View clinical trials related to HIV/AIDS.
Filter by:AllyQuest is a novel, high impact secondary prevention intervention delivered via mobile phones to improve linkage and engagement in care among newly diagnosed HIV+ young men who have sex with men (YMSM). The features of the intervention aim to target previously identified barriers to care among newly diagnosed youth, namely, low HIV health literacy, lack of social support, and internalized stigma related to their diagnosis. AllyQuest will be an interactive mobile phone intervention for HIV+ YMSM that utilizes social networking, game-based mechanics and a story-based framework to guide behavior change. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, narrative communication and the principles of persuasive technology, the intervention is designed to capitalize on social involvement as a means through which HIV+ YMSM can receive information and social support, experience social norms and reflective appraisals, and feel a sense of connectedness to peers.
This trial addresses the question of the viral load (VL) threshold for switching from first-line to second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART). The WHO currently sets the threshold at 1000 copies/mL. However, the optimal threshold for defining virological failure and the need to switch ART regimen has not been determined. In fact, people with VL levels of less than 1000 copies/mL, however, not fully suppressed, are at increased risk for drug resistance mutations (DRM) and subsequent virological failure. In resource-limited settings where VL monitoring is not as frequent as in high-income countries, this could have serious implications and patients may continue on a failing regimen for a long period. Our research consortium will conduct a multicenter, parallel-group, open-label, randomized clinical trial in a resource-limited setting to assess whether a threshold of 100 copies/mL compared to the WHO-defined threshold of 1000 copies/mL for switching to second-line ART among unsuppressed HIV-positive patients on first-line ART will lead to better outcomes.
This is a small observational study aimed at observing differences in platelet function in HIV patients on abacavir versus tenofovir based anti-HIV drugs. There is some correlation between platelet activation and cardiovascular disease- this study will act as a pilot to see if platelet activation among abacavir users may explain the correlation between abacavir and cardiovascular disease in HIV positive patients. This study will enroll 44 participants total; 22 on abacavir-based treatment, 22 on tenofovir-based treatment. There is only one study visit which includes a blood draw, physical assessment, and review of medical history.
Transgender women (assigned 'male' at birth but who do not identify as male) are disproportionately impacted by HIV and have culturally unique barriers and facilitators to engagement in HIV care. Transgender women living with HIV (TWH) are less likely than others to take antiretroviral therapy (ART), and those who initiate ART have lower rates of ART adherence, lower self-efficacy for integrating ART into daily routines, and report fewer positive interactions with health care providers than non-transgender adults. As a result, TWH have an almost three-fold higher viral load than non-transgender adults in San Francisco; in Los Angeles, TWH are less likely to be virally suppressed than any other behavioral risk group. In formative work, the investigators have identified culturally-specific and modifiable barriers to HIV treatment engagement among TWH, including prioritization of transition-related health care (i.e. hormone therapy) at the expense of HIV treatment, avoidance of HIV care settings due to past negative health care experiences, misinformation about ART including potential drug interactions with hormones, intensified HIV stigma, low levels of social support, and poor coping skills. There are both individual and public health consequences to poor engagement in care among TWH stemming from high transmission risk factors, including substance abuse, high numbers of sex partners, engagement in sex work, and high rates of mental illness. These findings strongly suggest that TWH face unique challenges to engaging in and adhering to HIV treatment, and that the public health consequences for poor engagement in this population are of grave concern. Interventions to mitigate these barriers to engagement in care are critical in efforts to alter the pattern of HIV-related disparities that lead to disproportionately poor health outcomes for this highly vulnerable and marginalized population. The investigators are conducting a randomized controlled trial of a theory-driven, population-specific, piloted intervention to improve engagement in care for TWH. Grounded in the investigators' Models of Gender Affirmation and Health Care Empowerment, the proposed research is the first to systematically intervene on complex barriers to optimal engagement in HIV care for TWH. The investigators have developed and piloted the Healthy Divas intervention to optimize engagement in HIV care for TWH at elevated risk for treatment failure and consequential morbidity, mortality, and transmission of HIV.
This study will examine the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention designed to improve retention in HIV care services and improve anti-retroviral therapy (ART) adherence among adolescents ages 15-19 years living with HIV enrolled in ART services.
The overall goal of this project is to adapt and assess the impact of a traditional healer training program/intervention on the adherence, retention, and viral load of HIV infected patients newly initiated on anti-retroviral therapy in rural Mozambique.
Approximately 50% of people living with HIV (and as many as 80% over the age of 50) have difficulties with cognitive functions such as memory and thinking that can have a profound negative impact on activities of daily living and quality of life. Problems with memory and thinking are also associated with forgetting to take anti-retroviral drugs and experiencing challenges to balance, walking and mental health (anxiety and depression). There is increasing evidence that, in the general population, exercise has positive effects on cognition, physical functioning and mental health. Despite the recognition of multiple therapeutic benefits of exercise, little attention has been paid to its possible effects on cognition in people living with HIV. The purpose of the proposed pilot study is to compare the effects of a 12-week, randomly assigned, community-based yoga-mindfulness intervention on cognition, balance, walking, mental health and quality of life in 30 people >35 years of age living with HIV in the Halifax area. Yoga is of particular interest because it encompasses not only the physical but also spiritual, emotional, and mental dimensions of life. As such, it has tremendous potential to help stave off some of the devastating consequences of HIV infection.
The purpose of this study is to help us understand how HIV and/or Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) may predispose individuals to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The traditional risk factors for OSA are weight and age. However, people living with HIV on ART seem to have OSA even when they are thin and young. The study involves a detailed physiological sleep study and an MRI of the head and neck to understand the underlying cause of OSA in those with and without HIV.
Substance misuse is a common problem among HIV+ individuals. Research suggests that a Screening, Brief Intervention, and Treatment (SBIRT) model can be effective in reducing substance misuse in the general older adult population; however these findings have not been verified in the more vulnerable HIV+ older adult population. The present study seeks to address the problem of substance misuse in older HIV+ adults by piloting a SBIRT model for older HIV+ adults in a in a primary care setting. Individual reductions in alcohol and drug use can have significant effects on public health and safety when observed over a large population at risk for substance use problems. With wider dissemination statewide, a relatively low-cost intervention such as SBIRT could offer demonstrated benefits in this population.
This project will test the feasibility of an electronic game to prevent HIV among African preadolescents, delivered via inexpensive Android smart phones. In order to collect feasibility data for a future randomized controlled trial, this study involves the pilot-testing of the intervention with a sample of young people in Nyanza region, Kenya, where 11.4% of young women ages 15-24 are HIV-infected. This feasibility study will be carried out with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).