Active clinical trials for "Infections"

In areas of seasonal malaria transmission, treatment of carriers of malaria parasites, whose parasitaemia persists at very low levels throughout the dry season, could be a useful strategy for malaria control in areas with a short transmission season. We did a randomized trial to compare two regimens for clearance of low level parasitaemia in the dry season.

This study will examine: 1) the safety and effectiveness of the drug doxycycline in reducing the number of Mansonella perstans (Mp) worms in the blood of infected patients, and 2) the effects of doxycycline followed by albendazole and ivermectin treatment for lymphatic filariasis, caused by the parasitic worm Wuchereria bancofti (Wb). Both Mp and Wb very small filarial worms that are spread by mosquitoes. Some people are infected with both Mp and Wb. Although most people do not become ill from infection with these parasites, some develop symptoms. Wb can cause swellings in the arms, legs, breast, and scrotum, and can progress to permanent swelling of the legs or arms called elephantiasis. Mp can cause itching, swelling, fever, headache, or other symptoms. Ivermectin and albendazole are medicines used to treat lymphatic filariasis. They eliminate the Wb parasite from the blood but do not affect Mp. Doxycycline is used to treat many kinds of infections and has also recently been shown to reduce the number of filarial worms in several types of filarial infections. The drug may be useful in Mp infections as well. Residents of Sabougou and nearby villages in Mali who are infected with the Mp parasite, are between 14 and 65 years of age, are in good health, are not pregnant or breastfeeding, and weigh at least 40 kg (88 lb) may be eligible for this study. They may or may not also be infected with Wb. Candidates are screened with a brief medical history and physical examination and blood tests to look for infection with Mp and Wb. Participants undergo a complete physical examination and medical history. Blood is drawn for routine blood tests. Participants are then randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups, as follows: 1) doxycycline for 6 weeks; 2) doxycycline for 6 weeks followed by a single dose of albendazole and ivermectin given 6 months after the beginning of doxycycline treatment; 3) a single dose of albendazole and ivermectin given 6 months after the beginning of doxycycline treatment; or 4) no treatment. Only patients infected with Wb receive albendazole and ivermectin treatment. All participants, whether or not they receive doxycycline, come to the clinic every day for 6 weeks. Every 2 weeks during this time, they have a blood test and, in women of childbearing age, a urine pregnancy test. After 6 months, they have a medical history, physical examination, and blood tests. Subjects in the albendazole/ivermectin treatment group are given the pills to take at that time. One year and three years after beginning the study, participants return to the clinic for a final history, physical examination, and blood tests. At the end of the first year of the study, all participants who tested positive for lymphatic filariasis but did not receive ivermectin and albendazole will be offered treatment with these medicines Ivermectin and albendazole will also be distributed by the Mali government to everyone in the villages as part of a program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in the country.

Study to evaluate the effects of AUGMENTIN 1gm in the treatment of Skin and Soft tissue infections

The purpose of this study is to help define the role of antibiotics in the treatment of pediatric skin infections caused by community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). The investigators hypothesize that treatment with cephalexin, a penicillin-like antibiotic to which CA-MRSA would be expected to be resistant, does not result in poorer outcomes than treatment with clindamycin, an antibiotic to which CA-MRSA is most often susceptible.

The purpose of this study is to compare the early virological response (EVR = undetectable [ribonucleic acid-hepatitis C virus] RNA-HCV or a reduction of > 2 log10) of patients with chronic hepatitis C coinfected with HIV treated with induction doses of peginterferon alpha-2a (40 KD) 270 µg/week and ribavirin 1600 mg/day for 4 weeks, followed by 8 weeks of treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a (40 KD) 180 µg/week and ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day versus treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a (40 KD) 180 µg/week and ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day for 12 weeks.

Daptomycin is a new antimicrobial agent which has activity against resistant Gram positive cocci including MRSA. The phase 3 clinical trials for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) with Staphylococci and Streptococci have already demonstrated that daptomycin was noninferior to the comparator agent (vancomycin or beta-lactams) (10). Although this clinical trial did not include any patients with clostridial infection, there is in vitro data to support the activity of daptomycin against a variety of clostridial species(11) ( Clostridium perfringens) Therefore, for this trial we will include patients with clostridial infections with this species. Additionally, the patients in the SSTI study were not as ill as the proposed study population. Therefore for treatment of such severe infections, we would like to use a higher dose of daptomycin (6mg/kg/dose). The reasons for using a higher dose of daptomycin in this subgroup are as follows: Patients who are severely ill have an increased volume of distribution; and therefore have a lower serum concentration of daptomycin. These patients might require a higher dose of daptomycin to achieve the desired serum concentration. One of the organisms involved in necrotizing fasciitis is enterococcus (both-fecalis and faecium). E.faecium has higher MICs to daptomycin and would require a higher dose of the drug to achieve adequate free (unbound) serum concentration of the drug. Both necrotizing fasciitis and endocarditis are serious deep seated infections. The clinical trials for endocarditis are using 6mg/kg/dose of daptomycin. Therefore for optimal treatment of necrotizing fasciitis, it is justifiable that we should use the higher dose of daptomycin. Objective: To evaluate the clinical and microbiological efficacy and safety of higher dose daptomycin therapy in the treatment of patients with severe necrotizing skin and soft tissue infections. Type of Study: Open label, single center study.

The objectives of this study are: a) to assess the feasibility and sensitivity of manually count cough bouts over a 4-hour period; b) to assess the effects of buckwheat honey and guaifenesin 400 mg immediate release tablets compared to placebo on the frequency and severity of acute cough due to upper respiratory tract infection and c) to evaluate the correlation between cough bout frequency and subjective assessments of cough severity. The hypotheses to be tested is that 10 ml of buckwheat honey and 400 mg of immediate release guaifenesin will significantly reduce the frequency and severity of cough compared to placebo over a 4-hour evaluation period.

DNA vaccines consist of small pieces of DNA also known as plasmids, and have several potential advantages over traditional vaccines. Thus far, DNA vaccines appear to be well tolerated in humans. We have developed DNA vaccine, PENNVAX-B, which includes plasmids targeting the gag, pol, and env proteins of HIV-1. The vaccine will be delivered via electroporation (EP) which uses the CELLECTRA constant current device to deliver a small electric charge following injection, since animal studies have shown that this delivery method increases the immune response to vaccine. The vaccine will be given to HIV-1 infected subjects whose viral load is undetectable on a HAART regimen, with CD4 lymphocyte count above 400 cells/µL of blood. It is hypothesized that PENNVAX-B + EP will be safe and well tolerated.

This study assessed the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral activity of multiple oral doses of ABT-450/ritonavir (r), ABT-333 (also known as dasabuvir), or ABT-072 in hepatitis C virus (HCV), genotype 1-infected, treatment-naïve adults.

The primary focus of the study is the evaluation of the safety of treatment with moxifloxacin in a pediatric population 3 months to <18 years old. Approximately 450 pediatric subjects with a complicated intra-abdominal infection will be enrolled in the study and treated with either moxifloxacin intravenously and orally if switched to oral therapy or ertapenem (intravenously) and, if switched to oral therapy, amoxicillin/clavulanate.