There are about 472 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Tanzania. 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.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited disorder worldwide affecting 300,000 births annually, most occuring in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where poor detection and care result in high childhood mortality, malnutrition, illness and disability in survivors. SCD is caused by abnormal haemoglobin, the compound in red blood cells(RBC) that carries oxygen. Much of the disability in SCD may be caused by vascular damage from the breakdown of damaged RBC. Research in high-income countries has led to some effective therapies but these are currently costly and complex. The investigators will test two different formulations of an affordable, ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF) specifically tailored for children with SCD. As well as containing energy, protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals, the vascular RUSF (RUSFv) will be fortified with the amino-acids arginine and citrulline and be delivered with a daily chloroquine dose to create a novel "nutraceutical" intervention. Arginine is converted to nitric oxide which is essential for vascular health. Arginine levels are low in SCD because the arginine-degrading enzyme, arginase, is released from RBCs. The investigators propose that by supplying additional arginine (and citrulline which converts to arginine) and suppressing arginase activity (an action of chloroquine) the investigators can improve vascular function. Our study will test this theory, and if provision of RUSF improves growth in children with SCD.
It is generally agreed that artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is the malaria therapy of choice but there is much less agreement about the best ACT-deployment strategies. Countries are now beginning to adopt policies to enhance ACT deployment that aim to address 2 key goals: (i) making ACTs more readily and speedily accessible to patients: or (ii) targeting ACTs to patients shown to have malaria parasitaemia. The Tanzanian Government has secured funding to address both ACT access and targeting on a national scale. Access is to be improved through the distribution of subsidised ACTs through private facilities and retail drug shops under the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm). Targeting is to be addressed through enhancing microscopy and introducing rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) in health facilities at every level of the system. This study will evaluate these two interventions in 3 rural regions of Tanzania which are all expected to receive both interventions during the study period. The investigators will assess the effectiveness of the interventions in terms of coverage, equity, quality, adherence, and public health impact using a pre-post plausibility design based on before and after household, health facility and outlet surveys. The null hypothesis is that the interventions will have no impact on the coverage of prompt effective treatment for fever and malarial. In addition, the investigators will estimate the cost and cost-effectiveness of implementation from a health system and household perspective. Finally the investigators will explore the socio-cultural context and other factors that influence the implementation and outcome of the interventions.
The purpose of this study is to asses whether probiotics Lactobacillus rhamnosus (GR-1) and reuteri (RC-14) are able to prevent diarrhea, delay the decline of the immune system and prevent and/or cure bacterial vaginosis among HIV patients.
A single dose of nevirapine (SD NVP) given to an HIV infected pregnant woman followed by a single dose to her infant has been shown to be an effective way of reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based antiretroviral regimen versus a protease inhibitor (PI)-based regimen in HIV infected infants who had or had not been exposed to SD NVP for prevention of MTCT. >> >> A five year follow up has been added to the study.
The purpose of this research is to compare the efficacy of two low-cost low intervention packages to prevent and treat severe anemia in pregnant women in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The two packages are Standard of Care as described by the WHO (presumptive treatment for malaria and helminths plus daily iron + folic acid supplements) and Enhanced Care (Standard of Care plus daily multivitamins and a 2nd dose of anthelminthic.)