Active clinical trials for "Gastroenteritis"

Improved hand hygiene is known to reduce transmission of both respiratory (RTI) and gastrointestinal infections (GTI) under "semi-closed" conditions such as hospitals, day-care centres and schools. It is not known if similar interventions would have the desired effect in a regular office work. This study is aiming to investigate this possibility by recruiting volunteers from several companies in the Helsinki Region. The two intervention groups will receive detailed instructions e.g. for proper coughing and sneezing, and for regular cleaning of hands with either standard liquid soap or with alcohol-based gel rubbing. Third group will serve as the control and is advised not to change their previous behaviour in this respect. The participants will report weekly possible RTI or GTI symptoms and related days off through internet. The study is planned to run about 18 months to cover the seasonal variation of the epidemics of the causative different viruses.

Dehydration due to vomiting is a common complication of acute gastroenteritis in children. Persistent vomiting following rehydration is a problem in outpatient management using oral rehydration therapy. Four previous studies have examined the role of the medication, ondansetron, in treating nausea and vomiting in children with gastroenteritis and have suggested that it may be beneficial [1-4]. A previous study has also shown that the administration of intravenous fluid alone to children with dehydration due to gastroenteritis helps resolve nausea and vomiting in the majority of patients [5]. None of the previous studies compared the efficacy of intravenous ondansetron with that of intravenous fluid alone in the prevention of vomiting . In addition, the previous studies were limited by poorly defined inclusion criteria and outcome measures. The proposed study seeks to more clearly define the role of intravenous ondansetron in the management of children suffering dehydration due to acute gastroenteritis. If ondansetron further reduces the incidence of vomiting compared with intravenous fluid alone, more children with dehydration due to acute gastroenteritis may be successfully discharged to home from the emergency department instead of admitted to the hospital. If it does not, the widespread use of ondansetron for such patients could be discouraged and money could be saved. Hypothesis: Patients receiving ondansetron in addition to intravenous fluids for the treatment of dehydration due to vomiting caused by gastroenteritis will not have a significant reduction in the occurrence of persistent vomiting as compared to those who receive only intravenous fluids.

Nosocomial diarrhea is any diarrhea that a patient contracts in a health-care institution. In children, it is commonly caused by enteric pathogens, especially rotavirus. The reported incidence ranges from 4.5 to 22.6 episodes per 100 admissions. Nosocomial diarrhea may prolong the hospital stay and increase medical costs. One of the potential strategies for the prevention of nosocomial infections is the use of probiotics. The number of studies have shown the efficacy of Lactobacillus reuteri (DSM 17938) in the treatment of acute diarrhea. However, there are no data on the efficacy of L. reuteri in the prevention of nosocomial diarrhea. The investigators, therefore, plan to perform the study with the aim of evaluating the role of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 administration in the prevention of nosocomial gastroenteritis in a pediatric hospital setting.

The purpose of this study is to learn if a new candidate vaccine (dmLT) against ETEC (E. coli infection) is safe. This vaccine will be tested to see what effects it has on the body and the ability of the vaccine to help the body resist disease. Researchers want to find the highest dose of dmLT vaccine that can be given without causing severe side effects. Most E. coli bacteria are harmless to humans and can even be beneficial. However, some are harmful, and can cause diarrhea. About 32 healthy adults, ages 18-45, will participate in this study. This study will require volunteers to stay in the research facility for several nights. Participants will be assigned to receive 1 of 4 vaccine doses by mouth. Study procedures include: stool samples, blood samples, and documenting side effects. Participants will be involved in study related procedures for about 8 months.

Rotavirus (RV) is the most important cause of acute gastroenteritis (GE) requiring the hospitalization of infants and young children in developed and developing countries and can be a frequent cause of death in children less than 5 years of age (estimated nearly 500,000 annual deaths worldwide). GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Biologicals has developed a vaccine against human rotavirus gastroenteritis. A new formulation of the vaccine, with an alternative buffer, was developed. This study will be conducted to evaluate the new formulation compared to the existing formulation of the HRV vaccine.

The purpose of this study is to determine which of two different preparations of probiotics is effective in the treatment of acute viral diarrhoea in children.

