Single dose inactivated hepatitis A vaccine: Rationale and clinical assessment of the safety and immunogenicity

In comparison with the classical immunisation schedules (0-1-6 or 0-1-12 months) for hepatitis A, a 0- and 12- or a 0- and 6-month schedule would have important advantages by reducing the number of injections and discomfort and increasing scheduling convenience and patient compliance. It would be convenient if a single dose with enough antigen could protect both rapidly and for at least 12 months, when the booster dose would be given. Several clinical trials have been carried out with an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine containing 1,440 ELU. (1 ml), according to a 0–12 and a 0–6 vaccination schedule. This hepatitis A vaccine is safe and well tolerated. It offers a rapid seroresponse: 14 days after a single dose the seroconversion is 88% (95% C.I.: 84.6–90.9). The 0–12 schedule study showed good persistence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies with a seroconversion rate of almost 95% at month 12. Booster doses given at 6 or 12 months result in a substantial rise in antibody levels; according to these antibody litres, the 1,440 EL. U. vaccine can be expected to confer comparable duration of protection as the 720 EL. U. vaccine, i.e., 10–20 years. Preliminary data show that tinning of the booster may not be critical for the antibody response. In conclusion, the 1,440 EL. U. hepatitis A vaccine is safe, offers rapid seroconversion, and is highly immunogenic. The persistence of HAV antibodies until month 12 allows a certain flexibility in the administration of the booster: month 6 or 12, and a 0–12 or 0–6 schedule can increase the vaccination compliance. copy; 1994 Wiiey-Liss, inc.     

流行性乙型脑炎病毒活疫苗株SA14-14-2基因稳定性研究

目的 通过研究流行性乙型脑炎活疫苗减毒株基因稳定性，从分子水平证实流行性乙型脑炎活疫苗的遗传稳定性。方法分析流行性乙型脑炎活疫苗主种子、工作种子及其相应的疫苗病毒E蛋白基因核苷酸和氨基酸序列，并与其强毒株和基因库中乙脑病毒减毒株(AF15119)比较。结果乙脑活疫苗主种子、工作种子及其相应的疫苗病毒的E蛋白基因核苷酸序列完全相同。这些病毒E蛋白的氨基酸序列与基因库中乙脑病毒弱毒株(AF315119)比较显示第E447位点氨基酸有差异。结论乙脑病毒活疫苗减毒株遗传学特性稳定。     

EIAV减毒疫苗诱导马外周血单个核细胞Th1型细胞因子的转录

目的：探讨马传染性贫血病毒驴白细胞减毒疫苗免疫马后,外周血单个核细胞中Th1型细胞因子转录水平与免疫保护应答的关系,揭示DLV的免疫保护机制。方法：应用分子克隆及实时定量RT-PCR技术,建立了马PBMC中IFNγ-、IL-2、IL-12 mRNA转录水平的定量检测方法,定期观察4组（疫苗免疫组、阴性对照组、强毒株阳性对照组、自然感染组）12匹马外周血PBMC中细胞因子的转录水平及分布特征,同时监测体温变化等指标。疫苗株免疫动物8个月后,用EIAV强毒株攻击,观察攻击前后细胞因子转录水平的变化。结果：DLV免疫马,在免疫后3周外周血PBMC中IFN-γ、IL-2转录量显著高于阴性对照组及自然感染组（P〈0.01）;免疫后用EIAV强毒株攻击,IFNγ-、IL-2和IL-12转录的量明显升高,免疫马获得完全保护;强毒株攻击阳性对照马IFN-γ、IL-2转录量随疾病进展波动,发热期下降。结论：本研究首次证明EIAV减毒疫苗可诱导马外周血PBMC中IFN-γ、IL-2、IL-12基因高效转录,其转录水平与DLV的免疫保护密切相关,此结果在分子水平为阐明DLV的免疫保护机制提供了新的实验依据。     

树突状细胞负载肝癌抗原肽疫苗体外诱导特异性免疫学反应的研究

目的：研究树突状细胞(dendritic cell，DC)负载肝癌抗原肽EPVTKAEML体外诱导特异性CTL的能力及其抑癌效果。方法：用顺序特异引物聚合酶链反应技术(PCR—SSP)选择HLA—B7表型供者，从脾组织中分离、培养DC-EPVTKAEML特异性CTL。用^51Cr释放法检测CTL的杀伤活性，并用抗HLA-1分子单抗(mAb)进行杀伤抑制实验。结果：找到4例HLA-B7杂合子供者，用DC负载HLA-B7限制的抗原肽EPVTKAEML可诱导特异性CTL反应，对肝癌细胞HHCC有较强的杀伤作用。结论：DC负载抗原肽EPVTKAEML在体外可诱发较强的特异性免疫反应。     

单纯疱疹病毒Ⅰ型糖蛋白B基因疫苗的构建及细胞免疫学研究

目的：构建、制备单纯疱疹病毒Ⅰ型(HSV-Ⅰ)糖蛋白BDNA疫苗，检测其诱导机体产生的细胞免疫应答。方法：PCR扩增编码HSV-Ⅰ gB去除N端部分信号肽序列(39bp)的基因片段(2673bp)，定向插入pcDNA3载体中，构建pcDNA3-gB基因疫苗并对其进行PCR、酶切及测序鉴定。于BALB／c小鼠注射免疫3次，观察小鼠CD4^ 、CD8^ T细胞亚群的变化，CFSE／PI双标记的流式细胞计数法检测CTL活性。结果：双酶切分析结果为目的基因(2．7kb)和线性质粒pcDNA3(5．4kb)；PCR扩增结果为特异产物(2．7kb)；测序结果与GenBank gB基因序列同源性达99．5％；CTL，活性增强；BALB／c小鼠脾CD4^ T细胞增加。结论：经鉴定证实了HSV-Ⅰ gB基因疫苗的构建；HSV-Ⅰ gB基因疫苗可以诱导较强的细胞免疫应答，应用于预防HSV-Ⅰ的感染具有良好的前景。     

