• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.350-358
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• 2023

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral infectious disease that occurs in children under 5 years of age. Its main causes are coxsackievirus (CV) and enterovirus (EV). Since there are no efficient therapeutics for HFMD, vaccines are effective in preventing the disease. To develop broad coverage against CV and EV, the development of a bivalent vaccine form is needed. The Mongolian gerbil is an efficient and suitable animal model of EV71 C4a and CVA16 infection used to investigate vaccine efficacy following direct immunization. In this study, Mongolian gerbils were immunized with a bivalent inactivated EV71 C4a and inactivated CVA16 vaccine to test their effectiveness against viral infection. Bivalent vaccine immunization resulted in increased Ag-specific IgG antibody production; specifically, EV71 C4a-specific IgG was increased with medium and high doses and CVA16-specific IgG was increased with all doses of immunization. When gene expression of T cell-biased cytokines was analysed, Th1, Th2, and Th17 responses were found to be highly activated in the high-dose immunization group. Moreover, bivalent vaccine immunization mitigated paralytic signs and increased the survival rate following lethal viral challenges. When the viral RNA content was determined from various organs, all three doses of bivalent vaccine immunization were found to significantly decrease viral amplification. Upon histologic examination, EV71 C4a and CVA16 induced tissue damage to the heart and muscle. However, bivalent vaccine immunization alleviated this in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the bivalent inactivated EV71 C4a/CVA16 vaccine could be a safe and effective candidate HFMD vaccine.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.581-593
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• 2014

Toxoplasmosis is an opportunistic infection caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. T. gondii is widespread globally and causes severe diseases in individuals with impaired immune defences as well as congenitally infected infants. The high prevalence rate in some parts of the world such as South America and Africa, coupled with the current drug treatments that trigger hypersensitivity reactions, makes the development of immunotherapeutics intervention a highly important research priority. Immunotherapeutics strategies could either be a vaccine which would confer a pre-emptive immunity to infection, or passive immunization in cases of disease recrudescence or recurrent clinical diseases. As the severity of clinical manifestations is often greater in developing nations, the development of well-tolerated and safe immunotherapeutics becomes not only a scientific pursuit, but a humanitarian enterprise. In the last few years, much progress has been made in vaccine research with new antigens, novel adjuvants, and innovative vaccine delivery such as nanoparticles and antigen encapsulations. A literature search over the past 5 years showed that most experimental studies were focused on DNA vaccination at 52%, followed by protein vaccination which formed 36% of the studies, live attenuated vaccinations at 9%, and heterologous vaccination at 3%; while there were few on passive immunization. Recent progress in studies on vaccination, passive immunization, as well as insights gained from these immunotherapeutics is highlighted in this review.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 1988

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary zinc on immune response in mice. Weanling male mice was placed individually in stainless steel cages and fed a zinc dificient diet and control diet. All mice were given deionized water ad libitum. The introduction of extraneous zinc was minimized in all cage by washing feed jars and water bottles sequentially with 4mM EDTA and conc-nitiric acid followed by deionized water. After 4 and 5 weeks of the diets, mice were immunized with lx 106 Naegleria fowleri intraperitoneally. Mice were weighed once a week. The results from this study are summarized as followed ; 1) Mice fed the zinc dificient diet showed growth retardation. After 3 weeks of diets, mean body weight of zinc deficient mice was 21.4g and that of control was 25.0g. This difference is singnificant statistically (p<0.01). The more time passed, the more remarkable difference was found. 2) The weigth of organs were measured on liver, kidney, spleen, thymus, heart, lung, brain. Difference in weight were observed only in liver and spleen. 3) Proliferative response of spleen cells of zinc deficient mice to con A was lower than that of control mice after one week on immunization(p<0.005). 4) Stimulation index was lower in zinc deficient mice to phytohemagglutinin after two weeks on immunization (p<0.05). 5) Blastogenesis of speen cells of zinc deficient mice to Naegleria fowleric lysate was lower after 10 days on immunization (p<0.05). 6) Immunoglobulin G antribody titers of zinc deficient mice sera by ELISA was lowered to control mice after 5 weeks on immunization (p<0.005).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.665-671
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• 1992

