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BMC Health Services Research Mar 2023Various vaccines have been developed and distributed worldwide to control and cope with COVID-19 disease. To ensure vaccines benefit the global community, the ethical... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Various vaccines have been developed and distributed worldwide to control and cope with COVID-19 disease. To ensure vaccines benefit the global community, the ethical principles of beneficence, justice, non-maleficence, and autonomy should be examined and adhered to in the process of development, distribution, and implementation. This study, therefore, aimed to examine ethical considerations of vaccine development and vaccination processes.
METHODS
A scoping review of the literature was conducted based on the Arkesy and O'Malley protocol to identify eligible studies published until November 2021. We searched Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and SciELO databases. The search was conducted using combinations of Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) search terms and keywords for Ethics, COVID-19, and vaccines in abstract, keywords, and title fields to retrieve potentially relevant publications. We included any study that reported one of the four principles of medical ethics: autonomy, justice, non-maleficence, and beneficence in the COVID-19 vaccine development and distribution and implementation of vaccinations. Letters, notes, protocols, and brief communications were excluded. In addition, we searched gray literature to include relevant studies (ProQuest database, conferences, and reports). Data were analyzed using framework analysis.
RESULTS
In total, 43 studies were included. Ethical considerations concluded two themes: (1) production and (2) distribution and vaccination. The production process consisted of 16 codes and 4 main Categories, distribution and vaccination process consisted of 12 codes and 4 main Categories. Moreover, the ethical considerations of special groups were divided into four main groups: health care workers (HCWs) (five codes), children and adolescents (five codes), the elderly (one code), and ethnic and racial minorities (three codes).
CONCLUSION
Due to the externalities of pandemics and the public and social benefits and harms of vaccination, it is not feasible to adhere to all four principles of medical ethics simultaneously and perfectly. This issue confronts individuals and policymakers with several moral dilemmas. It seems that decision-making based on the balance between social benefit and social harm is a better criterion in this regard, and the final decision should be made based on maximizing the public benefit and minimizing the public harm.
Topics: COVID-19 Vaccines; COVID-19; Vaccine Development; Ethics, Medical; Beneficence; Social Justice; Bioethics; Humans
PubMed: 36918888
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-09237-6 -
Expert Review of Vaccines Oct 2021A vaccine would greatly accelerate current global efforts toward malaria elimination. While a partially efficacious vaccine has been achieved for , a major bottleneck in... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
A vaccine would greatly accelerate current global efforts toward malaria elimination. While a partially efficacious vaccine has been achieved for , a major bottleneck in developing highly efficacious vaccines is a lack of reliable correlates of protection, and the limited application of assays that quantify functional immune responses to evaluate and down-select vaccine candidates in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials.
AREAS COVERED
In this review, we describe the important role of antibodies in immunity against malaria and detail the nature and functional activities of antibodies against the malaria-causing parasite. We highlight the growing understanding of antibody effector functions against malaria and assays to measure these functional antibody responses. We discuss the application of these assays to quantify antibody functions in vaccine development and evaluation.
EXPERT OPINION
It is becoming increasingly clear that multiple antibody effector functions are involved in immunity to malaria. Therefore, we propose that evaluating vaccine candidates needs to move beyond individual assays or measuring IgG magnitude alone. Instead, vaccine evaluation should incorporate the full breadth of antibody response types and harness a wider range of assays measuring functional antibody responses. We propose a 3-tier approach to implementing assays to inform vaccine evaluation.
Topics: Antibodies, Protozoan; Antigens, Protozoan; Humans; Malaria; Malaria Vaccines; Malaria, Falciparum; Plasmodium falciparum; Vaccine Development
PubMed: 34530671
DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1981864 -
Current Drug Targets 2023Leishmaniasis is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), a zoonotic disease of vector-borne nature that is caused by a protozoan parasite . This parasite is...
Leishmaniasis is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), a zoonotic disease of vector-borne nature that is caused by a protozoan parasite . This parasite is transmitted by the vector sandfly into the human a bite. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also called kala-azar, is the most fatal among the types of leishmaniasis, with high mortality mostly spread in the East Africa and South Asia regions. WHO report stated that approximately 3.3 million disabilities occur every year due to the disease along with approximately 50,000 annual deaths. The real matter of concern is that there is no particular effective medicine/vaccine available against leishmaniasis to date except a few approved drugs and chemotherapy for the infected patient. The current selection of small compounds was constrained, and their growing drug resistance had been a major worry. Additionally, the serious side effects on humans of the available therapy or drugs have made it essential to discover efficient and low-cost methods to speed up the development of new drugs against leishmaniasis. Ideally, the vaccine could be a low risk and effective alternative for both CL and VL and elicit long-lasting immunity against the disease. There are a number of vaccine candidates at various stages of clinical development and preclinical stage. However, none has successfully passed all clinical trials. But, the successful development and approval of commercially available vaccines for dogs against canine leishmaniasis (CanL) provides evidence that it can be possible for humans in distant future. In the present article, the approaches used for the development of vaccines for leishmaniasis are discussed and the progress being made is briefly reviewed.
