Publications by authors named "Hung Tseng"
This retrospective cohort study evaluated the comparative vaccine effectiveness (cVE) of licensed standard-dose cell-based versus egg-based influenza vaccines in preventing influenza hospitalization among adults 18-64 years during the 2022-2023 season. The cohort included eligible Kaiser Permanente Southern California members who received ≥ 1 dose of influenza vaccine (n = 848,334). The adjusted cVE against influenza hospitalization was -10.
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- A study developed and validated a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm to identify postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) from unstructured electronic health records (EHRs), aiming to improve accuracy compared to traditional diagnosis codes and prescription data.
- The research involved reviewing EHRs from a large health care system and comparing the NLP's performance with code-based methods by analyzing sensitivity, specificity, and other statistical measures.
- Results showed the NLP algorithm had high sensitivity (90.9%) and specificity (98.5%), with notable advantages in identifying PHN cases compared to code-based methods, which exhibited much lower sensitivity (52.7%-61.8%).
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- Influenza significantly impacts older adults, necessitating updated data on vaccine effectiveness within this group.
- A study at Kaiser Permanente Southern California assessed the comparative vaccine effectiveness of high-dose, adjuvanted, and standard-dose cell-based influenza vaccines against the standard-dose egg-based vaccine among individuals aged 65 and older.
- Results indicated that both high-dose and adjuvanted vaccines offered better protection against influenza-related medical encounters and hospitalization compared to the standard-dose egg-based vaccine during the 2022-2023 flu season.
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- People with HIV (PWH) are more vulnerable to severe outcomes from COVID-19, but there’s limited knowledge on their vaccination rates and factors influencing their vaccine completion.
- A study was conducted to assess COVID-19 vaccination coverage among PWH and analyze the demographics, clinical aspects, and community influences affecting their vaccination completion.
- Results showed that 90.5% of PWH completed the primary vaccine series by the end of 2021, with prior influenza vaccination being a significant factor for both the initial series and additional doses, while uncontrolled HIV viremia negatively impacted vaccination rates.
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- Emerging SARS-CoV-2 sublineages continue to pose a risk for serious COVID-19 disease, particularly as many individuals haven’t been vaccinated in over a year.
- A study evaluated the effectiveness of the mRNA-1273 bivalent vaccine against these circulating sublineages by analyzing confirmed cases and matching them to controls, revealing a decline in vaccine effectiveness over time.
- The findings suggest that periodic revaccination with updated vaccines could be necessary to lower COVID-19-related health issues as the effectiveness of existing vaccines decreases against new variants.
We evaluated the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of two doses of recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) against herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) in Chinese adults at Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC). Chinese KPSC members were identified based on self-reported ethnicity or self-reported preferred spoken/written language. Those aged ≥50 years who received two doses of RZV 4 weeks to ≤ 6 months apart were matched 1:4 to RZV unvaccinated Chinese members and followed through June 2022; second doses were accrued 6/1/2018-12/31/2020.
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- Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all individuals aged 6 months and older in the U.S., with vaccination coverage assessed from 2017-18 to 2022-23 to identify at-risk populations and improve vaccination strategies.* -
- Data from electronic health records across eight health systems indicated that vaccination coverage peaked at 46.2% in the 2019-20 season but declined to 40.3% in the 2022-23 season, particularly among high-risk groups and young children.* -
- The study found persistent disparities in vaccination rates, with lower coverage observed among males, younger adults, non-Hispanic Black individuals, and those without high-risk conditions, highlighting the need for targeted vaccination efforts
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- The bivalent mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine, which targets both the original virus and the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 variants, has been authorized to enhance protection against COVID-19.
- A matched cohort study showed that compared to those who only received monovalent vaccines, the bivalent vaccine had a 70.3% effectiveness rate in preventing hospitalizations due to COVID-19.
- The bivalent booster not only sustained strong protection for over three months but also demonstrated effectiveness against medically attended SARS-CoV-2 infections (55.0%) and COVID-19 hospital deaths (82.7%).
Timely Prenatal and Infant Pertussis Vaccine Uptake in an Integrated Health System.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities
August 2024
Background: Hispanic infants bear the burden of pertussis infection. We examined pertussis protection from vaccination in infants with US-born and foreign-born Hispanic mothers.
Methods: Retrospective cohort study of infants up to 1 year of age.
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- A cohort study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente Southern California to assess the connection between mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and the occurrence of herpes zoster (HZ), which is a viral infection also known as shingles.
- The study compared over 1 million vaccinated individuals who received either the mRNA-1273 or BNT162b2 vaccines to unvaccinated individuals, identifying HZ cases within 90 days post-vaccination using diagnosis codes and antiviral treatments.
- Results indicated a small increased risk of developing HZ after the second dose, especially in individuals aged 50 and older who hadn’t received the zoster vaccine, highlighting a potential safety concern for this age group.
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- - The study analyzed the effectiveness of receiving a fourth dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine compared to only three doses in people aged 50 and older, involving nearly 357,000 participants from Kaiser Permanente Southern California.