To investigate the effects of immunization against somatostatin (SRIF) on growth rate, feed efficiency and carcass quality; forth-eight Yorkshire gilts ($age=37.5{\pm}4.3d,\;wt=8.2{\pm}1.6kg$) were randomly assigned to one of the following three treatments (1) control, (2) bovine serum albumin (BSA) and (3) SRIF. Cyclic SRIF was conjugated to BSA as the antigen containing 1 mg of SRIF diluted in 3 ml of saline. The conjugate was injected subsutaneously together with bacterial cell protein (BP) adjuvant on both sides of the neck of each gilt as the initial injection with three subsequent booster injections. Throughout the experiment all pigs were fed ad libitum a corn-soy diet containing 20% protein. Body weight and feed intake were measured on a weekly basis. All pigs in the experiment were slaughtered when they approached 101 kg body weight on the weekly weigh day. After slaughter, carcass parameters were analyzed to assess carcass quality. Results revealed that there were no differences among SRIF, BSA and control treatments for average daily gain, feed efficiency and feed intake during the first 5 wk of the experiment and from 6 wk to slaughter. The results for carcass analysis indicated that active immunization against SRIF had no effect on fat content, lean yield, water content and Canadian carcass index These data, collectively, suggest that the protocol employed in the present investigation for active immunization against SRIF is not an effective method for the enhancement of pig growth and improvement of feed efficiency and carcass quality.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.157-162
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• 2005

Background: 1-8D gene is a member of human 1-8 interferon inducible gene family and was shown to be overexpressed in fresh colon cancer tissues. Three peptides 1-6, 3-5 and 3-7 derived from human 1-8D gene were shown to have immunogenicity against colon cancer. Methods: To study tumor immunotherapy, of three peptides we established an active immunization model using HHD mice. $D^{b-/-}{\times}{\beta}2$ microglobulin $({\beta}2m)$ null mice transgenic for a chimeric HLA-$A2.1/D^{b-}\;{\beta}2m$ single chain (HHD mice) were challenged with B16/HHD/1-8D tumor cells and were immunized with irradiated peptide-loaded RMA- S/HHD/B7.1 transfectants. In therapy model tumor growth was retarded in HHD mice that were injected with 3-5 peptide-loaded RMA-S/HHD/B7.1. In survival test vaccination with 1-8D-derived peptide protects HHD mice from tumor progression after tumor challenge. Results: These studies show that peptide 3-5 derived from 1-8D gene can be the most effective candidate for the vaccine of immunotherapy against colon cancer and highlight 1-8D gene as putative colon carcinoma associated antigens. Conclusion: We demonstrated that RMA-S/HHD/ B7.1 loaded with 1-8D peptides, especially 3-5, immunization generates potent antitumor immunity against tumor cells in HHD mice and designed active immunization as proper immunotherapeutic protocols.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.89-93
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• 2005

This study was aimed to determine influenza vaccination coverage in 2004 in Koreans and investigate the factors associated with vaccination. Documentation of vaccination status and baseline data was conducted by a survey using questionnaire sheets. Baseline data and vaccination status were documented on 1465 people out of whom 60.1% received the influenza vaccine. Forty-seven percent of the responders were male; 4% were aged 1-12, 32% were aged 13-39, 32% were aged 40-64 and 32% were aged 65 or older. Twenty-three percent reported a chronic illness, increasing their risk for complications from influenza. Predictors of influenza vaccination were: older age (OR=11.7, 95% CI 5.1-26.8), the presence of chronic illness (OR=2.3, 95% CI 1.1-4.7), previous vaccination (OR=1.8, 95% CI 1.1-2.8), belief that influenza vaccine is effective in preventing influenza (OR=2.5, 95% CI 1.1-5.7) and education level (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.0-2.7). Immunization rates were much higher in those who will take immunization again (OR=10.4, 95% CI 5.5-19.6). Factors affecting the decision on immunization were self-determination (43.6%), public relations (24.1%), recommendation from family members or friends (22.4%) and consulting with health professionals (5.8%). The main reason not to take influenza vaccine was the thought that they are healthy (50.1%). Overall, influenza vaccine coverage was high in those aged 65 or older. Immunization against influenza was influenced more by existing medical problem and belief about the vaccine's effectiveness, rather than sex or residence.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.267-275
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the potential health impacts and improve the quality of the free immunization program in Jinju City by maximizing the predicted positive health gains and minimizing the negative health risks. Methods: A steering committee was established in September 2010 to carry out the health impact assessment (HIA) and began the screening and scoping stages. In the appraisal stage, analysis of secondary data, a literature review, case studies, geographic information systems analysis, a questionnaire, and expert consultations were used. The results of the data collection and analyses were discussed during a workshop, after which recommendations were finalized in a written report. Results: Increased access to immunization, comprehensive services provided by physicians, the strengthened role of the public health center in increasing immunization rates and services, and the ripple effect to other neighboring communities were identified as potential positive impacts. On the other hand, the program might be inaccessible to rural regions with no private clinics where there are more at-risk children, vaccine management and quality control at the clinics may be poor, and vaccines may be misused. Recommendations to maximize health gains and minimize risks were separately developed for the public health center and private clinics. Conclusions: The HIA provided an opportunity for stakeholders to comprehensively overview the potential positive and negative impacts of the program before it was implemented. An HIA is a powerful tool that should be used when developing and implementing diverse health-related policies and programs in the community.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.218-225
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• 2019

