Active clinical trials for "Infections"

This proposal seeks to build upon studies, including ours, on the favorable effects of California strawberries on vascular health. Freeze dried strawberry powder (FDSP) contains a number of nutrients that may have beneficial effects on plasma lipids and vascular function, as well as on the composition of the gut microbiota; changes in the gut microbiota can in turn have secondary positive effects on the vascular system as well as on other physiological functions that are important determinants of health and disease. The proposed project will seek to determine the influence of short-term FDSP intake on the gut microbiota composition, and select microbial-derived metabolites from stool, serum and urine, and their relationship to microvascular function. Secondary outcomes will include the influence of the FDSP on circulating levels of nitrate and nitrite and trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) as markers of vascular health that are influenced by both dietary intake and the oral and gut microflora, with blood pressure as an additional vascular outcome.

The purpose of this study is to assess blood levels of Ceftaroline fosamil in children.

The clinical symptoms of septic complications (SC) (responsible for the majority of morbidity in colorectal surgery) become apparent only 5-7 days after the operation, whereas the efficacy of treatment depends on early diagnosis. By detecting such complications early it could be possible to reduce their severity, the length of hospitalisation, repeat colostomy and the number of readmissions. Our team has shown that C-reactive protein (CRP) > 125 mg/L at postoperative day 4 (D4) was a predictor of SC in this context. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a marker of sepsis currently used in intensive care, but its use in the follow-up of elective surgery, particularly colorectal surgery, has not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study is to compare the ability of CRP and PCT to detect SC as early as postoperative day 2 (D2) (intra-abdominal or systemic SC, such as those defined by the CDC) after elective colorectal surgery. Adult patients about to undergo elective colorectal surgery with anastomosis will be included once they have given their written informed consent. Levels of CRP and PCT will be measured the day before the surgery, then at D1, D2, D3 and D4. The clinical data (temperature, recovery of bowel movement, pain, pain on palpation) will be recorded daily. Imaging examinations will be performed at the discretion of the surgeon; the only obligation will be to perform a contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT-scan if CRP at D4 > 125 mg/L with no other clinical anomalies. The discriminating ability (measured by the area under the ROC curve) of CRP at D2 was 0.653 in our previous study. An improvement of at least 0.1 will be necessary to show the superiority of PCT over CRP in clinical terms and with regard to the cost.

The purpose of the planned study is to investigate the effect of heat-treated lactobacilli on diarrhea outcome in healthy children 1-4 years old in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

A new paediatric formulation (oral liquid) has been developed for flexible and accurate dosing of valacyclovir in children. To establish the bioavailability of this new formulation, healthy volunteers will be exposed to the new formulation and to valacyclovir tablets. The concentration of valacyclovir in their blood after exposure to the oral liquid will be measured and compared to the tablet.

The purpose of this study is to dermine whether local-water filtered infrared-A (wIRA) irradiation can reduce postoperative wound infection. wIRA irradiation is applied 20min directly preoperatively, before patients underwent abdominal surgery. The wIRA is a harmless light source, that has been described before. We test the impact and clinical outcome of patients undergoing a one-time preoperative wIRA irradiation on postoperative wound healing.

This study specifically seeks to quantify the contribution of relapes to the burden of P. vivax infections and disease by determining on the effect of radical pre-erythrocytic and erythrocytic clearance on subsequent rates of Plasmodium spp. infection and disease in children aged 5-10 years in a treatment to re-infection study design. In order the clear liver-stage/blood-stages G6PD-normal children were randomised to receive Chloroquine (3 days, standard dose) and Coartem (3 days, standard dose) plus either i) primaquine (20 days, 0.5mg/kg) or ii) placebo (20days). These drugs were administered over a period of 4 weeks. In addition to this epidemiological data, the study will assess the natural acquisition of cellular and humoral immune responses to P. falciparum and P. vivax, thus assisting in the determination of correlates of clinical immunity to P. falciparum and P. vivax in PNG children aged 5-10 years. These data will not only be essential for development of future vaccines against P. vivax and P falciparum but provide invaluable insight into the contribution of long-lasting liver-stages to the force of infection with P. vivax that will contribute towards designing more rational approaches to the treatment of P. vivax both in the context of case management and future attempts at elimination.

Background: - Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a major cause of genital herpes. It can also cause serious infection in newborns and in people with weakened immune systems. It increases the risk of getting an HIV infection and of spreading HIV to someone else. Therefore, a vaccine that could prevent genital herpes could improve the general health of the world s population. Researchers want to study whether a new vaccine, HSV529, which may be used in the future to prevent herpes infections, is safe. Objectives: - To test whether a new herpes vaccine is safe. Eligibility: - Healthy adults 18 40 years old. Design: Participants will have 3 vaccination visits, 7 follow-up visits, and 3 follow-up phone calls over 1 year. Each vaccination visit will last about 4 hours. Participants will be screened with a medical history and physical exam. Participants will have a blood sample taken. Participants will be given the vaccine or a placebo, by injection from a needle. They will be monitored for 30 minutes to check for any allergic reaction. Participants will be given a diary card to record any symptoms they may feel later. At follow-up visits, participants will give a blood sample and answer health questions. In the phone calls, participants will answer health questions.

The overall goal of this study is to investigate whether the modulatory effects of probiotics, which are used as food supplements (Lactobacillus GG marketed as Culturelle or yoghurt) in the gastrointestinal tract promote restoration of intestinal function and enhance the specific immune response in children with cryptosporidial or rotaviral infections in South India. Rotavirus and Cryptosporidium spp. are the most important viral and parasitic causes of gastroenteritis in children in south India. Both infections can lead to severe dehydrating gastroenteritis in young children and have no specific treatment. Repeated episodes of diarrhea can result in long term deleterious effects on nutritional status, possibly due to intestinal damage. Most episodes of infectious gastroenteritis resolve without specific therapy, the mainstay of treatment being rehydration. However, oral rehydration remains under-utilized, in part due to the lack of effect on frequency of bowel movements and duration of illness. Due to the interest in simple, safe and effective measures to ameliorate the long-term effects of diarrheal illness, there is a growing appreciation for the potential of certain microorganisms to offer direct benefits to the health of a host. Probiotics are known to beneficially modulate several host functions, the most important of which are immune responses and intestinal barrier integrity. The investigators propose to build on the investigators previous collaborative efforts to conduct pilot studies to provide a mechanistic understanding of the effect of probiotic supplementation in children with rotaviral and cryptosporidial diarrhea. Based on the established efficacy of LGG for the treatment of a variety of diarrheal diseases and the documented modulation of immune responses and strengthening of intestinal epithelial barrier function by probiotics, the investigators propose to conduct a Phase I/II double-blind randomized placebo controlled clinical trial to assess the preliminary efficacy and safety of LGG vs. placebo in the resolution of symptoms and restoration of intestinal function in children with either rotaviral or cryptosporidial diarrhea and no other detected enteric infection. Promising results in this Phase I/II study will provide preliminary data to power a future randomized trial on these critical outcomes following rotaviral or cryptosporidial infection.

Main aim and objective The aim was to present the treatment of infectious diseases in elderly, especially in nursing homes and further to evaluate the effect of an intervention package aiming at improving treatment with antibiotics in Swedish nursing homes Specific objectives Present the treatment patterns regarding infectious diseases, including gender aspects in elderly, especially in nursing homes. Through focus group discussions elucidate the decision making process in nursing homes and target the intervention. Based on the above information develop an educational intervention to contribute to the improvement of the prescribing of antibiotics in nursing homes Evaluate the effect of the intervention on quality of prescribing, knowledge and attitudes in relation to available guidelines