scholarly journals Immunogenicity and Safety of an Intradermal BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine Booster after Two Doses of Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in Healthy Population

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1375
Author(s):  
Porntip Intapiboon ◽  
Purilap Seepathomnarong ◽  
Jomkwan Ongarj ◽  
Smonrapat Surasombatpattana ◽  
Supattra Uppanisakorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Randomised Control Trial ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Suitable Alternative ◽  
Full Dose ◽  
Vaccine Booster ◽  
Fractional Dose ◽  
Systemic Side Effects ◽  
And Function

Effective vaccine coverage is urgently needed to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Inactivated vaccines have been introduced in many countries for emergency usage, but have only provided limited protection. Heterologous vaccination is a promising strategy to maximise vaccine immunogenicity. Here, we conducted a phase I, randomised control trial to observe the safety and immunogenicity after an intradermal boost, using a fractional dosage (1:5) of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in healthy participants in Songkhla, Thailand. In total, 91 volunteers who had been administered with two doses of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (CoronaVac) were recruited into the study, and then randomised (1:1:1) to received different regimens of the third dose. An intramuscular booster with a full dose of BNT162b2 was included as a conventional control, and a half dose group was included as reciprocal comparator. Both, immediate and delayed adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) were monitored. Humoral and cellular immune responses were examined to observe the booster effects. The intradermal booster provided significantly fewer systemic side effects, from 70% down to 19.4% (p < 0.001); however, they were comparable to local reactions with the conventional intramuscular booster. In the intradermal group after receiving only one fifth of the conventional dosage, serum Anti-RBD IgG was halved compared to the full dose of an intramuscular injection. However, the neutralising function against the Delta strain remained intact. T cell responses were also less effective in the intradermal group compared to the intramuscular booster. Together, the intradermal booster, using a fractional dose of BNT162b2, can reduce systemic reactions and provides a good level and function of antibody responses compared to the conventional booster. This favourable intradermal boosting strategy provides a suitable alternative for vaccines and effective vaccine management to increase the coverage during the vaccine shortage.

scholarly journals Alterations in ZnT1 expression and function lead to impaired intracellular zinc homeostasis in cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Israel Lehvy ◽  
Guy Horev ◽  
Yarden Golan ◽  
Fabian Glaser ◽  
Yael Shammai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malignant Tumors ◽  
Zinc Homeostasis ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Missense Mutations ◽  
Protein Alignment ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Intracellular Zinc ◽  
Dismal Prognosis ◽  
Zinc Levels ◽  
And Function

Abstract Zinc is vital for the structure and function of ~3000 human proteins and hence plays key physiological roles. Consequently, impaired zinc homeostasis is associated with various human diseases including cancer. Intracellular zinc levels are tightly regulated by two families of zinc transporters: ZIPs and ZnTs; ZIPs import zinc into the cytosol from the extracellular milieu, or from the lumen of organelles into the cytoplasm. In contrast, the vast majority of ZnTs compartmentalize zinc within organelles, whereas the ubiquitously expressed ZnT1 is the sole zinc exporter. Herein, we explored the hypothesis that qualitative and quantitative alterations in ZnT1 activity impair cellular zinc homeostasis in cancer. Towards this end, we first used bioinformatics to analyze inactivating mutations in ZIPs and ZNTs, catalogued in the COSMIC and gnomAD databases, representing tumor specimens and healthy population controls, respectively. ZnT1, ZnT10, ZIP8, and ZIP10 showed extremely high rates of loss of function mutations in cancer as compared to healthy controls. Analysis of the putative functional impact of missense mutations in ZnT1-ZnT10 and ZIP1-ZIP14, using homologous protein alignment and structural predictions, revealed that ZnT1 displays a markedly increased frequency of predicted functionally deleterious mutations in malignant tumors, as compared to a healthy population. Furthermore, examination of ZnT1 expression in 30 cancer types in the TCGA database revealed five tumor types with significant ZnT1 overexpression, which predicted dismal prognosis for cancer patient survival. Novel functional zinc transport assays, which allowed for the indirect measurement of cytosolic zinc levels, established that wild type ZnT1 overexpression results in low intracellular zinc levels. In contrast, overexpression of predicted deleterious ZnT1 missense mutations did not reduce intracellular zinc levels, validating eight missense mutations as loss of function (LoF) mutations. Thus, alterations in ZnT1 expression and LoF mutations in ZnT1 provide a molecular mechanism for impaired zinc homeostasis in cancer formation and/or progression.

