Active clinical trials for "HIV Infections"

Despite the rapid adoption of the World Health Organization's 2013 guidelines, many children continue to be infected with HIV perinatally because of sub-optimal adherence to the continuum of HIV care in maternal and child health clinics (MCH). To achieve the UNAIDS goal eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission, multiple, adaptive interventions will need to be implemented to improve adherence to the HIV continuum. The aim of this open label, parallel groups, randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) interventions implemented at facility and health district level to improve retention in care and virological suppression through 24 months postpartum among pregnant and breastfeeding women receiving ART in MCH clinics in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Prior to randomization, the current monitoring and evaluation system will be strengthen to enable collection of high quality individual patient-level data necessary for the timely production of indicators and monitoring of program outcomes to inform CQI interventions. Following randomization, in health districts randomized to CQI, quality improvement (QI) teams will be established at the district level and at MCH clinics level. For 18 months, QI teams will be brought together quarterly to identified key bottlenecks in the care delivery system using data from the monitoring system, develop an action plan to address those bottlenecks, and implement the action plan at the level of their district or clinics. If proven to be effective, CQI as designed here, could be scaled up rapidly in DRC and other resource-limited settings to accelerate progress towards the goal of an AIDS free generation.

The purpose of this R01 proposal is to evaluate the clinical impact, hypothesized mechanisms of behavior change, and cost-effectiveness of a partners-focused integrated elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (EMTCT) package comprised of: 1) antenatal care-based couples HIV testing, ART enrollment, and care for sero-concordant HIV+ expectant couples; (2) Couples-based treatment in the post-partum period; (3) Couple-based education and skills building; and (4) Treatment continuity with the support of expert-patient (peer) supporters from couples who have successfully navigated EMTCT. This innovative approach to scaling up EMTCT services, if proven feasible and effective, will be adopted in President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programs to accelerate progress toward EMTCT and helping families with HIV infection live long, healthy lives.

This study will assess and characterize the variability observed in the response to darunavir therapy, an antiretroviral medication used against the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). More specifically, it aims to quantify variations in the drug's blood concentrations and determine the sources of such variability, both genetic and non-genetic. In light of this information, current dosage guidelines will then be reviewed.

AllyQuest is a novel, high impact secondary prevention intervention delivered via mobile phones to improve linkage and engagement in care among newly diagnosed HIV+ young men who have sex with men (YMSM). The features of the intervention aim to target previously identified barriers to care among newly diagnosed youth, namely, low HIV health literacy, lack of social support, and internalized stigma related to their diagnosis. AllyQuest will be an interactive mobile phone intervention for HIV+ YMSM that utilizes social networking, game-based mechanics and a story-based framework to guide behavior change. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, narrative communication and the principles of persuasive technology, the intervention is designed to capitalize on social involvement as a means through which HIV+ YMSM can receive information and social support, experience social norms and reflective appraisals, and feel a sense of connectedness to peers.

Population mobility is frequent in South Africa and disrupts the continuity of HIV care. Postpartum, HIV-positive women are at elevated risk of dropping out of HIV care and are highly mobile. This pilot study aims to engage peripartum, HIV-positive women as potential users to evaluate a novel smartphone application to assist these women with linkage to new HIV facilities and prospectively describe the mobility of this population.

High and sustained adherence is critical for achieving the individual and public health benefits of HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART). Electronic adherence monitors provide a detailed understanding of adherence and enable real-time interventions. Research has shown the benefit of these monitors and low-cost models have recently become available; however, their use to date has largely been confined to the research context. This study is an implementation science-driven assessment of strategies to improve uptake of electronic adherence monitoring and associated interventions for routine, clinical delivery of ART in Uganda. The study consists of two aims. In Aim 1, the investigators will conduct multi-level formative interviews to design a preliminary implementation strategy. In Aim 2, the investigators will use an iterative approach to optimize the implementation strategy. All work will be guided by the Consolidated Framework for Research Implementation.