- - Results showed that the fourth dose significantly improved protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection (25.9% more effective), COVID-19 hospitalization (67.3% more effective), and death from COVID-19 (72.5% more effective).
- - However, the effectiveness of the fourth dose decreased over time, particularly 2-4 months after vaccination, indicating that while four doses offer better protection, the level of effectiveness can vary and diminish in various demographic groups.
Background: Data on the effectiveness of the 3-dose mRNA-1273 primary series are limited, particularly in comparison to 2 doses. Given suboptimal COVID-19 vaccine uptake among immunocompromised populations, it is important to monitor the effectiveness of fewer than the recommended doses in this population.
Methods: We conducted a matched cohort study at Kaiser Permanente Southern California to evaluate the relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of the 3-dose series vs 2 doses of mRNA-1273 in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 outcomes among immunocompromised individuals.
Background: On 1 January 2018, California implemented Senate Bill 27 (SB27), banning, for the first time in the United States, routine preventive use of antibiotics in food-animal production and any antibiotic use without a veterinarian's prescription.
Objectives: Our objective was to assess whether SB27 was associated with decreased antimicrobial resistance among isolated from human urine.
Methods: We used U.
Importance: Immunocompromised individuals are at increased risk for severe outcomes due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Given the varying and complex nature of COVID-19 vaccination recommendations, it is important to understand COVID-19 vaccine uptake in this vulnerable population.
Objective: To assess mRNA COVID-19 vaccine uptake and factors associated with uptake among immunocompromised individuals from December 14, 2020, through August 6, 2022.
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- * The study, including over 123,000 individuals, finds that while three doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine provide strong initial protection against infections, effectiveness diminishes quickly for newer subvariants like BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 after the third dose.
- * Hospitalization protection remains high with three doses but shows variability; four doses boost effectiveness but still drop significantly after a few months, indicating a need for evaluation of updated booster shots.
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- A study investigated the potential link between Kawasaki disease (KD) and two childhood vaccines—PCV13 and rotavirus—in children under 2 years old.
- Researchers analyzed health records to confirm KD cases and found no increased risk of KD following either vaccine, with adjusted relative risks of 0.75 for PCV13 and 0.66 for rotavirus.
- The study concluded that PCV13 and rotavirus vaccinations do not elevate the risk of KD, supporting the safety of these vaccines for young children.
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- The study compared the effectiveness of a COVID-19 booster vaccine (mRNA-1273) to the original two-dose series among immunocompetent adults in Southern California, tracking outcomes like infection and hospitalization from October 2021 to January 2022.
- Results showed a significant increase in protection from the booster, with a relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of 61.3% against infection and even higher rates (89.0% for hospitalization and 96.0% for hospital death).
- The effectiveness of the booster decreased over time, illustrating that while it provided strong initial protection, immunity waned after a couple of months, emphasizing the importance of ongoing vaccination strategies.
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- Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have a lower risk of contracting COVID-19, with a 32% reduced infection rate compared to matched peers without DS.
- However, if they do get infected, they face a significantly higher risk (six times) of severe COVID-19 disease.
- The study suggests the need for improved monitoring, early treatment, and increased vaccination efforts for people with DS to better protect this vulnerable population.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of prenatal tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination. This cohort study was conducted among pregnant members at Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC). The exposed cohort consisted of women who received Tdap vaccine on or after the 27th week of pregnancy between January 2018 and January 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVesicants, from vesica (Latin for blister), can cause local and systemic toxicity. They include the chemotherapy drug nitrogen mustard and chemical warfare agents sulfur mustard, Lewisite, and phosgene oxime. These agents are commonly released in vapor form and consequently, eyes and skin are the most vulnerable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is acquiring increasing resistance to available oral antibiotics, and current screening and treatment approaches have not decreased gonorrhea incidence. Although a gonorrhea-specific vaccine does not exist, N. gonorrhoeae shares much of its genome with Neisseria meningitidis, notably critical antigenic determinants including outer membrane vesicles (OMV).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We conducted a prospective cohort study at Kaiser Permanente Southern California to study the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of mRNA-1273 over time and during the emergence of the Delta variant.
Methods: The cohort for this planned interim analysis consisted of individuals aged ≥18 years receiving 2 doses of mRNA-1273 through June 2021, matched 1:1 to randomly selected unvaccinated individuals by age, sex, and race/ethnicity, with follow-up through September 2021. Outcomes were SARS-CoV-2 infection, and COVID-19 hospitalization and hospital death.
Epistemetrics, a discipline concerning measuring knowledge qualitative and quantitatively, is an under developed area of research. A primary reason for the current status is a perceived lack of a formal structure of knowledge. In particular, a number of fundamental questions about knowledge remain to be answered: What is the basic unit of knowledge? How many types of knowledge are there? How do they relate to each other? And what are the hierarchies of knowledge? To address these questions, we proposed a knowledge categorization system, the EApc framework.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron (B.1.1.
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