Dear reader,
We begin this issue of Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics with a Profile of Integrated BioTherapeutics (Aman, p 1308).
The Influenza section presents a review on seasonal vaccination of immunocompromised people (Bosaeed, p 1311) and five research articles on effectiveness of seasonal vaccine against pandemic strains in 2013–4 (Zhang, p 1323), cost-effectiveness of various vaccines in the elderly (Capri, p 1331), general practitioners' experience with a vaccination program in Italy (Levi, p 1342), the role of IgA polymerization in live vaccine-induced protection (Terauchi, p 1351), and safety and immunogenicity of a new tetravalent vaccine in healthy adults (Sharma, p 1362).
Six research articles on Licensed Vaccines include an analysis of immune persistence after adjuvanted zoster subunit vaccine in adults (Schwarz, p 1370), report on T-cell receptor excision circle levels as a predictor of adverse events following pediatric immunization (Wilson, p 1378), assessment of mumps-containing vaccine effectiveness during an outbreak (Ma, p 1392), study of vaccination coverage in Italian preterm infants (Laforgia, p 1398), a Phase 3 trial of a bivalent oral cholera vaccine (Cordero de los Santos, p 1403), and characterization of antibodies against measles and rubella prevalent in Iran 8 months after a vaccination campaign (Izadi, p).
Five articles on Immunotherapy feature a meta-analysis of the immunotherapeutic TG1050 for chronic hepatitis B (Kratzer, p 1417), a preclinical study of MAbs targeting the IL-10 and TGF-β receptors on dendritic cells to improve anti-tumor activity of T cells (Thepmalee, p 1423), a commentary on the significance of Tregs in therapeutic HIV vaccine development (Seddiki, p 1432), and a Letter to the Editor on dog allergen immunotherapy (Liccardi, p 1438) with a Response Letter (Virtanen, p 1442).
We present four research updates on Pneumococcal vaccines: cost-effectiveness analysis of PCV13 in Chinese infants (Zhou, p 1444), serotype profiling and the impact of PCV in China (Chen, p 1453), and immune persistence studies of prime-boost vaccination in rheumatoid arthritis patients (Bahaud, p 1464) and of PCV in subjects with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (Lindström, p 1471).
The Hepatitis B section introduces a comparison of different dosages and schedules for adult vaccines (Wang, p 1475), evidence that levels of Bregs do not predict responses to vaccination (Bolther, p 1483), and a clinical trial investigating immune responses to a HepB antigen in the RTS,S malaria vaccine co-administered with other pediatric vaccines (Valea, p 1489).
Articles on Acceptance include a survey of vaccine practices and attitudes among Lebanese obstetricians and gynecologists (Hobeika, p 1501), a presentation of the “Voice of the Patient” educational program for vaccine company employees (Sohy, p 1509), and a Letter to the Editor on effective communication in public health (Biasio, p 1515).
Two articles on Novel Vaccines present immune persistence following EV71 vaccination in children (Hu, p 1517) and immunogenicity of aluminum-adjuvanted typhoid conjugate vaccine (Tritama, p 1524).
Finally, a statistical consideration looks at Safety data from clinical trials involving healthy population (Maansson, p 1530), a study investigates the impact of Rotavirus vaccination on seizure hospitalization in children (Orrico-Sánchez, p 1534), and a Public Health commentary discusses the value and sustainability of national immunization advisory groups in low- and middle-income countries (Howard, p 1539).
Our monthly News, Policy and Profiles (NP&P) track offers a selection of the latest news in the field of vaccines and immunotherapeutics. In this section we also regularly publish opinion pieces on timely, interesting and controversial topics related to vaccines and immunotherapeutics, profiles of companies and organizations, as well as portraits of distinguished scientists in our field. Please contact Acquisitions Editor Adam Weiss ( [email protected]) with your ideas for commentaries, opinion pieces, profiles and portraits. Your suggestions for and contributions to our N&P&P track are always welcome!
Sincerely,
Ronald Ellis, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
Adam Weiss, PhD
Acquisitions Editor