The purpose of this study is to use technology to improve symptom status and ultimately improve patient centered outcomes in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The primary purpose of the intervention (VIP-HANA) is to improve symptom status. The investigators hypothesize that VIP-HANA will improve symptom frequency and intensity.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of an exercise session with weights associated with glutamine dipeptide (GLD) supplementation on cognitive function of people living with HIV/ AIDS. The sample consisted of 10 HIV+ women, who used the Antiretroviral Therapy Highly Active. The participants were randomized in a double-blind procedure to receive seven days of supplementation GLD or placebo (PLA). At the end of this first period, the participants held a workout with weights with cognitive assessments before and immediately after the session. To evaluate oxidative stress markers blood samples were collected before and 1 hour and 2 hours after the session.Then the participants rested for 7 days for the initial stocks of glutamine return to baseline levels (washout). Following was realized the crossing of the groups, so those who had received the GLD in the first week spent extra for 7 days with PLA and vice versa, and then they repeated evaluations and exercise session. The exercise session consisted of seven resistance exercises involving different muscle groups, with three sets of 8-12 repetitions with an interval of 90 seconds between sets and 120 seconds between the exercises. Stroop test was used to cognitive assessments, which aims to assess selective attention and inhibitory control over the color of conflict and word, and the N-back test, responsible for evaluating the central executive component of working memory by stimuli visual. Oxidative stress markers (TBARS, FOX, GSH, GSSG, AOPP) were analyzed in plasma samples.

The study harnessed the multidisciplinary expertise of our research team to develop a brief, computer-based, alcohol reduction intervention tailored for HIV/HCV co-infected women and evaluate its efficacy. The intervention, if effective, may be an efficient and cost-effective alcohol reduction strategy, that is scalable and can be readily disseminated and integrated in clinical care at other AIDS Centres in Russia to enhance women's health and reduce HIV/HCV transmission risk.

The conventional way to control HIV infection is the usage of a drug cocktail capable of suppressing the viral replication cycle, commonly known as antiretroviral therapy (ART). Despite effective ART it is not possible to eradicate HIV. The virus hides in particular cells to form the latent HIV-reservoir.[1-9] Studies that emphasise on revealing hidden reservoirs would aid in designing novel therapeutic strategies for controlling HIV infection. Molecular imaging by SPECT/CT has the potential to reveal hidden reservoirs of HIV virus that are not eliminated by currently used drugs capable of suppressing and thereby controlling the viral replication cycle in HIV infected patients. New approaches, necessary to prevent and treat HIV-1 infection, are gradually emerging. A new generation of highly potent broadly neutralizing antibodies (bN/Abs) may represent a promising approach to combating HIV-1 infection.[10] The broadly neutralizing antibody 3BNC117 antibody that can mimic human CD4 binding targeted against the HIV gp120 envelope protein has been tested in various clinical trials.[11-14] It has found to be safe and effective in reducing viraemia and to improve host humoral responses in HIV-1 infected individuals, and to have effect on viral rebound in patients who are kept off antiretroviral treatment briefly for experimental purpose. Imaging of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection by PET/CT has been successfully performed in nonhuman primates with a 64Cu-labeled SIV gp120-specific antibody called 7D3.[15] This study aims to use a similar approach in human with the 3BNC117 antibody. The 3BNC117 antibody has been successfully radiolabeled with iodine 123. The half-life of this radioisotope is appropriate for antibody imaging in nuclear medicine. Radiolabeled 123I 3BNC117 was shown to keep a good immunoreactivity for gp120. By using state of the art SPECT scanner a semi-quantitative image will be obtained. In addition, the absence of any chelator and the well known use of iodine-123 in clinic make it suitable for human intervention. No HIV imaging in human has been achieved yet, which is however fundamental to understand some key steps in the pathogenesis of HIV-induced immunodeficiency. This research opens promising opportunities for drug and vaccine development. Indeed, identification of virus reservoirs in treated patients would facilitate the development of strategies for eradicating these reservoirs or for extending latency period.