Topics: Animals; Dogs; Humans; Leishmania donovani; Leishmaniasis; Leishmaniasis, Visceral; Neglected Diseases; Vaccines; Vaccine Development
PubMed: 37823567
DOI: 10.2174/0113894501254585230927100440 -
Reviews in Medical Virology Mar 2023Dengue illness can range from mild illness to life-threatening haemorrhage. It is an Aedes-borne infectious disease caused by the dengue virus, which has four serotypes.... (Review)
Review
Dengue illness can range from mild illness to life-threatening haemorrhage. It is an Aedes-borne infectious disease caused by the dengue virus, which has four serotypes. Each serotype acts as an independent infectious agent. The antibodies against one serotype confer homotypic immunity but temporary protection against heterotypic infection. Dengue has become a growing health concern for up to one third of the world's population. Currently, there is no potent anti-dengue medicine, and treatment for severe dengue relies on intravenous fluid management and pain medications. The burden of dengue dramatically increases despite advances in vector control measures. These factors underscore the need for a vaccine. Various dengue vaccine strategies have been demonstrated, that is, live attenuated vaccine, inactivated vaccine, DNA vaccine, subunit vaccine, and viral-vector vaccines, some of which are at the stage of clinical testing. Unfortunately, the forefront candidate vaccine is less than satisfactory, and its performance depends on serostatus and age factors. The lessons from clinical studies depicted ambiguity concerning the efficacy of dengue vaccine. Our study highlighted that viral structural heterogeneity, epitope accessibility, autoimmune complications, genetic variants, genetic diversities, antigen competition, virulence variation, host-pathogen specific interaction, antibody-dependent enhancement, cross-reactive immunity among Flaviviruses, and host-susceptibility determinants not only influence infection outcomes but also hampered successful vaccine development. This review integrates dengue determinants allocated necessities and challenges, which would provide insight for universal dengue vaccine development.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Antibodies, Viral; Dengue Vaccines; Dengue Virus; Mosquito Vectors; Viral Vaccines; Vaccine Development
PubMed: 36683235
DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2425 -
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Nov 2021Norovirus (NoV) has been recognized as a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. This review estimates the prevalence and genotype distribution of NoV in China to... (Review)
Review
Norovirus (NoV) has been recognized as a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. This review estimates the prevalence and genotype distribution of NoV in China to provide a sound reference for vaccine development. Studies were searched up to October 2020 from CNKI database and inclusion criteria were study duration of at least one calendar year and population size of >100. The mean overall NoV prevalence in individuals with sporadic diarrhea/gastroenteritis was 16.68% (20796/124649, 95% CI 16.63-16.72), and the detection rate of NoV was the highest among children. Non-GII.4 strains have replaced GII.4 as the predominant caused multiple outbreaks since 2014. Especially the recombinant GII.P16-GII.2 increased sharply, and virologic data show that the polymerase GII.P16 rather than VP1 triggers pandemic. Due to genetic diversity and rapid evolution, predominant genotypes might change unexpectedly, which has become major obstacle for the development of effective NoV vaccines.
Topics: Caliciviridae Infections; Child; China; Genotype; Humans; Molecular Epidemiology; Norovirus; Phylogeny; Vaccine Development
PubMed: 34495811
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1961465 -
The American Journal of Medicine Mar 2022
Topics: Humans; Vaccine Efficacy
PubMed: 34614396
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.09.002 -
Cellular Immunology 2024Infectious diseases like leishmaniasis, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, leprosy and filariasis are responsible for an immense burden on public health systems. Among these,... (Review)
Review
Infectious diseases like leishmaniasis, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, leprosy and filariasis are responsible for an immense burden on public health systems. Among these, leishmaniasis is under the category I diseases as it is selected by WHO (World Health Organization) on the ground of diversity and complexity. High cost, resistance and toxic effects of Leishmania traditional drugs entail identification and development of therapeutic alternative. Since the natural infection elicits robust immunity, consistence efforts are going on to develop a successful vaccine. Clinical trials have been conducted on vaccines like Leish-F1, F2, and F3 formulated using specific Leishmania antigen epitopes. Current strategies utilize individual or combined antigens from the parasite or its insect vector's salivary gland extract, with or without adjuvant formulation for enhanced efficacy. Promising animal data supports multiple vaccine candidates (Lmcen-/-, LmexCen), with some already in or heading for clinical trials. The crucial challenge in Leishmania vaccine development is to translate the research knowledge into affordable and accessible control tools that refines the outcome for those who are susceptible to infection. This review focuses on recent findings in Leishmania vaccines and highlights difficulties facing vaccine development and implementation.
