Active clinical trials for "Pneumonia, Pneumocystis"

Primary: To compare the toxicity of daily versus weekly dapsone in HIV-infected infants and children; to study the pharmacokinetics of orally administered dapsone in HIV-infected infants and children. Secondary: To obtain information on the rate of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia ( PCP ) breakthrough in children receiving two different dose regimens of dapsone. Prophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia ( PCP ) is recommended for all HIV-infected children considered to be at high risk. Approximately 15 percent of children are intolerant to trimethoprim / sulfamethoxazole, the first choice drug for PCP prophylaxis. Since many children are also unable to take or tolerate aerosolized pentamidine, dapsone is a second choice for PCP prophylaxis. The most favorable dose regimen for dapsone has not been established.

To determine the safety, tolerance, and pharmacokinetics of a new improved microparticulate suspension formulation of atovaquone administered at one of two dose levels (per 09/30/94 amendment, a third dose level was added) daily for 12 days in HIV-infected and perinatally exposed (per 8/9/95 amendment) infants and children who are at risk of developing Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). Atovaquone has shown prophylactic potential in adults in the treatment of PCP but is poorly absorbed in tablet form. To improve the bioavailability of atovaquone, a new formulation has been prepared as a microparticulate suspension. Since studies in adults have demonstrated substantial safety of this drug, evaluation in children is being pursued.

Cotrimoxazole preventive therapy (CPT) is recommended for prevention of morbidity and mortality due to Pneumocystis pneumonia and other infections in HIV positive patients with low immunity. Common clinical practice is to start CPT in any patient with CD4 counts below 200/µL, and, conversely, to stop CPT when immunity has been restored by antiretroviral treatment to CD4 counts above 200/µL or when viral suppression has been documented for 3 months. However, the latest WHO guidelines widely expands the indication for CPT by advocating for settings with high prevalence of malaria and bacterial infections, that all patients with HIV start CPT regardless of CD4 counts and clinical stage. Furthermore, WHO recommends these patients to continue CPT indefinitely regardless of evidence of immune restoration (The recommendation is for settings with high prevalence of malaria and bacterial infections, not for high-income countries). There is limited scientific evidence to recommend prolonged CPT, as studies have shown it is associated with modestly reduced morbidity due to pneumonia, meningitis and malaria, but no corresponding reduction in mortality. The impact of such a large increase in antibiotic use on the emergence of antimicrobial resistance has not been thoroughly considered. Our previous studies in Tanzania showed that multidrug-resistant bacteria frequently cause bloodstream infections with resultant very high case-fatality rates. As genes encoding for multiple antibiotic resistance traits are transferred by plasmids together with resistance towards cotrimoxazole, prolonged CPT will likely favor the selection of carriage of multidrug-resistant gut bacteria. The proposed randomized clinical trial is designed to assess whether prolonged CPT in HIV-positive patients results in increased fecal carriage of multi-drug resistant gut microbes or increased nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Secondary endpoints are morbidity (clinical events, hospitalizations) and mortality. Stool specimens, nasal swabs and clinical data will be collected from persons attending voluntary counseling and testing facilities and HIV-clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The study results may have important impact on public health in terms of assisting development of rational recommendations for CPT use, and may help prevent emerging antibiotic resistance.

To explore the effects of corticosteroid therapy on pulmonary fibrosis and potentially pneumothorax in patients with mild PCP (pO2 >70mmHg) combined with the standard of care treatment of antibiotic therapy.

To determine the effect of methylprednisolone on respiratory failure in HIV-infected patients with presumed or confirmed pneumocystis carinii pneumonia who are stratified for presence or absence of respiratory failure at the time of randomization to the study.

To determine the presence of IMDPH mutants of Pneumocystis jirovecii in solid organ transplant recipient with prior exposition to mycophenolic acid.

This study aims to evaluate specialized proresolving mediators (SPM) concentrations for the first time in subjects infected with Pneumocystis jirovecii. SPM will be measured in blood and urine in patients with favourable or unfavourable outcome of Pneumocystis pneumonia and in patients colonized by Pneumocystis jirovecii. The hypothesis is that low levels of SPM in the blood could be predictive of a negative outcome of pneumocystosis.

Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PcP) increased in non HIV immunocompromised patients. Mortality remains high for those patients with comorbidities (50% for patients with the most severe Pneumocystis pneumonia). Physiopathology, characteristics and outcome of PcP in non-HIV patients remains different from those in HIV patients. Steroids in HIV patients with PcP has been associated with decreased mortality but in non-HIV patients, adjunctive steroids remains controversy. Some retrospective studies in that field did not find any beneficial effects of steroids ((1mg/kg/jour d'Equivalent Prednisone (EP)). However, all the studies were retrospective, non randomised studies including various underlying disease and severity of PcP was variable. Moreover, dosage and delay of steroids were variable leading difficult to interpret all the results. The investigators want to demonstrate the beneficial effect of steroid during PcP in non-HiV immunocompromised patients with a double blinded randomised clinical trials comparing adjunctive steroids to placebo.

Evaluation the efficacy and safety profile of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis in Patients With Connective Tissue Diseases (CTD) treated with high-dose glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive agents. Open-labeled, randomized, prospective single-center clinical trial. Observation period of 12 weeks.

Pneumocystis Pneumonia is increasing in Immunocompromised Non-HIV Infected Patients. The effects and safety of caspofungin and corticosteroids is not certain in this population. All Immunocompromised Non-HIV patients with respiratory failure were randomized into caspofungin and non-caspofungin group and corticosteroids and non-steroids group. The major outcome is 28 day mortality, the second outcome are time of respiratory rate decreases to less than 25 breath per minute, body temperature lower than 37.3℃.