Antiretroviral Therapy and Inflammatory and Coagulation Biomarkers: iMACS Study
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)2 moreThe aim of this study is to develop and follow a cohort of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults who are starting HIV drugs at health facilities in Kenya. Blood and urine samples will be collected from all participants in order to establish a sample bank of samples in order to further the understanding of the levels of inflammatory biomarkers and coagulation biomarkers in African patients and the effect of taking HIV drugs on these biomarkers. This study will enroll and follow 685 men and women who are starting HIV drugs and collect blood and urine specimens from them at 4 study visits. These samples will be frozen and stored for future testing related to inflammatory and coagulation biomarkers.
Bronchoscopic Sampling Techniques in Sarcoidosis
Mediastinal Lymph Node EnlargementSarcoidosis2 moreThe development of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has improved the safety and diagnostic accuracy of the mediastinal lymph node (MLN) sampling. Still, in some diseases routine cytological specimens are considered insufficient and histological sampling is preferred. The aim of the study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of EBUS-TBNA and two other, more invasive procedures to obtain histological samples from MLN in patients with clinical and radiological features of sarcoidosis. Bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), EBUS-TBNA, EBUS guided transbronchial forceps biopsy (EBUS-TBFB), large bore (19G) histology TBNA as well as endobronchial forceps biopsy will be performed in 90 consecutive patients with mediastinal lymph node enlargement and clinical and radiological features of sarcoidosis. Diagnostic accuracy of each sampling technique will be calculated and compared to other techniques. Diagnostic yield of different technique combinations will also be calculated and the most efficient diagnostic approach will be defined.
TASK-002: Bioequivalence of Bedaquiline 400mg Administered in Crushed Form Compared to Tablet Form...
TuberculosisThis is a randomized, open-label, cross-over study comparing the bioequivalence of bedaquiline administered in whole tablet form versus bedaquiline administered in crushed (experimental) form in healthy adult volunteers.
TasP in Correctional Facilities
HIVTuberculosisAt correctional facilities in Zambia and South Africa, a cross-sectional study design will be used to characterize the full continuum of integrated HIV/TB care under Treatment as Prevention (TasP), and will enrich this approach by: 1) using individual-level cohort data for HIV-infected inmates to assess ART uptake under TasP/Universal Test and Treat (UTT), as well as 6-month virological suppression and retention in care for inmates initiating ART; and 2) mixed methods to identify health-system, corrections-related socio-cultural and individual-inmate barriers to and facilitators of TasP/UTT to refine TasP implementation; and 3) conducting a retrospective chart review using routine data from Ministry of Health registers to reconstruct an approximate HIV and TB cascade for all inmates (HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected) at 3 and 12 months into TasP/UTT implementation.
Short Course Rifapentine and Isoniazid for the Preventive Treatment of Tuberculosis(SCRIPT-TB)
Silicosis TuberculosisTuberculosis (TB) remains the most important infectious disease in the world. Preventive treatment plays an important role in successful control of TB. The investigators' previous study showed a 3-month weekly rifapentine and isoniazid regimen had a high protective efficacy but an unsatisfactory completion rate. Therefore, the investigators suppose that a one-month (12-dose) regimen of rifapentine and isoniazid (1RPT/INH) to be equivalent to a 3-month weekly rifapentine and isoniazid regimen with similar efficacy and higher completion rate. Relevant study is lacking in China where the TB burden is high with the incidence rate of 70/100, 000. Silicosis is a risk factor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. This is an open-label, non-randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the 1RPT/INH to prevent tuberculosis (TB) compared with those who do not receive preventive treatment among silicotic patients.
