Early Serological Response to BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine in Healthcare Workers

Purpose: Clinical significance and durability of serological response after mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is under investigation. Data on early virological response are limited. To iden-tify potential predictors of antibody durability, circulating antibody levels were longitudinally ex-plored in healthcare workers included in a follow-up program for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Meth-ods: Subjects meeting the inclusion criteria signed an informed consent. Serum samples were col-lected at baseline, before the first BNT162b2 vaccine, at days 7, 21, 31, 90, and 180 days after the first dose. Serological evaluation was performed by QuantiVac Euroimmune anti-S1 antibody as-say. Only subjects followed-up until day 90 are here considered. Results: Of 340 taken into consid-eration, 265 subjects were naive, and 75 COVID-19 experienced. The former showed a progres-sive increase in their antibody levels before day 90 decline, while the latter showed antibody levels reaching a plateau at day 7 and slightly declining at day 90. All showed antibody levels higher than the assay cut-off at day 31 and 90. Among naive, 108 had an early response whose predic-tors were younger age and female gender (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.91–0.96, p < 0.0001; and OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.48–4.51, p = 0.0009). Naive subjects experienced a day 30/90 decline in antibody levels, whereas experienced did not. Early response was an independent predictor of higher day 30/90 antibody levels decline (OR = 2.05, 95% CI 1.04–4.02; p = 0.037). Conclusions: Our results suggest that in healthcare workers early response might be inversely associated with antibody levels 90 days after BNT162b2 vaccine.

Download Full-text

Impact of pre-operative chemotherapy on the quality of life (QL) of patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Experience from the MRC LU22/NVALT/EORTC 08012 multicentre randomised trial

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2007.25.18_suppl.9020 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽

pp. 9020-9020

Author(s):

P. Hopwood ◽

M. Nankivell ◽

C. Pugh ◽

D. Gilligan ◽

M. Nicolson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Randomised Trial ◽

Female Gender ◽

Future Health ◽

Younger Age ◽

Platinum Based Chemotherapy ◽

Sf 36 ◽

The Difference ◽

The Uk

9020 Aim: To evaluate QL during the first 2 years follow-up in patients randomised to receive 3 cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy (CT-S) prior to surgical resection of NSCLC compared to those receiving surgery alone (S). Methods: A total of 519 patients were entered into the LU22 trial from 70 centres in the UK, The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. All patients were asked to complete the SF-36 QL questionnaire prior to randomisation and at 6 and 12 months then annually to 5 years. The scores from the SF-36 questionnaire were combined into 8 domains and also summarised as physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS). The 6,12 and 24 month PCS and MCS scores were analysed using multivariable regression to identify prognostic factors and investigate the difference between the regimens. Results: 82% patients completed QL at baseline, and compliance at 6, 12 and 24 months was 59%, 60% and 67% respectively. Median age was 63 (range 25 to 79 years) and 72% were male. At 6 months patients in the S group reported somewhat better functioning in all domains except general health and mental health, but no differences were seen at 12 or 24 months. The regression analyses indicated that better physical health outcomes (PCS) were predicted by baseline PCS and MCS at all follow-up points (all p<0.05), whereas longer time since surgery predicted better PCS at 6 months (p<0.05), and younger age predicted better PCS at 24 months (p=0.07). For mental health, better MCS was predicted at all time points by baseline MCS (p<0.05). In addition, female gender (p=0.07), and PCS (p<0.05), were predictors at 6 months, and younger age predicted better MCS at 24 months (p<0.01). Treatment regimen had no effect on QL at any time point. At 1 and 2 years more than 50% patients considered their health comparable to others, and 45% were generally optimistic about their future health. Conclusions: Over 2 years follow-up, QL was not adversely affected by pre-operative chemotherapy and there were no significant differences between the regimens. Many patients saw themselves as fit as their contemporaries. [Table: see text]

Download Full-text

The Most N-Terminal Region of THSD7A Is the Predominant Target for Autoimmunity in THSD7A-Associated Membranous Nephropathy

Journal of the American Society of Nephrology ◽

10.1681/asn.2017070805 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 1536-1548 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Larissa Seifert ◽

Elion Hoxha ◽

Anna M. Eichhoff ◽

Gunther Zahner ◽

Silke Dehde ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Membranous Nephropathy ◽

Epitope Mapping ◽

Hek293 Cells ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Epitope Recognition ◽

