OncoLog Volume 43, Number 08, August 1998

Non-Hodgkin\u27s lymphoma therapy innovations improve patient response Tamoxifen helps women escape breast cancer\u27s shadow Careful inspection, early detection important in controlling oral cancer Protocols: Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Protocols Feature Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy, and Monoclonal Antibodies House Call: Americans’ Appetite for Alternative Medicine: Is It a Safe Diet? DiaLog: Comprehensive in More Ways than One, by Stephen P. Tomosovic, PhD, Associate Vice President for Educational Programshttps://openworks.mdanderson.org/oncolog/1065/thumbnail.jp

Context and Considerations for the Development of Community-Informed Health Communication Messaging to Support Equitable Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccines Among Communities of Color in Washington, DC.

BACKGROUND: Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. We explored barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 vaccine uptake among African American, Latinx, and African immigrant communities in Washington, DC. METHODS: A total of 76 individuals participated in qualitative interviews and focus groups, and 208 individuals from communities of color participated in an online crowdsourcing contest. RESULTS: Findings documented a lack of sufficient, accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines and questions about the science. African American and African immigrant participants spoke about the deeply rooted historical underpinnings to their community\u27s vaccine hesitancy, citing the prior and ongoing mistreatment of people of color by the medical community. Latinx and African immigrant participants highlighted how limited accessibility played an important role in the slow uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in their communities. Connectedness and solidarity found were found to be key assets that can be drawn upon through community-driven responses to address social-structural challenges to COVID-19 related vaccine uptake. CONCLUSIONS: The historic and ongoing socio-economic context and realities of communities of color must be understood and respected to inform community-based health communication messaging to support vaccine equity for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases

Ebola virus transmission initiated by systemic ebola virus disease relapse

During the 2018-2020 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, EVD was diagnosed in a patient who had received the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-based vaccine expressing a ZEBOV glycoprotein (rVSV-ZEBOV) (Merck). His treatment included an Ebola virus (EBOV)-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb114), and he recovered within 14 days. However, 6 months later, he presented again with severe EVD-like illness and EBOV viremia, and he died. We initiated epidemiologic and genomic investigations that showed that the patient had had a relapse of acute EVD that led to a transmission chain resulting in 91 cases across six health zones over 4 months. (Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others.)

Australia's National Bowel Cancer Screening Program: does it work for Indigenous Australians?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite a lower incidence of bowel cancer overall, Indigenous Australians are more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage when prognosis is poor. Bowel cancer screening is an effective means of reducing incidence and mortality from bowel cancer through early identification and prompt treatment. In 2006, Australia began rolling out a population-based National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) using the Faecal Occult Blood Test. Initial evaluation of the program revealed substantial disparities in bowel cancer screening uptake with Indigenous Australians significantly less likely to participate in screening than the non-Indigenous population.</p> <p>This paper critically reviews characteristics of the program which may contribute to the discrepancy in screening uptake, and includes an analysis of organisational, structural, and socio-cultural barriers that play a part in the poorer participation of Indigenous and other disadvantaged and minority groups.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A search was undertaken of peer-reviewed journal articles, government reports, and other grey literature using electronic databases and citation snowballing. Articles were critically evaluated for relevance to themes that addressed the research questions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The NBCSP is not reaching many Indigenous Australians in the target group, with factors contributing to sub-optimal participation including how participants are selected, the way the screening kit is distributed, the nature of the test and comprehensiveness of its contents, cultural perceptions of cancer and prevailing low levels of knowledge and awareness of bowel cancer and the importance of screening.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings suggest that the population-based approach to implementing bowel cancer screening to the Australian population unintentionally excludes vulnerable minorities, particularly Indigenous and other culturally and linguistically diverse groups. This potentially contributes to exacerbating the already widening disparities in cancer outcomes that exist among Indigenous Australians. Modifications to the program are recommended to facilitate access and participation by Indigenous and other minority populations. Further research is also needed to understand the needs and social and cultural sensitivities of these groups around cancer screening and inform alternative approaches to bowel cancer screening.</p

Insulin dysregulation in horses with systemic inflammatory response syndrome

Background: Systemic inflammation is a cause of insulin dysregulation in many species, but the insulin and glucose dynamics in adult horses diagnosed with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) are poorly documented. Hypothesis/Objectives: In SIRS in horses, insulin and glucose dynamics will be altered and associated with survival. Animals: Adult horses diagnosed with SIRS admitted to a referral hospital. Methods: Prospective study enrolling horses diagnosed with SIRS in which serum insulin and glucose concentrations were measured. Horses were grouped by outcome (survival, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia) and compared with P

2082. Effectiveness of Bivalent mRNA Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children Aged 5-17 years: an Evaluation of Multicenter Prospective Cohorts, United States, September 2022 - January 2023

