Active clinical trials for "Communicable Diseases"

The primary research question is whether interventions to prevent caregiver and system errors will increase the proportion of laparotomy patients who receive recommended measures to prevent surgical site infections.

In order to evaluate the effect of eliminating nasal carriage by mupirocin prophylaxis on subsequent Staphylococcus aureus infection, a prospective randomized trial was performed particularly including patients with predisposing risk factors for S. aureus infections.

The primary objective of this clinical trial is to determine the safety and tolerability of the Na-ASP-2 Hookworm Vaccine in healthy subjects following the administration of 3 intramuscular (IM) injections of the vaccine over 16 weeks using 3 different doses. The secondary objective is to make a preliminary evaluation of the immunogenicity of each of the 3 doses of the vaccine in healthy volunteers.

People recently infected with HIV who are treated with anti-HIV medications may develop strong immune system responses to HIV and may be able to control the virus without continuing to take these medications. The purpose of this study is to see if giving anti-HIV medications to people soon after they have been infected with HIV can help them control HIV. The study will also see if the immune system can control the amount of HIV virus in the blood (viral load) even after a person has stopped taking the medications. The study will evaluate three different schedules of stopping and starting anti-HIV medications to see which schedule is best able to boost a patient's immune system to control HIV viral load. Hypothesis: Combination therapy started in primary HIV infection, in conjunction with structured treatment interruptions, will result in greater control of viremia off treatment than induction therapy alone.

The purpose of this study is to see if nonoxynol-9 (N-9) gel used in the vagina can prevent the spread of HIV. Most of the people with HIV in the world today live in southern Africa. Because this population is not likely to use condoms, an HIV-prevention method that women can control is needed. N-9 used in the vagina may help prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

To evaluate and compare the safety and effectiveness of a one-year course of isoniazid (INH) versus a two-month course of rifampin plus pyrazinamide for the prevention of reactivation tuberculosis in individuals infected with both HIV and latent (inactive) Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Current guidelines from the American Thoracic Society and the Centers for Disease Control recommend 6 to 12 months of INH for PPD (purified protein derivative)-positive individuals. Although the effectiveness of this treatment is not known for HIV-infected individuals, several studies using INH to prevent tuberculosis in presumably normal hosts have shown 60 to 80 percent effectiveness. Problems with this treatment include compliance, adverse reaction, and the possibility of not preventing disease due to tuberculosis organisms being resistant to INH. A two-month preventive treatment plan should help in increasing compliance. In addition, the use of two drugs (rifampin / pyrazinamide) may help overcome problems with drug resistance. If this study shows equal or greater effectiveness of the two-month rifampin / pyrazinamide treatment, it could alter the approach to tuberculosis prevention for both HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals.

To quantitate in an HIV-infected population the percentage of patients demonstrating the "booster" phenomenon (attainment of a positive response to a second tuberculin purified protein derivative skin test when the first skin test was negative); to determine the relationship between the booster phenomenon and CD4-positive lymphocyte cell counts; to detect any relationship between the booster phenomenon and HIV exposure category. The accuracy of skin testing to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb) infection is dependent upon the host's ability to mount a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction; however, the DTH response may be impaired or absent in patients with impaired cell-mediated immunity, a classic characteristic of HIV infection. Patients in whom immunity is diminished, but not absent, may test negative the first time a purified protein derivative skin test for MTb is administered, but if the same skin test is repeated, a positive DTH response may then be elicited. This occurrence is known as the "booster" phenomenon.

The objective of this study is to assess the relationship between infusion system colonization (ramps or multi-lumen devices) and the occurrence of CVC infection/colonization. This study is a prospective observational research that does not modify usual patient care. Its objective is to evaluate the relationship between infusion tubing colonization and the occurrence of central venous catheter colonization. The only additional intervention is swabbing the taps at each IV line ramp at systematic ramp changes (done every 4 days) and at catheter removal. For the multi-lumen device, swabbing is only performed upon catheter removal at the level of the one-way valves. After catheter removal, a flush (1 mL of 0.9% NaCl) of the midline is performed and cultured to assess for endoluminal colonization. The distal end of the CVC is sent for culture, following the usual practice of the department to monitor catheter colonization and infections. The primary outcome measure is the proportion of colonized infusion systems based on the culture of the CVC. The secondary objectives are to describe factors associated with CVC infections, to determine the incidence of colonization and infections in different locations of central venous catheters, to analyze the bacterial ecology based on the type of infusion system used, and to evaluate the ecological and economic impact of different devices (ramps vs. multi-lumen devices). The secondary outcome measures are as follows: Proportion of colonized infusion systems based on the colonization status of the CVC and the type of infusion system (ramps vs. multi-lumen devices) Proportion of colonized infusion systems based on the infection status of the CVC and the type of infusion system (ramps vs. multi-lumen devices) Duration of antibiotic treatment Weight of compounds used with each infusion system over the duration of CVC placement (ramps vs. multi-lumen devices) Calculation of material costs based on the infusion system used over the duration of CVC placement (ramps vs. multi-lumen devices)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of CKD is increasing worldwide and is assumed to also dramatically increase in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Key shortcomings of available data on CKD in SSA are as follows: (i) Available data are based on single measurements and, therefore, cannot distinguish between harmless transient deterioration in kidney function and chronic kidney damage; (ii) Accurate information regarding renal protein loss, an important and early marker of kidney disease, is lacking; (iii) Cardiovascular risk factors for CKD, such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes, are often not searched for. Likewise non-classic potential risk factors, such as endemic infectious diseases, socioeconomic status and lifestyle have not been consistently recorded; (iv) Information to interrogate linked interaction over time between risk factors and development of CKD is unavailable. With this project, situated in a region representative of semi-rural SSA, we aim to fill this knowledge gap and (i) establish guideline conform prevalence data of CKD and its major cardiovascular risk factors, as well as (ii) prospectively define the incidence of cardiovascular- and non-classic risk factors of CKD. The data from (i) and (ii) is used to develop predictive models. A prospective cohort of 1200 individuals in a primary care facility will serve as study population. The population is representing a society in transition from rural to more urban lifestyle. In the pilot study, participants will be followed for one years and undergo the clinical and biomedical testing required to capture CKD and its classic and non-classic risk factors over time.

Microbial keratitis is a severe and often blindness-inducing pathology which represents today the first reason for long-term hospitalization (more than 5 days) in ophthalmology. Its diagnosis is clinical and leads to an immediate hospitalization in the presence of serious criteria (Mackie classification). The entire process of microbiological diagnosis requires several days before etiological confirmation and therefore delays the initiation of targeted therapy. Recently, new PCR systems allowing the detection of 18 to 27 pathogens in 75 minutes have been developed. Their use could thus be transposed to ophthalmology by adapting the microbiological diagnostic technique to samples currently taken by swabbing the cornea. The investigators will compare their diagnosis performance versus conventional methods on patients who suffered for a microbial keratitis with severity criteria.