Active clinical trials for "Influenza, Human"

The efficacy of vaccination against influenza in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been assessed using humoral response. However, the cellular immunity is another important pathway of response to vaccination. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of cellular immunity response to influenza vaccination. Patient with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls will participate in this study , will undergo a clinical evaluation the day of vaccination and 4 weeks after. The humoral and cell immunity response will be assessed the day of vaccination and 4 weeks later

Background: The influenza A virus can cause infections that lead to fever, cough, muscle aches, diarrhea, and headaches, and can even be fatal in some people. Seasonal influenza kills an estimated 36,000 people in the United States each year. In addition, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications. Influenza A has a substantial health effect on every age group. Currently, treatments are available for influenza A, but there is concern that the rate of complications or even death from this infection is still high despite treatment, and that over time this virus may become resistant to these treatments. Researchers are interested in developing a possible new treatment that uses antibodies against influenza A virus. Objectives: - To collect plasma (the liquid component of blood containing antibodies) from people who have high levels of antibodies against the influenza A virus because they either have been previously infected with the virus or have been vaccinated against the infection. Eligibility: Healthy male volunteers between 18 and 60 years of age who are eligible to donate blood. Individuals must have previously either recovered from influenza infection or have been vaccinated against the infection, and may be subject to other restrictions on participating in National Institutes of Health research studies. Design: Volunteers will undergo apheresis, an outpatient procedure in which researchers will collect plasma containing antibodies against the influenza virus by drawing blood into a special machine that separates blood cells from the liquid portion under sterile conditions and then returns the blood cells to the donor. Volunteers will be screened with blood tests to ensure that they are eligible to participate and donate blood. Volunteers are asked to undergo at least 3 sessions of apheresis; if willing, they can volunteer to participate in up to 20 sessions. After plasma is collected, it will be tested to ensure that it can be used to safely develop treatments for patients who have influenza A infection.

The ultimate goal of this collaborative, intensive study is to discover new and effective treatments and to develop better vaccines that can be used in future outbreaks of Influenza A. By integrating the information that we will gather, we will create a unique overview of how influenza causes illness and what might be done to improve patient management.

A cohort of 4000 community-dwelling adults is followed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Finnish national A(H1N1)v influenza vaccination campaign in preventing the first episode of laboratory-confirmed A(H1N1)v influenza. The safety of vaccination and the severity of the disease are followed primarily from health care registers. In a subgroup of 200 participants, the humoral and cellular immunogenicity of the vaccine will be studied.

This study is designed to assess the safety of the approved and licensed HUMENZA (adjuvanted A/H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine) and PANENZA (non-adjuvanted A/H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine) to meet regulatory requirements for post-marketing safety monitoring. Primary objective: To describe the incidence of serious adverse events and adverse events of special interest (AESIs) after HUMENZA or PANENZA administration throughout the study in different age groups. Secondary objective: To describe the incidence of non-serious cutaneous allergic reactions after HUMENZA or PANENZA administration in different age groups up to 21 days after the last vaccination.This study is designed to assess the safety of the approved and licensed HUMENZA (adjuvanted A/H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine) and PANENZA (non-adjuvanted A/H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine) to meet regulatory requirements for post-marketing safety monitoring.

Influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons age 65 and older. Vaccines that are designed and tested in young healthy adults are often not as effective when used in the elderly. This study will be a one year pilot study to see if it would be practical to conduct a larger study at several other hospitals in the future. Study participants will include 350 men and women greater than or equal to age 50 that are hospitalized at Vanderbilt University or Baptist Community Hospital with acute respiratory symptoms. Study procedures will include questions, one nasal swab, one throat swab, and chart reviews after the patient has been released from the hospital. The nasal and throat swabs will be tested for influenza A and B viruses.

The main purpose of this study is to look at relationships between types of flu viruses and characteristics of infected patients, including vaccination status, organ system involvement, and disease severity. In this study, 500 patients with respiratory illnesses will have nose/throat fluid samples collected. At Children's Hospital Boston, patients 30 days to 5 years of age will be recruited; at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, patients of any age will be eligible. The researchers will compare the symptoms of infection by similar flu virus types and look at differences in the flu virus types between the 2 age groups of patients. The researchers will also look at whether any flu virus types first show up in the children prior to infecting the adults. Hopefully this study will improve understanding of how flu viruses develop, spread, and cause disease. This information may help the development of more effective flu vaccines, prevention measures, and treatments.

