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Chiu PKL, Yau EFW, Cheung CL. Immunity-enhancing Micronutrients and Community Pharmacists: An Opportunity to Expand Self-Care Practices among the Public. Nat Prod Commun 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/1934578x221105688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The urban lifestyle and environment pose a constant immune challenge to city dwellers. A major such challenge is influenza, which creates substantial public health and socio-economic burdens. The global healthcare paradigm has begun emphasizing the importance and cost-effectiveness of self-care in partnership with healthcare professionals such as community pharmacists for the management of mild ailments. For the general public, micronutrient supplementation is an affordable and potentially feasible self-care strategy for immunity enhancement and disease management. At the same time, micronutrient deficiencies are a serious public health concern in both developing and developed areas. Objective: This review focuses on the clinical evidence for the efficacy and safety of three key micronutrients — vitamins C, D and zinc — on respiratory infections. Key findings: These micronutrients are important for optimal immune function through their complementary roles in supporting both innate and adaptive immunity, as well as epithelial barriers. The need to improve public awareness of self-care in prevention and health management is highlighted by recent public health issues and the global fight against antimicrobial resistance. Community pharmacists could play a crucial role in empowering patient autonomy. Conclusion: With this review we aim to offer insights into the supplementation of these micronutrients as a self-care approach to the management of immune health.
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Mouratidou E, Lambrou A, Andreopoulou A, Gioula G, Exindari M, Kossyvakis A, Pogka V, Mentis A, Georgakopoulou T, Lytras T. Influenza vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization with laboratory-confirmed influenza in Greece: A pooled analysis across six seasons, 2013-2014 to 2018-2019. Vaccine 2020; 38:2715-2724. [PMID: 32033848 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.01.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Monitoring seasonal influenza Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) is key to inform vaccination strategies and sustain uptake. Pooling data across multiple seasons increases precision and allows for subgroup analyses, providing more conclusive evidence. Our aim was to assess VE against hospitalization with laboratory-confirmed influenza in Greece over six seasons, from 2013 to 2014 to 2018-2019, using routinely collected surveillance data. METHODS Swab samples from hospitalized patients across the country were tested for influenza by RT-PCR. We used the test-negative design, with patients testing positive for influenza serving as cases and those testing negative serving as controls. VE was calculated as one minus the Odds Ratio (OR) for influenza vaccination, estimated by mixed-effects logistic regression and adjusted for age, sex, hospitalization type (being in intensive care or not), time from symptom onset to swabbing, and calendar time. Stratified estimates by age and hospitalization type were obtained, and also subgroup estimates by influenza type/subtype and season. Antigenic and genetic characterization of a subset of circulating influenza strains was performed. RESULTS A total of 3,882 test-positive cases and 5,895 test-negative controls were analyzed. Across all seasons, adjusted VE was 45.5% (95% CI: 31.6-56.6) against all influenza, 62.8% against A(H1N1)pdm09 (95% CI: 40.7-76.7), 28.2% against A(H3N2) (95% CI: 12.0-41.3) and 45.5% against influenza B (95% CI: 29.1-58.1). VE was slightly lower for patients aged 60 years and over, and similar between patients hospitalized inside or outside intensive care. Circulating A(H1N1)pdm09 and B strains were antigenically similar to the vaccine strains, whereas A(H3N2) were not. CONCLUSION Our results confirm the public health benefits from seasonal influenza vaccination, despite the suboptimal effectiveness against A(H3N2) strains. Continued monitoring of VE is essential, and routinely collected surveillance data can be valuable in this regard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisavet Mouratidou
- National Public Health Organization, Athens, Greece; European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden.
| | | | | | - Georgia Gioula
- National Influenza Centre for Northern Greece, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Maria Exindari
- National Influenza Centre for Northern Greece, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Athanasios Kossyvakis
- National Influenza Centre for Southern Greece, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Vasiliki Pogka
- National Influenza Centre for Southern Greece, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Andreas Mentis
- National Influenza Centre for Southern Greece, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
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Chua H, Feng S, Lewnard JA, Sullivan SG, Blyth CC, Lipsitch M, Cowling BJ. The Use of Test-negative Controls to Monitor Vaccine Effectiveness: A Systematic Review of Methodology. Epidemiology 2020; 31:43-64. [PMID: 31609860 PMCID: PMC6888869 DOI: 10.1097/ede.0000000000001116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The test-negative design is an increasingly popular approach for estimating vaccine effectiveness (VE) due to its efficiency. This review aims to examine published test-negative design studies of VE and to explore similarities and differences in methodological choices for different diseases and vaccines. METHODS We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, Web of Science, and Medline, for studies reporting the effectiveness of any vaccines using a test-negative design. We screened titles and abstracts and reviewed full texts to identify relevant articles. We created a standardized form for each included article to extract information on the pathogen of interest, vaccine(s) being evaluated, study setting, clinical case definition, choices of cases and controls, and statistical approaches used to estimate VE. RESULTS We identified a total of 348 articles, including studies on VE against influenza virus (n = 253), rotavirus (n = 48), pneumococcus (n = 24), and nine other pathogens. Clinical case definitions used to enroll patients were similar by pathogens of interest but the sets of symptoms that defined them varied substantially. Controls could be those testing negative for the pathogen of interest, those testing positive for nonvaccine type of the pathogen of interest, or a subset of those testing positive for alternative pathogens. Most studies controlled for age, calendar time, and comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS Our review highlights similarities and differences in the application of the test-negative design that deserve further examination. If vaccination reduces disease severity in breakthrough infections, particular care must be taken in interpreting vaccine effectiveness estimates from test-negative design studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiying Chua
- From the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Shuo Feng
- From the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Joseph A Lewnard
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Sheena G Sullivan
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Doherty Department, University of Melbourne, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christopher C Blyth
- Division of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Marc Lipsitch
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Benjamin J Cowling
- From the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
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