Active clinical trials for "Communicable Diseases"

The acute respiratory infection is the fourth most common cause of hospital stay between elderly people. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the repercussion of hospital stay in hospitalized patients with a respiratory infection.

The main purpose of the study is to find out if probiotics (healthy bacteria found in yogurt) can improve the health-related quality of life (HRQL) during upper respiratory infections (like the common cold) in college students living in residence hall on-campus at Framingham State University (Framingham, MA) who are randomized to receive a probiotic or placebo candy daily for 12 weeks. HRQL is a subjective measure, defined as the aspects of quality of life (i.e., one's satisfaction with their life) that related specifically to a person's health (for example, ability to carry out normal daily activities). The investigators hypothesize that HRQL during URIs will be significantly higher in the probiotic groups compared to the placebo group. The proposed study will also seek to address the following secondary objectives: missed school and work days due to a upper respiratory infection.

Although the accumulated knowledge regarding Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection increased substantially over the past years, several issues still deserve further investigation. The epidemiology of this disease has been changing, perhaps influenced by new immunosuppressive strategies currently used and growing and widespread use of prophylaxis. The knowledge of the CMV viral load kinetics, using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR-based assay), among renal transplant recipients not receiving any prophylactic therapy will allow the determination of risk factors for and the impact of earlier intervention on CMV infection and disease. The goal is to ultimately improve the clinical outcomes for renal transplant recipients.

This randomized phase III trial studies chlorhexidine gluconate cleansing to see how well it works compared to control cleansing in preventing central line associated bloodstream infection and acquisition of multi-drug resistant organisms in younger patients with cancer or undergoing donor stem cell transplant. Chlorhexidine gluconate may help reduce bloodstream infections and bacterial infections associated with the central line.

Trial The aim of the study is to investigate which infectious diseases might mimic the symptoms of acute appendicitis to a degree to cause a diagnostic laparoscopy or laparoscopic appendectomy. The primary outcome is to compare the incidence of Yersinia spp. infection in patients, who undergo surgery due to suspected appendicitis, between those with and without appendicitis detected by polymerase chain reaction on rectal swabs. The secondary outcomes are comparison of the incidence of bacterial pathogens (Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Aeromonas spp.) and Enterobius vermicularis in the two groups. Rectal swabs, appendix swabs, and blood samples are collected prospectively and research biobanks will be established. Initially, the rectal samples and serology samples will be investigated, and possible biomarkers and results of the appendix swabs will be evaluated at a later time point. Ethics The trial will be conducted according to the Helsinki II Declaration after approval from both the local Health Research Ethics Committee and the Danish Data Protection Agency. An informed written consent will be collected from the participants prior to inclusion in the study. Data will be stored according to the approval from the Danish Data Protection Agency. This study is conducted in patients with suspected appendicitis. These patients are fully awake and conscious at time of inclusion. The patients included in this study will not experience any adverse effects due to their participation.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the immune responses associated with Epstein-Barr virus infections, and to find out the possible immunodeficiency that may be linked to severe Epstein-Barr virus infections.

The specific outcome is to determine whether the colony count of Propionibacterium acnes, one of the commonest causes of shoulder infection and not eradicated by conventional forms of surgical preparatory solutions and antibiotics, in a shoulder surgical wound will be altered by the use of subdermal cefazolin.

The investigators are doing a study on the bacteria that normally live in the vagina and what effect, if any, Depo-Provera has on the bacteria. Women 13-24 years of age, who are HIV negative, being seen in a clinic for birth control or sexually transmitted disease (STD) check-up, or have a child and are planning to receive a Depo-Provera shot for contraception or have declined the use of hormonal contraception may join.

The purpose of this study is to establish a bacterial epidemiology in patients who present a prosthetic joint infection and for which a surgery is necessary. At the time of the first surgery, as the bacteria responsible for the infection are not known, a probabilistic antibiotherapy is initiated at once after the surgical treatment. The antibiotherapy is then adapted to the bacteria from samples collected during the surgery when they are identified (the delay is 14-21 days). The study will focus on bacteria identified on samples collected during the surgery; the delay between the implantation of the prosthesis and the presentation of symptoms will be considered : more than one year vs. less than one year. Investigators assume that there is not the same type of bacteria involved in those two cases of delays and that the probabilistic antibiotherapy may be not optimal when the symptoms are presented more than one year after implantation of the prosthesis. A probabilistic antibiotherapy not adapted lead to develop resistance for the bacteria and decrease the chance to cure the patient (increasing of relapse). The result of this study will allow medical doctors to have an optimal probabilistic antibiotherapy, depending on the delay between implantation of the prosthesis and the presentation of the symptoms.

Nowadays, the gold standard examinations for diagnosing H. pylori infection are histopathology and culture examination. However, those examinations take long preparation so they are not suitable to be applied in daily practice. In progress, another examination is being developed to detect urease enzyme from tissue biopsy. It is relatively faster in diagnosing H. Pylori infection. Some commercial urease tests which are available in Indonesia are Helicotec® and Pronto Dry®. This study aims to determine the effectivity of Helicotec® in diagnosing H. pylori infection. It is expected to be scientific evidence that can be used as the basis daily routine of urease test in diagnosing H. Pylori infection.