DEPRESSION AND TRIAL OF VARICELLA VACCINE IN THE ELDERLY

描述（改编自研究者摘要）：令人信服的证据 表明不可避免的压力，一种假定的抑郁症动物模型， 对病毒性疾病如单纯疱疹、流感和 科萨基病毒感染通过改变免疫功能。然而，在这方面， 将这些基本观察转化为临床环境是有限的， 以及重性抑郁症的免疫学后果， 与传染病的临床相关性仍然未知。此外，委员会认为， 对抑郁症患者的免疫学研究尚未评估疾病特异性 免疫测量或测定与以下相关的体内免疫反应 结果。这项研究假设，患有重度抑郁症的老年人， 水痘-带状疱疹病毒（VZV）感染再激活的风险增加。 因为许多证据表明，细胞介导的免疫起着关键的作用， 限制带状疱疹（HZ）及其并发症的发生， 严重抑郁症对VZV特异性细胞免疫的影响将是 考察使用疾病特异性方法，本研究还将评估 抑郁症患者对VZV疫苗的整体体内免疫应答的完整性 与对照组相比。该项目的具体目标是：1） 确定重度抑郁症是否与VZV下降相关 60岁及以上成年人的特异性免疫力; 2）评估是否 重度抑郁症会减弱 疫苗刺激的老年人患HZ的风险增加， 测定已知与VZV相关的VZV特异性免疫学指标， HZ的发生和严重程度及其并发症，本研究进展 我们的模型，另一个主要的优势，将产生大量的新信息， 抑郁受试者的免疫系统如何对一种 传染性病原体

DESCRIPTION (adapted from investigator's abstract): Compelling evidence has shown that inescapable stress, a putative animal model of depression, increases susceptibility to viral diseases such as herpes simplex, influenza, and coxsackie virus infections via alterations in immune function. However, translation of these basic observations into the clinical setting is limited, and the immunological consequences of major depression and their possible clinical relevance to infectious diseases remain unknown. Moreover, immunological studies of depressed subjects have not evaluated disease specific immune measures nor assayed in vivo immune responses that correlate with outcome. This study hypothesizes that older adults with major depression are at increased risk for reactivation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. Because much evidence indicates that cell mediated immunity plays a critical role in limiting the occurrence of herpes zoster (HZ) and its complications, the effect of major depression on VZV-specific cellular immunity will be examined. Using a disease specific approach, this study will also evaluate the integrity of an integrated, in vivo immune response to VZV vaccine in depressed subjects as compared to controls. The specific aims of this project are to: 1) determine whether major depressive disorder is associated with declines in VZV specific immunity in adults 60 years of age and older; and 2) evaluate whether major depressive disorder attenuates the magnitude or duration of vaccine-stimulated virtue of their older age are at increased risk for HZ and assaying VZV specific immunological measures that are known to correlate with the occurrence and severity of HZ and its complications, this study advances our model, another major strength, will yield substantial new information about how the immune system of depressed subjects responds to an antigen of an infectious pathogen.