Active clinical trials for "Infections"

Indinavir is usually taken three times a day. The purpose of this study is to see if it is safe and effective to take indinavir only twice a day plus nelfinavir (also taken twice a day) and efavirenz (taken once a day).

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of a 3-drug anti-HIV regimen, amprenavir (APV) plus abacavir (ABC) plus lamivudine (3TC), on the way carbohydrates (sugars) and fats are metabolized (processed by the body) in HIV-infected patients who have received little or no previous anti-HIV drug therapy.

This study is designed to determine the influence of food on the absorption and relative bioavailability of oral ganciclovir by comparing the absorption of oral ganciclovir in a fed and fasting state at steady state plasma levels.

The primary objective of this trial is to assess the safety and the relative benefit of rifabutin monotherapy in preventing or delaying the incidence of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) bacteremia in AIDS patients with CD4 counts less than or equal to 200, as compared to placebo, and to assess if survival is prolonged in patients who receive rifabutin prophylaxis.

To compare the safety, tolerance, and effectiveness of fluconazole and ketoconazole in the treatment of candidal esophagitis in immunocompromised patients.

The purpose of this study is to see if it is safe and effective to give Viracept to AIDS patients who are already being treated for cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis.

To assess the magnitude and duration of the antiviral activity in plasma and the incidence and time to total suppression of detectable HIV RNA in plasma. To assess the long-term safety and tolerability of this combination therapy and the magnitude and duration of the effect of these drugs over CD4 cell counts.

To determine the antimicrobial activity and tolerability of rifapentine alone and in combination therapy in patients with AIDS and disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) bacteremia. To determine the pharmacokinetics of rifapentine and its metabolite, 25-desacetyl, alone and in combination therapy. To determine the pharmacokinetics of azithromycin and clarithromycin (and its 14-OH metabolite) in combination therapy.

This study will try to define how and where HIV infection persists in the body by determining: 1) if there are cells where HIV can live for long periods of time without being seen and destroyed by the immune system; 2) if there are sites where anti-HIV drugs cannot penetrate enough to stop new HIV replication; and 3) if HIV in certain lymph nodes can remain infectious for prolonged periods of time. It will also explore whether immune system damage caused by HIV can be repaired after new virus replication is stopped with treatment. HIV-infected patients 18 years of age and older may be eligible for this study, which will include three groups as follows. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, physical examination, blood and urine tests and possibly chest X-ray and electrocardiogram. Participants will be divided into three groups according to CD4 count levels: > 500 cells/microliter of blood; between 300 and 500 cells/microliter, and < 300 cells/microliter of blood. All participants will be treated with a combination of four antiretroviral drugs: indinavir, zidovudine, lamivudine and nevirapine. (Exceptions to this regimen may be made in certain circumstances for patients who cannot tolerate one of the four drugs.) In addition, they will undergo the following procedures: Blood tests - Blood tests will be done at screening and at study entry to evaluate the patient's health status and measure CD4 T cell count and plasma HIV levels; at the beginning of treatment to look for drug-related side effects; and during the course of the study to evaluate drug effectiveness in inhibiting HIV replication; CD4 T cell levels and function. Lymph node biopsy - Lymph node biopsies are done under local anesthesia. A small incision is made, the node is removed, and the incision is closed with stitches. Up to two nodes may be removed during each procedure. Patients with CD4 counts greater than 500 cells/microliter of blood and those with counts less than 300 cells/microliter will have three lymph node biopsies in order to 1) assess the effectiveness of therapy in inhibiting HIV replication in the nodes (the major site of replication); 2) determine how long HIV-infected cells may persist in the nodes after new replication is stopped by therapy; and 3) determine if immune damage caused by HIV can be repaired when virus replication is stopped. Lymph node biopsy in patients with counts between 300 and 500 cells/microliter of blood is required only at baseline, although follow-up biopsies are encouraged. Leukapheresis - In this procedure, whole blood is collected through a needle placed in an arm vein. The blood circulates through a cell separator machine where the white cells are removed and collected. The rest of the blood is returned to the body, either through the same needle used to draw the blood or through a second needle placed in the other arm. The collected white cells are used for special studies of the level and function of T cells before and after drug treatment. Patients with CD4 counts > 500 cells/microliter and < 300 cells/microliter will undergo leukapheresis up to four times - at study entry and about 2, 6 and 12 months after starting antiretroviral therapy. Patients with CD4 counts between 300 and 500 cells/microliter will have this procedure either at study entry and 6 and 12 weeks after initiation therapy, or on the same schedule as the other patients.

This study will examine the effectiveness of clofazimine in the prophylaxis of Mycobacterium avium complex infection in HIV infected individuals who are at risk to develop this untreatable opportunistic disease. In the absence of truly effective antiretroviral therapy, a potential mode of treatment of patients with HIV infection is to prevent the development of the life-threatening opportunistic infections. Current studies demonstrate a possible efficacy of clofazimine in the prophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), the most common AIDS-defining opportunistic infection. Future studies will examine the potential for prophylaxis against the other opportunistic infections. This proposal hopes to define the role of prophylactic clofazimine in preventing the currently untreatable Mycobacterium avium complex infection. AMENDED: To include prophylaxis for Asymptomatic and ARC.