Active clinical trials for "Communicable Diseases"

This study is being done to identify those elements of the immune response that may predispose a woman to recurrent urinary tract infection. We suspect that lesser effectiveness of certain components of the host response will lead to recurrent urinary tract infection. We will also evaluate the role that the bladder reservoir may play in recurrent urinary tract infection.

Antimicrobial resistance has become a world-wide problem and antibiotic consumption is a major driving force for the development of resistance. Thus optimization of antibiotic prescription and reduction of unnecessary antimicrobial treatment are essential in the prevention and reduction of antimicrobial resistance rates. The goal of this study is the improvement of antibiotic prescription in outpatient care. The study will take place within a Swiss-wide sentinel surveillance network of physicians. The participating physicians will be randomised in a control and intervention group. The intervention group will receive therapeutic guidelines for the treatment of upper and lower respiratory tract infections and lower urinary tract infection as well as regular feed-backs on the prescription pattern of the sentinel physicians during the past months. Sentinel physicians will collect information about each antibiotic prescription, its indication and characteristics of the patient. Our hypothesis is that the prescription pattern in the intervention group will be optimised and unnecessary antibiotic therapy will be reduced compared to the control group.

Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the number of women infected with HIV has rapidly increased and is continuing to climb. The Women's Interagency HIV Study is being conducted in several cities in the United States to learn more about how HIV affects women's lives and bodies. It will examine the role of HLA and killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) in HIV and related infections in HIV-positive and HIV-negative women. The study will determine the relationship between KIR and HLA genes and the following: the risk of HIV infection; HIV levels in the blood; incidence of AIDS; response to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART); and response to immunotherapy. Approximately 3,700 women will participate. Participants will visit the clinic every 6 months for 4 years. An HIV test will be given each time to HIV-negative women. A questionnaire will also be administered. A physical examination and gynecological examination will be given. Blood, vaginal swabs, and urine will be collected for testing. A biological impedance test will determine any changes in weight, waist-to-hip ratios, and breast and total body fat. Low CD4 counts and hospitalizations for HIV are to be self-reported to study staff.

This study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Tuberculosis Research Centre and YRG-Care in Chennai, India, will examine how treatment of lymphatic filariasis in HIV-infected patients influences the amount of HIV virus in the blood and the progression of HIV infection to AIDS. Filarial infections are common in Chennai, and it is important to understand whether treatment of filariasis affects the course of HIV disease. The information gained from this study could be used to modify treatments for people both with HIV and filarial infections. Patients 18 years of age and older who are receiving treatment for HIV infection at the Government Hospital HIV clinic or YRG-Care may be eligible for this study. Two groups of patients will be recruited - patients with both HIV and filarial infections, and patients who have HIV infection alone, without filariasis. Candidates are screened with a medical history and review of medical records, physical examination, and blood and stool tests. Women have a urine pregnancy test. Within one month of screening, all participants receive a single dose of diethylcarbamazine and albendazole, a drug regimen commonly used to treat filarial infection. Patients are followed closely for the first 2 weeks after treatment to check for side effects. They are then seen at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the treatment dose for a physical examination and blood test.

First, we, the researchers, hope to find out the PCT response to heart surgery in children by taking blood before surgery and each day for four days after surgery. These blood draws will help us figure out the typical Procalcitonin (PCT) response, the normal increase in PCT after heart surgery, and when the PCT level returns to baseline. Second, we, the researchers, hope to determine the accuracy of PCT as a marker of infection. Hypothesis Our hypothesis is that Procalcitonin is superior to other currently used markers of infection and will prove to be a clinically useful tool for evaluation of infection in children following cardiac surgery.

This study plans to evaluate what happens to the brain in patients with HIV and early hepatitis C. The investigators will be comparing 3 groups of individuals: Group 1: Individuals with HIV infection and acute (early) hepatitis C infection Group 2: Individuals with HIV infection Group 3: Healthy volunteers

To collect the efficacy and safety information of Zithromax-SR related to their appropriate use in daily practice.

This is an interventional study aimed at reducing multi-drug resistance and infections in nursing home (NH) residents. Each year, a staggering 1.5-2.0 million infections occur in NHs. Many of these infections are caused by multiple drug resistant organisms (MDROs) including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacilli (R-GNB). Antimicrobial resistance among common bacteria are adversely affecting the clinical course and exponentially increasing healthcare costs. Recognizing a need for action, legislators, policy makers, and consumer groups are advocating for pathogen-based universal preemptive screening for these MDROs, particularly MRSA in hospitals and NHs. However, implementing this sweeping mandate is controversial, costly, reactive, and not based on empirical evidence. It can result in a 10-20-fold increase in the number of NH residents placed in isolation precautions with the potential for reduced attention by healthcare workers, isolation and functional decline. The investigators proposal evaluates a novel focused approach between 'do nothing' and 'search all and destroy' strategies by targeting a subgroup of NH residents with indwelling devices who are at a high risk of acquiring MDROs and infections. The investigators hypothesize that the investigators targeted infection control program (TIP) will reduce MDRO colonization and infections in NH residents with indwelling devices. This cluster randomized trial will involve 12 NHs; 6 will be randomized to the TIP arm and 6 to the routine care arm. The investigators TIP intervention will include four components.

The investigators hypothesize that Klacid modified release (MR) shortens symptom recovery time in Thai patients with upper or lower respiratory tract infections.

Question: In which stage of an EBV-infection is a selective reduction of immunosuppressive medication reasonable to minimize the risk for PTLD, without putting the transplant recipient at risk of acute rejection episodes due to under immunosuppression? Aim of study: Identification of patients at high-risk for PTLD.