Long-term humoral and cellular immunity against vaccine strains and Omicron subvariants (BQ.1.1, BN.1, XBB.1, and EG.5) after bivalent COVID-19 vaccination

BackgroundThe assessment of long-term humoral and cellular immunity post-vaccination is crucial for establishing an optimal vaccination strategy.MethodsThis prospective cohort study evaluated adults (≥18 years) who received a BA.4/5 bivalent vaccine. We measured the anti-receptor binding domain immunoglobulin G antibody and neutralizing antibodies (NAb) against wild-type and Omicron subvariants (BA.5, BQ.1.1, BN.1, XBB.1 and EG.5) up to 9 months post-vaccination. T-cell immune responses were measured before and 4 weeks after vaccination.ResultsA total of 108 (28 SARS-CoV-2-naïve and 80 previously infected) participants were enrolled. Anti-receptor binding domain immunoglobulin G (U/mL) levels were higher at 9 months post-vaccination than baseline in SAR-CoV-2-naïve individuals (8,339 vs. 1,834, p<0.001). NAb titers against BQ.1.1, BN.1, and XBB.1 were significantly higher at 9 months post-vaccination than baseline in both groups, whereas NAb against EG.5 was negligible at all time points. The T-cell immune response (median spot forming unit/106 cells) was highly cross-reactive at both baseline (wild-type/BA.5/XBB.1.5, 38.3/52.5/45.0 in SARS-CoV-2-naïve individuals; 51.6/54.9/54.9 in SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals) and 4 weeks post-vaccination, with insignificant boosting post-vaccination.ConclusionRemarkable cross-reactive neutralization was observed against BQ.1.1, BN.1, and XBB.1 up to 9 months after BA.4/5 bivalent vaccination, but not against EG.5. The T-cell immune response was highly cross-reactive

The complete mitochondrial genome of the barcheek trevally, Carangoides plagiotaenia Bleeker, 1857 from Beqa Lagoon in Fiji

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Barcheek trevally, Carangoides plagiotaenia Bleeker, 1857 from Beqa lagoon, Fiji Islands, was determined by high-throughput sequencing (HTS). Its mitogenome (16,551 bp) contained the typical 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNAs, 22 tRNAs, along with two non-coding regions: control region (D-loop) and the origin of light-strand replication (OL). In its mitogenome, one unusual start codon (GTG) was identified in COI and incomplete stop codons (TA-/T–) were predicted in seven PCGs including ND2, COII, ATP6, COIII, ND3, ND4 and CytB. The phylogenetic tree revealed that C. plagiotaenia is sister to C. bajad with 88.75% nucleotide identity in 13 PCGs and 90.49% in the complete mitogenomes

Cost-effectiveness of high-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine versus standard-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine for older people in a country with high influenza vaccination rate

ABSTRACTThe highdose quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVHD) has shown improved protection against influenza and its complications in older adults. We aimed to evaluate the costeffectiveness of QIVHD compared with QIVSD among Korean adults aged ≥ 65 years in reducing influenzarelated disease burden. We evaluated the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons and their average values using a static decision tree model. The difference in efficacy between standard-dose (SD) and high-dose (HD) was calculated based on the results of a clinical trial comparing Fluzone® High-Dose Vaccine and Fluzone® Vaccine in older adults. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were assessed from the healthcare system perspective. A discount rate of 4.5% was applied to life-year-gained (LYG) values and utilities. We performed deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses to account for both epidemiological and economic sources of uncertainty. In the analysis of the 2017/2018 season, the QIV-HD strategy generated an excess of 0.00182 life-years (Lys)/person and 0.003953 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs)/person compared with QIV-SD. The ICER was 6,467.56 United States Dollars (USD)/QALY. In the analysis from the 2016/2017 season, QIV-HD caused a surplus of 0.00117 Lys/person and 0.003272 QALYs/person compared with QIV-SD. ICER was 7,902.46 USD /QALY. From the average data of the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons, an excess of 0.00147 Lys/person and 0.003561 QALYs/person were generated using QIV-HD compared with QIV-SD, while the ICER was 7,190.44 USD /QALY. From the healthcare system perspective, QIV-HD was a more cost-effective vaccination option in reducing influenza-related disease burden and healthcare costs in Koreans aged ≥ 65 years compared with QIV-SD

Longitudinal immune kinetics of COVID-19 booster versus primary series vaccination: Insight into the annual vaccination strategy

Background: Data on the durability of booster dose immunity of COVID-19 vaccines are relatively limited. Methods: Immunogenicity was evaluated for up to 9–12 months after the third dose of vaccination in 94 healthy adults. Results: Following the third dose, the anti-spike immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody response against the wild-type was boosted markedly, which decreased gradually over time. However, even 9–12 months after the booster dose, both the median and geometric mean of anti-spike IgG antibody levels were higher than those measured 4 weeks after the second dose. Breakthrough infection during the Omicron-dominant period boosted neutralizing antibody titers against Omicron sublineages (BA.1 and BA.5) and the ancestral strain. T-cell immune response was efficiently induced and maintained during the study period. Conclusions: mRNA vaccine booster dose elicited durable humoral immunity for up to 1 year after the third dose and T-cell immunity was sustained during the study period, supporting an annual COVID-19 vaccination strategy

DataSheet_1_Long-term humoral and cellular immunity against vaccine strains and Omicron subvariants (BQ.1.1, BN.1, XBB.1, and EG.5) after bivalent COVID-19 vaccination.docx

BackgroundThe assessment of long-term humoral and cellular immunity post-vaccination is crucial for establishing an optimal vaccination strategy.MethodsThis prospective cohort study evaluated adults (≥18 years) who received a BA.4/5 bivalent vaccine. We measured the anti-receptor binding domain immunoglobulin G antibody and neutralizing antibodies (NAb) against wild-type and Omicron subvariants (BA.5, BQ.1.1, BN.1, XBB.1 and EG.5) up to 9 months post-vaccination. T-cell immune responses were measured before and 4 weeks after vaccination.ResultsA total of 108 (28 SARS-CoV-2-naïve and 80 previously infected) participants were enrolled. Anti-receptor binding domain immunoglobulin G (U/mL) levels were higher at 9 months post-vaccination than baseline in SAR-CoV-2-naïve individuals (8,339 vs. 1,834, p6 cells) was highly cross-reactive at both baseline (wild-type/BA.5/XBB.1.5, 38.3/52.5/45.0 in SARS-CoV-2-naïve individuals; 51.6/54.9/54.9 in SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals) and 4 weeks post-vaccination, with insignificant boosting post-vaccination.ConclusionRemarkable cross-reactive neutralization was observed against BQ.1.1, BN.1, and XBB.1 up to 9 months after BA.4/5 bivalent vaccination, but not against EG.5. The T-cell immune response was highly cross-reactive.</p

Molecular characterization and induction of heat shock protein 90 in the Antarctic bivalve Laternula elliptica

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a highly conserved molecular chaperone that plays a key role in protein synthesis, folding, denaturation prevention, and signal transduction. We cloned the complete complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence of the Laternula elliptica HSP90. The full-length cDNA was 2,823 bp in size and contained an open reading frame of 2,190 bp that was translated into 729 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 83.4 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of HSP90 showed the highest homology to Haliotis tuberculata HSP90 (83%). Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed the presence of HSP90 transcripts in all of the tissues examined. We also studied the transcriptional expression pattern of HSP90 exposed to thermal stress with real-time polymerase chain reaction. The relative expression level of HSP90 messenger RNA was upregulated and peaked at 12 h in the digestive gland and at 24 h in the gills, then dropped progressively