Active clinical trials for "Infections"

Central venous catheter(CVC)-related infection is an inherent complication of this device that should be treated promptly. However, there are doubts about the need for the immediate withdrawal of CVC while there is still no confirmation of such infection. The aim of this study is to compare the resolution of CVC-related infection, testing two approaches: catheter´s early exchange, when the possibility of related sepsis is considered, versus the maintenance of the CVC and early antibiotic therapy until the infection is confirmed.

The forecast of the spontaneous infection of the liquid of ascites (ISLA) at the cirrhotic patient is still burdened by a heavy mortality. The fast diagnosis of the ISLA is thus an essential stake to improve the forecast. Investigators would so like to estimate the interest of the strip PeriScreen for the fast diagnosis of the ISLA at cirrhotic patients . Investigators plan to include 670 patients, what would allow to make out a will at least on ascites 2000 on about twenty centers for duration estimated of 12 months.

In patients with invasive fungal infection (IFI) rapid diagnosis is essential for early initiation of appropriate antifungal therapy and thereby survival. Conventional culture is still the Gold-Standard for diagnosis of IFI. Sensitivity of conventional culture, however, is low (50%) and time to results minimum 24 hours. Therefore usage of serological tests detecting fungal antigens has increased dramatically over recent years. Main advantages of this new methods are rapid results and higher sensitivity when compared to conventional culture. One of the most promising serological marker currently used is beta-D-Glucan, which is a component of the fungal cell wall. ß-D-Glucan has been detected in IFI caused by Aspergillus, Candida and Fusarium spp. The Fungitell Assay (Associates of Cape Code, Inc.) was developed and validated for detection of ß-D-Glucan in peripheral blood. Up to date information about clinical performance of the Fungitell Assays in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) is limited. This study will therefore evaluate clinical and diagnostic performance of the Fungitell Assay in BAL from patients with solid organ transplant or hematologic malignancy. In addition Mn/A-Mn, the lateral flow device test for aspergillosis, and Galactomannan, as well as PCR will be determined and used as comparators for BDG performance.

After open colorectal surgery the surgical site infection (SSI) is very high among abdominal surgeries. The goal of the investigators randomized, prospective, multicentric, internet-based study is to compare rate of SSI after surgery of colon and rectum by using triclosan-coated suture for abdominal wall closure. 180-180 cases in seven centres are involved in this study. Two arms are separated by computer randomization at abdominal wall closure: application of triclosan-coated and non-coated PDS suture (PDS versus PDS-Plus). Triclosan is an antiseptic material which the investigators hope will provide better local infection control at the site with reducing the risk of bacterial colonisation.

This study is aimed at determining whether or not the use of a wound suction device placed on the cesarean incision instead of a standard sterile dressing will decrease the prevalence of wound complications and wound infections in women at high risk for post operative complications. The study will first look at the infection and wound complication rate in women 6 months prior to the start date of the study by reviewing charts of women who have undergone a cesarean section. The study involves placing a single use, portable wound vacuum over the cesarean section incision and keeping it in place for 72h. The investigators will then compare the rates of wound infection and wound complications between these two groups. It is our hypothesis that negative pressure wound systems will decrease the wound infection and complication rate in this high risk population.

The aim was to study whether probiotic intervention has an impact on seasonal occurrence of upper respiratory and gastrointestinal infections in two different conscript groups. In a randomised, double-blinded, placebo controlled study a total of 983 healthy adults were enrolled from two intakes of conscripts. Conscripts were randomised to receive either a probiotic combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB12 (BB12) or a control chewing tablet twice daily for 150 days (recruits) or for 90 days (reserve officer candidates). Clinical examinations were carried out and daily symptom diaries were collected. Outcome measures were the number of days with respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms and symptom incidence, number and duration of infection episodes, number of antibiotic treatments received and number of days out of service because of the infection. Statistically no significant differences were found between the intervention groups either in the risk of symptom incidence or duration. However, probiotic intervention was associated with reduction of specific respiratory infection symptoms in military recruits, but not in reserve officer candidates. Probiotics did not significantly reduce overall respiratory and gastrointestinal infection morbidity.

