared to a non-vaccine scenario, the immunization strategy showed an incremental benefit of 0.00234 QALY per person at an incremental cost of US$2.36, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of US$1007.55 per QALY gained. Sensitivity analysis proved the robustness of these results. Conclusions. Immunization with the quadrivalent vaccine was a cost-effective intervention in Argentina, and it was far below the threshold of one gross domestic product per capita (US$15 009) per QALY gained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to perform a review of the colera and vaccine candidate CV 638. Cholera is a reemerging infectious disease characterized by profuse diarrhea with rice water appearance, caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae of the O1 and O139 serogroups. Strains of the O1 serogroup are responsible for the seventh cholera pandemic. The incidence of various factors such as natural disasters, weak health systems, poor accessibility to potable water and refugee camps, has meant that each year is reported that between 3 and 5 million people suffer from this disease, with a high number of deaths. Moreover, in many regions of the world, cholera has become endemic, which has caused major losses in macro- and microeconomics of the countries concerned. It has also reported an increase in antimicrobial resistance, so since 2005 the World Health Organization has recommended the use of oral vaccines as an adjunct to the control of the disease in certain endemic and epidemic situations. In Cuba following the cholera epidemic that hit Peru in 1991, it has been developing the vaccine candidate Vibrio cholera 638 which has been shown to be safe, immunogenic and protective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2012 World Health Assembly Global Vaccine Action Plan called for global access to new vaccines within 5 years of licensure. Current approaches have proven insufficient to achieve sustainable vaccine pricing within such a timeline. Paralleling the successful strategy of generic competition to bring down drug prices, a clear consensus is emerging that market entry of multiple suppliers is a critical factor in expeditiously bringing down prices of new vaccines. In this context, key target objectives for improving access to new vaccines include overcoming intellectual property obstacles, streamlining regulatory pathways for biosimilar vaccines, and reducing market entry timelines for developing-country vaccine manufacturers by transfer of technology and know-how. I propose an intellectual property, technology, and know-how bank as a new approach to facilitate widespread access to new vaccines in low- and middle-income countries by efficient transfer of patented vaccine technologies to multiple developing-country vaccine manufacturers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite efforts to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) worldwide, this remains a serious health problem. The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the only available vaccine against TB, has variable efficacy and though protects against severe forms of the disease in childhood, has a questionable role in the protection against pulmonary tuberculosis in adults. In recent years, new TB vaccine candidates are being developed using multiple vaccine strategies. Taking into account the antigenic similarity of M. bovis BCG and M. tuberculosis, and the history of the use of proteoliposomes in vaccine formulations, we aimed to study the potentialities of a proteoliposome derived from M. bovis BCG (PLBCG) as a potential vaccine candidate against TB. The results demonstrate that a PLBCG was obtained, which was observed by different techniques and that is composed of nanoparticulate vesicles. Additionally, analysis by SDS-PAGE followed by Coomassie stained showed the presence of several protein bands on PLBCG whose molecular size may correspond with that reported for M. bovis BCG protein having homology to M. tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bibliometric studies are important sources to improve scientific journals. The treatment and the quantitative analysis of scientific journals is their objective, at the same time they are part of social studies of science. Since they use quantitative indicators of scientific activity they are considered valid measures to evaluate the levels of scientific production of a given journal. This paper presents a bibliographic study of the scientific production of Vaccimonitor that was carried out using different indicators from 2000 to 2013. Vaccimonitor was included in the database Scielo in 2000, keeping a homogeneous number of articles/number and adequate level among topics. The original papers were the most published. Although national articles are predominant, there has been an increase of articles from Brazil. The majority of published papers are from Finlay Institute (136), followed by Pedro Kourí Institute (11) and the Center of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (9). More productive authors are also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of M. genitalium infections by bacteriological culture is not feasible due to slow growth and that is time-consuming. Consequently, molecular methods using DNA amplification are widely used in the infection diagnosis procedure. There are no reports in Cuba of the implementation and use of quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction methods for the detection and quantification of this pathogen. The aim of this study was to implement a qPCR method for the detection of M. genitalium by the amplification of the mgpB ® adhesin gene using two LightCycler (Roche) protocols, SYBR Green I and TaqMan. The specifity and sensitivity were evaluated by using DNA of M. genitalium