Active clinical trials for "AIDS Dementia Complex"

Encephalopathies are a group of central nervous system (CNS) affection with heterogeneous etiology. Several causes have been recognized including neurodegenerative, vascular, infectious, autoimmune, toxic or allergic affections or secondary to systemic disorders. While 30-50% of acute encephalitis remains without etiological definition, definitive criteria for neurodegenerative diseases are usually unavailable in vivo and possible or probable definitions are used. The Olfactory mucosa (OM) is the part of the nasal mucosa that carries the specialized sensory organ for the modality of smell; the olfactory epithelium is composed of five principal cell types including olfactory receptor neurons. A sample of OM may be collected through a rhinoscopy-guided brushing: it is well-accepted by patients, not-contraindicated in patients with raised intracranial pressure and associated with almost no side-effects. Nasal brushing has recently been proposed for the in vivo diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Aims of the project are: Training of ear throat and nose (ETN), Infectious disease (ID) and neurology (NEU) specialists in the technique of nasal brushing; Conducting a prospective study comparing the use of nasal brushing with gold-standard criteria in the diagnosis of Encephalopathies; Increasing the diagnostic and prognostic power in the diagnosis of encephalopathies. A prospective, case control, multicentric study enrolling 400 patients and 100 controls (patients with nasal stenosis undergoing rhinoscopy for clinical reasons). Patients will be diagnosed and followed according to international guidelines and local clinical practice. Cerebrospinal fluid and magnetic resonance imaging will be used, where indicated, for the diagnosis according to the clinical or radiological suspect.

Currently 37.9 million people are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) around the world (UNAIDS, 2018). Even with antiretroviral treatment (ART), the virus enters the central nervous system and can affect the following structures: amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, parietal, frontal, temporal regions, orbitofrontal, cingulate, motor and sensory cortex; generating cognitive, behavioral and motor alterations, up to HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) and occasionally HIV-associated dementia (HAD). Few clinical studies have been conducted using computerized cognitive rehabilitation programs to counteract neuropsychological alterations. The aim of this project is to explore the feasibility of a cognitive stimulation program (CSP) developed to strengthen cognitive domains identified as impaired through a neuropsychological assessment in asymptomatic HIV+ patients adherent to ART, with the purpose of improving their quality of life and mood disorder.

The purpose of this study is to longitudinally characterize and evaluate changes in synaptic density in the brain using novel positron-emission tomography (PET) scans; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and clinical laboratory markers associated with HIV-related injury in the central nervous system. This study will test hypotheses relating to the presence and mechanisms of aberrant brain structure at the synaptic level in living humans with virologically controlled HIV on antiretroviral therapy. To evaluate associations between PET imaging radiotracers [11C]UCB-J, a ligand for presynaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A), a vesicle membrane protein expressed in synapses, and PET [11C]PBR28 a measure of microglia function in the brain, the Yale PET center has developed an advanced approach of combining multiple distinct ligands in coordinated same-day PET imaging. Additionally, the study will evaluate the associations of this novel synaptic density marker with well-established clinical measures of neurocognitive performance and laboratory measures of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

The HIV/HEART Aging study (HIVH) is an ongoing, prospective, multicentre trial that was conducted to assess the incidence, the prevalence and the clinical course of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in HIV-infected patients. The study population includes outpatients from specialized HIV-care units of the German Ruhr region, who were at least 18 years of age, were known to have a HIV-infection and exhibited a stable disease status within 4 weeks before inclusion into the trial. From March 2004 (Pilot phase) to October 2022 (15 year Follow-up) 1858 HIV+ patients were recruited in a consecutive manner. The standardised examinations included a targeted assessment of medical history and physical examination. Blood was drawn for comprehensive laboratory tests including HIV specific parameters (CD4 cell count, HIV-1 RNA levels) and cardiovascular items (lipid concentrations, BNP values and renal parameters). Furthermore, non-invasive tests were performed during the initial visit, including additional heart rate and blood pressure measurements, electrocardiogram (ECGs) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Examinations were completed in accordance with previously defined standard operating procedures. CVD were defined as coronary, cerebrovascular, peripheral arterial disease, heart failure or cardiac vitium.

The purpose of this study is to assess whether a boosting by cobicistat results in similar concentrations of darunavir in the brain compared to a boosting by ritonavir.

