Active clinical trials for "Communicable Diseases"

The purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of protein biomarkers in cervical vaginal fluid in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM)

The purpose of this study is to evaluate two different simple and inexpensive extra treatments during colorectal surgeries to see if this will reduce the rate of post operative infections

This retrospective study will analyse all PCR-proven H1N1 cases from the influenza season 2009/2010 treated within the styrian "LKH hospital network". For this purpose all PCR-positive case files are reviewed in Medocs (electronic patients database) and data regarding clinical presentation, laboratory and radiological findings, treatment, outcome and preexisting underlying chronic illnesses will be systematically collected. In a second step the same data collection will be performed in a group of PCR-negative patients, which were tested during the influenza season 2009/2010 for influenza-like illness. The data from the PCR-positive group will be compared to the data from the PCR-negative group. We expect significant differences between the proven and unproven group regarding the primary presentation at hospital. Based on these results a clinical score will be developed. This score should improve H1N1 case identification in emergency departments, even if specific diagnostic test are negative (rapid antigen testing) or still pending (PCR), reduce the number of missed hospitalized H1N1 infection and optimize the decision making process in emergency departments regarding which patient has to be admitted with infection control measures and which not, and as infection control measures are expensive (face masks, gloves) and limited (isolation room), such a score should also reduce unnecessary expense. To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the score a prospective study will follow in the influenza season 2010/2011.

Data will be extracted from the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) medical records database, geocoded according to the street address so that the case number, incidence, etc could be mapped. The spatial data would be used to detect the aggregation of HIV cases, existence of "hot spots" and then determine if they may merit further investigation or may have occurred by chance. The results from these GIS-based analyses would address local variations in HIV prevalence and transmission.

The purpose of this study is to develop a scoring system to allow doctors to accurately identify children on a mechanical ventilator who have bacterial pneumonia. Currently this diagnosis is very difficult to make, resulting in the overuse of antibiotics and the promotion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU). Four ICUs at 3 children's hospitals will participate. Study participants will include 150 children, ages 2 months to 17 years old who require mechanical ventilation, and in whom the bedside health care providers suspect bacterial pneumonia. Bacteria will be studied by sampling lung fluid through the breathing tube less than 12 hours after starting antibiotics, using a procedure known as "non-bronchoscopic-bronchoalveolar lavage (NB-BAL)." Participants may be involved in study related procedures for up to 31 days.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been associated with HIV infection. However, it is uncertain whether increased CVD rates are associated with HIV-related factors (e.g., HIV-infection or highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may worsen dyslipidemia) or reflect differences in the prevalence of underlying risk factors for CVD. Furthermore, the association between initiation and duration of HAART exposure and CVD risk, including which specific drugs within the HAART classes may contribute to the increased risk, is unknown. The primary objectives of the study are therefore: 1. To estimate the absolute and relative incidence rate (IR) of CVD claims-based diagnoses among a cohort of adult patients from a large managed care population with a claims diagnosis of HIV, AIDS, or AIDS-related complex (ARC) during periods of exposure to: Any HAART compared to no HAART exposure HAART class [i.e., NRTIs, NNRTIs, PIs, and Other (i.e., fusion inhibitors)] compared to no HAART class exposure Specific NRTI medications compared to no specific NRTI exposure

This is an observational study to evaluate the relative importance of the known risk factors for severe surgical site infections (SSIs) on the development of the more severe SSI cases, and to describe the demographic, clinical features, etiology and the management and outcome of patients suffering from severe SSIs in Spain.

The purpose of the study is to test whether the presence of polymorphisms in genes encoding substances of the innate immune response in patients undergoing partial hepatic resection because of benign or malignant hepatobiliary disease is related to a higher incidence of infectious complications, post-resectional liver failure or mortality.

The study hypothesis is that F-18-FDG PET/CT and microcalorimetry might have a diagnostic value in the detection of permanent central venous catheters (PCVC) infection when conventional means of PCVC infection detection are non-conclusive.

The aim of this study is to determine whether vancomycin with cefazoline is superior to vancomycin with placebo in preventing gastrostomy-related wound infection in carriers of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).