(Press-News.org) A study of 4CMenB, a new vaccine to protect against meningitis B bacteria (which can cause potentially fatal bacterial meningitis in children), shows that waning immunity induced by infant vaccination can be overcome by a booster dose at 40 months of age, according to a clinical trial published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
The 4CMenB vaccine, an important breakthrough in the fight against childhood meningitis, was recently licensed in Europe and is being considered for approval in Canada and elsewhere. However, although it is known that immunizing infants with the 4CMenB vaccine induces a good immune response (as shown by an increase in antibodies against this bacteria), it was not known how well this response persists through childhood. This is critically important to the potential impact of the vaccine, because children remain at risk from this infection through their preschool years, and even into adolescence.
In this study of 113 children, the Oxford Vaccine Group (part of the University of Oxford Department of Paediatrics) shows that high antibody levels observed 1 month after receiving 4CMenB at 2, 4, 6 and 12 months of age decline over the following 2 ½ years. Blood samples taken from participants were tested against a panel of different strains of the meningitis B bacteria. Against some strains the antibody levels remained higher than in children who had never received the vaccine, while against other strains there was no obvious difference.
"Experience with other meningococcal vaccines has shown that waning of bactericidal antibody titres was associated with a decline in vaccine effectiveness following infant vaccination with serogroup C meningococcal conjugate vaccines," writes Dr. Matthew Snape, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oxford and National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK, with coauthors.
After receiving a booster dose at 40 months of age, 89%–100% of the children had high antibody levels for all but 1 of the 8 Meningitis B strains tested.
"Consistent with other vaccines against meningococcal disease, a waning of hSBA titres was observed after infant vaccination with 4CMenB. A booster dose during preschool years was well tolerated," write the authors.
"If 4CMenB were to be introduced into a routine vaccination schedule, measures such as adequate disease surveillance would be important to determine whether waning of antibodies might influence the effectiveness of a vaccination campaign against this bacterium," they conclude.
### END
Booster dose of new meningitis vaccine may be beneficial
Clinical trial
2013-09-23
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Simple, 2-question survery accurately screens cancer patients for depression
2013-09-23
MAYWOOD, Il. -- Cancer patients can be accurately screened for major depression with a simple two-question survey, according to a study presented Sept. 23 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 55th Annual Meeting.
The two-question screening test proved to be as accurate as a longer nine-question screening test.
The study was presented at plenary session by William Small, Jr., MD, FASTRO, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology of Loyola University Medical Center.
"We found that a two-question survey can effectively screen for depression," Small said. ...
Hunger pains
2013-09-23
Binge-eating disorder, designated only months ago by the American Psychiatric Association as a diagnosis in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is associated with substantial lifelong impairments comparable to those of bulimia nervosa, according to a World Health Organization study based on community epidemiological surveys conducted in 12 nations worldwide.
The publication of the results online today in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences is timed to coincide with the beginning of Weight Stigma Awareness Week (September 23-27).
Although both ...
Movies that push our cognitive limits
2013-09-23
Hyperlink films mirror contemporary globalized communities, using exciting cinematic elements and multiple story lines to create the idea of a world that is interconnected on many social levels. However, films in this genre like Crash, Babel, and Love Actually are not as new and innovative as presumed and still conform to conventional social patterns. These findings, by Jaimie Krems of Arizona State University in the US and Robin Dunbar of the University of Oxford in the UK, are published in Springer's journal Human Nature.
Hyperlink cinema uses cinematic devices such ...
Patient-reported outcomes provide valuable insight regarding quality of life for patients with NSCLC
2013-09-23
Atlanta, September 23, 2013—An analysis of quality of life (QOL) data of stage III lung cancer patients who received higher doses of radiation therapy (with chemotherapy) shows a significantly lower quality of life at 3 months after treatment compared to patients who received a standard dose of radiation (with chemotherapy), according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting. The study also suggests that lung cancer patients who received intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) reported less decline in ...
Avoiding specific region of brain during whole-brain radiotherapy prevents memory loss
2013-09-23
Atlanta, September 23, 2013—Limiting the amount of radiation absorbed in the hippocampal portion of the brain during whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) for brain metastases preserves memory function in patients for up to six months after treatment, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting.
The single-arm, phase II study was a multi-institutional, international clinical trial in the U.S. and Canada, conducted through the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). Researchers compared the study group ...
