Active clinical trials for "Poliomyelitis"

This study will evaluate the persistence of immune response against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and poliomyelitis in healthy adults, 10 years after a booster dose, and also assess the immunogenicity and safety of another booster dose of BoostrixTM Polio.

The purpose of this study is to show that the immunogenicity of newly formulated DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine is as good as the immunogenicity of the currently licensed formulation of the vaccine. The vaccine will be administered as a primary vaccination course to healthy infants at 2, 3 and 4 months of age and its safety and reactogenicity will also be assessed.

Data from this study are expected to demonstrate that Gardasil (V501, Human Papillomavirus [Types 6, 11, 16, 18] Recombinant Vaccine), when administered concomitantly with a combined diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and poliomyelitis vaccine in adolescents remains immunogenic and well-tolerated and it does not impair the immunogenicity of the concomitant vaccines.

The trial is a phase III, non-inferiority, observer-blind, randomised, active controlled, multicentre clinical trial with 2 parallel groups: IPV-Al SSI (investigational vaccine) and IPV SSI (comparator vaccine). The vaccines will be administered at 2, 4 and 6 months of age.

The study has two arms; both experimental and control areas will receive standard interventions given under polio eradication program of PCI. Participants in the experimental arm receive additional interventions on nutrition (improve diet diversity in pregnant women and children of 6-23 months) for exact 12 months. The study includes awareness generation (regarding nutrition) through community mobilization, counseling and capacity building of community mobilization.

This is a phase III assessing the safety and immunogenicity of adjuvanted the reduced dose inactivated polio vaccine, IPV-Al SSI given as a booster vaccination to infants who were previously immunised with primary vaccination of IPV-Al SSI or IPV SSI in the VIPV-07 trial at age 2, 4, and 6 months. The IPV-Al SSI vaccine will be given at the age of 15-18 months.

Background: Early diagnosis of respiratory impairment in Post-Polio (PPS) patients may delay respiratory decline and future need of invasive respiratory aids. Objectives: To compare pulmonary function measures, maximal respiratory pressure and activity levels and fatigue of respiratory muscles between patients with PPS and healthy controls. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Hadassah physical medicine and rehabilitation department, Jerusalem. Patients: Patients with PPS (N=12; 6 males; age 62.1±11.6 years) able to walk for 6 minutes without human assistance; age-matched healthy subjects (N=12; 4 males; age 62.2±6.5 years). Intervention: None. Measurements: A body plethysmograph was used to quantify forced expiratory volume in the first second of a forced expiratory maneuver, vital capacity, slow vital capacity, Residual Volume (RV), Total Lung Capacity (TLC), and Thoracic Gas Volume (TGV). Also, RV to TLC ratio is calculated. A manometer was used to measure Maximal Inspiratory Pressure (MIP) and Maximal Expiratory Pressure (MEP). A spirometer was used to measure Maximal Voluntary Ventilation (MVV). Surface electromyography (sEMG) recorded diaphragmatic muscle activity during rest and while performing MVV.

Pakistan is one of the 4 developing countries where cases of poliomyelitis are still being identified. Despite the incessant efforts by WHO and UNICEF, this disease is far from control. There is a need to develop new and innovative strategies to contain the disease and eradicate it from the countries where new cases continue to be identified. Zinc is an essential component of scores of enzymes in the human body. Recent reports have indicated that this trace element along with other micronutrients enhances the protective functions of immune cells. Moreover, zinc deficiency leads to dysregulation of balanced host responses to infection resulting into decreased antibody production and suppressed immunity. Zinc is also an essential cofactor for thymulin which is known to modulate cytokine release and induce immune cell proliferation. Zinc deficiency is also found to impair an individual's epithelial barrier function, which may further depress the vaccine entry into the mucosal cells. Role of zinc in the prevention of diarrheal diseases and other infections in children is well documented. However, there are very few reports about its contribution to enhanced immunity by supporting body's natural defense system. Zinc insufficiency is widespread in socioeconomically deprived children in South Asia and the recent most national nutrition survey (2003) . Moreover, diarrhea is also very common in infants in Pakistan. Such diarrheal episodes can limit entry of attenuated polio virus into the mucosal cells, thereby, leading to inadequate immune response. Association between recent diarrheal history and increased vaccine failure in infants has been shown in a study from Brazil. The recent Lancet Nutrition series has also recommended regular zinc supplementation to address child undernutrition and stunting and underscored the need to treat diarrheal episodes with zinc to expedite recovery. Other recent studies of zinc supplementation in low birth weight infants in South Asia have also shown significant improvement in diarrheal disease burden and mortality. On the basis of these lines of evidence, it is possible that some of the cases of vaccine failure in this region could be a consequence of compromised immunity and, hence, diminished response to OPV. This could potentially be reversed by addressing such gross undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. It can thus be hypothesized that zinc supplementation at community scale would enhance the immune response in infants to OPV. In order to test this research question, the investigators propose to undertake 12-month randomized controlled trial among a cohort of Pakistani infants of 0-14 days of age. Such a trial would enable us to understand the synergistic role of zinc (if any) with OPV in enhancing immune response against polio and sero-conversion rates.

As poliovirus eradication progresses rapidly, strategies to discontinue oral poliovirus vaccination need to be established. One strategy would be to use inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) transitionally, and this has already occurred in the United States. It is not clear, however, if 3 doses of IPV provide sufficient immunogenicity when administered according to World Health Organization (WHO)/Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) schedule in a tropical, developing area where no wild-poliovirus circulates. Puerto Rico will be the study site for this randomized clinical trial. Healthy infants will be identified at birth in a hospital-system, enrolled within 4 weeks of birth, and randomized into one of two arms: United States of America (U.S.A.) schedule (8, 16, 24 weeks/2, 4, 6 months) or WHO schedule (6, 10, 14 weeks). Both groups will receive IPV at visits 1, 2 and 3. Infants will receive all age-appropriate EPI childhood vaccinations along with IPV, to decrease confusion and inconvenience to the parent. Serum will be collected twice, at visit 1 and visit 4 (30-45 days after IPV-3), to measure antibody titers. Sera will be measured for neutralizing antibodies at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Based on the lowest seroconversion rate estimate of 85%, and to have a probability of .80 that the estimate from this study is in error by no more than 10%, the investigators will need to enroll 220 infants in each arm. To compensate for attrition and retain statistical power, the investigators plan to enroll up to 250 infants in each arm. This study is expected to require at least 20 months to complete. Results will provide valuable and timely information applicable to global polio eradication efforts. Any participant found not to be protected after 3 doses of IPV will be given a booster at 9-12 months. Results will provide valuable and timely information applicable to global polio eradication efforts.

This study aims to assess if pictorial messages promoting routine immunization during supplementary campaigns for oral polio vaccine in areas with poor DTP3 vaccine coverage can improve immunization rates. A cluster randomized trial design in low literature populations will be used.