Palliative care clinical trials: how nurses are contributing to integrated, evidence-based care.

The aim of this paper is to describe the emerging role of the palliative care clinical trials nurse in an era of evidence-based practice and increasing clinical trial activity in palliative care settings across Australia. An overview of the current clinical trials work is provided, with a focus on three aspects of clinical trials nursing practice that have significant implications for patients: managing the consent process, integrating clinical trials into multidisciplinary care, and establishing and building the evidence base to inform practice in palliative care settings. Clinical trials roles provide palliative care nurses with an opportunity to contribute to clinical research, help expand palliative care's evidence base, and develop their own research capabilities.

Safety and immunogenicity of a fully liquid vaccine containing five-component pertussis-diphtheria-tetanus-inactivated poliomyelitis-Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines administered at two, four, six and 18 months of age.

OBJECTIVE: The safety, immunogenicity and lot consistency of a fully liquid, five-component acellular pertussis combination vaccine, comprised of diphteria, tetanus and acellular pertussis, inactivated polio vaccine, Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTaP-IPV-Hib [Pediacel, sanofi pasteur, Canada]) were assessed and compared with that of Hib vaccine reconstituted with the five-component acellular pertussis combination vaccine (DTaP-IPV//Hib, Pentacel [sanofi pasteur, Canada]). METHODS: Infants were recruited at vaccine study centres in Montreal, Quebec; Simon Fraser Health Region, British Columbia, and southern Alberta after the protocol had been approved by the relevant institutional ethics committees. Written informed consent was obtained from the parents or guardians of all subjects. At two months of age, the infants were randomly assigned to receive one of three consecutive production lots of DTaP-IPV-Hib by intramuscular injection. Reactions to vaccinations were assessed by parental observation and through telephone interviews conducted by study nurses. Blood samples were obtained at two, six, seven, 18 and 19 months of age for measurement of antibodies to vaccine antigens. RESULTS: Most injection site and systemic reactions were mild or moderate, and of brief duration. All infants were protected against tetanus, diphtheria and all three polio serotypes after both primary and booster vaccinations. Antibody responses to pertussis antigens were similar to those observed in Swedish infants, in whom the five-component vaccine was shown to be 85% effective. Proportions of infants with antipolyribosylribitol phosphate antibody of 0.15 mug/mL or greater and 1.0 mug/mL or greater, were 97.9% and 88.9%, respectively, following primary immunization, and 100% and 99% following booster vaccination. Safety and immunogenicity results with both reconstituted and fully liquid combination vaccines were comparable. CONCLUSIONS: The fully liquid combination vaccine was comparable in terms of safety and immunogenicity with the reconstituted combination vaccine.

Combined tetanus, diphtheria, and 5-component pertussis vaccine for use in adolescents and adults.

CONTEXT: Increasing reports of pertussis among US adolescents, adults, and their infant contacts have stimulated vaccine development for older age groups. OBJECTIVE: To assess the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a tetanus-diphtheria 5-component (pertussis toxoid, filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin, and fimbriae types 2 and 3) acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) in adolescents and adults. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A prospective, randomized, modified double-blind, comparative trial was conducted in healthy adolescents and adults aged 11 through 64 years from August 2001 to August 2002 at 39 US clinical centers. INTERVENTIONS: A single 0.5-mL intramuscular dose of either Tdap or tetanus-diphtheria vaccine (Td). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Antibody titers to diphtheria and tetanus toxoids for Tdap and Td were measured in sera collected from subsets of adolescents and adults, before and 28 days after vaccination. For pertussis antigens, titers in sera from Tdap vaccinees were assessed vs those from infants who received analogous pediatric diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) in a previous efficacy trial. Safety was assessed via solicited local and systemic reactions for 14 days and adverse events for 6 months following vaccination. RESULTS: A total of 4480 participants were enrolled. For both Tdap and Td, more than 94% and nearly 100% of vaccinees had protective antibody concentrations of at least 0.1 IU/mL for diphtheria and tetanus, respectively. Geometric mean antibody titers to pertussis toxoid, filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin, and fimbriae types 2 and 3 exceeded (by 2.1 to 5.4 times) levels in infants following immunization at 2, 4, and 6 months with DTaP. The incidence of solicited local and systemic reactions and adverse events was generally similar between the Tdap and Td groups. CONCLUSIONS: This Tdap vaccine elicited robust immune responses in adolescents and adults to pertussis, tetanus, and diphtheria antigens, while exhibiting an overall safety profile similar to that of a licensed Td vaccine. These data support the potential routine use of this Tdap vaccine in adolescents and adults.

Risk factors for hospitalization and infection in Canadian Inuit infants over the first year of life--a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Inuit infants experience higher mortality and poorer health than other Canadian infants, and suffer disproportionately from bacterial and viral infections. A wide range of inter-related factors affect their health and susceptibility to infection. The objective of the study was to describe hospitalization and morbidity patterns in a cohort of 46 healthy Inuit infants from Iqaluit, Nunavut, over their first year of life. STUDY DESIGN: Risk factors for hospitalization and infections were assessed using multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Infants experienced an average of four respiratory tract infections (RTIs) annually, which accounted for half of the hospitalizations in the cohort. Some interesting trends were evident from the assessment of risk factors using multiple linear regression. Adoption was associated with adverse health effects in addition to those that would be expected due to lack of breast-freeding alone; among infants who were not breast-fed, adopted infants had three more RTIs per year than non-adopted infants. CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study provide support for undertaking larger epidemiological studies in order to clarify the role of these risk factors, so that future preventive efforts can be informed and effective.

An overview of factors influencing the health of Canadian Inuit infants.

BACKGROUND: Inuit infants throughout the Arctic experience higher mortality and poorer health than their non-Inuit counterparts, and suffer disproportionately from bacterial and viral infections. STUDY DESIGN: This review examines the health status of these infants, with a focus on Canadian Inuit communities and reference to other circumpolar regions, as appropriate. It is based on a Medline search (1965 to present), special analyses of the 1996 Canadian Census and various national surveys, and selected government reports and documents. RESULTS: A wide range of inter-related factors affect the health of Inuit infants: their demographic, social, economic and physical environment, as well as personal health practices and the availability of high quality, culturally appropriate health services. Some of these factors may influence the susceptibility of Inuit infants to infection. Smoking is highly prevalent in Inuit communities, and its indisputable negative effects on health, including increased risk of respiratory tract infection in infants, represent an urgent public health challenge. CONCLUSION: Locally driven, focused and methodologically sound epidemiological research that addresses key gaps in knowledge could lead to more appropriate and effective preventive strategies to improve health in northern communities.

Comparison of the safety and immunogenicity of concomitant and sequential administration of an adult formulation tetanus and diphtheria toxoids adsorbed combined with acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine and trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in adults.

The annual contact for influenza vaccination provides an opportunity to ensure that adults have received other recommended vaccines such as Tdap. Healthy 19-64 year-olds were randomized to receive concomitant administration of Tdap and influenza vaccines or influenza vaccine followed (in 4-6 weeks by) Tdap. 720 participants were enrolled. No clinically relevant between-group differences were observed in the rates or severities of erythema, swelling, or pain at the Tdap injection site. Injection-site pain was the most commonly reported adverse event (66.6% concomitant administration group versus 60.8% sequential administration group); most pain was graded as mild and resolved by day 3. Seroprotection and seroresponse rates for all influenza strains were comparable between the two groups. For diphtheria and tetanus, seroprotection rates and post-vaccination GMTs were non-inferior in the concomitant administration group compared to the sequential administration group. A trend for lower antibody responses to pertussis antigens PT, FHA, and FIM was observed after concomitant administration and, for PRN, this difference failed the non-inferiority criteria. While there is a small diminution in antibody response to tetanus and pertussis antigens, concomitant administration of Tdap and influenza vaccine was well tolerated and immunogenic and may offer practical advantages including convenience, compliance, and cost-savings.

An adolescent-adult formulation tetanus and diptheria toxoids adsorbed combined with acellular pertussis vaccine has comparable immunogenicity but less reactogenicity in children 4-6 years of age than a pediatric formulation acellular pertussis vaccine and diphtheria and tetanus toxoids adsorbed combined with inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine.