Background. Influenza is increasingly recognized as causing severe respiratory illness in children. High-risk infants, like former premature infants, and particularly those with lung disease, have influenza hospitalization rates about five times higher than healthy children. Influenza vaccine does not protect young children against influenza as well as it does healthy adults. A small study that measured antibodies (proteins that protect against infection) to influenza suggested that premature infants get even less protection from influenza vaccine than full-term infants. More information about influenza vaccine in premature infants is needed. The overall goals of this project are to collect information about the how well the influenza vaccine induces antibody production, and to develop the collaborative network of centers necessary for a larger trial of influenza vaccine in premature infants. Objective and Hypotheses. The objective of this study is to measure the amount of protective antibody produced by influenza vaccine in premature (less than 30 weeks' [about 7 months] gestation at birth), extremely-low-birth-weight (1000 grams [2¼ pounds] or less at birth) infants. Influenza vaccine needs to be given yearly. We will assess premature infants during their first series of influenza vaccines. We hypothesize that the levels of antibody will be lower in premature infants receiving their first series of influenza vaccine than in full-term infants. Design. We will measure the immune response in premature and full term infants. During the 2007-2008 influenza season, a total of 92 subjects, divided among 2 groups (premature infants 6-17 months old receiving their first influenza vaccine series and full-term infants 6-17 months old receiving their first influenza vaccine series) will be recruited at a consortium of five centers (the University of Rochester, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Wake Forest University, the University of Miami and the State University of New York at Buffalo), receive 2 doses of influenza vaccine, and have antibody and immune cell responses to each vaccine component measured 4-6 weeks after the second dose of vaccine. Potential Impact. If this study and future investigations suggested ways to improve premature infants influenza vaccine responses, they could lead to changes in recommendations for the number or timing of vaccine doses or of the type of vaccine used in this high-risk group.

This is a single center, open-label, Phase I/II study in up to 100 adult subjects, aged 18 years and older who are at occupational risk of exposure to live H5N1 viruses. This study is designed to investigate the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of two 90 µg doses of an investigational inactivated influenza A/H5N1 virus vaccine given approximately 28 days apart. A blood sample will be collected for immunogenicity evaluation prior to each vaccination. Subjects will maintain a memory aid (appendix C4 and C13) to record oral temperature and systemic and local AEs for 7 days after immunization. Subjects will be encouraged to take their temperature around the same time each day. All subjects will receive a safety follow-up telephone call at 1 to 3 days after each vaccination (approximately Day 2) to elicit any AE and concomitant medication information. Subjects will return to the clinic 7 days after each vaccination for assessment of AEs and concomitant medications, a targeted physical examination (if indicated), and review of the memory aid. At approximately Day 28 after the first vaccination, subjects will return to the clinic for evaluation of vital signs, blood sample collection and safety follow-up, confirmation of eligibility criteria and a second vaccination. Safety follow-up will be identical to that performed after the first vaccination. At approximately Day 56 (or about 28 days after the second vaccination), subjects will return to the clinic for immunogenicity blood sample collection, AE and concomitant medication assessment, and targeted physical examination and vital sign assessment (if indicated). At approximately Day 180 (6 months after the first vaccination), subjects will return to the clinic for a final immunogenicity blood sample collection and safety assessment. Blood samples collected prior to each vaccination (Days 0 and 28) and on Days 56 and 180 after the first vaccination will be tested at the CDC Influenza Division Laboratory for the levels of neutralizing and HAI antibodies and CMI responses. The primary outcome measures will be the frequencies and severities of AEs and the GMTS and proportions of subjects who achieve 4-fold rises in serum neutralizing and HAI titers against the influenza A/H5N1 virus on Day 56. Serum HAI and neutralizing antibody responses (including frequencies of 4 fold or greater rise in titer; GMTs; and proportions of subjects achieving protective titers of neutralizing antibody 1 month and 6 months after first dose) will also be assessed. A secondary outcome measure will be CMI responses evaluated 1 month after the receipt of each dose of vaccine and 6 months after the receipt of the first dose of vaccine.

According to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), all people aged 50 years or older and persons aged less than 50 years who have medical conditions that put them at increased risk for serious influenza disease should receive an annual influenza vaccination. However, since the mid-1990s, vaccination rates and racial disparities have mostly remained static, and there has been limited progress towards the Healthy People 2010 objectives for influenza vaccination coverage. The purpose of this study is to determine what proportion of previously unvaccinated persons in target groups for whom influenza and pneumococcal vaccine are recommended will accept and receive influenza and/or pneumococcal vaccine in an urban emergency department (ED), and to estimate the potential impact of ED vaccination on population-based vaccination coverage. The intervention will utilize a combination of assessment survey, vaccine information and pre-printed vaccine order sheets. The target population for influenza vaccinations includes all patients aged 18 years and older for whom influenza vaccine is recommended by the ACIP. This includes all persons aged 50 years and older and persons aged 18 to 49 years who are in one of the following groups: 1) health care workers, 2) pregnant women, 3) residents of long-term care facilities, 4) household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children aged 0 to 23 months, or 5) persons with underlying chronic medical conditions which increase their risk of influenza-related complications. The target population for pneumococcal vaccination includes all patients aged 65 years or older who have not previously been vaccinated against pneumococcus or have not received the vaccine within 5 years (and were less than 65 years at the time of vaccination).