Active clinical trials for "Infections"

Controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) is an important tool for the assessment of the efficacy of novel malaria vaccines and drugs prior to field trials. CHMI also allows for the evaluation of immunity to malaria and parasite growth rates in vivo and thus allows for the assessment of the natural acquisition and loss of malaria immunity. This may be particularly useful in individuals from endemic areas with changing levels of exposure and immunity to malaria. Thus, CHMI in individuals with prior exposure to malaria could be a valuable tool to accelerate malaria vaccine development and inform malaria control programs of changing immunity levels and related disease presentations. In this trial, the investigators intend to study the effect of pre-exposure to Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) on parasite kinetics, clinical symptoms and immunity after CHMI by PfSPZ Challenge in Gambian adults. Based on a well-defined sero-profile representing the extremes of current malaria exposure in The Gambia, two cohorts will be identified to study the impact of naturally acquired immunity on susceptibility for a Controlled Human Malaria Infection.

Infections with SARS-CoV-2 result in a systemic disease with a variety of outcomes, from no symptoms to severe and diverse pathologies. Therefore, it is important to identify risk factors determining COVID-19 severity, especially if those factors might be adjusted, allowing early and effective therapeutic interventions. Zinc is a trace element essential for human health. Zinc deficiency is common in old adults, vegetarians and patients with chronic inflammatory diseases. This condition causes immune dysfunction leading to increased risk of inflammatory and infectious diseases, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome, measles, malaria, tuberculosis, and pneumonia. Besides, zinc has a direct antiviral activity against specific viruses like rhinovirus, HCV, herpes simplex virus. In this scenario, it has been shown that zinc supplementation has benefits on the recurrence and persistence of acute and chronic viral infections like common cold or HCV, HBV. Moreover, our team has recently done an observational study with 249 COVID-19 patients that showed how COVID-19 patients with lower plasma zinc content had worse prognosis, increased time of hospitalization and mortality. Therefore, the main aim of the project is to explore the therapeutic benefit of zinc supplementation for COVID-19 patients and to determine the cellular and molecular basis of the effect of Zn levels on SARS CoV-2 infections. For that purpose the investigators will run a clinical trial supplementing with zinc COVID-19 patients. Moreover, the investigators will carry out experiments to understand the association between zinc nutritional status and SARS-Cov-2 infection progression in cellular and animal models. Given the current knowledge about zinc supplementation toxicity and dosage, the investigators expect that recommendations derived from this study will be rapidly applied by physicians and public health decision makers. The results of these studies will be used as a guideline to administer zinc supplements in COVID-19 patients in order to reduce disease severity and mortality. Moreover, the experiments will clarify whether zinc supplementation as a prophylaxis strategy is useful to protect the population at risk of zinc deficiency, more than 20% worldwide. Finally, considering the new knowledge that this project will generate about the role of zinc in immune responses and viral expansion, the investigators expect that our results will help researchers and physicians to design novel strategies to boost specific immune cell subpopulations against SARS-CoV2 infection. Thus, this knowledge could be used long-term for designing medicines against SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections.

The intervention includes provision of transport reimbursement for men who will undergo voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC), intensified health education by a VMMC mobilizer and a male and female VMMC champion and use of a cell phone short messaging service (SMS) and/or telephonic tracing to remind clients of their VMMC appointment (the RITe intervention). The investigators will assess the uptake of VMMC, and acceptability, appropriateness and feasibility of the RITe intervention among uncircumcised men attending a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) clinic and health care workers. This intervention was initially designed to include escorting men interested in circumcision from the STI clinic to a VMMC clinic co-located in the same facility. However, the VMMC clinic space was repurposed to a COVID-19 isolation unit therefore clinic escorts were excluded. In Lieu of clinic escorts, participants will be linked to the nearest health facility of choice where VMMC services are provided by the VMMC mobilizer. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of using transport reimbursement, intensified health education and SMS/telephonic tracing in increasing the uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision at this clinic.

Targeting human microbiota, in particular those of the gastrointestinal tract, by means of prebiotics, probiotics, symbiotics or antibiotics has gained interest for its potential in the management of human health. Oral bacterial communities have been extensively studied over the last decade both in normal and pathological states; however, little data are available on the possibility to modify microbiota composition in a controlled and 'non-aggressive' manner by using probiotics, in order to improve oral health. Saliva contains microorganisms attached to exfoliated human cells and released from oral biofilms; its microbiota is most similar (proportionally) to those of the dorsal and lateral tongue. In addition, bacteria belonging to genera Porphyromonas, Tannerella and Treponema, which contain species associated with periodontitis, are consistently identified in saliva. Salivary microbial communities are relatively stable and thus potentially interesting as an indicator of oral and general health. Indeed, it has been suggested that interventions aimed at improving oral health should target mucosal microbiota (to which saliva is most similar) in addition to dental microbial communities. Whole saliva also constitutes an alternative to gingival crevicular fluid when analysing analytes present in periodontal pockets. It has been suggested that saliva reflects a consensus inflammatory status of the whole mouth with potentially significant clinical relevance. Strain K12 of Streptococcus salivarius is available internationally as a food supplement, notably for oral hygiene. Several studies investigated the effectiveness of S. salivarius as a probiotic in the context of pharyngeal infections, halitosis, plaque formation and caries. Our study will focus on the effects of supplementation with this commercially available oral probiotic on the resident microbiota and inflammatory markers in order to identify signatures associated with resistance/susceptibility to colonization by probiotic strains.

This study is a first-in-human, Phase 1, randomized, double- blind, four-part, dose-escalation study to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of single (Part 1) and repeat (Part 2) escalating intravenous doses of KSP-1007. Repeated escalating doses of KSP-1007 will be co-administered with meropenem (Part 3) and single, ascending doses of KSP-1007 will be administered alone in healthy Japanese subjects (Part 4)

Healthy volunteers are being recruited for this pharmacokinetics study. The objective is to characterize the pharmacokinetic properties of maraviroc alone and when administered with rifabutin and to assess rifabutin and 25-O-desacetyl-rifabutin pharmacokinetics compared to the literature.

The study investigated the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of cadazolid in subjects with severe Clostridium difficile diarrhea (CDAD) and whether this influenced the quantity of cadazolid absorbed into the systemic circulation.

The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of 12-week probiotic supplementation on the incidence and duration of infectious episodes in infants aged 6 to 12 months.

This is a randomised, double-blind, 3-part study designed to investigate the safety and tolerability of ATM-AVI. The study aims to characterise the pharmacokinetics of ATM-AVI, when both drugs are administered alone (ATM or AVI) and in combination (ATM-AVI), following single administration, and following multiple administrations of ATM-AVI in healthy male and female (females of nonchildbearing potential) volunteers both young and elderly.

To evaluate the effect of a continuous postal and web-based feedback and peer comparison system of individual antibiotic prescription rates on the prescription behaviour of primary care physicians in Switzerland.