Active clinical trials for "HIV Infections"

The purpose of this study is to compare different treatments for HIV infection to see which works best to lower HIV levels and to raise the number of CD4 cells (cells of the immune system that fight infection), in HIV-positive individuals who have been on a protease inhibitor-containing drug regimen for at least 16 weeks. Researchers have found that combination anti-HIV therapy (multiple drugs given together) can help prevent AIDS-related illnesses and help people with AIDS live longer. In this study, the anti-HIV drug efavirenz (EFV) will be tested with 1 or 2 other protease inhibitors (PIs) to see which combination works best to treat HIV infection. EFV has been shown to limit the amount of HIV virus produced by infected cells.

The purpose of this study is to estimate the rate at which a certain population becomes infected with HIV. The individuals examined in this study are people who are expected to take part in future studies of HIV vaccines and nonvaccine HIV prevention studies. This study also examines the chances of becoming HIV-positive based on certain risk factors under conditions that are similar to the conditions that would exist in HIV vaccine and non-HIV prevention studies. Before studying the effectiveness of a potential HIV vaccine, it is important to learn about the range of HIV risk behaviors in the potential participants of these studies. The probability of HIV infection associated with these risk behaviors should also be examined. This study is designed to increase the ability of HIVNET to put into place HIV prevention trials, to increase the diversity of trial participants, and to target populations at highest risk for HIV infection.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether it is better to start an anti-HIV regimen containing a protease inhibitor (PI), a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), or a PI in combination with an NNRTI. This study will also examine which treatment regimen is best as a first treatment for HIV infection.

This study will look at different anti-HIV drug regimens to see which works best to keep the level of HIV (viral load) in the blood as low as possible during maintenance therapy. You will be assigned randomly (like tossing a coin) to 1 of 3 groups: Group 1: Didanosine plus stavudine plus hydroxyurea (ddI/d4T/HU). Group 2: Didanosine plus stavudine plus efavirenz (ddI/d4T/EFV). Group 3: This group of patients will remain on their current drug regimens. This study will last approximately 3 years; you will receive study medications for the duration of the study. Anti-HIV drug regimens that include protease inhibitors (PIs) are very good at lowering viral load. However, some patients have a rise in HIV levels while on PI maintenance. It may be possible to keep HIV levels low using another class of drugs for maintenance that are easier to take and less expensive than PIs. If viral load increases while a patient is taking this second group of drugs, it may be possible to restart the PI drug regimen and again decrease HIV levels.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of an HIV vaccine (Remune) on the immune system. This study involves patients who have received at least 60 weeks of anti-HIV therapy, either alone or in combination with IL-2, while enrolled in ACTG 328. Remune is an experimental HIV vaccine. To see how the body's immune system reacts, this vaccine will be given with 1 to 3 other vaccines, and skin tests will monitor the body's reaction.

The study examines the safety and effectiveness of ritonavir (an anti-HIV drug), alone and in combination with other anti-HIV drugs, in HIV-positive children under 2 years of age. This study will also determine the most effective doses of ritonavir for future pediatric HIV studies. Infants infected with HIV by their mothers experience faster disease progression than adults or older children. Treatment with anti-HIV drugs administered at an early age may slow disease progression in infant populations.

To determine the safety and immunogenicity of Env 2-3 in combination with MTP-PE/MF59 adjuvant in adult volunteers with HIV infection. By vaccinating those who have HIV infection, perhaps the replication (reproduction) of existing viral strains can be suppressed and the asymptomatic period early in the infectious process can be prolonged. One potential way to do this is to boost HIV antigen-specific CD4 responses, which may in turn increase the effectiveness of CD8 killing of HIV infected cells.

To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a 6-month course of isoniazid ( INH ) in the prevention of clinical tuberculosis in anergic (having diminished or absent reactions to specific antigens) HIV-infected persons who are at high risk for tuberculous infection. A substantial number of HIV-infected persons are anergic, and thus do not respond to the only currently available diagnostic tool for tuberculosis infection (that is, the PPD (purified protein derivative) skin test). Many of these anergic persons are, however, infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and eventually develop reactivation tuberculosis, causing both individual illness and spread of infection to others in the community. This study examines the possibility of using INH prophylaxis (that is, for prevention) in anergic HIV-infected patients at high risk for tuberculosis as a means of decreasing the sharp rise in the incidence of tuberculosis due to HIV infection. INH is inexpensive and relatively safe, and thus may demonstrate an acceptable risk/benefit ratio as a medication that can be given over a limited period of time to a population suspected of having, but not proved to have, M. tuberculosis infection. If this study shows INH to be safe and effective in this setting, it could have a major effect on public health in this country.

To define the pharmacokinetic parameters (blood levels) of total phosphorylated zidovudine (AZT) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from HIV-infected patients. Despite an understanding of the serum (or plasma) pharmacokinetics (blood levels) of AZT, a therapeutic concentration range and optimal dosing interval have not yet been determined.

To evaluate and compare the effectiveness and toxicity associated with didanosine ( ddI ) and zalcitabine ( dideoxycytidine; ddC ) in patients with HIV infection who are intolerant of or have failed zidovudine ( AZT ) therapy. Alternative and less toxic treatments need to be investigated for the treatment of HIV infection. Studies have shown that the dideoxynucleosides ddI and ddC may be effective antiretroviral agents in the treatment of HIV-infected individuals. However, ddI and ddC have yet to be compared on the basis of patient survival, drug tolerance, immunologic and virologic effectiveness, and the incidence of opportunistic infection or opportunistic malignancy. Results of this study will yield information regarding the relative therapeutic benefits and toxicities of each drug while providing alternative treatment to patients who are unable to tolerate or have had progression of disease while on AZT.