Background: The incidence of gastrointestinal infections is very high. In Western countries at least 30% of the population suffers from at least one food-borne infection per year. Mostly because of the problem of antibiotic resistance, more emphasis is put on prevention of infections. One of the possibilities is to strengthen human resistance to gut infections by consumption of probiotics. A specific blend of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus helveticus Rosell-52, Lactobacillus rhamnosus Rosell-11, Bifidobacterium longum Rosell-175) and a probiotic yeast (Saccharomyces boulardii), improved stool consistency and shortened the duration of diarrhea in a rat model of E.coli-induced diarrhea. These probiotics showed synergistic effects compared with administration of solely S. boulardii or a mixture of L. helveticus Rosell-52, L. rhamnosus Rosell-11, B. longum Rosell-175. Consumption of S. boulardii and a combination of L. helveticus Rosell-52, L. rhamnosus Rosell-11 reduced diarrhea in humans. Aim: To study whether probiotics improves the resistance of humans to enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). Study design: The PROTETEC study is a parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled 4-weeks intervention with probiotics in healthy volunteers. In this study, the effect of probiotic intervention vs placebo on several infection markers in response to an ETEC challenge is investigated. Participants will be randomly assigned to the probiotic or placebo group (n=30 per group). Subjects will be instructed to maintain their usual pattern of physical activity and their habitual food intake, but to standardize their dietary calcium intake. After an adaptation period of 2 weeks, subjects will be orally infected with a live, but attenuated, ETEC vaccine (strain E1392-75-2A; collection NIZO food research; dose 10E10 CFU). Before and after infection, a diary will be kept to record all food and drinks consumption (2x2 days) to assess the habitual dietary intake, as well as for daily recording of bowel habits and frequency and severity of gastrointestinal complaints. The following biological samples will be collected: 4x10 ml venous blood, a single fecal bolus (for screening) and 7x24 hrs feces. Blood is sampled for immune response analyses and the fecal samples are collected to quantify several infection- and immune system markers, to determine probiotic excretion, and to verify dietary calcium intake. Study population: Healthy males of 20-55 yrs of age. Interventions: Probiotics (capsules containing freeze-dried powder, probiotic dose per capsule 5x10E9 CFU; twice daily) or placebo (capsules with carrier material powder of identical appearance) Primary outcomes: Fecal ETEC excretion and severity of diarrhea (quantified by fecal output per day). Secondary outcomes: Serum immune response to ETEC, self-reported stool consistency scores and gastrointestinal complaints, relative fecal wet weight. Tertiary outcomes: sIgA and calprotectin in feces, probiotic persistence and levels of opportunistic pathogens in the endogenous microbiota.

A Phase 1b, randomized, double-blind, dose-ranging trial to determine the safety of different dosing regimens an adenoviral-vector based norovirus vaccine (VXA-G1.1-NN) expressing GI.1 VP1 and dsRNA adjuvant administered orally to healthy volunteers

Background: The incidence of gastrointestinal infections is very high. In European countries 10-25% of the population suffers from at least one foodborne infection per year. Probiotics may strengthen human resistance to gut infections as they may beneficially modulate the intestinal microbiota composition and activity, and the immune function upon intestinal infection. Aim: To study whether probiotics improve the resistance of humans to enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). Study design: The PRETEC study is a parallel, double-blind, placebo-controled 4-weeks intervention with probiotics in healthy volunteers. In this study, the effect of probiotic intervention vs placebo on several infection markers in response to an ETEC challenge is investigated. Participants will be randomly assigned to the probiotic or placebo group (n=21 per group). Subjects will be instructed to maintain their habitual food intake, but to standardize their dietary calcium intake. After an adaptation period of 2 weeks, subjects will be orally infected with a live, but attenuated, ETEC vaccine (strain E1392-75-2A; collection NIZO food research; dose will be 10E10 CFU). This ETEC strain induces mild and short-lived infectious diarrhea symptoms. Before and after infection, a diary will be kept to write down all food and drinks consumption (2x2 days) to assess the habitual dietary intake. The diary will also be used for daily recording of bowel habits and frequency and severity of gastrointestinal complaints. Blood is sampled for immune response analyses and multiple faecal samples are collected to quantify several infection- and immune system markers, to determine probiotic excretion, and to verify dietary calcium intake. Study population: Healthy males of 20-55 yrs of age. Interventions: Probiotics (freeze-dried powder, dose 10E9 CFU twice daily) or placebo (carrier material powder of identical appearance). Primary outcomes: Total fecal ETEC excretion per day and severity of diarrhea (quantified by faecal output per day). Secondary outcomes: Serum immune response to ETEC, self-reported stool consistency scores and gastrointestinal complaints, relative faecal wet weight, sIgA and calprotectin in faeces, probiotic persistence and levels of opportunistic pathogens in the endogenous microbiota.

Randomized, multi-site, dose-escalation study of the safety and immunogenicity of four dosage levels of Intramuscular (IM) Norovirus Bivalent VLP Vaccine adjuvanted with MPL and Al(OH)3 compared to controls. Participants will receive two doses, by IM injection, 28 days apart. The hypotheses for this study are: The incidence of adverse events after vaccination with IM Norovirus Bivalent VLP Vaccine will be similar to the incidence of adverse events after other IM vaccines including CERVARIX® which contains MPL and Al(OH)3. Two doses of IM Norovirus Bivalent VLP Vaccine will be more immunogenic than one dose. The post-vaccination serum antibody responses, the number of antibody secreting cells (ASC), including homing markers, and memory B-cell responses directed against norovirus antigens will be increased after IM Norovirus Bivalent VLP Vaccine compared to controls.