Active clinical trials for "Communicable Diseases"

Nutrient deficiency and immune dysfunction in older persons result in high prevalence of acute respiratory infection,which can lead to impaired nutritional status. The study objective was to determine the effect of multi micro-nutrient supplementation on nutritional and upper respiratory infection among apparently healthy community-dwelling elderly. The main hypothesis was whether daily multi micro-nutrient supplementation could reduce the incidence and prevalence of upper respiratory infection among apparently healthy community-dwelling older persons. Inclusion criteria were apparently independent healthy male and female older persons aged 60 years and over, not taking multi micro-nutrient supplementation over the last month. The study design was a community-based double-blind controlled trial involving 296 community-dwelling older persons aged 60 and above, in the Mampang Prapatan district, South Jakarta. Participants were randomized to receive either 40 mg elemental zinc (as gluconate), 120 mg ascorbic acid, 6 mg B-carotene, 15 mg alpha tocopherol (as d-alpha-tocopheryl acid succinate) and 400 micrograms folic acid (intervention group) or 400 mg calcium carbonate (control group). Supplements were taken daily for six months, from August 2008 to March 2009. Nutritional and health status were measured before and after supplementation. Poisson regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of daily multi micro-nutrient supplementation on the incidence and prevalence of upper respiratory infection.

In this prospective study we investigated the impact of an improved postoperative microcirculation and its effect of surgical side infections after breast reduction.

The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a hand-washing programme using hand sanitizer in the prevention of school absenteeism due to upper respiratory infections. Students in intervention classrooms used hand sanitizers at schools and a programme educational on hand hygiene. The investigators hypothesize that the use de hand sanitizers in elementary school will reduce absenteeism due to upper respiratory infections.

The goals of this project are 1) to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the checklist to prevent MRSA SSIs among Veterans undergoing TJA or cardiac surgery, and 2) to assess barriers and facilitators to checklist implementation. Hypotheses: The SSI checklist will be effective at reducing MRSA SSIs among total joint arthroplasty and cardiac surgery patients. Implementation of the checklist will be associated with an overall reduction in SSIs caused by all pathogens. The SSI Checklist will be cost-saving since it will prevent many expensive SSIs. Preoperative MRSA testing will be a modifiable barrier to implementing the SSI checklist.

The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of letermovir (MK-8228) for the prevention of clinically-significant CMV infection in adult, CMV-seropositive recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The hypothesis being tested was that MK-8228 is superior to placebo in the prevention of clinically-significant CMV infection through Week 24 post-transplant.

The respiratory and gastrointestinal infections are a very common problem with high morbidity in children. These conditions were due, in general, immaturity and all "inexperience" of the immune system, as well as to the particular anatomical structure and function of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract still developing. This inevitably means that school-age children develop disease (as a result of infection) more easily than at later ages. The frequency and duration of these conditions implies a high discomfort and incur significant costs in relation to drug administration, the need for hospitalization, days of absence from school and work days lost by parents. Recently probiotics, defined as "microorganisms that prove able, once ingested in adequate amounts, exert beneficial functions for the body "have been proposed for the treatment of treatment of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections of childhood but only in recent years have been conducted controlled clinical trials that have conclusively proven effectiveness. All probiotics induce an immune response, the characteristics of which are related to the strain or the mixture of bacteria used. Recent studies have demonstrated positive effects of probiotics on the respiratory system, and in particular on the prevention and reduction of the severity of respiratory infections, probably mediated by an increase of cells that secrete Immunoglobulin A in bronchial mucosa. It 'been shown that probiotics can be a sure way to reduce the risk of early acute otitis media and the use of antibiotics for recurrent respiratory infections during the first year of life. Similar results were seen in a study conducted on a population of 326 children aged between 3 and 5 years, who found a decrease in the incidence of antibiotic use by over 65% and a reduction of days of absence of more than 25% among children treated with a probiotic. Many of the studied effects of probiotics, understandably, refer to the digestive system. These effects relate to both conditions paraphysiological (constipation) and more specifically in situations of illness. Most of the studies carried out in recent years has demonstrated the efficacy of specific probiotics in reducing the symptoms in the pediatric population affected by infectious gastroenteritis. Probiotics reduce the duration of infectious diarrhea by 0.7 days and reduce the frequency of diarrheal episodes in the first few hours. The microbiota on the other hand participates in the function of the mucosal barrier against the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria, crucial time for the start of the infectious process. When this barrier function is altered by chemical agents, by antigens or by stressors of different nature, may manifest intestinal disorders, sometimes due to the growth of bacteria pathogens. Numerous experimental data suggest that probiotics can contribute to the reinforcement of the activities of gut mucosal barrier, in particular aspects affecting the functionality of the intestinal epithelial cells or macrophages. More recently it has been shown that daily intake for 3 months of preparation with probiotics reduce the incidence and severity of the most common respiratory infections and limits the number of days of absence school children during the winter season. It's scientifically recognized as some probiotic effects can also be obtained with the use of inactivated bacteria or bacterial components isolated (eg bacterial DNA). It has been recently proposed a modified definition of probiotic products as "prepared bacterial cells or bacterial components that have a beneficial effect on the health and welfare of the host". Among these products "probiotic-like" fall ingredients object of this study: food ingredients (rice flour and skim milk) fermented, or in which has been made to grow a probiotic (Lactobacillus CBA-L74) that has been inactivated at the end of the fermentation process through a heat treatment. The benefits are attributable to bacterial components that remain in the final product (for example, DNA, cell wall, etc.) and factors produced during the fermentation (short chain fatty acids, bacterial proteins, etc.). The main effects of these bacterial components relate to the stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), through interaction with the immune cells via Toll-like receptors. In addition, some components, such as proteins and peptides, may have a Bifidogenic activity and are available in the literature some studies that have demonstrated the ability of infant formula, milk-based fermented to reduce the severity of episodes of infectious diarrhea in children. With this data, the Commission of the European Society of Nutrition Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Pediatric Nutrition (ESPGHAN) has defined this type of products are not only safe but to determine a potential prebiotic effect and the reduction of the severity of episodes of infectious diarrhea.

The hypothesis is that application of Mupirocin to the nose before and after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery will reduce the incidence of surgical site infections.

On joint orthopaedic hardware infections are one of the most frequently encountered complications in orthopaedic surgery. However 6% of the cultures remain sterile, etiological diagnosis cannot be established despite obvious signs of infection. As part of this research project, we have developed a new strategy diagnosis including directly the use of PCR to reduce the number of negative results. This should have a major therapeutic impact in terms of timeliness and specificity of antibiotic. Primary: Evaluate the effectiveness of the new diagnostic strategy on etiological identification of prosthesis infections. Hypothesis: Minimum 6 percent increase in the number of patients with an etiological diagnosis of infection on prosthesis.

This is a CCTG sponsored trial in collaboration with UCSD-AVRC investigators to get more information about the methods that are used on the internet to provide information on how to reduce the risk of giving or getting infections that are often or usually passed from one person to another during sexual or intimate contact (sexually transmitted infection (STI)). STIs include chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. The purpose of this study is to develop methods that will allow someone who is living with HIV an easy way that they can get information and learn of ways on their own that can decrease their chances of getting sexually transmitted infections and ways that they can reduce the chance that they may transmit HIV to others.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ertapenem sodium compared with ceftriaxone sodium/metronidazole for the prophylaxis of surgical site infection following elective colorectal surgery in Chinese adults. This study is designed to demonstrate that ertapenem sodium is non-inferior to ceftriaxone sodium/metronidazole in this participant population.