scholarly journals Disease-Induced Changes in Salivary Gland Function and the Composition of Saliva

2021 ◽  
pp. 002203452110048
Author(s):  
G.B. Proctor ◽  
A.M. Shaalan
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Gland ◽  
Sjögren Syndrome ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Sjogren Syndrome ◽  
Salivary Gland Function ◽  
Salivary Gland Dysfunction ◽  
Gland Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Saliva Composition

Although the physiological control of salivary secretion has been well studied, the impact of disease on salivary gland function and how this changes the composition and function of saliva is less well understood and is considered in this review. Secretion of saliva is dependent upon nerve-mediated stimuli, which activate glandular fluid and protein secretory mechanisms. The volume of saliva secreted by salivary glands depends upon the frequency and intensity of nerve-mediated stimuli, which increase dramatically with food intake and are subject to facilitatory or inhibitory influences within the central nervous system. Longer-term changes in saliva secretion have been found to occur in response to dietary change and aging, and these physiological influences can alter the composition and function of saliva in the mouth. Salivary gland dysfunction is associated with different diseases, including Sjögren syndrome, sialadenitis, and iatrogenic disease, due to radiotherapy and medications and is usually reported as a loss of secretory volume, which can range in severity. Defining salivary gland dysfunction by measuring salivary flow rates can be difficult since these vary widely in the healthy population. However, saliva can be sampled noninvasively and repeatedly, which facilitates longitudinal studies of subjects, providing a clearer picture of altered function. The application of omics technologies has revealed changes in saliva composition in many systemic diseases, offering disease biomarkers, but these compositional changes may not be related to salivary gland dysfunction. In Sjögren syndrome, there appears to be a change in the rheology of saliva due to altered mucin glycosylation. Analysis of glandular saliva in diseases or therapeutic interventions causing salivary gland inflammation frequently shows increased electrolyte concentrations and increased presence of innate immune proteins, most notably lactoferrin. Altering nerve-mediated signaling of salivary gland secretion contributes to medication-induced dysfunction and may also contribute to altered saliva composition in neurodegenerative disease.

scholarly journals Intention to Be Vaccinated for COVID-19 among Italian Nurses during the Pandemic

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 500
Author(s):  
Marco Trabucco Aurilio ◽  
Francesco Saverio Mennini ◽  
Simone Gazzillo ◽  
Laura Massini ◽  
Matteo Bolcato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Efficacy ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Female Sex

Background: While the COVID-19 pandemic has spread globally, health systems are overwhelmed by both direct and indirect mortality from other treatable conditions. COVID-19 vaccination was crucial to preventing and eliminating the disease, so vaccine development for COVID-19 was fast-tracked worldwide. Despite the fact that vaccination is commonly recognized as the most effective approach, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccine hesitancy is a global health issue. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of nurses in four different regions in Italy between 20 and 28 December 2020 to obtain data on the acceptance of the upcoming COVID-19 vaccination in order to plan specific interventions to increase the rate of vaccine coverage. Results: A total of 531 out of the 5000 nurses invited completed the online questionnaire. Most of the nurses enrolled in the study (73.4%) were female. Among the nurses, 91.5% intended to accept vaccination, whereas 2.3% were opposed and 6.2% were undecided. Female sex and confidence in vaccine efficacy represent the main predictors of vaccine intention among the study population using a logistic regression model, while other factors including vaccine safety concerns (side effects) were non-significant. Conclusions: Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, intention to be vaccinated was suboptimal among nurses in our sample. We also found a significant number of people undecided as to whether to accept the vaccine. Contrary to expectations, concerns about the safety of the vaccine were not found to affect the acceptance rate; nurses’ perception of vaccine efficacy and female sex were the main influencing factors on attitudes toward vaccination in our sample. Since the success of the COVID-19 immunization plan depends on the uptake rate, these findings are of great interest for public health policies. Interventions aimed at increasing employee awareness of vaccination efficacy should be promoted among nurses in order to increase the number of vaccinated people.

scholarly journals Abbreviated (8 hours) versus Traditional (24 hours) Postpartum MgSO4 Prophylaxis in Severe Preeclampsia: A Randomised Control Trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shyamal Dasgupta ◽  
Anindya Das ◽  
Anurag Mallick ◽  
Chiranjit Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Magnesium Sulphate ◽  
Total Duration ◽  
Severe Preeclampsia ◽  
Randomised Control Trial ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
P Value ◽  
Time Duration ◽  
Traditional Group ◽  
Suitable Alternative ◽  
Number Of Patients

