From Google Scholar & other sources: Selected Journal Articles, Newsletters, Dissertations, Theses, Commentary

Book: Immunology of Aging
Editors: Ahmad Massoud, Nima Rezaei
ISBN: 978-3-642-39494-2 (Print) 978-3-642-39495-9 (Online)
http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-642-39495-9
:: Chapter: An Introduction on the Old Age and the Aging of the Immune System
Mohamad Bagher Eslami PhD
Abstract
The immune system is vital for the well-being and general health of all individuals, especially elderly, while like other systems it undergoes several changes during aging. Aging influence not only the renewal potential of this system but also the elements of the cytokine network essential for communication between its different parts. It is therefore very necessary to acquire more knowledge on the effects of aging on this highly complex system. Although, there is a growing body of literature on this field, there are far more controversial and unresolved subjects in need of further research. The well-being, health of the old people, and possible restoration of the potential of this system rely largely on the valuable knowledge remained to be gained by further research on this subject
:: Chapter: Optimizing Response to Vaccination in the Elderly
D Boraschi, R Rappuoli, G Del
Abstract
The elderly population is generally “immunologically frail” and more susceptible to infectious diseases, making the need of preventive treatments (vaccination) a public health issue. However, normal vaccines that are effective in young and adult individuals are less immunogenic and less protective in the elderly, due to their impaired immune responsiveness. It is therefore necessary to design new vaccines especially suited to raise protective immunity in the elderly population. Among the several approaches recently undertaken in this direction, the case of influenza vaccination is exemplary and can be taken as paradigm of how a vaccine for the elderly is designed and developed. The approach includes higher antigen dosage, repeated challenges, different immunization routes, and use of strong adjuvants. Basically, a better knowledge of the anomalous immune responsiveness in the elderly remains the unrenounceable basis on which effective immunization strategies in immunologically frail populations should be based.

Oral polio vaccine plus inactivated polio vaccine versus oral polio vaccine alone for reducing polio in children under two years of age
F Jehan, MI Nisar, ZS Lassi, SB Omer, AKM Zaidi – The Cochrane Library, 2013
Abstract
This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows:
:: To determine the effects of combined immunisation with OPV and IPV on intestinal mucosal immunity
:: To determine any variation in effect with type of vaccine, number of doses, age at first dose, by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status or in high and low income countries
:: To determine any serious adverse outcomes

Med Sci (Paris). 2013 Nov;29(11):1034-41. doi: 10.1051/medsci/20132911021. Epub 2013 Nov 20.
[Eradication of poliomyelitis and emergence of pathogenic vaccine-derived polioviruses: from Madagascar to Cameroon].
[Article in French]
Delpeyroux F, Colbère-Garapin F, Razafindratsimandresy R, Sadeuh-Mba S, Joffret ML, Rousset D, Blondel B.
Source: Institut Pasteur, biologie des virus entériques, Inserm U994, 25, rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.
Abstract
The oral polio vaccine, a live vaccine made of attenuated poliovirus strains, is the main tool of the vaccination campaigns organised for eradicating poliomyelitis. these campaigns had led to the decline and, thereafter, to the disappearance of wild poliovirus strains of the three serotypes (1-3) in most parts of the world. However, when the polio vaccine coverage becomes too low, vaccine polioviruses can circulate in insufficiently immunized populations and become then pathogenic by mutations and genetic recombination with other enteroviruses of the same species, in particular some coxsackievirus A. These mutated and recombinant vaccine strains have been implicated in several epidemics of paralytic poliomyelitis. Two polio outbreaks associated with these pathogenic circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) occurred in 2001-2002 and 2005 in the South of Madagascar where vaccine coverage was low. These cVDPV, of serotype 2 or 3, were isolated from paralyzed children and some of their healthy contacts. Other cVDPV were isolated in the same region from healthy children in 2011, indicating that these viruses were circulating again. Vaccination campaigns could stop the outbreaks in 2002 and 2005, and most probably prevent another one in 2011. Therefore, the genetic plasticity of polio vaccine strains that threatens the benefit of vaccination campaigns is the target of an accurate surveillance and an important theme of studies in the virology laboratories of the Institut Pasteur international network.

Critical Research Concepts in TB Vaccine Development
G Delogu, R Manganelli, MJ Brennan – Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 2013
Abstract A new and improved vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) would provide a powerful tool to conquer one of the most insidious infectious diseases of mankind. Protection afforded by Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has been shown to be limited and inconsistent…

Thesis: Designing and evaluating a health belief model based intervention to increase intent of HPV vaccination among college men: Use of qualitative and quantitative methodology
Mehta, Purvi
Year and Degree: 2013, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Health Education.
https://etd.ohiolink.edu/ap:10:0::NO:10:P10_ACCESSION_NUM:ucin1368014093
Abstract
Humanpapilloma virus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted disease/infection (STD/STI), leading to cervical and anal cancers. Annually, 6.2 million people are newly diagnosed with HPV and 20 million currently are diagnosed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 51.1% of men carry multiple strains of HPV. Recently, HPV vaccine was approved for use in boys and young men to help reduce the number of HPV cases. Currently limited research is available on HPV and HPV vaccination in men. The purpose of the study was to determine predictors of HPV vaccine acceptability among college men through the qualitative approach of focus groups and to develop an intervention to increase intent to seek vaccination in the target population
The study took place in two phases. During Phase I, six focus groups were conducted with 50 participants. In Phase II using a randomized controlled trial a HBM based intervention was compared with a traditional knowledge based intervention in 90 college men. In Phase I lack of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity of HPV and barriers towards taking the HPV vaccine were major themes identified from the focus groups. Participants for this phase and phase II were primarily single, heterosexual, about 20 years old, Caucasian males attending the University of Cincinnati. Phase II analysis was done for pretest/posttest and for pretest/posttest/follow-up. This was done due to a 17.8% retention rate at follow-up.
Repeated measures of ANOVA indicated significant positive changes in the intervention group. Scores for knowledge and HBM constructs, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and cues to action improved over time while no significant findings were made for the control group. Regression analysis was done for change scores at pretest/posttest, follow-up/pretest, and follow-up/posttest. No significant model was found for follow-up/posttest. Results from the pretest/posttest regression analysis indicated self-efficacy for taking the vaccine (p=0.000), perceived barriers (p=0.007), and perceived severity (p=0.004) were significant positive predictors of vaccine acceptability. The model had an adjusted R2 of 0.351which indicated that these three predictors accounted for 35.1% variance. HBM is a robust model to predict HPV vaccine acceptability in college men. Results from follow-up/pretest found perceived benefits (p=.004) held a significant positive relationship towards intent to vaccinate. The model had an adjusted R2 of 0.453, which indicated this predictor accounted for 45.3% variance regarding whether participants would take the vaccine.
Overall, the intervention proved to be effective in creating positive change towards HPV vaccine acceptability. Some limitations had occurred, such as a low retention rate at follow-up, and differences between groups at baseline. Despite these issues, change in the intervention still occurred. This study indicates that more theory-based interventions are needed to increase HPV vaccination in college men.
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