Viral determinants and host immune responses in the pathogenesis of HBV infection

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a virus that infects about 350,000,000 people worldwide with a clinical spectrum of acute hepatitis, the healthy carrier state, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The outcome of HBV infection is the result of complicated viral-host interactions. As in other infections with non-cythopatic viruses, the immune response is thought to play a crucial role in disease pathogenesis but there is increasing evidence that a variety of viral mechanisms, some depending on the function of virally encoded proteins, have a profound impact on the infected hepatocytes, the liver microenvironment, and host anti-viral responses. Indeed, the virus has evolved multiple mechanisms to ensure its success in infecting a susceptible host. The essential aspects of the life cycle of HBV and the host immune response are reviewed and recent new developments in the molecular virology of HBV, including experimental animal models, in the role of accessory viral proteins in disease pathogenesis and HCC development and in the characterisation of the T cell response in the control of HBV infection, are highlighted.     

Response to a hepatitis B polypeptide vaccine in micelle form in a young adult population

Polypeptide micelles with relative molecular weights of 25,000 (p25) and 30,000 (gp30) daltons were prepared from native 22-nm hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) particles. This p25/gp30 complex was alum-adsorbed, and three dosage levels (20 micrograms, 4 micrograms, and 0.8 micrograms) were administered at 0, 1, and 6 months to 51 human volunteers. Local and systemic reactions were clinically insignificant, and all vaccinees seroconverted, regardless of dose. As anticipated, antibody responses diminished as the dosage was reduced. Seroconversion rates and geometric mean antibody levels for the 20 micrograms dosage group were significantly better than those observed with a commercial vaccine and were comparable to those achieved after immunization with 40 micrograms of the intact 22-nm particles used to prepare the polypeptides. By 2 weeks, an anti-HBs response was elicited in 80% of the group receiving 20 micrograms of the polypeptide vaccine. This rapid response to immunization may be particularly beneficial for postexposure prophylaxis where the early development of immunity is advantageous.     

Hepatitis B surface antigen particles of subtypes adw and adr, and compound subtype (adwr) in symptom-free carriers in Japan.

Of sera from 1,878 Japanese blood donors who carried hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), 420 were subtyped as adw (22.4%) and 1,443 as adr (76.8%); only 15 (0.8%) contained HBsAg of subtype ayw or ayr. Sera with HBsAg/adr had higher HBsAg titres than those with HBsAg/adw (geometric mean of haemagglutination titre: 10.1 +/- 2.4 vs. 9.7 +/- 2.4, p less than 0.01), and a higher prevalence of hepatitis B e antigen (24% vs. 13%, p less than 0.001). Carriers of HBsAg/adr progressively predominated over those of HBsAg/adw with increasing age. Of sera from 1,863 carriers of HBsAg/adw or HBsAg/adr, 182 (9.8%) contained HBsAg particles with both subtypic determinants in the w/r allele. The presence of w and r determinants on the same particles was ascertained by sandwiching them between monoclonal antibody with the specificity for w and that with the specificity for r. HBsAg particles of compound subtype (adwr) were found more often in sera with hepatitis B e antigen than those without it (145/403 [36.0%] vs. 37/1,460 [2.5%], p less than 0.001). Sera with HBsAg/adwr particles had HBsAg titres higher than those without them (12.4 +/- 1.9 vs. 9.7 +/- 2.3, p less than 0.001). HBsAg/adwr particles arise from phenotypic mixing of the S-gene product of wild-type virus and that of mutants with point mutations for subtypic changes. The results obtained indicated that HBV strains of subtype adr have a higher replicative activity than those of adw, and suggested that mutations in the S gene for subtypic changes would be associated with an active replication of hepatitis B virus.     

Effects of Killed and Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine on Symptoms and Specific Airway Conductance in Asthmatics and Healthy Subjects

Killed and live influenza virus vaccines were given to asthmatics and healthy subjects to investigate symptoms and alterations in their respiratory performance after vaccination. Polyvalent killed influenza virus vaccine was given to 16 asthmatics and live attenuated influenza virus vaccine to 23 asthmatics and 21 healthy subjects. Fourteen of the 16 asthmatics vaccinated with the killed vaccine displayed a significant rise in serum antibody level as measured by a single radial haemolysis in gel (SRH test). 11 of the 23 asthmatics and 14 of the 21 healthy subjects vaccinated with the live attenuated vaccine displayed a significant rise in the SRH test. Among the subjects with no measurable initial antibodies and with a significant rise in the SRH test, one asthmatic vaccinated with the killed vaccine experienced symptoms of common cold with fever and dyspnoea 1 week after vaccination. Three asthmatics and four healthy subjects vaccinated with live attenuated vaccine experienced mild symptoms, mainly rhinorrhoea, cough and sore throat 2 to 3 days after vaccination. No alterations in specific airway conductance in asthmatics or in healthy subjects were observed. We conclude that both killed and live attenuated influenza virus vaccines are tolerated well by asthmatics and appear to be safe for asthma patients.