Abstract Background The bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, composed of mRNA from ancestral and Omicron BA.4/BA.5 strains, was recommended for adolescents aged ≥12 years on September 1, 2022, and for children aged 5–11 years on October 12, 2022. However, data demonstrating the effectiveness of bivalent boosters among children and adolescents are limited. During Omicron variant sublineage predominance, September 4, 2022 – February 4, 2023, we conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study at 7 sites in the United States to assess vaccine effectiveness (VE) of bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters against laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 virus infection among children aged 5–17 years. Methods Participants collected weekly nasal swabs, irrespective of symptoms, and at onset of symptoms if present outside of their weekly swab cadence. Vaccination status was captured from periodic surveys (self-report), supplemented with queries from the state immunization information systems, and abstraction of electronic medical records system, when available. All respiratory swabs were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Symptomatic infection was defined as ≥2 COVID-like illness symptoms within 7 days of specimen collection. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios of infections comparing participants with receipt of a bivalent booster to participants without (either unvaccinated or received monovalent only), adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, underlying health conditions, prior infection status, geographic site, and local virus prevalence. Results Among 3,331 participants aged 5-17 years, adjusted VE against infection was 51% (95% CI: 29–66%). When stratified by age, adjusted VE was 48% (95% CI: 15-68%) for 5-11 year old participants and 55% (95% CI: 17-76%) for 12-17 year old participants. Against symptomatic infection, adjusted VE among 5-17 year old participants was 51% (95% CI: 14-72%). Conclusion These results demonstrate that the COVID-19 bivalent booster reduces risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic illness among children and adolescents. All eligible children and adolescents should remain up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccinations. Disclosures Helen Y. Chu, MD, MPH, Abbvie: Advisor/Consultant|Ellume: Advisor/Consultant|Ellume: Grant/Research Support|Merck: Advisor/Consultant|Pfizer: Advisor/Consultant|Vir: Advisor/Consultant Janet A. Englund, MD, Ark Biopharma: Advisor/Consultant|AstraZeneca: Advisor/Consultant|AstraZeneca: Grant/Research Support|GlaxoSmithKline: Grant/Research Support|Meissa Vaccines: Advisor/Consultant|Merck: Grant/Research Support|Moderna: Advisor/Consultant|Moderna: Grant/Research Support|Pfizer: Advisor/Consultant|Pfizer: Grant/Research Support|Sanofi Pasteur: Advisor/Consultant Emily T. Martin, PhD, MPH, Merck: Grant/Research Support Arnold Monto, MD, Roche: Advisor/Consultant|Roche: Honorari

Effectiveness of Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children and Adolescents Aged 5 to 17 Years

Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were recommended in the US for children and adolescents aged 12 years or older on September 1, 2022, and for children aged 5 to 11 years on October 12, 2022; however, data demonstrating the effectiveness of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are limited. To assess the effectiveness of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic COVID-19 among children and adolescents. Data for the period September 4, 2022, to January 31, 2023, were combined from 3 prospective US cohort studies (6 sites total) and used to estimate COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years. A total of 2959 participants completed periodic surveys (demographics, household characteristics, chronic medical conditions, and COVID-19 symptoms) and submitted weekly self-collected nasal swabs (irrespective of symptoms); participants submitted additional nasal swabs at the onset of any symptoms. Vaccination status was captured from the periodic surveys and supplemented with data from state immunization information systems and electronic medical records. Respiratory swabs were tested for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. SARS-CoV-2 infection was defined as a positive test regardless of symptoms. Symptomatic COVID-19 was defined as a positive test and 2 or more COVID-19 symptoms within 7 days of specimen collection. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios for SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic COVID-19 among participants who received a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine dose vs participants who received no vaccine or monovalent vaccine doses only. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnicity, underlying health conditions, prior SARS-CoV-2 infection status, geographic site, proportion of circulating variants by site, and local virus prevalence. Of the 2959 participants (47.8% were female; median age, 10.6 years [IQR, 8.0-13.2 years]; 64.6% were non-Hispanic White) included in this analysis, 25.4% received a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine dose. During the study period, 426 participants (14.4%) had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among these 426 participants, 184 (43.2%) had symptomatic COVID-19, 383 (89.9%) were not vaccinated or had received only monovalent COVID-19 vaccine doses (1.38 SARS-CoV-2 infections per 1000 person-days), and 43 (10.1%) had received a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine dose (0.84 SARS-CoV-2 infections per 1000 person-days). Bivalent vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 infection was 54.0% (95% CI, 36.6%-69.1%) and vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 was 49.4% (95% CI, 22.2%-70.7%). The median observation time after vaccination was 276 days (IQR, 142-350 days) for participants who received only monovalent COVID-19 vaccine doses vs 50 days (IQR, 27-74 days) for those who received a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine dose. The bivalent COVID-19 vaccines protected children and adolescents against SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic COVID-19. These data demonstrate the benefit of COVID-19 vaccine in children and adolescents. All eligible children and adolescents should remain up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccinations