Centreville

Researchers are evaluating the safety and immune response of a new multivalent pneumococcal vaccine called PG4 compared to the currently used 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 20vPnC in healthy infants. The study aims to understand how well the new vaccine helps fight germs causing pneumonia, meningitis, and ear infections. This phase 3 trial involves infants aged 2 to 6 months and seeks to determine if the new vaccine is as safe as the existing one while assessing its immune response when given alongside other childhood vaccines. Participants are divided into three groups based on age and location. Group 1 includes about 3000 infants aged 2 months who receive either PG4 or 20vPnC by injection into the left thigh muscle at ages 2, 4, 6, and 12 to 15 months. Groups 2 and 3, with about 230 infants outside the United States aged 2 to 6 months, receive vaccinations on a slightly different schedule, with Group 3 exploring both intramuscular and subcutaneous administration of PG4. Participants have a randomized chance of receiving one of the study vaccines. During the study, infants will attend six clinic visits and one phone call where parents report any side effects. Blood samples will be collected three times to assess the immune response by measuring proteins that fight the germs. Researchers will track local and systemic reactions, adverse events, and serious adverse events throughout the study period, which lasts about 1 to 1.5 years depending on the group. The study monitors safety closely to compare the new vaccines effects with the current standard vaccine.

This research aims to evaluate the effects of combining baxdrostat with dapagliflozin compared to dapagliflozin alone in adults aged 40 and older who have type 2 diabetes, established cardiovascular disease, a history of hypertension with a systolic blood pressure of at least 130 mmHg, and at least one additional risk factor for heart failure. The study is a phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled trial focusing on preventing heart failure events and cardiovascular death. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either baxdrostat with dapagliflozin or placebo with dapagliflozin. Those starting the baxdrostatdapagliflozin treatment may begin with a lower baxdrostat dose that can be increased if certain criteria are met. A run-in period with dapagliflozin alone for 4 to 6 weeks may occur for those not previously treated or treated less than 4 weeks with SGLT2 inhibitors. Treatment visits will occur at about 2, 4, 8, 16, and 34 weeks after randomization, then every 4 months until study closure. Participants will undergo screening for eligibility within a 14-day period, with an optional pre-screening phase that does not require site visits or consent. During the study, regular assessments including monitoring for heart failure events and cardiovascular outcomes will be conducted. If participants stop the blinded treatment early, they may continue with open-label dapagliflozin unless specific discontinuation criteria apply. The study will continue until a predetermined number of cardiovascular events occur, with ongoing data collection and visits according to protocol.

This research aims to find out if a self-administered Pap smear test by the patient is as accurate as the traditional Pap smear performed by a healthcare provider. The study involves women aged 21 to 65 who need routine cervical cancer screening, focusing on improving screening rates in rural Alabama. It is an interventional study sponsored by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, comparing two methods of Pap smear collection. Participants will perform a self-collected Pap smear on the day of their clinical examination, followed by a traditional Pap smear collected by a licensed healthcare provider such as a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. Both samples will be labeled separately and sent to a clinical laboratory for blinded analysis to compare their accuracy. During the study, participants will have specimens collected during a single clinical visit. The laboratory will analyze both the self-collected and provider-collected samples without knowing which is which. Results will be shared with participants through usual clinical practice. The primary outcome measured is the agreement and accuracy between the self-collected Pap smear and the traditional Pap smear within 14 days after collection.