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae, more than 90 serotypes of which exist, is recognized as an etiologic agent of pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis associated with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Immunization with a pneumococcal pep27 mutant (${{\Delta}}pep27$) has been shown to confer comprehensive, long-term protection against even nontypeable strains. However, ${{\Delta}}pep27$ is effective as a vaccine only after at least three rounds of immunization. Therefore, treatments capable of enhancing the efficiency of ${{\Delta}}pep27$ immunization should be identified without delay. Panax ginseng Mayer has already been shown to have pharmacological and antioxidant effects. Here, the ability of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) to enhance the efficacy of ${{\Delta}}pep27$ immunization was investigated. Methods: Mice were treated with KRG and immunized with ${{\Delta}}pep27$ before infection with the pathogenic S. pneumoniae strain D39. Total reactive oxygen species production was measured using lung homogenates, and inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase and antiapoptotic protein expression was determined by immunoblotting. The phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages was also tested after KRG treatment. Results: Compared with the other treatments, KRG significantly increased survival rate after lethal challenge and resulted in faster bacterial clearance via increased phagocytosis. Moreover, KRG enhanced ${{\Delta}}pep27$ vaccine efficacy by inhibiting reactive oxygen species production, reducing extracellular signal-regulated kinase apoptosis signaling and inflammation. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that KRG reduces the time required for immunization with the ${{\Delta}}pep27$ vaccine by enhancing its efficacy.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.99-104
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated safety and efficacy of a low temperature immunization protocol with NNV in red spotted grouper, Epinephelus akaara and long tooth grouper, Epinephelus bruneus and seven band grouper, Hyporthodus septemfasciatus. Further, growth rate between immunized and naïve fish was evaluated during the experiment to check side effect of immunization. Three grouper species were immunized by immersion method with live NNV at 10^5.0 TCID₅₀/mL at 16.5℃ for 30 min and reared for 120 days at natural sea water temperature. To evaluate growth rate, total length and wet weight was measured 7 times after immunization. Immunized three grouper species were challenged by intramuscular inoculation with NNV at 10^4.2 TCID₅₀/100 µL/fish. Immunization at low temperature with live NNV did not show any clinical symptoms of infection, mortality and inhibition of growth. After challenge, cumulative mortality of naïve seven band grouper, red spotted grouper, long tooth grouper were 45, 10, 20 %, respectively. However no mortality was observed at immunized groupers. Thus, it was demonstrated that immunization at low temperature with live NNV are able to protect three different species of groupers without inhibition of growth.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.41.1-41.16
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• 2022

The human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 has chemotactic and modulatory activities in various immune cells, including dendritic cells. Because of its characteristics, LL-37 can be considered an adjuvant for vaccine development. In this study, we confirmed the possible adjuvant activity of LL-37 in mucosal vaccine development against Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) by means of intranasal immunization in C57BL/6 and human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (hDPP4)-transgenic (hDPP4-Tg) mice. Intranasal immunization using the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of MERS-CoV spike protein (S-RBD) recombined with LL-37 (S-RBD-LL-37) induced an efficient mucosal IgA and systemic IgG response with virus-neutralizing activity, compared with S-RBD. Ag-specific CTL stimulation was also efficiently induced in the lungs of mice that had been intranasally immunized with S-RBD-LL-37, compared with S-RBD. Importantly, intranasal immunization of hDPP4-Tg mice with S-RBD-LL-37 led to reduced immune cell infiltration into the lungs after infection with MERS-CoV. Finally, intranasal immunization of hDPP4-Tg mice with S-RBD-LL-37 led to enhanced protective efficacy, with increased survival and reduced body weight loss after challenge infection with MERS-CoV. Collectively, these results suggest that S-RBD-LL-37 is an effective intranasal vaccine candidate molecule against MERS-CoV infection.