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Despite the development of new antigens and adjuvants in conventional vaccine studies, different approaches are required in vaccine formulations due to the poor immunogenicity, in vivo intrinsic instability, toxicity, and the need for multiple administrations of conventional vaccines. To overcome these problems, nanotechnology approaches have recently been incorporated into vaccine formulations. As the development of vaccines is directed towards "minimal" compositions with low immunogenicity, there is an increasing need for new formulations that enhance the efficacy of antigens and adjuvants. There is an urgent need to regulate existing advanced treatment options for the global health threat posed by COVID-19, as well as to accelerate the development of new vaccines and drugs. Nano-sized carrier systems developed for the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, especially cancer, continue to maintain their importance in the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of nanoparticles in medicine started about 30 years ago, but gained momentum with the pandemic and reached many people in a short time with vaccine formulation. The rapid development, approval and delivery of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is one of the most important achievements in the history of medicine, and nanomedicine is part of that history. Within the scope of the review, up-to-date information was given about the use of nanotechnology and nanoparticles in COVID-19 vaccine development studies.
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Generating memory T cell responses besides humoral immune responses is essential when it comes to the efficacy of a vaccine. In this study, the presence of memory T cell responses after aluminum-adjuvanted inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) in seronegative and seropositive elderly individuals were examined. CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cell proliferation and IFN-gamma production capacities were evaluated. Additionally, clinical frailty scale (CFS) and FRAIL scales of the individuals were scored. CD4+ memory T cell responses more prominent than CD8+ memory T cells. In seronegative individuals, 80% of them had memory CD4+ and IFN-gamma, whereas 50% of them had memory CD4+ and all of them had IFN-gamma responses. Additionally, 40% of seronegative patients and 50% of seropositive patients had memory CD8+ responses. To sum up, humoral immune responses are not associated with memory T cell responses, and in seronegative individuals, memory T cell responses can be detected.Copyright © 2022
ABSTRACT
Despite the development of new antigens and adjuvants in conventional vaccine studies, different approaches are required in vaccine formulations due to the poor immunogenicity, in vivo intrinsic instability, toxicity, and the need for multiple administrations of conventional vaccines. To overcome these problems, nanotechnology approaches have recently been incorporated into vaccine formulations. As the development of vaccines is directed towards "minimal" compositions with low immunogenicity, there is an increasing need for new formulations that enhance the efficacy of antigens and adjuvants. There is an urgent need to regulate existing advanced treatment options for the global health threat posed by COVID-19, as well as to accelerate the development of new vaccines and drugs. Nano-sized carrier systems developed for the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, especially cancer, continue to maintain their importance in the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of nanoparticles in medicine started about 30 years ago, but gained momentum with the pandemic and reached many people in a short time with vaccine formulation. The rapid development, approval and delivery of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is one of the most important achievements in the history of medicine, and nanomedicine is part of that history. Within the scope of the review, up-to-date information was given about the use of nanotechnology and nanoparticles in COVID-19 vaccine development studies.Copyright © Telif Hakki 2022 Flora.
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Objective: Pneumonia is an important disease that causes sepsis in newborns and constitutes the majority of deaths due to infections, especially in developing countries. Pulse oximeters that are widely used in clinics, can determine heart rate, arterial oxygen saturation, additionally perfusion index (PI). In this study, the role of PI in determining the severity and prognosis of the disease in newborns with late-onset pneumonia (LOP);the relationship between PI and respiratory support need and Silverman Anderson Retraction Score (SAS) were aimed to determine. Material(s) and Method(s): In this prospective study, 30 term newborns diagnosed with late-onset pneumonia (LOP) were at the time of hospitalization,at the 24th hours of their treatment, and discharge;in the control group, PI measurements were made from the right upper extremity every 10 seconds for 3 minutes at the discharge of 30 term healthy newborns between December 2017 and June 2018. By comparing the data, it was aimed to determine the relationship of PI with the severity of the disease, prognosis, need for respiratory support and Silverman Anderson Retraction Score (SAS). Result(s): Their mean birth weights was 2000 - 4600 g the mean was 3570 g in the study, 2800 - 4100 g the mean was 3610 g in the control group and there was no significant difference (p>0.05);Gestational ages were 365/7 - 413/7, mean 392/7 in the study group, 373/7 - 405/7 in the control group, mean 396/7 weeks, and the