Multidomain Structure ◽

Antibody Levels ◽

Terminal Domains

Background Thrombospondin type 1 domain–containing 7A (THSD7A) has been identified as a pathogenic autoantigen in membranous nephropathy (MN). However, the THSD7A epitopes targeted by patient autoantibodies are unknown.Methods We performed an in silico analysis of the THSD7A multidomain structure, expressed the folded domains in HEK293 cells, and tested for domain reactivity with 31 serum samples from patients with THSD7A-associated MN using Western and native blotting. Immunogenicity of the antigen domains was further investigated by cDNA immunization of rabbits and mice.Results We characterized the extracellular topology of THSD7A as a tandem string of 21 thrombospondin type 1 domains. Overall, 28 serum samples (90%) recognized multiple epitope domains along the molecule. Detailed epitope mapping revealed that the complex consisting of the first and second N-terminal domains (amino acids 48–192) was recognized by 27 of 31 patient serum samples (87%). Serum recognizing one or two epitope domains showed lower anti-THSD7A antibody levels than serum recognizing three or more epitope domains. During follow-up, a loss of epitope recognition was observed in seven of 16 patients, and it was accompanied by decreasing antibody levels and remission of proteinuria. In four of 16 patients, epitope recognition patterns changed during follow-up. Notably, immunization experiments in rabbits and mice revealed that induced antibodies, like patient autoantibodies, preferentially bound to the most N-terminal domains of THSD7A.Conclusions Our data show that the immune response in THSD7A-associated MN is polyreactive and that autoantibodies predominantly target the most N-terminal part of THSD7A.

Download Full-text

Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Screening of Healthcare Workers in the Southern Part of Kyoto City During the COVID-19 Pre-pandemic Period

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2020.595348 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kohei Fujita ◽

Shinpei Kada ◽

Osamu Kanai ◽

Hiroaki Hata ◽

Takao Odagaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Early Stage ◽

Case Fatality ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Igg Antibody ◽

Kyoto City ◽

History Of ◽

Heavy Burden ◽

Antibody Levels ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Background: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is associated with a heavy burden on the mental and physical health of patients, regional healthcare resources, and global economic activity. While understanding of the incidence and case-fatality rates has increased, there are limited data concerning seroprevalence of antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in healthcare workers during the pre-pandemic period. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in healthcare workers in the southern part of Kyoto city, Japan.Methods: We prospectively recruited healthcare workers from a single hospital between April 10 and April 20, 2020. We collected serum samples from these participants and quantitatively evaluated SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Results: Five (5.4%), 15 (16.3%), and 72 (78.3%) participants showed positive, borderline, and negative serum SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody status, respectively. We found the mean titer associated with each antibody status (overall, positive, borderline, and negative) was clearly differentiated. Participants working at the otolaryngology department and/or with a history of seasonal common cold symptoms had a significantly higher SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody titer (p = 0.046, p = 0.046, respectively).Conclusions: Five (5.4%) and 15 (16.3%) participants tested positive and borderline, respectively, for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody during the COVID-19 pre-pandemic period. These rates were higher than expected, based on government situation reports. These findings suggest that COVID-19 had already spread within the southern part of Kyoto city at the early stage of the pandemic.

Download Full-text

Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Burnout in Frontline Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic in Russia

10.5772/intechopen.98292 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ekaterina Mosolova ◽

Dmitry Sosin ◽

Sergey Mosolov

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Female Gender ◽

Online Surveys ◽

Saint Petersburg ◽

Younger Age ◽

Frontline Healthcare Workers ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

Regions Of Russia

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) have been subject to increased workload while also exposed to many psychosocial stressors. Most studies reported high levels of depression and anxiety among HCWs worldwide. Our study is based on two online surveys of 2195 HCWs from different regions of Russia during spring and autumn epidemic outbreaks revealed the rates of anxiety, stress, depression, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and perceived stress as 32.3%, 31.1%, 45.5%, 74.2%, 37.7%,67.8%, respectively. Moreover, 2.4% of HCWs reported suicidal thoughts. Revealed risk factors included: female gender, younger age, working for over 6 months, living outside of Moscow or Saint Petersburg, the fear of getting infected or infecting family and friends. These results demonstrate the need for urgent supportive programs for HCWs fighting COVID-19 that fall into higher risk factors groups.

Download Full-text

Persistence of Antibodies Against Spike Glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 in Healthcare Workers Post Double Dose of BBV-152 and AZD1222 Vaccines

Frontiers in Medicine ◽

10.3389/fmed.2021.778129 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Hari Ram Choudhary ◽

Debaprasad Parai ◽

Girish Chandra Dash ◽

Jaya Singh Kshatri ◽

Narayan Mishra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibody Titer ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Serum Samples ◽