Pharmacometric Optimization of Second Line Drugs for MDR Tuberculosis Treatment
Multidrug-resistant TuberculosisMultidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB), defined as simultaneous resistance to isoniazid and rifampin, has been declared a global emergency. Treatment outcomes are poor, driven by toxicity and limited efficacy of the 2nd-line anti-TB drugs. Although there is evidence that both anti-TB activity and most of the toxicity of the key drugs are related to drug exposure, the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationships in patients with MDR-TB are poorly characterized. Moreover potential synergy of drug combinations has not been identified in the context of MDR-TB, dosing has not taken into account the concentrations needed to suppress resistance, and the role of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) in dosing is poorly studied. There are therefore opportunities to optimize drug doses and combinations to improve efficacy, and reduce toxicity. Based on this observational study of patients on standard treatment for MDR-TB, our proposal builds on novel methodologies we have developed, largely for drug sensitive TB: The application of computational analytical techniques to tease out the individual contributions of anti-TB drugs used in combination The development of a treatment response biomarker model based on time-to-positivity in liquid culture of serial sputum samples. The in vitro determination of PK targets for anti-TB activity and the suppression of resistance using the hollow fiber models of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) (HFM-TB). Thus the research will enhance our understanding of current modalities of TB treatment, while contributing research approaches for future regimen optimization. This protocol describes the clinical research component (points 1&2). Aim 1: To characterize the effects of 2nd-line drug exposures on treatment response in MDR-TB patients. The 2nd-line drugs to be examined are those comprising the standardized regimen used in South Africa: kanamycin, pyrazinamide, moxifloxacin, ethionamide and terizidone. Hypothesis: Amongst patients on standard MDR-TB treatment, variation in drug exposure has a quantifiable impact on the rates at which viable Mtb are cleared from the sputum. Aim 2: To identify drug exposures associated with the risk of treatment-related toxicities in patients on a standard 2nd-line regimen for MDR-TB. Hypothesis: The risks of specific toxicities associated with kanamycin, pyrazinamide, moxifloxacin, ethionamide and terizidone are linked to drug concentrations.
A Retrospective Study of Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Central Nervous...
Central Nervous System TuberculosisThis is a retrospective clinical study to analyze the clinical characteristics, complications, and effects of different treatment options on long-term prognosis in patients with central nervous system tuberculosis. All cases of central nervous system tuberculosis diagnosed between 2016 and 2021 were included in the electronic medical record system of one center, and data such as demographics, hospitalization information, clinical information, laboratory or imaging examinations, treatment plans, and outcomes were collected.
Phenotyping of High Dose Rifampicin
TuberculosisHigher doses of rifampicin as a means of more efficient use of this pivotal TB drug has shown promising results and might become standard in future. This means that higher doses of rifampicin will be co-administered with many other drugs taken by TB patients, including anti-retroviral, anti-diabetic, cardiovascular and other drugs. Therefore, in this study the aim is to quantitatively assess the drug interaction potential of high dose rifampicin (~40 mg/kg daily dose, the currently available maximum tolerated dose) with respect to five major human drug-metabolizing CYP enzymes and P-gp in comparison to the conventional dose of 10 mg/kg daily in pulmonary TB patients. A phenotyping approach with single administration of several selective substrates for multiple enzymes will be used, in order to prevent multiple drug-drug interaction studies.
Accessibility of the World Health Organization's eTB Catalogue of Recommendations
TuberculosisThe World Health Organization's Global Tuberculosis Programme (WHO-GTB) issues evidence-informed guideline recommendations on tuberculosis (TB). These recommendations are used by decision-makers, guideline developers and other stakeholders. In an effort to improve the accessibility and usability of these recommendations, a new eTB catalogue of recommendations has been developed. This study aims to compare the accessibility of the new eTB catalogue to the earlier method of accessing recommendations directed through the general WHO website.
Immunosuppression in HIV-infected Patients With Tuberculosis in Ethiopia
HIV InfectionTuberculosis1 moreBackground: Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV are leading causes of disease and death in Subsaharan Africa. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) dramatically improves prognosis in HIV infection, but TB is still a common complication in HIV-infected subjects. Management of TB-HIV co-infection is complex, both with regard to diagnosis and treatment. Since scaling-up of ART requires management of most patients in primary health care, it is critical to achieve better strategies for TB-HIV co-infection at peripheral levels of the health care system in endemic regions. This includes development of new methods to assess the severity of HIV disease and the need to start ART during TB treatment in this population. Aims: To compare a scoring system for clinical signs of immunosuppression with CD4 cell counts to assess HIV disease severity and indications for ART initiation, and to correlate immunosuppression status with treatment outcome. Workplan: CD4 cell levels and results of clinical scoring has been compared in 1100 patients with TB, using HIV-negative subjects with TB treatment for control. Inclusion was closed in February 2012, and follow-up of participants completed in August 2012. Plasma levels of immune activation and inflammatory markers will be correlated with the degree of immunosuppression. Significance: TB is the most significant clinical challenge to the successful scaling-up of ART in Africa. In order to improve management in primary health care it is necessary to find robust and reliable techniques for determining disease severity and identification of patients who need to start ART during TB treatment. This study may contribute to increased knowledge in this field and help to modify guidelines for management of TB-HIV co-infection in Ethiopia as well as in other resource-limited settings.