statistical difference between the groups was not significant (p>0.05). The ratio of female/male was similar in the groups. Their median age was 9.5 days (3-27) in the control, 21 days (5-28) in the study group, and higher in the study group (p<0.05). The median capillary refill time was 1.7 seconds in the control, 1.6 seconds in the study group, and similar between the groups. The mean PI was 2.3+/-0.9 in the control group. In the study group, it was 3.6+/-1.2 on hospitalization, 3.2+/-1.2 on the first day, 3.4+/-0.7 at discharge. In the study group, PI values on hospitalization and first day were higher (p<0.05). There were reticular infiltration 50% bilateral, 30% right paracardiac, 10% left paracardiac, 3.3% right lower lobe. Alpha hemolytic streptococci in 1 (3.3%), Acinetobacter iwoffii in 1 (3.3%), Respiratory syncytial virus 6 (20%), Coronavirus 4 (13.3%), Rhinovirus 2 (6.7%) and Influenza A 1 (3.3%) patient were determined. We applied free flow oxygen 17 (56.7%), oxygen by hood 5 (16.7%), heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula 1 (3.3%), nasal continuous airway pressure 4 (13.3%), nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation 4 (13.3%) cases. PI was higher in the patients needing positive pressure on admission (p<0.05). A positive correlation was found between SAS and PI on admission in the study group (p=0.008). The number of patients whose PI decreased during hospitalization increased over time. Conclusion(s): In the neonates with LOP, the severity of the disease, the need for respiratory support and prognosis cannot be predicted by PI. There was no relation between SAS and PI. It was concluded that more accurate results can be achieved by measuring PI using more patients, more sensitive probes and technically more advanced monitors. New studies should be conducted to determine the role of PI in demonstrating well-being and early detection of life-threatening conditions in the healthy newborns. Copyright © 2022 Ankara Pediatric Hematology Oncology Training and Research Hospital. All rights reserved.
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What is this summary about?This is a summary of an article about part of a clinical study for the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine, also called the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The article was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in September 2021. The part of the study described in the article began in July 2020 and is ongoing. This means that the final results may be different from the results included in this summary.What happened in this study?The participants in this study received 2 injections of either the BNT162b2 vaccine or a placebo, 21 days apart. The placebo looked like the BNT162b2 vaccine but had no active vaccine in it. None of the trial participants or study teams knew who received vaccine or placebo.What were the results?Most of the reactions to the injections were mild or moderate and lasted for a short period of time. The most common reactions were pain at the injection site, extreme tiredness (fatigue), and headache. These reactions usually happened in the first 7 days after receiving a vaccine dose. A small number of participants had severe reactions to the vaccine.Compared to participants who received the placebo, participants who received the BNT162b2 vaccine were much less likely to become ill if they were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. The vaccine also had very good efficacy at preventing severe COVID-19.Participants in South Africa who received the BNT162b2 vaccine were less likely to become ill after infection with the beta variant of the virus compared to participants who received the placebo. The beta variant was very common in South Africa when the study was taking place.
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Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. The Turkish govern-ment has planned to procure COVID-19 vaccine through multiple agencies and companies in order to vaccinate at least 75% of the population. Physicians' beliefs and attitudes to COVID-19 vaccines are important for the immunization rate of the public. This study aimed to evaluate the vaccination approaches of the Turkish physicians against COVID-19.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as an online survey between 15.01.2021-12.02.2021, among mainly infectious disease and internal medicine physicians in Turkiye. The survey included questions on the demographics of physicians and their approaches toward vaccination against COVID-19.Results: Among the 486 participants, 34.6% were internal medicine physicians and 17.5% were infectious diseases physicians. Total acceptance rate of the COVID-19 vaccine among physicians was 89.9%. Physicians who stated having sufficient information about COVID-19 vaccines had a higher rate of COVID-19 vaccine recommendation to their patients compared to those who stated not having sufficient information (95.8% vs 86.7%, p= 0.011). Physicians with concerns about adverse effects or efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine had a lower rate of COVID-19 vaccine recommendation to their patients/relatives/friends (p< 0.001). Female and younger physicians were more concerned about the adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccine (p< 0.05). Recommendation of COVID-19 vaccine was higher among physicians with confidence in having sufficient information and without concern about efficacy of the vaccine. Conclusion: Since physicians have an important role in providing information and reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the community, improvement in the knowledge and concerns of physicians should be considered.