History Of ◽

Antibody Titers ◽

Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay ◽

Research Facilities

Purpose: We investigated the persistence of the vaccine-induced immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Odisha who received a complete dose of either Covaxin or Covishield vaccine.Methods: This 24-week longitudinal cohort study was conducted from January to July 2021 with participants from 6 healthcare and research facilities of Odisha to understand the dynamicity of the vaccine-induced IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 after the complete dose of vaccines.Results: Serum samples were collected from 614 participants during each follow-up and were tested in two chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CLIA)-based platforms to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies both qualitatively and quantitatively. Among these participants, 308 (50.2%) participants were Covishield recipients and the rest 306 (49.8%) participants took Covaxin. A total of 81 breakthrough cases were recorded and the rest 533 HCWs without any history of postvaccination infection showed significant antibody waning either from T3 (Covaxin recipient) or T4 (Covishield recipient). The production of vaccine-induced IgG antibodies is significantly higher (p < 0.001) in Covishield compared with Covaxin. Covishield recipients produced higher median anti-S IgG titer than Covaxin. No statistically significant differences in antibody titers were observed based on age, gender, comorbidities, and blood groups.Conclusion: This 6-month follow-up study documents a 2-fold and 4-fold decrease in spike antibody titer among Covishield and Covaxin recipients, respectively. The clinical implications of antibody waning after vaccination are not well understood. It also highlights the need for further data to understand the long-term persistence of vaccine-induced antibody and threshold antibody titer required for protection against reinfection.

Download Full-text

Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 antibody screening of healthcare workers in the southern part of Kyoto city during the COVID-19 peri-pandemic period

10.1101/2020.05.12.20098962 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kohei Fujita ◽

Shinpei Kada ◽

Osamu Kanai ◽

Hiroaki Hata ◽

Takao Odagaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Early Stage ◽

Case Fatality ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Igg Antibody ◽

Kyoto City ◽

History Of ◽

Heavy Burden ◽

Antibody Levels

Background: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is associated with a heavy burden on the mental and physical health of patients, regional healthcare resources, and global economic activity. While our understanding of the incidence and case-fatality rates increases, data on seroprevalence of antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in healthcare workers during the peri-pandemic period is insufficient. This study quantitatively evaluated seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody in healthcare workers in the southern part of Kyoto city, Japan. Methods: We prospectively recruited healthcare workers from a single hospital between April 10 and April 20, 2020. We collected serum samples from these participants and quantitatively evaluated SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Five (5.4%), 15 (16.3%), and 72 (78.3%) participants showed positive, borderline, and negative serum SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody status, respectively. We found the mean titer associated with each antibody status (overall, positive, borderline, and negative) was clearly differentiated. Participants working at the otolaryngology department and/or having a history of seasonal common cold symptoms had a significantly higher titer of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody (p=0.046, p=0.046, respectively). Conclusions: Five (5.4%) and 15 (16.3%) participants tested positive and borderline, respectively, for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody during the COVID-19 peri-pandemic period. These rates were higher than expected based on government situation reports. The present findings suggest that COVID-19 was already spread in the southern part of Kyoto city at the early stage of pandemic.

Download Full-text

Response to anti-HBV vaccine and 10-year follow-up of antibody levels in healthcare workers

Public Health ◽

10.1016/j.puhe.2016.08.007 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 139 ◽

pp. 198-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

V. La Fauci ◽

R. Riso ◽

A. Facciolà ◽

C. Ceccio ◽

D. Lo Giudice ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Hbv Vaccine ◽

Antibody Levels

Download Full-text

Prevalence and persistence of Chlamydia trachomatis-specific antibodies after occasional and recurrent infections

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

10.1136/sextrans-2018-053915 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 96 (4) ◽

pp. 277-282 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hanna Öhman ◽

Tiina Rantsi ◽

Päivi Joki-Korpela ◽

Aila Tiitinen ◽

Heljä-Marja Surcel

Keyword(s):

Serum Antibody ◽

Recurrent Infection ◽

Chlamydia Infection ◽

Recurrent Infections ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Initial Infection ◽

