Active clinical trials for "HIV Infections"

To compare the safety and effectiveness of fluconazole and amphotericin B as maintenance treatment for preventing the relapse of cryptococcal meningitis in patients with AIDS.

To assess the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii (a nonpathogenic yeast) in producing a significant reduction in diarrheal symptoms in HIV-infected patients with chronic diarrhea.

To evaluate the efficacy of oral ganciclovir in preventing progression to cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease (e.g., CMV retinitis, gastrointestinal CMV disease) in CMV-infected people with HIV infection and CD4 lymphocyte counts <= 100 cells/mm3. To evaluate the efficacy of this drug in reducing morbidity associated with coinfection by both CMV and HIV.

To evaluate the clinical toxicity, safety, and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of intravenous nystatin in patients with HIV infection. To evaluate the potential anti-HIV activity and clinical pharmacology of intravenous nystatin.

To determine the tolerance and side effects of a combination of lentinan and didanosine (ddI) compared with ddI alone. To determine whether the combination of lentinan and ddI produces a significant immunorestorative effect within the study observation period (6-12 months) as measured by an increase in one or more of the following: neutrophil count and activity, T-cell subsets, and a decrease in p24 antigen.

Synthetic HIV Peptide Vaccines (Treatment Protocol) We are conducting a study to evaluate the safety of two peptide vaccines (given alone or in combination) in patients with early HIV infection. Patients entered onto the study must have >500 CD4 cells/mm(3) and have preserved cardiac, hepatic, renal, and bone marrow function. Patients must be off all anti-retroviral therapy for at least 6 months and may not have received any experimental HIV vaccines. The vaccines being testing in this trial are comprised of short peptide segments of the HIV envelope, including the V3 loop. In animal studies, the peptides were able to induce neutralizing antibodies as well as cytotoxic T responses to HIV. This will be the first trial in which they are given to humans. The study will last for approximately one year, during which time the volunteers will receive 6 peptide vaccines under the skin. For more information, please call Tino Merced-Galindez, R.N. at (301) 496-8959 or Dr. Richard Little at (800) 772-5464.

Patients enrolled in NIH protocol 95-I-0133 at the Clinical Center may participate in an extension phase of this study in which the drug prednisone will be eliminated from the treatment regimen. Prednisone is associated with avascular necrosis, a condition that has been found in a number of patients in this study. Also, certain patients in this protocol may receive future interleukin-2 treatment cycles at home. Home administration of IL-2 injections involves less frequent data and safety monitoring and no medical evaluations at the Clinical Center except at the beginning of each cycle. To be eligible for home administration of IL-2, patients must: Be enrolled in a current NIAID protocol for IL-2 therapy and have received at least 1 year of treatment on the protocol, with at least two well-tolerated outpatient cycles at a stable dose. Have a history of tolerable side effects while receiving IL-2 without frequent medical interventions, intravenous fluid replacement or dose reductions. Not have had any significant clinical or laboratory abnormalities during days 0 to 5 of the last two outpatient cycles. Have a strong relationship with a private physician or health-care provider who has been involved in the patient's care and is willing to help supervise the patient's care during each home IL-2 cycle. Live in a home with easy telephone access and have proved reliable in responding to telephone calls from clinic staff. Give the clinic staff contact information for a close friend or relative who will agree to serve as a caregiver during each home cycle, providing the patient non-medical assistance and checking on his or her condition daily. Have reasonable access to emergency medical services and a nearby medical facility. Have proved reliable and consistent in using sterile technique, reconstituting IL-2 vials and administering subcutaneous IL-2 injections. Be receiving outpatient IL-2 injections cycles at least once every 6 months as part of their normal protocol participation. Have access to a home weight scale and be able to weigh themselves each day for safety monitoring. Participants will receive IL-2 cycles on the same schedule they followed in their original protocol participation. They will be seen at the Clinical Center at regularly scheduled follow-up visits between cycles and for a medical evaluation and blood drawing before the start of each cycle to determine the safety of administering the cycle. During the home cycle, the patient's case manager or other team member will place monitoring telephone calls on days 2 and 4 of the cycle and again a week later. The timing and number of these calls may change depending on the findings of ongoing assessments of their usefulness. Patients will be required to notify the study team promptly of any complications or other problems that develop with therapy.

To investigate the toxicity of interferon alfa-2b ( IFN alfa-2b ) in combination with nucleoside analog therapy in HIV-positive patients with chronic hepatitis C. To determine the efficacy of treatment with IFN alfa-2b for chronic hepatitis C in patients with advanced HIV infections treated with nucleoside analog therapy. IFN alfa-2b has HIV inhibitory properties and has also been approved for treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Studies have shown that IFN alfa-2b is effective in asymptomatic HIV-positive patients with chronic hepatitis C, but the drug's benefit against hepatitis C in patients with advanced HIV infection has not been determined.

To compare the efficacy of lamivudine (3TC) and zidovudine (AZT) in combination versus the better of didanosine (ddI) monotherapy or ddI/AZT combination, in symptomatic HIV-1 infected children who received less than 56 days of prior antiretroviral therapy. To evaluate the safety and tolerance of 3TC/AZT in this patient population. To determine other measures of diseases in response to the study regimens. Currently, none of the potential treatments for HIV-1 infection has proven to be both nontoxic and effective in long-term use. However, previous studies in both adults and children have shown that 3TC combined with AZT reduced HIV load in blood and increased white blood cells. Additionally, 3TC has demonstrated a favorable safety profile.

The purpose of this study is to see if it is safe and effective to give isotretinoin to HIV-infected women with cervical tumors to prevent these tumors from becoming cancerous. Cervical tumors are found in both HIV-infected and HIV-negative women. However, HIV-infected women are at a greater risk, and often their tumors become cancerous more quickly than those in HIV-negative women. Isotretinoin may be able to prevent this from happening. However, since these tumors tend to disappear over time, many doctors are hesitant to give their patients isotretinoin since this drug causes birth defects. This study looks at whether it is better to treat cervical tumors in HIV-infected women or to wait and see if they will disappear by themselves.