There are about 117 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Botswana. The country of the clinical trial is determined by the location of where the clinical research is being studied. Most studies are often held in multiple locations & countries.
While medication adherence is critical to successful treatment of HIV, there are few studies of interventions demonstrating improvements in adherence. This may be a particular challenge in the developing world, which has a larger burden of HIV but fewer resources than industrialized countries. The investigators propose a randomized controlled trial of cellular phone text message reminders to improve medication adherence. Our pilot study will be set in a large HIV clinic in Gaborone, Botswana, where Penn researchers have collaborated on research projects in the past. The primary study outcome will be antiretroviral medication adherence.
The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to compare early versus standard timing of initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) with respect to clearance of Cryptococcus neoformans from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) among HIV-infected adults with Cryptococcal Meningitis. The investigators hypothesize that early ART mediates more rapid clearance of C. neoformans from CSF, as manifested by a greater rate of decrease in C. neoformans colony forming units (CFUs) during the first 28 days after initiating antifungal treatment. Secondary hypotheses are that recovery of pathogen specific cellular immunity directed at C. neoformans, as manifested by increases in the number and function of C. neoformans-specific peripheral blood mononuclear cells is associated with 1) ART and 2) pathogen clearance. In addition, patients randomized to the intervention arm will have more rapid clearance of antigen levels in CSF and serum and will have a lower incidence of grade 3 and 4 Adverse events.
Background: Novel HIV prevention approaches are urgently needed in Botswana and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. Although adult male circumcision (MC) has been shown to reduce the heterosexual acquisition of HIV by men by about 60%, MC in infancy is optimal for its relative ease, lower cost and low rate of complications. We have conducted focus groups and semi-structured interviews that suggest neonatal MC (< 28 days of life) would be an acceptable public HIV prevention strategy in Botswana. The government of Botswana is committed to scaling up MC services in the immediate future and they plan to include neonates. Understanding decision-making around infant MC will be essential to maximize the effectiveness of this HIV prevention strategy. Specific Aims: The investigators propose to: 1) determine the acceptability and actual uptake of neonatal MC in southeastern Botswana and identify barriers to uptake; 2) ascertain the feasibility and safety of neonatal MC in Botswana; 3) Estimate what, if any, advantages would exist for scale up of Mogen Clamp, Plastibell or AccuCirc with regard to human resources, equipment needs, adverse events and acceptability to health-care providers and families in Botswana. Study Design and Schema: The investigators will conduct structured interviews with early postpartum mothers and fathers to determine correlates of neonatal MC acceptability and uptake, defined as neonatal MC following informed consent. Male infants will be circumcised by a trained doctor in a hospital / clinic setting by one of three FDA-approved devices that are currently in use in US hospitals: Mogen clamp, Plastibell or AccuCirc. Circumcision with Mogen Clamp or Plastibell will be done before 29 days of life. Circumcision with AccuCirc will be done before 11 days of life (FDA approval limit for device). The investigators will also administer questionnaires to the parents at the regular pediatric follow-up visit(s) to assess impressions of / satisfaction with the infant's procedure outcome over time. Provider impressions of the three methods will also be evaluated. Sample size will be 150 infants per arm for a total of 450 infants males circumcised (and an estimated 800 parental questionnaires). Public Health Significance: The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS state that countries with severe, generalized HIV epidemics but low rates of MC should offer this surgery as an important, evidence-based HIV prevention intervention, including among neonates. These two agencies also recommended that additional research on the most feasible, safe, and sustainable ways of scaling up MC intervention should be performed. This study will be in keeping with these recommendations. Please note the Mogen clamp and Plastibell study arms began as a randomized trial before the initiation of the AccuCirc single-arm portion. Although the settings in which the three devices were studied were similar, the AccuCirc trial enrollment began at two sites (Gaborone and Molepolole) only after completion of the Mogen clamp and Plastibell arms, which was conducted in three sites (Gaborone, Molepolole and Mochudi). Although Lobatse was a site for the first acceptability study with mothers, no procedures were performed there. Regarding the reported sample size: the total, final sample size includes both parents of newborn boys (because enrolled consenting parents completed questionnaires as part of this study), and boys whose parents consented to circumcision. We anticipated that not all parents who completed the questionnaire would consent to circumcising their baby; therefore, when planning the study it was necessary to estimate the number of parents who would participate in the survey (700), to achieve an enrollment of 300 neonates (therefore the initial estimate of 1000). The original study in fact enrolled 302 infants, 600 mothers and 19 fathers (total study population 921). The addition of the AccuCirc arm led to a revised estimate of total number of neonates and their parents (total=1250). The final enrollment was of 1,235 participants, that includes all the participating neonates and parents.
