• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.231-239
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• 2023

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasitic organism affecting all warm-blooded vertebrates. Due to the unavailability of commercialized human T. gondii vaccine, many studies have been reported investigating the protective efficacy of pre-clinical T. gondii vaccines expressing diverse antigens. Careful antigen selection and implementing multifarious immunization strategies could enhance protection against toxoplasmosis in animal models. Although none of the available vaccines could remove the tissue-dwelling parasites from the host organism, findings from these pre-clinical toxoplasmosis vaccine studies highlighted their developmental potential and provided insights into rational vaccine design. We herein explored the progress of T. gondii vaccine development using DNA, protein subunit, and virus-like particle vaccine platforms. Specifically, we summarized the findings from the pre-clinical toxoplasmosis vaccine studies involving T. gondii challenge infection in mice published in the past 5 years.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.57-64
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• 2022

Purpose: The government of India has initiated the Covid-19 Vaccination drive from early January 2021. Vaccination is identified to be best option to protect the people across the globe. However, owing to fast wide spread of the Covid-19, the Vaccine Distribution is a major challenge owing various issues like temperature control, infrastructure, hesitancy, geographical diversity, and other critical factors. Various research is carried out globally to understand and study the Vaccine Distribution issues based on the respective country issues and factors. Research Design, Data, and Methodology: This research paper attempts to explore prominent factors that could be taken up on priority for better and effective vaccination program. The study tries to rank various factors and sub-factors affecting vaccine distribution in India. AHP methodology based on feedback from 22 experts from the Vaccine industry has been deployed to get the desired results. Result: The results show that factors vaccine approval process, geographical prioritization, power supply, infrastructure maintenance costs for vaccine storage, and vaccine pricing are the prominent factors of effective vaccination in the country. Conclusion: The role and need for district-level health officers towards vaccine storage has been brought forward. A long-term effective vaccination policy is needed for optimum vaccine distribution.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.146-154
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• 2024

Purpose: Infection by the intracellular apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii has serious clinical consequences in humans and veterinarians around the world. Although about a third of the world's population is infected with T. gondii, there is still no effective vaccine against this disease. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a multimeric vaccine against T. gondii using the proteins calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK)1, CDPK2, CDPK3, and CDPK5. Materials and Methods: Top-ranked major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-I and MHC-II binding as well as shared, immunodominant linear B-cell epitopes were predicted and linked using appropriate linkers. Moreover, the 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 (adjuvant) was mixed with the construct's N-terminal to increase the immunogenicity. Then, the vaccine's physicochemical characteristics, antigenicity, allergenicity, secondary and tertiary structure were predicted. Results: The finally-engineered chimeric vaccine had a length of 680 amino acids with a molecular weight of 74.66 kDa. Analyses of immunogenicity, allergenicity, and multiple physiochemical parameters indicated that the constructed vaccine candidate was soluble, non-allergenic, and immunogenic, making it compatible with humans and hence, a potentially viable and safe vaccine candidate against T. gondii parasite. Conclusion: In silico, the vaccine construct was able to trigger primary immune responses. However, further laboratory studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness and safety.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.42.1-42.23
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• 2023

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis, one of the most deadly infections in humans. The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Mtb strains presents a global challenge. Mtb has shown resistance to many frontline antibiotics, including rifampicin, kanamycin, isoniazid, and capreomycin. The only licensed vaccine, Bacille Calmette-Guerin, does not efficiently protect against adult pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to develop new vaccines to prevent infections caused by these strains. We used a subtractive proteomics approach on 23 virulent Mtb strains and identified a conserved membrane protein (MmpL4, NP_214964.1) as both a potential drug target and vaccine candidate. MmpL4 is a non-homologous essential protein in the host and is involved in the pathogen-specific pathway. Furthermore, MmpL4 shows no homology with anti-targets and has limited homology to human gut microflora, potentially reducing the likelihood of adverse effects and cross-reactivity if therapeutics specific to this protein are developed. Subsequently, we constructed a highly soluble, safe, antigenic, and stable multi-subunit vaccine from the MmpL4 protein using immunoinformatics. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the stability of the vaccine-bound Tolllike receptor-4 complex on a nanosecond scale, and immune simulations indicated strong primary and secondary immune responses in the host. Therefore, our study identifies a new target that could expedite the design of effective therapeutics, and the designed vaccine should be validated. Future directions include an extensive molecular interaction analysis, in silico cloning, wet-lab experiments, and evaluation and comparison of the designed candidate as both a DNA vaccine and protein vaccine.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.4.1-4.18
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• 2021