Topics: Humans; Leishmaniasis Vaccines; Animals; Leishmania; Leishmaniasis; Vaccine Development; Antigens, Protozoan; Clinical Trials as Topic
PubMed: 38669897
DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2024.104826 -
Toxins Sep 2021Possible implications and applications of the yeast killer phenomenon in the fight against infectious diseases are reviewed, with particular reference to some... (Review)
Review
Possible implications and applications of the yeast killer phenomenon in the fight against infectious diseases are reviewed, with particular reference to some wide-spectrum killer toxins (KTs) produced by and other related species. A perspective on the applications of these KTs in the medical field is provided considering (1) a direct use of killer strains, in particular in the symbiotic control of arthropod-borne diseases; (2) a direct use of KTs as experimental therapeutic agents; (3) the production, through the idiotypic network, of immunological derivatives of KTs and their use as potential anti-infective therapeutics. Studies on immunological derivatives of KTs in the context of vaccine development are also described.
Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Communicable Diseases; Cytotoxins; Humans; Killer Factors, Yeast; Saccharomycetales; Vaccine Development
PubMed: 34564659
DOI: 10.3390/toxins13090655 -
ACS Applied Bio Materials May 2021Infectious diseases are a worldwide concern. They are responsible for increasing the mortality rate and causing economic and social problems. Viral epidemics and... (Review)
Review
Infectious diseases are a worldwide concern. They are responsible for increasing the mortality rate and causing economic and social problems. Viral epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, force the scientific community to consider molecules with antiviral activity. A number of viral infections still do not have a vaccine or efficient treatment and it is imperative to search for vaccines to control these infections. In this context, nanotechnology in association with the design of vaccines has presented an option for virus control. Nanovaccines have displayed an impressive immune response using a low dosage. This review aims to describe the advances and update the data in studies using nanovaccines and their immunomodulatory effect against human viruses.
Topics: Adaptive Immunity; COVID-19 Vaccines; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Nanomedicine; Vaccine Development; Vaccines, DNA; Vaccines, Subunit; Vaccines, Synthetic; Viral Vaccines; Virus Diseases; mRNA Vaccines
PubMed: 35006813
DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.0c01284 -
Vaccine Sep 2022Advances in genomics and the gradual reduction of cost for technologies like whole-genome sequencing have provided exciting opportunities for developing modern... (Review)
Review
Advances in genomics and the gradual reduction of cost for technologies like whole-genome sequencing have provided exciting opportunities for developing modern biotechnological-based vaccines in aquaculture. This systemic review describes the prospects and challenges of implementing these high-tech vaccines in fish species. The majority of the commercial vaccines in aquaculture utilize conventional procedures for which cost of administration, protective immunity and safety issues are the major challenges. In recent years, more efficient vaccines are being developed by adopting the advances in vaccine technology. Vaccines based on surface antigens, protein/peptide/polysaccharide subunits, recombinant DNA/mRNA/plasmids, novel antigen expression and delivery systems (bacteriophage particles, virus like particles/VLPs, recombinant yeast, mucosal vaccines), novel molecular adjuvants (IL-8, IL-12, HSPs), and encapsulation polymers and polysaccharides like chitosan nanoparticles and PLGA microcapsule were successfully developed. These biotechnology-based vaccines have proved to be very efficient in field trials, but are always in the research pipeline or as patents. Only very few of them are licensed for use, that too, in high-valued fishes like salmonids. Currently, commercial aquaculture vaccines are available for Aeromonas salmonicida, Vibrio salmonicida, Yersinia ruckeri, Vibrio anguillarum, Edwardsiella ictalurid, and for certain Betanodaviruses. Nevertheless, no registered vaccines are available for other major infectious diseases/pathogens such as viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), viral nervous necrosis virus (VNN) and certain other betanodaviruses, channel catfish virus (CCV), gill disease bacteria, mycobacteria, flavobacterium, Edwardsiella tarda, and certain streptococci. Despite the important economic losses that the pathogens cause to aquaculture worldwide, the commercialization of vaccines remains limited due to immunological pitfalls in aquatic species, large-scale vaccination issues, unregulated use of antibiotics and chemicals, gene-based vaccine regulations and commercial viability. If attempts are to be made to develop novel delivery methods, cost-effective procedures, and relaxations in DNA vaccine regulations, biotechnology-based vaccination could circumvent the emerging disease challenges in aquaculture.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antigens, Surface; Aquaculture; Biotechnology; Capsules; Chitosan; DNA, Recombinant; Fish Diseases; Fishes; Interleukin-12; Interleukin-8; RNA, Messenger; Vaccine Development; Vaccines, DNA
PubMed: 36088192
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.08.075