Active clinical trials for "Communicable Diseases"

The investigators earlier clinical study in 754 young Finnish men demonstrated a significant negative association of serum 25-OHD concentration with acute respiratory tract infections. The present study aimed to determine whether vitamin D supplementation may decrease the incidence of acute respiratory tract infections.

The main purpose of this study is to determine if applying mupirocin into soldiers noses who are colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) will reduce infections in them and their cohort of fellow soldiers.

The goal of this 3-year project is to control the spread of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in the Dallas County Jail. CA-MRSA is a bacterium spreading rapidly through healthy populations and becoming an epidemic in many regions of the U.S. Many people in the community are asymptomatically colonized by MRSA. There have been outbreaks of MRSA infections at prisons and jails. We will study the spread of MRSA in the jail to better understand how the bacteria are transmitted from person to person there and how we can prevent their transmission. All detainees asked to participate must give informed consent to do so; their privacy will be carefully protected. Detainees with a history of allergy to CHG will be excluded. Seventeen objects in the jail will be sampled for contamination with MRSA. Bacteria will be collected from all cultures obtained from patients with bacterial skin infections for 18 months in a part of the jail in order to determine how frequently these infections are caused by MRSA relative to other bacteria. A group of about 1500 adult detainees will be tested for colonization with MRSA in order to determine how commonly detainees carry the bacterium. A cluster-randomized 6-month study will be undertaken among these detainees and those who take their places when they leave the jail to determine if chlorhexidine (CHG)-containing disposable wash cloths for skin cleaning can decrease the prevalence of MRSA skin or nose colonization. Detainees receiving CHG cloths (about 500 detainees) will be compared to detainees receiving water-soaked cloths for skin cleaning (about 500 detainees) or no intervention (about 500 detainees). The primary outcome will be a difference in average colonization prevalence in detention tanks, which are discrete detention units housing detainees, comparing the usual care to the CHG-exposed tanks after 6 months of CHG cloth use. A secondary outcome will be a decrease in skin infections from any cause in the tanks receiving CHG compared with usual care. All of the MRSA isolates and a sample of the S. aureus isolates susceptible to methicillin from specimens colonizing or infecting detainees, as well as those contaminating surfaces and objects in the jail will be tested genetically in order to determine which strains of MRSA are present in the jail. This study may identify ways to stop the spread of MRSA among people in jails and prisons, as well as other places.

The purpose of this study is to assess whether simple, school-based handwashing promotion impacts health and hygiene knowledge among students and their families.

Multidrug resistant organisms (MDRO) are prevalent in hospitals and are associated with hospital-acquired infections (HAI). High-touch surfaces serve as reservoirs and fomites for MDRO transmission. The investigators quantified the impact of hanging single-use cleaning/disinfecting wipes in patients' immediate environment within multi-patient rooms. Pre-specified outcomes were: 1) HAI rate, 2) cleaning frequency, 3) MDRO room contamination, 4) new MDRO acquisitions, and 5) in-hospital mortality.

In this study, investigators seek to determine whether the timing of antibiotics given to mothers during an elective C-section affects the composition of their infant's gut microbiome. To do this, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) was carried out with women undergoing elective C-sections. These women were either given antibiotics before the skin incision (AB+) or after the umbilical cord was clamped (AB-).

This study involves sampling bone marrow transplant patients, hospital workers and the patient room for microbes using swabs and other techniques. We send these samples to the laboratory, where they will use state-of-the art technology to identify and relate the microbes to each other. This study also involves putting copper, nickel, or titanium into some hospital rooms, and seeing whether these metals influences the growth of microbes. Some equipment in the hospital room, such as faucets and soap dispensers will be replaced by sensor-based (e.g. touchless) controls.

Well-child care is the primary source of preventative health care for children. These visits provide an opportunity for physicians to assess an infant's biomedical health, development, and behavior, as well as help ensure timely immunizations, reduce the use of acute care services, and assess and family functioning. Yet, disparities in the utilization of pediatric care exist by race, ethnicity and income in the U.S., even despite high rates of overall access to primary care. Incentives have been proposed as one way to increase utilization of preventative care for mothers and children. Diapering is another important form of preventative health care that can be particularly difficult for low-income parents due the cost of diapers, which is $70-80 per child per month, or approximately $960 per year, on average. And government programs, such as Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), either cannot be used to purchase diapers, or do not provide enough assistance to cover the cost of diapers and other basic needs. A family's inability to provide an adequate supply of diapers for their child is called diaper need. Nationwide, one in three families with young children report experiencing diaper need, which was found to be significantly associated with maternal stress and depression, which in turn, can have a detrimental impact on a family's health and economic success. The primary goal of this study is to conduct a randomized controlled trial of a diaper provision intervention designed to increase utilization of, and adherence to, well-child visits and reduce diaper need among low-resourced families in New Haven, CT.

This study aims to asses whether the rate of surgical wound infections in vascular surgery procedures involving exposure of the proximal femoral artery can be reduced using a different skin closure technique.

There is a growing body of data suggesting that vitamin D modulates the host's immune response to acute respiratory infection (ARI). The primary aim of this study is to determine whether maternal vitamin D3 supplementation versus placebo decreases the incidence rate of microbiologically confirmed viral-associated ARI among infants in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Secondary outcomes include: A) incidence of ARI associated with specific major pathogens, B) incidence of clinical ARI (without the need for positive microbiology), and C) quantitative density of pneumococcal carriage. Infants will be followed from birth until 6 months of life. Among infants who meet at least one of the specific case definitions for ARI (see 'Detailed Description' section), nasal swab specimens will be collected. Respiratory samples will be analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to identify a 7-virus panel (influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, adenovirus, and parainfluenza types 1, 2, and 3) plus quantitative density of S. pneumonia.