Covington

Researchers are evaluating the consistency of immune responses to three different batches of an investigational chickenpox vaccine called VNS vaccine in healthy children aged 12 to 15 months who have not had chickenpox or received a chickenpox vaccine before. The study also compares the safety and immune response of the VNS vaccine to an approved chickenpox vaccine known as Varivax. This Phase 3a study is sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and aims to better understand the immune protection provided by these vaccines. Participants are randomly assigned to receive one dose of either one of the three investigational VNS vaccine lots or one of two lots of the marketed Varivax vaccine. Along with the chickenpox vaccine, they also receive one dose each of measles, mumps, and rubella MMR vaccine, hepatitis A vaccine HAV, and a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine PCV which could be PCV 13, Vaxneuvance, or PCV 20 depending on availability and country recommendations. All vaccines are given on Day 1 of the study. During the study, researchers monitor the participants immune responses by measuring antibodies against varicella zoster virus VZV and other vaccine components at Day 43. They also track safety by recording any side effects or adverse events from Day 1 to Day 181. The study includes diary reports by parents and regular clinical evaluations to assess immune response and safety outcomes. Participation involves a single vaccination visit and follow-up assessments over approximately six months.

Researchers are comparing the rates of surgical and minimally invasive interventions, as well as any harms, in Medicare beneficiaries treated with the MILD procedure versus those treated with interspinous process decompression IPD for lumbar spinal stenosis with neurogenic claudication. This observational study uses Medicare claims data to follow patients for 24 months after their initial procedure starting from January 1, 2017. The purpose is to evaluate outcomes between these two types of procedures without requiring prior patient enrollment or consent. The study includes two groups patients who received MILD, which is a percutaneous image-guided lumbar decompression performed under fluoroscopic guidance through a dorsal approach to the spine, and patients who received IPD, a different device-based decompression procedure. Data on reoperations and complications will be collected for both groups over a 24-month follow-up period using Medicare claims. Enrollment continues until the sponsor decides to stop. Participants involvement is passive as the study uses existing Medicare claims data. Researchers will monitor rates of harms related to the initial procedure and subsequent surgical or minimally invasive interventions over two years. No direct patient visits or interventions are conducted, and the study is exempt from institutional review board oversight. The total study duration extends to December 2026, covering cases treated since early 2017.