Comparing Two Preventive Regimens for Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI)
Latent Tuberculosis InfectionThough still an endemic area, the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in Taiwan is decreasing in recent years. Further reduction in TB incidence, or even elimination should rely on treatment for LTBI. However, which is the cost-effective screening method or what is the cost-effective regimen in Taiwan is still unclear. Therefore, the investigators designed this prospective study to follow up adult household contacts with LTBI for 2 years and compare the efficacy of 9-month isoniazid and 4-month rifampicin).
Pharmacokinetic Study of Patients Who Undergo Cycloserine, a 2nd-line Antituberculosis Medicament...
Pulmonary TuberculosisIn all treatments of tuberculosis, the second-line drugs are usually less effective but have more drug toxicity than the first-line ones. For the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients, who are resistant to the major first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs such as Rifampin and Isoniazid, the second-line agents, like Cycloserine in this research, are in frequent use. Taking patients' safety into consideration, therapeutic drug monitoring of Cycloserine has been listed as a routine examination during the tuberculosis treatment and established a suggested Cycloserine serum concentration of 20~35 mcg/mL. While this suggested drug concentration was set up, it isn't suitable to all races in the world. The investigators plan to develop the therapeutic drug monitoring protocols and a suggested treating concentration fitting for Asian (Taiwanese). In addition, through this research, the investigators can also realize that factors causing different pharmacokinetics and the clinical outcomes in different Cycloserine level.
Effect of Weight and/or Obesity on Ethambutol Drug Concentrations
ObesityTuberculosisThis study is designed to measure drug concentrations in the blood of healthy volunteers administered a single dose of ethambutol. Our hypothesis is that volunteers with a body mass index (BMI) 25-40 kg/m2 will remove ethambutol more quickly from the blood than leaner volunteers, and those with a BMI > 40 kg/m2 will have even greater clearance than those who are leaner.
Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Recalcitrant Inflammatory Ocular Neovascularization
NeovascularizationTuberculosis2 moreOne complication of uveitis which is driven by an increase in VEGF is the formation of inflammatory ocular neovascularization (ION). Here, we analyze the therapeutic role of intravitreal bevacizumab in ION not responding to standard therapy (systemic and ocular corticosteroids and systemic immunosuppressants) in a multicenter retrospective study.The natural history of subfoveal choroidal new vessels histoplasmosis, multifocal choroiditis, Harada and other inflammatory chorioretinal disorders has been very guarded, but with this new approach, we hope to stop the visual loss in these relatively young patients.
Deworming Against Tuberculosis
TuberculosisThe purpose of this study is to investigate whether treatment against intestinal helminths in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis undergoing chemotherapy could improve the clinical outcome by enhancing host immunity.
Randomized Study of Interventions to Enhance Adherence to Isoniazid Prevention Therapy for Tuberculosis...
TuberculosisOBJECTIVES: I. Recruit 300 injection drug users with positive tuberculin skin tests who are candidates for isoniazid chemoprophylaxis into a trial of several interventions to enhance adherence to preventive therapy. II. Compare the effectiveness of self-administered isoniazid chemoprophylaxis supplemented with peer education and support groups versus directly observed preventive therapy delivered by a licensed nurse versus self-administered therapy with standard clinic follow-up and education. Outcome measures are adherence to prescribed doses of medication and the proportion of patients who complete therapy. III. Compare the impact of monetary incentives on therapy adherence by random assignment to immediate vs. deferred financial incentive. IV. Assess attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs about tuberculosis and preventive therapy in these patients and determine the association of these factors with demographic, social, and clinical characteristics. V. Assess attitudes and beliefs about tuberculosis susceptibility, seriousness, benefits of preventive therapy, barriers to therapy, and self-efficacy as predictors of health-related behaviors as measured by adherence with therapy, and determine the impact of the assigned interventions on these attitudes and beliefs.
Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Antimycobacterial Immunity
TuberculosisThe purpose of this study is to determine how vitamin D supplementation (ergocalciferol) affects the immune response to mycobacterial infection.
Effectiveness of the TB Contact Priority Model
TuberculosisThe broad purpose of this project, proposed by investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the State of Alabama Department of Public Health, is to use a behaviorally focused education that has been proven effective to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of the contact investigation process. The behaviorally focused intervention will focus on enabling public health workers to understand and implement a recently published model of TB transmission.
TB Contact Investigation: Behavioral Intervention
Lung DiseasesTuberculosisTo develop a behavioral intervention aimed at public health workers who perform tuberculosis contact investigation and designed to enhance the contact investigation process.
Indigenous Outreach Among Injection Drug Users to Treat and Control TB
Lung DiseasesTuberculosisThe Community Outreach Intervention Project (COIP) implemented and evaluated a TB intervention with injection drug users (IDUs) in two Chicago Neighborhoods, guided by the indigenous outreach leadership model that had been used for AIDS prevention among drug users.