View clinical trials related to HIV Infections.
Filter by:The current available antiretroviral (ARV) agents make possible a successful treatment of virtually all HIV-infected patients, even those heavily experienced subjects, with a history of previous failure to ARV drugs of different classes. However, some problems are still present, especially for specific populations, like pregnant women and infants. For these groups, most of currently available drugs are not used, because the lack of information on safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic/dynamic behavior of ARVs drugs. The mother to child transmission (MTCT) is still a problem in certain areas of the world, especially in resource-limited settings. In some settings, women often present to their first antenatal care visit late in the pregnancy, posing an additional problem: how to effectively treat these patients to assure they will have an undetectable viral load at the moment of delivering? Depending on the plasma viremia magnitude, and viral susceptibility it can take 6 or more weeks to reduce the viral load to less than the desired 1,000 copies of HIV-1 RNA / ml of plasma. To achieve this goal, it would be necessary the use of a potent, very efficacious ARV regimen that could provide such viral decay in a very short period. Raltegravir (RAL), the first HIV-1 integrase inhibitor, is a potent and safe ARV drug. The available evidence suggest it has no genotoxic potential, and promotes a rapid decline in HIV-1 plasma viremia. In addition, RAL is highly active against viral strains presenting different degree of resistance to other ARV drugs. Thus, RAL could be an ideal candidate to be used for prevention of MTCT for women with detectable viral load, presenting late in the course of pregnancy. Another attractive point is to consider that, due to the similarity between the integrase enzyme of HIV-1 and Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1); RAL could be active against HTLV-1, blocking its replication. If our hypothesis is correct, the use f RAL-containing ARV regimens would reduce the MTCT of both agents. This study has the objective of evaluating the efficacy of RAL containing ARV regimens in reducing the HIV-1 RNA plasma viral load below 50 copies/ml, at the end of pregnancy, for late-presenters pregnant women and to compare the frequency of adverse events for women using RAL-based ARV regimens and comparators, and for their babies.
This study was designed to test the hypothesis that treatment of HIV infected subjects with losartan, an agent with specific anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic actions, will: 1. reverse existing lymphoid tissue fibrosis, 2. restore lymphoid tissue architecture, 3. increase the number and improve the function of peripheral and lymphatic CD4 T cells, 4. decrease levels of systemic immune activation (IA), 5. decrease size of the HIV reservoir, and 6. be safe and well tolerated.
Aim-1: Evaluate opt-out versus opt-in testing for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at the Cook County jail and the Illinois Department of Corrections Northern Intake facilities. Outcomes of interest include a) uptake of each HIV testing strategy, b) comparative effectiveness of identifying HIV-positive cases, new cases and undisclosed cases, and c) predictors of HIV testing. Aim-2: Evaluate two case management strategies - "correctional case management" and "transitional case management" - designed to improve linkage and adherence to appropriate medical care after release from incarceration. Correctional case management is a longer-term, more intense approach while transitional case management seeks to meet the clients' immediate needs, link them to Ryan White case management, and then support the Ryan White case manager in assisting these clients. Correctional case management will be compared to the standard of care for jail detainees, and to transitional case management for persons leaving prison. Outcomes of interest include, (a) HIV viral load and CD4 cell counts over time, (b) adherence to medication, and (c) visits to medical providers. Aim-3: Evaluate the impact of an incentive for HIV-positive detainees released from jail to visit an HIV service organization where they can be linked to medical care and case management. Outcomes of interest are essentially the same as Aim-2. Aim-4: Assess university-based telemedicine as means to improve care of state prison inmates living with HIV. Outcomes of interest include medication regimens, HIV viral load and CD4 cell counts, and associated health conditions. Aim-5: Assess the uptake of partner notification and social network HIV counseling and testing involving HIV-positive persons released from jail and prison as a means to extend the reach of the 'seek, test, treat and retain' (STTR) model into the community.
