View clinical trials related to HIV Infections.
Filter by:With the advent of highly active anti-retroviral therapy(HAART), patients with HIV disease are developing a series of metabolic abnormalities including peripheral fat wasting, increase in truncal fat, high serum triglyceride levels, insulin(a hormone that controls blood sugar) resistance with an increased incidence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and elevated blood pressure. The premise of this study is that abnormalities in the ability of fat and muscle tissue to respond to the hormone insulin may be the cause of the diabetes mellitus, high serum triglyceride levels and abnormal fat distribution. The purpose of the study is to assess how insulin resistant patients with HIV disease are and if their fat and muscle tissue are responding abnormally to insulin. This is done by administering insulin and taking small tissue samples of fat and muscle from the upper thigh and assessing how good insulin acts in these tissues. Patients with HIV disease will be admitted into the study after undergoing a screening medical history and examination. Once patients qualify, they will have their insulin resistance measured as well as the response of their fat and muscle to insulin; blood levels of glucose (sugar), cholesterol and triglycerides will be measured; body fat will be assessed using radiological tests; a detailed medical history will be obtained to assess risk factors for developing this syndrome. Patients who are found to be insulin resistant will be offered a trial of an insulin sensitizing agent, called Avandia, for 6-12 weeks. It is hoped that the Avandia will restore the body's ability to respond normally to insulin (as it does in patients with Diabetes) and perhaps improve the fat abnormalities as well. All the same measures will be performed at the end of the course of Avandia as were done at baseline. Patients who are not insulin resistant will be asked to come back yearly to assess whether they develop insulin resistance over time. This study will continue to recruit patients over the next 3 years.
Background: Kaposi s sarcoma (KS) is caused by a gammaherpesvirus called Kaposi s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), or human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8). However, infection with KSHV is not sufficient to cause KS, and HIV infection is an important cofactor. Treatment of HIV with potent antiretroviral therapy can reduce the risk of KS, and can also induce regression in patients with established HIV-KS. One mechanism by which HIV is believed to contribute to KS is through HIV-induced immunodeficiency which leads to a loss of immunologic control of KSHV and/or KS itself. However, other mechanisms may also contribute. Objectives: One primary objective is to assess the effects of the initiation of potent anti-HIV therapy on specific factors possibly linked to the control or pathogenesis of KS, namely serum viral IL-6 and plasma VEGF levels, in patients with KS or at risk for KS by virtue of being infected with KSHV/HHV-8. Another is to assess the effects of anti-HIV therapy on KSHV infection. Secondary objectives are to assess the effects of potent antiretroviral therapy on established KS and other factors related to KS or KSHV infection. Eligibility: The principal eligibility factors are age 13 or above, HIV infection, and either KS or infection with KSHV. Exclusion factors include KS that requires specific therapy, recent corticosteroid therapy, recent cytokine therapy, or opportunistic infections requiring therapy. Design: Patients will be treated with potent antiretroviral therapy. For patients with established KS, the effects of the therapy on the KS will be monitored. In addition, a variety of factors related to KS, HIV infection, therapy, or KSHV infection will be monitored. These include the HIV viral load, KSHV secretion in saliva, the CD4 count, serum VEGF levels, and serum IL-6 levels.
The purpose of this study is to look at the effectiveness of combination anti-HIV drug therapy (with protease inhibitors [PIs] or without) in patients with early HIV infections. This study also looks at whether a drug called interleukin-2 (IL-2) can boost the immune system of these patients. Doctors are not sure which anti-HIV drug combination is best to use in patients who have early HIV infection and have never received anti-HIV treatment. PIs are anti-HIV drugs that decrease viral load (level of HIV in the blood). However, PIs can cause serious side effects in some patients. Doctors would like to know if a drug combination that does not contain a PI is just as good as one that contains PIs.
The purpose of this study is to see if giving a vaccine (Remune) is effective in HIV-positive patients who are also taking anti-HIV therapy. Regular treatment of HIV-positive patients with anti-HIV drugs slows the multiplication of the HIV virus in the body. A vaccine called Remune works to stop the virus infection by "boosting" the body's immune cell defense against the HIV virus before the virus enters cells. It also blocks the virus from entering the cells. This study will see whether Remune will improve the immune cell natural defense in patients who are also taking anti-HIV drugs.
The purpose of this study is to see if adding 1 or 2 drugs to the anti-HIV therapy of patients whose HIV levels increased while taking their anti-HIV drugs can lower viral load (amount of HIV in the blood) and keep it low up to Week 24. (This study has been changed. Previously, only patients whose levels increased on their first round of anti-HIV drugs were being studied.) Anti-HIV drug treatments that contain a combination of 3 or more drugs can lower HIV levels, raise CD4 cell counts, and improve survival. Unfortunately, many patients "fail" their anti-HIV drug treatment when their HIV levels go above 500 copies/ml. Usually the next step is to switch the patient to different anti-HIV drugs. Doctors would like to see whether adding 1 or 2 different drugs to the "failed" treatment also can lower HIV levels. Adding 1 or 2 drugs might be better than switching all of the drugs since patients who take many different drugs can develop drug-resistant HIV. (This study has been changed. Previously, only patients taking protease inhibitors (PI) whose levels increased on their first round of anti-HIV drugs were being studied.)
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a common opportunistic infection (OI) in HIV patients. The purpose of this study is to find out whether valganciclovir, an antiviral approved by the FDA for the treatment of CMV in the eye, is safe and effective in preventing CMV organ damage in people with HIV.
The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between age and HIV disease progression. This study will explore the possible relationship between age and HIV disease progression. Older age is an important risk factor for faster disease development, but older people may respond better to combination drug therapy. This relationship needs to be understood better.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of recombinant human growth hormone (r-hGH) on growth in HIV-infected children. Studies have shown that HIV-infected children do not grow at a normal rate and are shorter than HIV-uninfected children who are the same age. Growth hormone has been used for many years to treat children with growth hormone deficiency and has been safe and effective in helping them to grow normally. The growth hormone to be used in this study, r-hGH, is an investigational hormone (not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA]) made in the laboratory. It has helped HIV-positive adults gain weight and improve their physical performance. This study has been changed to include a needle-free device for drug delivery which will improve patient comfort and acceptability. Patients will no longer receive growth hormone through traditional needles but through a needle-free device.
The purpose of this study is to find the best strength of chlorhexidine (a solution that kills germs), for washing the mother's vagina during labor and the newborn baby, that may reduce the chance of HIV being passed from an HIV-positive mother to the baby. When used as a wash on the vagina during labor, and on a newborn shortly after birth, a higher dose of chlorhexidine is more likely to reduce the rate of HIV-1 transmission from mother to baby. Laboratory tests suggest that a higher dose of chlorhexidine will be more effective in killing HIV.
The purpose of this study is to determine the safety of a drug called interleukin-2 (IL-2) given with anti-HIV therapy in children with HIV infection. This study will also determine the best dose of IL-2 to give children. IL-2 is an important substance produced by the body's white blood cells that helps the body fight infection. People with HIV infection do not produce enough IL-2. It is hoped that IL-2 treatment will help boost the immune system in people with HIV infection. It has not been studied very much in children and doctors need to know what doses are safe to give.