In Canada, the fifth dose of the routine childhood immunization schedule against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio is given at 4-6 years of age. Up to 30% of children may have significant local reactions (redness, swelling) and this may be related to pertussis and diphtheria antigen content. We sought to determine if a combination product with lower content of pertussis and diphtheria toxoids (dTap) would result in fewer local reactions and not have inferior immunogenicity to a combination vaccine with higher pertussis and diphtheria content (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-inactivated polio virus, DTaP-IPV). Healthy children aged 4-6 years with complete primary immunization series and a fourth dose of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids component pertussis inactivated polio and Haemophilus influenzae type B conjugate vaccine were randomized to one dose of dTap, followed in 4-6 weeks by one dose of IPV or control DTaP-IPV. Immediate reactions within 30 min, solicited injection site and systemic reactions within 14 days, and unsolicited adverse events (AE) within 6 weeks post-vaccination were monitored. Serum was collected prior to immunization, and 4-6 weeks after vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis antibodies (Ab). Sample size was designed to detect > or =10% difference in injection site erythema, pain or swelling between groups 593 children at eight Canadian sites completed the study; no participant withdrew because of an AE. All safety endpoints on days 0-14 were less frequent in children randomized to the dTap than DTaP-IPV group: erythema (34.6% versus 51.7%), swelling (24.2% versus 33.8%) and pain (39.6% versus 67.2%). Fever was also less common (8.72% versus 16.9%). All children in both study groups had seroprotective Ab levels to diphtheria and tetanus at 4-6 weeks (> or =0.10 IU/mL). The majority of children in each vaccine arm had a four-fold increase in pertussis antibodies. Fever and injection site reactions are less common in 4-6 year-old-children who receive a dTap vaccine compared to DTaP-IPV, without inferior immunogenicity.

Nature, evolution, and appraisal of adverse events and antibody response associated with the fifth consecutive dose of a five-component acellular pertussis-based combination vaccine.

We performed a randomized, controlled clinical trial to characterize the evolution of the adverse events associated with the fifth consecutive dose of an acellular pertussis vaccine, and to assess the level of discomfort associated with the injection and the attitude of parents concerning these events. A total of 505 children who had received either four doses of acellular pertussis vaccine or whole-cell pertussis vaccine were given a fifth dose of one of the two vaccines. Adverse events were monitored by parents and collected by telephone or home visit at 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h, and 7 and 28 days after immunization. Rates of injection site redness >or=50mm were similar in recipients of five doses of acellular pertussis vaccine (32.8%) or five doses of whole-cell pertussis vaccine (43.3%). Injection site swelling, tenderness, and decreased arm movement were all more frequent in children who received five doses of whole-cell pertussis vaccine. Antibody levels before or after immunization did not predict those children who had increased injection site reactions. The children rated the injection site reactions as significantly more severe after five consecutive doses of whole-cell vaccine. Parent satisfaction was higher after the acellular vaccine. We conclude that a fifth consecutive dose of a whole-cell pertussis vaccine is associated with high rates of tender redness and swelling at the injection site, in contrast to a fifth consecutive dose of an acellular pertussis vaccine which is associated with high rates of non-painful redness. However, parents will still need to be aware of the high rates of injection site reactions expected after a fifth dose of acellular pertussis vaccine.

Safety and immunogenicity of a trivalent, inactivated, mammalian cell culture-derived influenza vaccine in healthy adults, seniors, and children.

We performed randomized, double-blind, controlled trials to assess the safety and immunogenicity of an inactivated, Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK)-derived cell line produced influenza vaccine in healthy adults (19-50 years), children (3-12 years) and the elderly (> or =65 years). We studied three lots of cell culture-derived vaccine and one lot of licensed egg-derived vaccine in healthy adults (n=462), two lots of cell culture-derived vaccine and one lot of egg-derived vaccine in seniors (n=269), and one lot of each vaccine in children (n=209). Adverse events were collected during the first 3 days post-immunization; serum was collected before and 1 month after immunization. Rates of local and systemic adverse reactions were similar with both vaccines. An injection site adverse event rated at least moderate severity was reported by 21.9% of children who received the egg-derived vaccine and 25.0% of those who received the cell culture-derived vaccine. In healthy adults the proportions were 12.1 and 15.3%, respectively and 6.7 and 6.3%, respectively in seniors. Systemic events of at least moderate severity were 12.4 and 12.5% in children, 19.8 and 13.6% in healthy adults, and 14.1 and 9.7% in seniors; none of these differences were statistically significant. The antibody response against all three viruses was similar between the two vaccines. From 83 to 100% of children, healthy adults and seniors achieved hemagglutination inhibition titers in excess of 40 post-immunization. We conclude that the cell culture-derived vaccine was safe and immunogenic in children, healthy adults and seniors.