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Factors influencing scar formation following Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccinationThe prevalence of scar formation following Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination varies globally. The beneficial off-target effects of BCG are proposed to be stronger amongst children who develop a BCG scar. Within an international randomised trial ('BCG vaccination to reduce the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in healthcare workers'; BRACE Trial), this nested prospective cohort study assessed the prevalence of and factors influencing scar formation, as well as participant perception of BCG scarring 12 months following vaccination.
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Maternal Vaccination to Prevent Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: An Underutilized Molecular Immunological Intervention?Adverse pregnancy outcomes including maternal mortality, stillbirth, preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction cause millions of deaths each year. More effective interventions are urgently needed. Maternal immunization could be one such intervention protecting the mother and newborn from infection through its pathogen-specific effects.
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Bringing optimised COVID-19 vaccine schedules to immunocompromised populations (BOOST-IC): study protocol for an adaptive randomised controlled clinical trialImmunocompromised hosts experience more breakthrough infections and worse clinical outcomes following infection with COVID-19 than immunocompetent people. Prophylactic monoclonal antibody therapies can be challenging to access, and escape variants emerge rapidly. Immunity conferred through vaccination remains a central prevention strategy for COVID-19.
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Histo-blood group antigen profile of Australian Aboriginal children and seropositivity following oral rotavirus vaccinationHisto-blood group antigens (HBGAs) may influence immune responses to rotavirus vaccination.
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Pertussis Disease and Antenatal Vaccine Effectiveness in Australian ChildrenPopulation-level studies of severe pertussis extending beyond infancy are sparse, and none in the context of antenatal vaccination. We compared hospitalized pertussis cases from birth to 15 years of age before and after introduction of antenatal immunization.
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Feasibility and acceptability of the multi-component P3-MumBubVax antenatal intervention to promote maternal and childhood vaccination: A pilot studyThe P3-MumBubVax intervention is feasible and acceptable in the Australian public antenatal setting
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Safety of live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine in adults 70–79 years: A self-controlled case series analysis using primary care dataNo new safety concerns were identified for live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine in this study based on a novel, Australian primary care data source
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One vaccine for life: Lessons from immune ontogenyThere remains a general misconception that the immune status of the fetus and neonate is immature or insufficient. However, emerging research in immune ontogeny prompts reconsideration of this orthodoxy, reframing this period instead as one of unique opportunity. Vaccine responses (qualitative and quantitative) vary between individuals, and across demographic cohorts. Elements of baseline immune status and function predict vaccine response - some of these factors are well described, others remain a subject of ongoing research, especially with the rapidly expanding field of 'omics' research, enabled by development of highly granular immune profiling techniques and increasing computational capacity.
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Subcutaneous administration of benzathine benzylpenicillin G has favourable pharmacokinetic characteristics for the prevention of rheumatic heart disease compared with intramuscular injectionBenzathine penicillin G has been used as monthly deep intramuscular (IM) injections since the 1950s for secondary prevention of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Injection frequency and pain are major programmatic barriers for adherence, prompting calls for development of better long-acting penicillin preparations to prevent RHD.
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Whole-Cell Pertussis Vaccination and Decreased Risk of IgE-Mediated Food Allergy: A Nested Case-Control StudyAustralian infants who received whole-cell pertussis vaccines were less likely to be diagnosed with food allergy in childhood