The global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still threatening human health, economy, and social life worldwide. As a counteraction for this devastating disease, a number of vaccines are being developed with unprecedented speed combined with new technologies. As COVID-19 vaccines are being developed in the absence of a licensed human coronavirus vaccine, there remain further questions regarding the long-term efficacy and safety of the vaccines, as well as immunological mechanisms in depth. This review article discusses the current status of COVID-19 vaccine development, mainly focusing on antigen design, clinical trials in later stages, and immunological considerations for further study.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.457-465
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to apply Ajzen's theory of planned behavior to identify factors that affect undergraduate women's decisions to receive human papillomavirus(HPV) vaccination. Method: The research design for this study was a descriptive survey design using convenience sampling. Data collection was done using self-report questionnaires with 254 undergraduate students in G city. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression with the SPSS Win 20.0 Program. Results: The mean score of intention to receive HPV vaccine was $3.88{\pm}1.05$ out of a possible 7. Intention to receive HPV vaccine showed a significantly positive correlation with attitudes (r=.26, p<.001), subjective norm (r=.51, p<.001), perceived behavior control (r=.41, p<.001) to receive HPV vaccination. In the multiple regression analysis, subjective norm and perceived behavior control to receive HPV vaccine were significant predictors and explained 33.7% of intention to receive HPV vaccine. Conclusion: Results of this study show that there are significant factors affecting the intention of undergraduate women to receive HPV vaccination. Also, strategies emphasizing subjective norm and perceived behavior control in obtaining HPV vaccination should be taken into account in developing educational programs.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.202-217
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• 2024

Structural vaccinology is pivotal in expediting vaccine design through high-throughput screening of immunogenic antigens. Leveraging the structural and functional characteristics of antigens and immune cell receptors, this approach employs protein structural comparison to identify conserved patterns in key pathogenic components. Molecular modeling techniques, including homology modeling and molecular docking, analyze specific three-dimensional (3D) structures and protein interactions and offer valuable insights into the 3D interactions and binding affinity between vaccine candidates and target proteins. In this review, we delve into the utilization of various immunoinformatics and molecular modeling tools to streamline the development of broad-protective vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 variants. Structural vaccinology significantly enhances our understanding of molecular interactions between hosts and pathogens. By accelerating the pace of developing effective and targeted vaccines, particularly against the rapidly mutating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and other prevalent infectious diseases, this approach stands at the forefront of advancing immunization strategies. The combination of computational techniques and structural insights not only facilitates the identification of potential vaccine candidates but also contributes to the rational design of vaccines, fostering a more efficient and targeted approach to combatting infectious diseases.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.5-12
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze and examine the issues that are directly associated with the United States COVID-19 vaccine distribution and its strategies so that other countries may learn from it and develop sound distribution strategies. Research design, data and methodology: This paper has applied both historical and narrative models to review, identify, and analyze existing literatures to assess the United States' vaccine distribution strategy. Results: Distribution strategy developed by the United States seems to have focused heavily on the basic tenets of physical distribution, i.e., transportation, warehousing, inventory, and large-venue mass-vaccination sites, and the strategy seems to have been successful when looking only at the physical tenets of distribution. However, the analysis indicates that the distribution strategy has not either focused on or included the major activities of distribution, such as inward and outward communication, information, and customer satisfaction. Conclusions: The countries that are currently developing or implementing COVID-19 vaccine distribution strategy should review and learn from the United States' vaccine distribution strategy and its implementation. The countries should include and address all the activities of distribution, including inward and outward communication, information, and customer satisfaction to achieve their vaccination goals, minimize confusion, reduce wasting of doses and vaccine desserts, and improve vaccination rates.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.379-386
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• 2004

This paper deals with a mixed logit model for vaccination data. The effect of a newly developed vaccine for a certain chicken disease can be evaluated by a noninfection rate after injecting chicken with the disease vaccine. But there are a lot of factors that might affect the noninfecton rate. Some of these are fixed and others are random. Random factors are sometimes coming from the sampling scheme for choosing experimental units. This paper suggests a mixed model when some fixed factors need to have different experimental sizes by an experimental design and illustrates how to estimate parameters in a suggested model.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4041-4047
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• 2013

Cancer vaccine development is in the process of becoming reality in future, due to successful phase II/III clinical trials. However, there are still problems due to the specificity of tumor antigens and weakness of tumor associated antigens in eliciting an effective immune response. Computational models to assess the vaccine efficacy have helped to improve and understand what is necessary for personalized treatment. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms of activation of antigen specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes, decreased TREG number functionality and antigen cascade, so that overall improvement in vaccine efficacy and disease free survival can be attained. T cell epitomic based in sillico approaches might be very effective for the design and development of novel cancer vaccines.