Introduction: Preeclampsia is a multisystem disorder affecting pregnancy after 20 weeks of gestation featured by hypertension and proteinuria. Magnesium Sulphate (MgSO4) has been used for 24 hours following delivery to prevent eclampsia in patients with severe preeclampsia. Aim: To determine the need to continue magnesium sulphate therapy 8 hours following delivery. Materials and Methods: The double blinded randomised controlled study was performed in the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at R.G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, from 1st July 2015 to 30th June 2016. Total 90 patients with severe preeclampsia were randomised in two group. In group A MgSO4 was discontinued 8 hours following delivery (abbreviated group) and in the group B it was continued for 24 hours following delivery (traditional group). The primary objective of study was to determine the need to continue MgSO4 therapy 8 hours following delivery. Secondary objectives were monitoring time by doctors, nursing care time, postpartum ambulation time, duration of urinary catheterisation, minor complication like urinary tract infection, duration and total dose of MgSO4 therapy. In order to calculate statistical significance of the different variables in between two groups, Student’s independent sample’s t-test was used for normally distributed numerical values and Chi-square test or Fischer’s-exact test was used for unpaired proportion data. Results: In abbreviated group, the number of patients (n=1) who did not need to continue MgSO4 therapy beyond 8 hours following delivery as safety measures were statistically significant (p-value <0.0001) in comparison to traditional group. Total duration and dose of MgSO4 therapy were significantly less (p-value <0.0001) in the abbreviated group. There was statistically significant reduction in time from delivery to postpartum ambulation and duration of indwelling urinary catheter in the abbreviated group. Conclusion: The abbreviated (8 hours) regime of postpartum MgSO4 for seizure prophylaxis is a suitable alternative to the traditional (24 hours) regime.

SARS-CoV-2: The Path of Prevention and Control

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal A. Mohamed ◽  
Nouran Mohamed ◽  
Seham Mohamoud ◽  
Fawkia E. Zahran ◽  
Rania Abdelmonem Khattab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
World Health ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
And Control

: The 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) continues to expand worldwide. Although the number of cases and the death rate among children and adolescents are reported to be low compared to adults, limited data have been reported. We urgently need to find treatment and vaccine to stop the epidemic. Vaccine development is in progress, but any approved and effective vaccine for COVID-19 is at least 12 to 18 months. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have issued instructions and strategies for containing COVID-19 outbreak to the general public, physicians, travelers and injured patients to follow so that the transmission to a healthy population can be prevented. In this review, we summarize demographic data, clinical characteristics, complications and outcomes and finally prevention and control of this serious pandemic.

Symptoms and Side Effects of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) among healthcare workers

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 3202-3204
Author(s):  
Dawood Javed ◽  
Yazeed Hadi Alharbi ◽  
Abdullah Javed ◽  
Javed Iqbal
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Post Vaccination ◽  
Local Methods ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
A Prospective Study

Aim: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus which has infected millions of people across the globe in the form of a deadly pandemic. Safe and efficacious vaccines are needed urgently to prevent disease in the healthy population or at least decrease the intensity of illness post vaccination. Aim: To assess the post vaccination side effects among groups of individuals so that an effective vaccine can be proposed according to the individuals and thus avoiding reactogenicity, both systemic and local. Methods: A prospective study was conducted with the help of a web-based questionnaire (among health care workers) which used snowball sampling strategy and assigned persons aged ≥25-65 years, who received an intramuscular injection of the vaccine manufactured by Oxford-AstraZeneca. Safety and side effects were observed over a period of 15-20 days post vaccination to obtain results. Results: A total of 564 participants took part in the survey who received the vaccine via intramuscular route. Both systemic and local reactogenicity were recorded. Of the respondents, 280 (49.6%) people reported fever, 322 (57.18%) had pain, 89 (15.77%) had swelling and 53 (9.3%) had redness at the injection site. Total of 368 (65.2%) individuals suffered from body aches of whom 324 (57.4%) also reported headaches. Conclusion: Assessing the post vaccination symptoms, side effects and complications of AstraZeneca among different individuals helped in providing crucial and important information regarding the efficacy, safety and nature of the vaccine. Keywords: Covid-19, pandemic, vaccines, reactogenicity

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