as well as other mycoplasms of human origin. In both qPCR-protocols, a limit of detection of 3.6 genome equivalents per µL template (geq/µL) was reached. The TaqMan protocol showed better efficiency than the SYBR Green assay. Both protocols showed a high specificity for the detection of M. genitalium, without cross-reactions with other mycoplasmas of human origin. For the first time in Cuba, a qPCR for detection of M. genitalium was implemented. The TaqMan method showed a better performance than the SYBR method and should be used for future applications in clinical samples. The present work will allow performing future studies of genetic and antigenic characterization of the circulating strains in Cuba, useful as vaccine immunogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug addiction is one of the most important health problems in the world. This psychiatry disease results in the death of about 500 000 individuals annually in the world. Despite this scenario, the development of effective drug therapies against this disease has been slow and not very successful. In recent years, new alternative pharmacological strategies against drug addiction have been designed and validated. Among them are vaccines against drugs like nicotine, morphine or cocaine and their subsequent use in immunotherapeutic pharmacological procedures for the treatment of addictive behaviors of drug consumption, both in animal models and in humans. These strategies are based on the experimental design and synthesis of various structural formulations of therapeutic vaccines against drugs of abuse. When dosed in active immunization schedules, they induce the production of specific antibodies, which recognize and bind these substances in the intravascular space and prevent the drug permeability through the blood brain barrier, resulting in decreased effects of drugs into the brain. In 2006, our research group at the National Institute of Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz (INPRFM) achieved and consolidated the design, synthesis, application and validation of immunoprotective therapeutic effects against relapse to morphine/heroin addiction in a rodent animal model, a model vaccine for potential human use against addiction to morphine/heroin. This model shows immunogenic capacities (high and sustained titers of highly specific antibodies) and ¡mmunoprotection (attenuates the effect up to 15mg/kg sc morphine) that the structural vaccine models competing have not been matched, which makes it the leading vaccine model against the addictive effects of heroin and morphine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a malaria vaccine constitutes an urgent medical need for the vast population living in malaria-endemic areas. In recent years, significant progress has been carried out for developing a malaria vaccine with a great number of vaccine candidates starting clinical trials. Despite of optimism as well as some promising results an effective vaccine is not hitherto available, possibly due to lack of understanding of the types of immune response that are important for protection. On the other hand, the difficulty of identifying, selecting and producing appropriate protective antigens from a parasite having more than 5 000 genes and a complex life cycle, added to the great polymorphism of Plasmodium antigens and the diverse mechanisms of the parasite for evading the immune response make a frequent need to enhance the immunogenicity of purified antigens through the use of novel adjuvants or delivery systems. The challenge transcends scientific boundaries so that collaboration between academies as well as industry and funding agencies must be increased, besides political commitment. Currently, an evaluation of various malaria vaccine strategies targeting the different states of the parasite is being carried out. This review highlights some of the most advanced strategies in malaria vaccine development, vaccines in pre-clinical phase and vaccine failed attempts, all against Plasmodium falciparum. The main challenges to overcome in searching of an effective malaria vaccine are also summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hemagglutinin/protease represents an attractive locus for the insertion of heterologous tags which unequivocally distinguish vaccine candidates from wild type of Vibrio cholerae. An atoxigenic mutant of Vibrio cholerae O139 was sequentially manipulated using molecular biology methods to obtain hapA::celA derivatives which were later improved in their environmental safety by means of an mshA mutation. The celA gene from Clostridium thermocellum was used to tag the vaccine prototypes. The marked strains could be unequivocally distinguished using a simple microbiological technique. The mshA gene codes the main subunit of pilus MSHA that constitutes the portal of entry of several vibriophages, such as VGJφ which is able to carry the cholera toxin genes between different Vibrio cholerae strains by an efficient mechanism of specialized transduction. The mutants thus obtained resulted motiles and showed a good colonization capacity in the infant mouse cholera model, traits which are remarkable to vaccine candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ralph M. Steinman was the recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize of Physiology and Medicine due to the discovery of dendritic cells, which have a crucial role on the onset of acquired immunity, a fundamental event in the organism's defense. Today, dendritic cells are used in the development of vaccines and in cancer therapy. Steinman's contributions have been fundamental in the understanding of immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo discurre sobre el análisis de una vacuna de subunidad proteica E2 para la peste porcina.