Vaccine
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Meta Analysis
Global epidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection: new estimates of age-specific HBsAg seroprevalence and endemicity.
Chronic hepatitis B virus infection is one of the most serious infections and a major risk factor for deaths from cirrhosis and liver cancer. We estimate age-, sex- and region-specific prevalence of chronic HBV infection and calculate the absolute number of persons being chronically infected. ⋯ Declines in HBV infection prevalence may be related to expanded immunization. The increasing overall number of individuals being chronically infected with HBV, and the widespread global differences in HBV prevalence call for targeted approaches to tackle HBV-related mortality and morbidity. HBV infection prevalence data are needed at country and sub-national level to estimate disease burden and guide health and vaccine policy.
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Globally, BCG vaccination varies in efficacy and has some non-specific protective effects. Previous studies comparing BCG strains have been small-scale, with few or no immunological outcomes and have compared TB-specific responses only. We aimed to evaluate both specific and non-specific immune responses to different strains of BCG within a large infant cohort and to evaluate further the relationship between BCG strain, scarring and cytokine responses. ⋯ Both specific and non-specific immune responses to the BCG vaccine differ by strain. Scarring after BCG vaccination is also strain-dependent and is associated with higher IFN-γ and IL-13 responses to mycobacterial antigens. The choice of BCG strain may be an important factor and should be evaluated when testing novel vaccine strategies that employ BCG in prime-boost sequences, or as a vector for other vaccine antigens.
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Trends in age specific and serotype specific incidence rates for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) were examined in South Australia 4 years before and 5 years after the commencement of the Australian universal childhood 7 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7vPCV) program. ⋯ There has been a large direct and sustained benefit from the universal 7vPCV program in children, particularly those aged <2 years, with some evidence for serotype replacement. There is also good evidence that the childhood program has provided indirect benefits to adults aged ≥65 years, although serotype replacement has reduced the initial benefits.
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Adverse events following pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccines ("2009 H1N1 vaccines") in Taiwan were passively reported to the National Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting System. To evaluate the completeness of spontaneous reporting, cases of death, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), convulsion, Bell's palsy, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) after 2009 H1N1 vaccination that occurred between November 1, 2009 and August 31, 2010 were selected from the National Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting System (NADRRS) database and an additionally constructed nationwide large-linked database (LLDB), and matched on a unique personal identifier, date of vaccination (within ±7 days), and date of diagnosis (within ±7 days). Overall, matches occurred between the two data sources included 21 for death, 5 for GBS, 19 for convulsion, 22 for Bell's palsy, and 5 for ITP. ⋯ Reporting completeness was higher for GBS than other adverse events after 2009 H1N1 vaccination. Linking the NADRRS to existing data sources in a capture-recapture analysis can be considered as an alternative to enhance Taiwan's postlicensure safety assessment of other routine vaccines. Nevertheless, the possibility of an increased risk for Bell's palsy detected by capture-recapture analyses needs further evaluation by controlled studies.
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Measles infection and vaccine response are complex biological processes that involve both viral and host genetic factors. We have previously investigated the influence of genetic polymorphisms on vaccine immune response, including measles vaccines, and have shown that polymorphisms in HLA, cytokine, cytokine receptor, and innate immune response genes are associated with variation in vaccine response but do not account for all of the inter-individual variance seen in vaccinated populations. In the current study we report the findings of a multigenic analysis of measles vaccine immunity, indicating a role for the measles virus receptor CD46, innate pattern-recognition receptors (DDX58, TLR2, 4, 5, 7 and 8) and intracellular signaling intermediates (MAP3K7, NFKBIA), and key antiviral molecules (VISA, OAS2, MX1, PKR) as well as cytokines (IFNA1, IL4, IL6, IL8, IL12B) and cytokine receptor genes (IL2RB, IL6R, IL8RA) in the genetic control of both humoral and cellular immune responses. This multivariate approach provided additional insights into the genetic control of measles vaccine responses over and above the information gained by our previous univariate SNP association analyses.