Infection with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) can lead to problems with brain function, such as memory, concentration, judgment, and the speed or control of hands and legs. Neurologists have called this condition HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). This research is being done to see if insulin taken through the nose as a spray (intranasal insulin) can help people with HIV who are having problems with memory and brain function, or HAND. Participants will be given either insulin or placebo. A placebo is an inactive substance that looks like the study drug, but does not contain study drug. For this research study, the placebo will be a clear, saline-based liquid spray that looks like the insulin spray but has no insulin. Participants will not be told whether they receive insulin or placebo during the study. All participants will take the intranasal spray twice a day, about 30 minutes after a meal. Participants will use a specialized intranasal drug administration device. The total daily dose of insulin is 40 IU split between 20 IU in the morning and 20 IU in the evening. Participants will take the intranasal spray for 24 weeks. The researchers will record symptoms and side effects during the study. Procedures include neurocognitive testing of memory and brain function, two optional lumbar punctures ("spinal taps"), two MRI brain scans, monthly blood draws, and clinical assessments.

The purpose of this protocol is to measure a receptor in the brain using positron emission tomography (PET) that is involved in inflammation.

To test whether zidovudine (AZT) is useful as a treatment for the neurologic syndrome called AIDS dementia complex. To determine how long AZT takes to reach cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), how long, and at what concentration it is found there. HIV infection can result in impairment in the function of the brain and spinal cord, leading to disturbances in the ability to think clearly and in strength and coordination. This disorder, which has been called the AIDS dementia complex, may be due to a direct effect of HIV on the nervous system. It is known that AZT does get into the brain to some extent, where it may reduce growth of HIV. It is hoped that AZT will stabilize or improve the symptoms of the AIDS dementia complex.

Over 50% of adults with HIV have some form of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) which represents a significant symptom that interferes with everyday functioning and quality of life. As adults age with HIV, they are more likely to develop comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and insulin resistance which will further contribute to poorer cognitive functioning and HAND. Based upon the Frascati criteria, HAND is diagnosed when a person performs less than 1 to 2 SD below their normative mean (education & age) on measures of two or more cognitive domains (e.g., attention, speed of processing, verbal memory, executive functioning). Yet, from the cognitive literature and prior studies, administering certain computerized cognitive training programs may improve specific cognitive domains in older adults and those with HIV. Such cognitive training programs may be effective in older adults with HIV and therefore investigators may be able to change the diagnosis of HAND in such cognitively vulnerable adults. In this pre-post experimental study, 146 older adults (50+) with HAND will be randomized to be in either: 1) the Individualied-Targeted Cognitive Training, or 2) a no-contact control group. The investigators will focus on those cognitive domains in which participants express an impairment and train them with the corresponding cognitive program. Such an Individualized-Targeted Cognitive Training approach using standard cognitive training programs may offer hope and symptom relief to those individuals diagnosed with HAND. Furthermore, these changes may result in improved everyday functioning (e.g., IADLs) and quality of life. This approach represents a paradigm shift in possibly changing the way HAND is examined. Specific Aim 1: Compare adults who do receive Individualized-Targeted Cognitive Training to those who do not in order to determine whether a change in HAND prevalence and severity occurs between groups. Exploratory Aim 1: Compare adults who do receive individualized-targeted cognitive training to those who do not in order to determine whether this improves everyday functioning (e.g., IADLs). Exploratory Aim 2: Determine whether improvements in HAND and/or everyday functioning over time mediate improvements in quality of life.

Activated monocytes play a key role in the pathogenesis of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Individuals with HAND have expanded populations of activated monocytes. These monocytes are thought to emigrate into the CNS, where they produce neurotoxic proinflammatory factors, and also carry virus into the CNS. Statins are cholesterol lowering drugs with pleiotropic immunomodulatory / anti-inflammatory properties that are currently being explored for immunomodulation of T cell activation in several diseases, in addition to their established role to treat hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. The investigators in vitro data suggests that these drugs can downregulate monocyte activation patterns seen in HIV infection. No in vivo studies have yet been carried out to assess the effects of statins on the pro-inflammatory monocyte population in chronic HIV disease. This will be a pilot study of whether statin treatment will reduce the inflammatory monocyte phenotype and downregulate the inflammatory cytokines that have been linked to neuropathogenesis in HIV infection. If so, they may have potential as adjunctive therapy in HIV-associated neurological disease. The investigators propose to: Determine the effect of Atorvastatin on peripheral blood monocyte populations in a 12-week pilot study in chronically HIV-infected people on HAART therapy. Determine the relationship between changes in monocyte phenotype following Atorvastatin treatment, and soluble markers of activation/inflammation linked to neuropathogenesis, as well as activation status of T cells.