Humoral Immune ◽

Antibody Levels

ObjectivesPopulation-based Chlamydia trachomatis seroepidemiological studies help to identify trends in chlamydia infection. However, an improved understanding of the antibody response to infection is required when using serology to estimate cumulative incidence. Thus, the objectives of this longitudinal, retrospective, biobank-based study were to assess the appearance and persistence of C. trachomatis major outer membrane protein (MOMP)-specific serum IgG antibodies after infection and to evaluate the role of antibodies in providing protective immunity against recurrent infection.MethodsData of notified C. trachomatis infections in Finland were obtained from the National Infectious Diseases Register. Serum samples were acquired from the Finnish Maternity Cohort. 411 women with single chlamydia infection and 62 women with recurrent infections, and for whom suitable paired serum samples were available, were included in the study. Antibody appearance, persistence after infection and the impact of recurrent infections were evaluated. IgG antibodies specific for MOMP were measured from serum using an ELISA method.ResultsAnti-C. trachomatis MOMP-specific IgG antibodies were detected in 65.5% (269/411) of women within 3 months of notification of infection. In the absence of recurrent infection, seroprevalence declined to 34.5% (142/411) 3–10 years after the initial infection. The serum antibody levels at baseline correlated positively with seroprevalence at follow-up. Reinfection boosted the humoral immune response by increasing seroprevalence and the serum antibody levels. Seroprevalence within 3 months after first notification of infection was 65.5% (19/29) in women who were later diagnosed with recurrent infection, comparable with women with single notification of infection (65.5%, 269/411).ConclusionsApproximately one-third of women with single notification of chlamydia infection remain seropositive 3–10 years after the initial infection. The concentration of antibodies remained stable during the follow-up. Recurrent infection boosted the humoral immune response, but reinfection occurred despite the presence of pre-existing antibodies.

Download Full-text

Overall and cause-specific mortality in GH-deficient adults on GH replacement

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/eje-11-1028 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 166 (6) ◽

pp. 1069-1077 ◽

Cited By ~ 75

Author(s):

Rolf C Gaillard ◽

Anders F Mattsson ◽

Ann-Charlotte Åkerblad ◽

Bengt-Åke Bengtsson ◽

José Cara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mortality Rate ◽

Normal Population ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Female Gender ◽

Gh Replacement ◽

Younger Age ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Specific Mortality ◽

Standardised Mortality Ratios

ObjectiveHypopituitarism is associated with an increased mortality rate but the reasons underlying this have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate mortality and associated factors within a large GH-replaced population of hypopituitary patients.DesignIn KIMS (Pfizer International Metabolic Database) 13 983 GH-deficient patients with 69 056 patient-years of follow-up were available.MethodsThis study analysed standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) by Poisson regression. IGF1 SDS was used as an indicator of adequacy of GH replacement. Statistical significance was set to P<0.05.ResultsAll-cause mortality was 13% higher compared with normal population rates (SMR, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.24). Significant associations were female gender, younger age at follow-up, underlying diagnosis of Cushing's disease, craniopharyngioma and aggressive tumour and presence of diabetes insipidus. After controlling for confounding factors, there were statistically significant negative associations between IGF1 SDS after 1, 2 and 3 years of GH replacement and SMR. For cause-specific mortality there was a negative association between 1-year IGF1 SDS and SMR for deaths from cardiovascular diseases (P=0.017) and malignancies (P=0.044).ConclusionsGH-replaced patients with hypopituitarism demonstrated a modest increase in mortality rate; this appears lower than that previously published in GH-deficient patients. Factors associated with increased mortality included female gender, younger attained age, aetiology and lower IGF1 SDS during therapy. These data indicate that GH replacement in hypopituitary adults with GH deficiency may be considered a safe treatment.

Download Full-text

Younger age and female gender are determinants of underestimated cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a prospective cohort study

Arthritis Research & Therapy ◽

10.1186/s13075-020-02384-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Daphne C. Rohrich ◽

Eline H. M. van de Wetering ◽

Alexander J. Rennings ◽

Elke E. Arts ◽

Inger L. Meek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Female Gender ◽

Inception Cohort ◽

Younger Age ◽

Gender And Age ◽

Lemeshow Test ◽

Risk Patients ◽

Predicted Risk

Abstract Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have an increased cardiovascular (CV) risk. Here, we aimed to investigate whether gender and age are contributing to the misclassification of CV risk in RA patients. Methods Prospectively collected data on cardiovascular risk factors and incident events from the Nijmegen inception cohort were analyzed, with up to 10 years follow-up. Original as well as the EULAR-modified (M)_SCORE algorithms were used to calculate CV risk. Patients were stratified in deciles according to predicted risk; the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to check concordance between observed and predicted risk, in subgroups of gender and age. Results There were 863 RA patients included with 128 incident CV events. When using SCORE in the whole group, there was evidence of a discrepancy between the predicted and observed CV risk (H-L test p < 0.003), mainly present in the female subgroup (H-L test p < 0.001). Interestingly, 36% of females who developed an event belonged to the low CV risk group, whereas this was just 10% in RA males. When analyzing the subgroups based on age, a discrepancy was present only in the youngest patients (H-L test p < 0.001 in patients < 55 years) consisting of an underestimation of CV risk (5.3% predicted vs. 8.0% observed). Similar results were obtained when the M_SCORE was applied. Conclusion CV risk is especially underestimated in female and younger RA patients. This suggests that modifying the weight for the female gender and/or younger age in currently used CV risk algorithms might improve their predictive value in RA, contributing to better CV risk management.

Download Full-text