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The number of cases and disease-dependent deaths continue to increase worldwide due to the COVID-19 infection accepted as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Therefore, the antivirals used in treatment and vaccines that are the most effective weapons for protection remain the most popular topic on the agenda. There are a few conditions that might have an impact on the course of the pandemic, including the mutation of the virus and losing its ability to cause disease, generating herd immunity by reaching a critical rate of immunized people in the community due to the disease, and ensuring herd immunity through effective vaccination. Vaccine trials, which have started owing to the severity and urgency of the situation we are in, continue highly rapidly and effectively. According to the March 2, 2021 data of WHO, there are 258 vaccine trials, 76 of which are at the clinical phase, and 9 of the vaccine trials that are at the clinical phase are RNA-based vaccines. In our study, it was aimed to investigate RNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidates and review their current data.
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As of March 2021, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 2.7 million people worldwide. Vaccination has started in most countries around the world. In this study, we estimated the cost-effectiveness of strategies for COVID-19 vaccination for Turkey compared to a baseline in the absence of vaccination and imposed measures by using an enhanced SIRD (Susceptible, Infectious, Recovered, Death) model and various scenarios for the first year after vaccination. The results showed that vaccination is cost-effective from a health care perspective, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 511 USD/QALY and 1045 USD/QALY if vaccine effectiveness on transmission is equal or reduced to only 50% of effectiveness on disease, respectively, at the 90% baseline effectiveness of the vaccine. From a societal perspective, cost savings were estimated for both scenarios. Other results further showed that the minimum required vaccine uptake to be cost-effective would be at least 30%. Sensitivity and scenario analyses, as well as the iso-ICER curves, showed that the results were quite robust and that major changes in cost-effectiveness outcomes cannot be expected. We can conclude that COVID-19 vaccination in Turkey is highly cost-effective or even cost-saving.
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Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, human beings were faced with a feeling of terror that they could not prevent, could not be protected, and were desperate. While trying to deal with the threat they faced, they resorted to many inappropriate ways. Some have tried to overprotect from viruses, while others have insisted on maintaining their normal routine and ignoring the threat. In the second stage of the pandemic, where the threat of death decreased, an increase in psychosocial problems began to be observed. This review is written to understand these dysfunctional behaviors according to Terror Management Theory. This theory provides insight into how human behavior is affected in terms of self-esteem and cultural worldview when mortality salience arises. According to this theory, people resort to conscious and unconscious proximal and distal defenses in the face of the mortality salience. While proximal defenses are irrational, rapid, and automatic mechanisms, distal defenses are efforts to defend the individual's cultural worldview and increase self-esteem.
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Research started with the pneumonia cases that emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and whose cause could not be determined clearly, revealed the existence of a new type of coronavirus. The infectious agent was named SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2), and the disease setting caused by the virus was entitled COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-2019). The increasing number of cases and mortality rates due to the disease worldwide has caused a large number of vaccine research studies to be initiated simultaneously. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) December 22 nd 2020 data, the number of Covid-19 vaccine research studies currently ongoing all over the world is 233 and the number of studies that have passed the clinical trials stage is 61. 15 of these studies are at Phase 3 stage. There are 12 ongoing COVID-19 vaccine studies in our country and all of them are in the predinkal stage. In this review article, 15 vaccine candidate studies whose Phase 3 stage continues, were discussed among the COVID-19 vaccine research studies.
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OBJECTIVES: Besides infectious pneumonia and death risks, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted negative psychological impacts on communities, especially on people with chronic diseases. We aimed to evaluate COVID-19 and sickle cell disease (SCD)-related experiences, and the clinical course during the outbreak, to measure anxiety levels of adolescent and young adult patients with homozygous SCD, to analyze the correlations between their COVID-19 experiences and anxiety levels and painful episodes. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 47 patients aged between 14 and 24 years responded to a descriptive instrument and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Clinical features requiring hospitalization for the same period (between March 10 and May 10) of two sequential years were compared. RESULTS: Sixty-six percent of the patients had at least one negative COVID-19 experience of dizziness, sleep disturbance, tonic immobility, appetite loss or nausea/abdominal distress. The number of negative COVID-19 experiences was correlated with the state anxiety score, the trait anxiety score, and the number of painful episodes (ρ=0.552, P<0.001; ρ=0.529, P<0.001; ρ=0.448, P=0.002, respectively). Both median state anxiety and trait anxiety scores were below the cut-off scores indicating significant clinical symptoms. The number of hospitalizations requiring vaso-occlusive crisis management and blood/exchange transfusion were similar for the same period of two sequential years, 2019 and 2020. CONCLUSION: These descriptive and correlation findings are the first reported on COVID-19-related anxiety in SCD patients. To develop screening and support strategies for mental health needs in pandemic times, further SCD studies should be conducted.