Search results for "Immunization."
showing 10 items of 308 documents
Additives for vaccine storage to improve thermal stability of adenoviruses from hours to months
2016
Up to 80% of the cost of vaccination programmes is due to the cold chain problem (that is, keeping vaccines cold). Inexpensive, biocompatible additives to slow down the degradation of virus particles would address the problem. Here we propose and characterize additives that, already at very low concentrations, improve the storage time of adenovirus type 5. Anionic gold nanoparticles (10−8–10−6 M) or polyethylene glycol (PEG, molecular weight ∼8,000 Da, 10−7–10−4 M) increase the half-life of a green fluorescent protein expressing adenovirus from ∼48 h to 21 days at 37 °C (from 7 to >30 days at room temperature). They replicate the known stabilizing effect of sucrose, but at several orders of…
Immunization with a Synthetic Human MUC1 Glycopeptide Vaccine against Tumor-Associated MUC1 Breaks Tolerance in Human MUC1 Transgenic Mice.
2017
Breaking tolerance is crucial for effective tumor immunotherapy. We showed that vaccines containing tumor-associated human MUC1 glycopeptides induce strong humoral antitumor responses in mice. The question remained whether such vaccines work in humans, in systems where huMUC1 is a self-antigen. To clarify the question, mice transgenic in expressing huMUC1, mimicking the self-tolerant environment, and wild-type mice were vaccinated with a synthetic vaccine. This vaccine comprised STn and Tn antigens bound to a MUC1 tandem repeat peptide coupled to tetanus toxoid. The vaccine induced strong immune responses in wild-type and huMUC1-transgenic mice without auto-aggressive side effects. All anti…
Cytomegalovirus vector expressing RAE-1γ induces enhanced anti-tumor capacity of murine CD8+ T cells
2017
Designing of CD8 T cell vaccines which would provide protection against tumors is still considered a great challenge in immunotherapy. Here we show a robust potential of a cytomegalovirus (CMV) vector expressing the NKG2D ligand RAE-1γ as CD8 T cell-based vaccine against malignant tumors. Immunization with the CMV vector expressing RAE-1γ delayed tumor growth or even provided complete protection against tumor challenge in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings. Moreover, a potent tumor control in mice vaccinated with this vector can be further enhanced by blocking the immune checkpoints TIGIT and PD-1. Expression of RAE-1γ by the CMV vector potentiated expansion of KLRG1+ CD8 T cells wi…
Immunization Status against Measles of Health-Care Workers Operating at Three Sicilian University Hospitals: An Observational Study
2019
Measles is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) that also commonly affects health-care workers (HCWs). Measles immunization of HCWs was strongly recommended by international health authorities, in order to limit the spreading of the illness to susceptible patients and colleagues. An observational study, evaluating the immunization and vaccination status against measles of HCWs working at three Sicilian university hospitals, was conducted. All subjects not completely immune (vaccinated with only one dose in their lifetime), not immune (not vaccinated or not naturally immunized), and with an unknown immunization status were considered not immunized. Among HCWs operating in th…
HPV16 RNA-LPX vaccine mediates complete regression of aggressively growing HPV-positive mouse tumors and establishes protective T cell memory
2019
ABSTRACT HPV16 infections are associated with a variety of cancers and there is compelling evidence that the transforming activity of HPV16 critically depends on the expression of the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7. Therapeutic cancer vaccines capable of generating durable and specific immunity against these HPV16 antigens hold great promise to achieve long-term disease control. Here we show in mice that HPV16 E7 RNA-LPX, an intravenously administered cancer vaccine based on immuno-pharmacologically optimized antigen-encoding mRNA, efficiently primes and expands antigen-specific effector and memory CD8+ T cells. HPV-positive TC-1 and C3 tumors of immunized mice are heavily infiltrated with ac…
Attitudes and perception of healthcare workers concerning influenza vaccination during the 2019/2020 season: A survey of sicilian university hospitals
2020
Influenza is an infectious disease with a high impact on the population in terms of morbidity and mortality, but despite International and European guidelines, vaccination coverage rates among healthcare workers (HCWs) remain very low. The aim of the present study was to evaluate influenza vaccination adherence in the three Sicilian University Hospitals of Catania, Messina, and Palermo and to understand the attitudes and perceptions of vaccinated healthcare workers and the main reasons for vaccination refusal. A cross-sectional survey through a self-administered questionnaire was conducted during the 2019/2020 influenza season. Overall, 2356 vaccinated healthcare workers answered the questi…
Vaccination in multiple sclerosis patients treated with highly effective disease-modifying drugs: an overview with consideration of cladribine tablets
2021
Infectious diseases are an important consideration in autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis. Infective episodes may trigger relapses and significantly deteriorate the course of the disease. Some immunotherapies may cause increased rates of infection-related adverse events. Thus, infection and vaccine-related issues should be included in the individualized patient-specific treatment strategy and counseling before starting therapy and regularly on treatment. Clinical and epidemiological studies as well as pharmacovigilance data repeatedly demonstrated the safety of the great majority of vaccines in multiple sclerosis patients. Moreover, studies have shown that vaccinations with kil…
Nanotechnology against COVID-19: Immunization, diagnostic and therapeutic studies.
2021
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in early 2020 soon led to the global pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since then, the clinical and scientific communities have been closely collaborating to develop effective strategies for controlling the ongoing pandemic. The game-changing fields of recent years, nanotechnology and nanomedicine have the potential to not only design new approaches, but also to improve existing methods for the fight against COVID-19. Nanomaterials can be used in the development of highly efficient, reusable personal protective equipment, and antiviral nano-coatings in public settings could prevent the spread of SAR…
Urology practice during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign
2021
Introduction: The current scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic is significantly different from that of the first, emergency phase. Several countries in the world are experiencing a second, or even a third, wave of contagion, while awaiting the effects of mass vaccination campaigns. The aim of this report was to provide an update of previously released recommendations on prioritization and restructuring of urological activities. Methods: A large group of Italian urologists directly involved in the reorganization of their urological wards during the first and second phase of the pandemic agreed on a set of updated recommendations for current urology practice. Results: The updated recommendations…
Natural and adoptive T-cell immunity against herpes family viruses after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
2011
Reactivated infections with herpes family-related cytomegalovirus, Epstein–Barr virus and varicella zoster virus are serious and sometimes life-threatening complications for patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The pathogenesis of these infections critically involves the slow and inefficient recovery of antiviral T-cell immunity after transplantation. Although efficient drugs to decrease viral load during this vulnerable period have been developed, long-term control of herpes viruses and protection from associated diseases require the sufficient reconstitution of virus-specific memory T cells. To heal the deficiency by immunotherapeutic means, numerous re…