Fewer weeks of hormone therapy before radiation reduces side effects in intermediate risk PCa
2013-09-23
Atlanta, September 23, 2013 – A shorter course of androgen suppression therapy prior to radiation therapy, when compared to a longer course of androgen suppression therapy, yields favorable outcomes and fewer adverse effects for intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO) 55th Annual Meeting. The study confirmed a disease-specific-survival (DSS) rate of 95 percent when patients received fewer weeks of neoadjuvant (NEO) total androgen suppression (TAS).
The multi-institutional ...
How bacteria integrate autotransporters into their outer membrane
2013-09-23
The bacterial outer envelope is densely packed with proteins that form small pores and facilitate the passage of nutrients, toxins and signaling molecules. Professors Timm Maier and Sebastian Hiller from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel now demonstrate how these transporter proteins are integrated into the outer membrane. Using x-ray structural analysis they reveal the structure-function relationship of the protein TamA, which plays an important role in the assembly of transport proteins in the bacterial outer membrane. Their findings have been published recently ...
2-item questionnaire proves to be a valid depression screening tool for radiation therapy patients
2013-09-23
Atlanta, September 23, 2013 — Cancer patients receiving radiotherapy (RT) who are potentially suffering from depression can be effectively identified by a two-item questionnaire, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting.
The Radiation Oncology Therapy Group (RTOG) Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP)-supported multi-institutional study screened 455 patients receiving radiation treatment at 37 centers around the U.S. Participants in the study were seeking treatment for breast cancer (45 ...
Freeze! A protein group affecting lipid dynamics at cell membranes discovered
2013-09-23
Eukaryotic cells are compartmentalized by membranes, whose shape and dynamics are precisely regulated to maintain their correct functions. Consequently, many cellular processes such as endocytosis, migration and morphogenesis rely on proteins that bind directly to membranes and sculpt them into desired shapes.
BAR domain proteins are among the central membrane-sculpting proteins in all eukaryote cells. Studies by Pekka Lappalainen laboratory at Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland, now reveal that BAR domain proteins not only bend membranes, but ...
Smartphones and tablets could provide universal access to medical monitoring
2013-09-23
San Francisco, CA. -- Do you have a smartphone in your pocket or purse? If so, you may be carrying the future of mobile medical monitoring technology, according to a special article in the October issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).
Smartphones and tablet computers have an emerging role as mobile medical monitoring devices -- and may help to extend the use of pulse oximetry for monitoring blood oxygen levels to developing countries around the world, according to the article by Dr J. Mark Ansermino ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Some fuel lodges in the inner walls of fusion vessels. Researchers now have a better idea of how much.
Bismuth-based catalysts: Promising candidates for electrochemical CO2 reduction to formate
Novel molten metal catalysts for CO2-free hydrogen production
Beyond the burn: Harvesting dead wood to reduce wildfires and store carbon
Researchers at Case Western Reserve, University Hospitals to begin clinical testing with new, less-invasive technology to screen for esophageal precancer
JMC|With generative AI assistance, Insilico Medicine announces novel CDK12/13 dual inhibitors for tumor treatment
Novel photochromic glass can store rewritable 3D patterns
Sea sponge inspires super strong compressible material
AI generates playful, human-like games
Bacteria ‘leaking across stomach lining’ could indicate risk of gastric cancer, new study has found
Feeding anemone: Symbiote fish actively feed hosts in wild
New AI-powered tool could enhance traumatic brain injury investigations in forensics and law enforcement
A protein from tiny tardigrades may help cancer patients tolerate radiation therapy
Double network hydrogel polymers with rapid self-strengthening abilities
Schizophrenia is reflected in the brain structure
Researchers warn continuous glucose monitors can overestimate blood sugar levels
Colorectal cancer: Lipids can predict treatment efficacy
Physical activity boosts mental health in women with chronic pelvic pain disorders
New method searches through 10 sextillion drug molecules
Breakthrough in the development of a new low-cost computer
New computer model can predict the length of a household's displacement in any U.S. community after a disaster
At your service: How older adults embrace demand-responsive transportation
Enhancing lithium-ion battery performance with roll-to-roll compatible flash process technology
Simulating scientists: New tool for AI-powered scientific discovery
Helium in the Earth's core
Study: First female runner could soon break the 4-minute-mile barrier
High dietary fish intake may slow disability progression in MS
UK Armed Forces servicewomen face unique set of hurdles for abortion access/care
Use of strong synthetic opioids during surgery linked to poor composite experience of pain
UK innovation to transform treatment for people with type 2 diabetes worldwide
[Press-News.org] Booster dose of new meningitis vaccine may be beneficialClinical trial