This study was a randomized strategy trial conducted among women who received highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) during pregnancy for purposes of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV but did not otherwise meet criteria to initiate HAART for their own health. The study was designed to determine whether continuation of HAART after delivery or other pregnancy outcome reduced morbidity and mortality compared to discontinuation and re-initiation of HAART when protocol specified criteria were met.
The primary objective is to establish the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile at steady state of nevirapine XR in HIV infected children from >=3 to <18 years of age. This phase I trial is an open-label, multiple dose, non-randomized and cross-over study. Patients who have completed the last visit of the PK trial (visit 7) can enter into an Optional Extension Phase (OEP) until the Investigational New Drug (IND) is withdrawn; until nevirapine XR becomes approved and is available by prescription in a given country; or, the patient enrolls in a compassionate use program. During this OEP, nevirapine XR safety and efficacy information will be collected.
Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children, accounting for 45% of severe diarrhea disease in both developed and developing countries. Annually, rotavirus causes approximately 111 million episodes of gastroenteritis requiring home care, 25 million clinic visits, 2 million hospitalizations, and approximately 440,000 deaths in children less than 5 years of age, of which approximately 90% of hospitalizations and 99% of deaths occur in developing countries. Although rotavirus infection is not more common in HIV-infected children, it complicates their care and interferes with their nutrition. Chances of death by these infections can be greater in HIV-infected children when they also suffer from wasting, malnutrition, and/or opportunistic infections. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the Rotavirus vaccine candidate, RotaTeq, in HIV-infected and uninfected children born to HIV-infected mothers.
An estimated 3 million HIV-infected individuals will enter programs for antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in the coming year, with projected rates of requirement for ARV therapy extending to more than 10 million in sub-Saharan Africa, southeastern Asia, and Latin America in the coming decade. In these settings, Tuberculosis (TB) is an endemic infection in the population, and an estimated 30-60% of adults have been infected with TB, the leading opportunistic infection associated with HIV infection. The purpose of this study is to construct a standardized diagnostic evaluation (SDE) for TB that provides an increase in identification of participants with active pulmonary TB, without sacrificing specificity.
This is a study to determine what Human Papillomavirus HIV seropositive women in Botswana, South Africa and Brasil have been exposed to during their life. The Human Papillomavirus causes cervical cancer. Different types are more likely to lead to cancer than other types. A vaccine has been made to fight infection against HPV 16 and 18 which has been shown to cause cervical cancer in America and Europe. What HPV type cause cancer in other countries is not as well studied. Hypothesis HPV serology will demonstrate that exposure to each HPV type in Gardisil (6,11,16,18) will be <50% in HIV seropositive women in resource limited countries.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has led to better health and survival rates among people with HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of trained partner supervision when taking medication versus self-administered therapy in HIV infected participants. These participants have had their first virologic failure on a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based HAART regimen and were starting a protease inhibitor (PI)-based HAART regimen at study entry.
The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of 400 mg QD nevirapine extended release (NVP XR) formulation versus 200 mg BID nevirapine immediate release (NVP IR) in ARV therapy naïve HIV-1 infected patients after 48 weeks of treatment. Secondary objectives are to evaluate safety and pharmacokinetics of NVP XR and NVP IR.