Active clinical trials for "Neurocysticercosis"

The purpose of this study is to evaluate, treat and follow patients with cysticercosis, an infection with the larval form of the pork tapeworm, T. solium. When people ingest cysts of T. solium eggs, cysts develop in the muscles, brain and other organs. The cysts enlarge and cause inflammation, usually in the brain. Patients may develop seizures, headache, nausea, vomiting, inability to walk, poor vision due to enlargement of the brain, and increased pressure in the brain. Other neurological problems may develop depending on the location of the cysts. The drugs praziquantel and albendazole are used to treat cysticercosis, but it is not clear if these drugs are effective in all patients, such as those with calcified cysts or brain enlargement. Patients with suspected or confirmed cysticercosis may be eligible for this study. Participants will be hospitalized for 2 to 3 weeks and will take either praziquantel or albendazole by mouth for 2 weeks. They may receive a corticosteroid to lessen the side effects of the drug therapy. Patients will be evaluated with medically indicated tests and procedures that may include: Blood tests. X-rays of the head and long bones. Electroencephalogram - recording of the electrical activity of the brain Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) - examination of the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord. For this procedure, a local anesthetic is given and a needle is inserted in the space between the bones (vertebrae) in the lower back. About 2 tablespoons of fluid is collected through the needle. Eye examination. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the brain. MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves instead of X-rays to demonstrate structural and chemical changes in the brain. During the scan, the patient lies on a table in a narrow cylinder (the scanner). He or she can speak with a staff member via an intercom system at all times during the procedure. Computed tomography (CT) to examine the brain. CT can be done from different angles and allows the doctor to view the brain in small sections in 3-dimensions. The patient lies on a table with the head positioned in the CT scanner. Some of the tests may be repeated on the last day of therapy and at 3 and 6 months or longer after therapy.

Taenia solium neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic infection causing much neurological disease in most of the world. When parasites locate in the cavities around the brain (subarachnoid NCC, SANCC), it becomes an aggressive, progressive and frequently lethal presentation. Current treatment regimens for SANCC have quite limited efficacy. The investigators propose to compare the current standard of care (a single antiparasitic drug, albendazole) with a combined regimen using two antiparasitic drugs simultaneously by adding praziquantel. The trial will enrol 164 patients in four centers, two in Peru, one in Ecuador, and one in Brasil.

Three-arm open, randomized comparative study of acetazolamide, dexamethasone, or no additional treatment to evaluate decrease in peri-calcification edema in neurocysticercosis

The objectives of the Phase I study are to evaluate the safety and tolerance of increasing single oral doses of oxfendazole in healthy volunteers.The secondary objectives assess the pharmacokinetic profile of oxfendazole and assess the metabolism of oxfendazole. The description of agent used is single oral dose of an aqueous suspension of oxfendazole, a benzimidazole carbamate antiparasitic drug. Each new cohort will be dosed only after the two week safety data for the preceding group have been reviewed. If a clinically significant AE is observed, and if this event is drug-related the safety monitoring committee will be convened to determine whether the study should continue.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a short course of increased corticosteroid dosing with tapered dosing decreases seizure frequency as compared to standard corticosteroid dosing in patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC).

Comparing the effect of two different duration of same drug albendazole in patients with Neurocysticercosis less than or equal to 5 lesions on CT head at the end of 6 months.

The purpose of this study is to determine if combination drug therapy of praziquantel and albendazole is safe and effective to cure neurocysticercosis.

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the effect of antiparasitic treatment with albendazole on the severity and duration of epilepsy due to neurocysticercosis. II. Determine the effect of a short course of albendazole on Taenia solium cysts present in the brain. III. Determine the natural regression of cerebral T. solium cysts in patients given placebo and their response to treatment at the end of the study.

The purpose of this study is to determine if treatment with albendazole improves the clinical outcome of neurocysticercosis infection and/or leads to the disappearance of cysts sooner when compared with symptomatic treatment.

Increased health education has the potential to facilitate better use of health care services and to promote early treatment, thus it can strengthen the health care system, and ultimately reduce morbidity and mortality. In this study, we will develop and test the effect of digital health messages related to HIV, Tuberculosis (TB) and Taenia solium cysticercosis/taeniosis (TSCT) (the intervention diseases) in Migoli and Izazi (the intervention villages), in Iringa, Tanzania (TZ). The intervention is planned as follows: A digital platform, providing the intervention villages with digital health messages related to the above-mentioned diseases, will be implemented in TZ in 2019. The platform will be accessible free of charge, through own devices and tablets based in the local Wi-Fi spots in the villages. In the first part of this project, the doctoral research fellow will participate in developing the digital health messages, together with experts from the medical and teaching environments in Tanzania, Norway, Germany and USA. The second part of the PhD-project consists of a cluster non-randomised controlled trial and semi-structured interviews in Tanzania. The digital health messages will be physically shown to the participants in the intervention group. The study is planned to investigate the knowledge related to the intervention diseases, before the intervention, immediately after exposure to the intervention, and at follow-up points throughout one year, after the intervention has been implemented. Semi-structured interviews with clients (users of the intervention) from each of the intervention villages are included, to explore the perception and reception of the intervention. The baseline study and the immediate after survey will take place in Tanzania in Q1 2019, while the other follow-up studies and interviews (3, 6 and 12 months after baseline) will be undertaken throughout one year.