Surgical site infections are common and a cause of major morbidity. They are also more common in obese women. Cesarean sections are the most common surgery performed in the United States, therefore pregnant women are being faced with this problem frequently. There is evidence to show that prophylactically administered antibiotics, cefazolin specifically, to obese women prior to cesarean section do not reach adequate concentrations in adipose tissue to prevent infection. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if an increased dose of cefazolin will attain adequate tissue concentration in obese women. Our hypothesis is that three grams of cefazolin given no more than 60 minutes prior to the start of a cesarean section in an obese (Body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30) woman will attain adequate adipose tissue concentration compared to two grams of cefazolin. Subjects will be selected if they are greater than 37 weeks gestation wiht a singleton pregnancy and require a cesarean section for any obstetrical indication. Women will be excluded if they have a suspected infection, have a multiple gestation, or have preexisting diabetes or hypertension with end organ damage. The subjects will be screened both by through the OR schedule as well as through the clinics. They will then be consented and enrolled by the primary investigator. Once enrolled the subjects will be randomized to receive either two grams or three grams of cefazolin as prophylactic antibiotics to be given no more than 60 minutes prior to the start of the surgery. Two adipose tissue samples will be obtained at the time of surgery. The first at the start after skin incision and the second at the end prior to closure of the skin. There will also be a separate IV placed at the start of the procedure from which three blood draws can be collected. These three samples will be obtained at the start of the surgery but after antibiotic administration, at the time of the first adipose collection, and at the time of the second adipose collection. The samples will then be stored at -80 degrees and shipped to David P. Nicolau's lab in Hartford, CT for the tissue and serum analysis. While the subjects are in the hospital recovering from their surgery, a chart review will be performed to determine if there are any infections occuring post-operatively. A telephone survey will be conducted six to eight weeks postpartum again assessing for any infectious complications after the cesarean section.

Clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori is the main cause of H. pylori eradication failure. Tailored therapy on the basis of detection of a clarithromycin resistance mutation by PCR has been studied recently, however, there have been few studies comparing treatment regimen in patient with clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori. We used sequencing-based clarithromycin resistance mutation and aimed to compare PAM (proton pump inhibitor, amoxicilline, metronidazole) regimen and PBMT (proton pump inhibitor, bismuth, metronidazole, tetracyclin) regimen in patient with clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori.

The investigators implemented and evaluated a pilot program in Shinyanga Region, Tanzania to bring prevention of HIV services to communities using community health workers (CHWs). The intervention aimed to integrate community-based maternal and child health services with HIV prevention, treatment, and care-bridging the gap between women and facility, and enhancing the potential benefits of Option B+. Option B+ is the current World Health Organization recommendation for prevention of mother-to-child transmission, but its success in sub-Saharan Africa may be threatened by overburdened clinics and staff. Consequently, paraprofessionals like CHWs can be key partners in the delivery and/or enhancement of health services in the community. The study focuses on whether this approach: increases retention in care; improves adherence to antiretrovirals (ARVs); or improves the number of women initiating antiretroviral therapy and the timing of initiation. Investigators hypothesize improvements along primary and secondary outcome indicators in the treatment group. This evaluation helps illuminate both the impact and feasibility of the intervention, and the role that CHWs may play in the elimination of mother-to-child transmission services.

ANTOINE is a prospective trial which aims to assess diagnostic performance of 7 biomarkers for the diagnosis of severe bacterial infections (SBI) in children aged from 7 days to 36 months. Fever is a frequent cause of consultation in pediatric emergency departments. Clinical diagnostic tools are rare and discrimination between severe bacterial infection and viral infection is difficult to confidently state. The prevalence of severe bacterial infections (IBS) varies from 10 to 25% according to the studies. Biological markers such as procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are commonly used in clinical practice. These markers have bacterial specificity but share a wide range of values with viral infections and do not make it possible to exclude or to confirm definitively the diagnosis of IBS. The use of new markers to improve the diagnosis of bacterial and viral infections is increasingly studied in adults. The diagnostic value of these new markers has been demonstrated by associating their dosage with that of CRP for example. This is the case for IP-10, TRAIL or MxA. However, very few pediatric studies have been carried out to date on these new biomarkers. However, in pediatrics, these diagnostic tools based on the combination of biomarkers to discriminate against viral and bacterial infections could be a major help in the suspicions of IBS. 7 biomarkers were selected to be evaluated in this study. This study is designed to determine the best biomarkers combination for the SBI diagnosis on a cohort of 800 patients.