A Phase 4 study is to characterize the profile of low bone mineral density (BMD) in ≥ 50 year old male subjects and post-menopausal female subjects on any tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)-based regimen
The primary objective of this project is to assess the study population's acceptance of two medication adherence support strategies: incentive-based programs and electronic medication monitoring. The study population is adolescents (ages 16 - 24) positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) currently undergoing treatment with antiretrovirals at St. Jude's HIV clinic. Participation in the study will involve completion of a survey: an Audio Computer Assisted Self Interview (ACASI). The duration of the survey is anticipated to be 10-20 minutes. Patient identifiers will not be attached the survey.
The overall goal of this project is to implement and test the efficacy of an enhanced comprehensive multidisciplinary early palliative care (EPC) package that includes four motivational interviewing sessions (MI) for persons diagnosed with AIDS. We posit that the innovative EPC will improve quality of life, clinical and psychosocial outcomes and advance care planning in a cost effective manner and could promote engagement and retention in HIV care. If successful, it could serve as a model of early palliative care for persons with AIDS in the US.
The investigators' objective is to describe the variability of rifampicin absorption, markers of inflammation and gut damage, intestinal absorptive capacity, and intestinal permeability among HIV-infected volunteers. Rifampicin is the least well absorbed of the first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. Rifampicin malabsorption is frequently observed in HIV-infected patients with active tuberculosis, but cannot be predicted by patient factors such as CD4+ T cell count, viral load, or the presence of diarrhea. The mechanisms for rifampicin malabsorption in HIV-infected patients are unknown. An understanding of mechanisms for rifampicin malabsorption could eventually lead to new therapeutic targets, with the ultimate goal of improving HIV/tuberculosis treatment outcomes.
Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women worldwide. Women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) bear a disproportionate burden of cervical cancer and its precursor, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), that result from persistent high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HIV clinical practice guidelines recommend two Pap tests in the year following diagnosis, and if both are normal, yearly thereafter. Nationally, only 25% of women meet this recommendation. The mean annual Pap testing rate for federally funded HIV centers is only 55.7%. In 2009, quality improvement statistics from the Johns Hopkins Hospital Moore Clinic, a large urban HIV center, revealed an annual Pap testing rate of 59%. This occurred despite interventions to address adherence issues were implemented, including nurse case management, co-location of HIV and gynecology services, flexible scheduling, and continuity of care. Women keep their appointments for HIV primary care more often than for gynecology care in the Moore Clinic, so an intervention that takes place during a primary care visit could improve cervical cancer screening rates. The availability of HPV testing provides a unique opportunity to increase perceived susceptibility to and severity of cervical cancer among women with HIV, and to encourage follow-up Pap testing. HPV testing involves analyzing a sample of cervicovaginal cells for the presence of high-risk HPV strains. Detection of high-risk strains of the virus indicates a high risk for high grade CIN and cancer, while a negative HPV test predicts a less than 2% risk of developing CIN. HPV testing can be easily conducted by women themselves through self-collection in a primary care visit. Studies of women without HIV who do not have regular Pap testing have demonstrated that self-collected HPV testing and results counseling increases the overall screening rate, and women who test positive for HPV have a high rate of follow-up Pap testing. Self-collected HPV testing and results counseling could be utilized in the HIV primary care setting to promote Pap testing among women with HIV.
The overall aim of this study is to reduce risk behaviors and increase health and behavioral health service utilization among disadvantaged, drug-using rural women at high risk for HIV and HCV. This project has potential to make a significant contribution to science by providing knowledge about the health, risk behaviors, and service utilization of a vulnerable and understudied group of women during a time of emerging and significant public health risk in a rural Appalachian setting. Successful completion of the aims of this project will advance the delivery of a low-cost, potentially high impact intervention with implications for a number of other real world settings (such as criminal justice venues) where other disadvantaged high-risk drug users can be identified and targeted for intervention.
A rapid and almost complete loss of CD4+ T cells from the gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) occurs early in HIV infection, with a permanent damage in the intestinal barrier, changes in gut microbiota, increased bacterial translocation and persistent immune activation, changes that are not restored after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy. The investigators hypothesize than an intervention targetting the enterocyte barrier and the gut microbiota might modify the gastrointestinal tract towards a bifidogenic microbiota and improve markers of bacterial translocation, inflammation, immune activation and endothelial dysfunction.