Clinical Research Directory

Application of a Prediction Model for Directing Antibiotic Use in the Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection in an Ambulatory Setting

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is when bacteria enter the urinary system and cause an infection. UTIs cause symptoms including burning when peeing, a feeling of an increased urge to pee, and cloudy or strong-smelling urine. Sometimes, severe UTIs can also cause fever, abdominal pain, and/or lower back pain. In the emergency department (ED), healthcare providers rely on symptoms, along with a urine analysis and a urine culture to diagnose a UTI. A urine analysis involves taking a sample of urine and analyzing different factors like color, acidity, presence of blood cells, presence of bacteria. An abnormal urine analysis increases the likelihood that patients might have a UTI, but it does not confirm it. A positive urine analysis will lead to provider's sending a sample of urine for a urine culture. A urine culture is used to grow whatever bacteria is in the collected urine. If growth is seen on the culture, then this confirms a patient has a UTI. This also specifies which bacteria grew on the culture. The lab can also take it a step further and do an antibiotic test to check which antibiotic the bacteria is sensitive to. When a urine analysis comes back abnormal in an ER setting, patients are prescribed an antibiotic before the culture and antibiotic sensitivity tests come back. If a patients condition is not critical, they will be discharged home before the culture results come back. If the culture comes back positive, the pharmacists will evaluate the culture and antibiotic sensitivity tests, then call patients to inform them whether they are taking a suitable antibiotic. This study aims to decrease the unnecessary use of antibiotics because this contributes to antibiotic resistance which is considered a global public health issue. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop the ability to withstand certain antibiotics that used to be effective against them, which makes it difficult to treat the infection. One of the factors that increase the risk of antibiotic resistance is the overuse of antibiotics. In this study, investigators will be incorporating a prediction model and a negative callback system to decrease unnecessary antibiotic use.

Electroacupuncture for the Prevention of Recurrent Lower Urinary Tract Infection in Women

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate if electroacupuncture works to prevent recurrent lower urinary tract infections in female patients. It will also learn about the safety of electroacupuncture. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does electroacupuncture reduce the attacks of acute recurrent urinary tract infections in women? 2. What medical problems do participants have when taking electroacupuncture? Researchers will compare electroacupuncture to sham electroacupuncture to assess if electroacupuncture works to prevent recurrent lower urinary tract infections. Participants will: 1. Take electroacupuncture or sham electroacupuncture for 30 minutes per session over a 6-month period. During the first month, treatment was administered 3 times weekly (once every other day); the second month, 2 times weekly (once every 2-3 days); and the 3-6 month, once monthly. 2. Visit the hospital at the end of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th months for follow-up evaluations. 3. Keep a diary of their symptoms and the number of times they use an antibiotic.

Prophylactic Antibiotics for Outpatient Urethral Bulking

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether taking prophylactic (preventative) antibiotics at the time of standard of care clinic-based urethral bulking reduces the risk of post-procedural urinary tract infection (UTI).

A Study of LBP-EC01 in the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated UTI Caused by Drug Resistant E. Coli (ELIMINATE Trial)

This is a Phase 2 superiority study of LBP-EC01, a recombinant bacteriophage cocktail, with an initial open-label 3-arm pharmacokinetic (PK) lead-in portion of 30 patients to evaluate the optimal dosing regimen to be used in the subsequent 288 patient blinded portion of the study which will be randomized 1:1 comparing LBP-EC01 + antibiotic versus placebo + antibiotic in patients with a history of prior urinary tract infection (UTI) cased by E. coli. All patients will be required to have an active acute uncomplicated UTI at baseline.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection Using DNA Polymerase Chain Reaction Versus Urine Culture

Adults 18 years or older with urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms. Participants will be assigned to either the urine culture group or the DNA PCR study group by randomization. At time of enrollment in the study they will be also asked to fill out two questionnaires. If prescribed antibiotics for treatment of a UTI, participants will then be called the day after they are scheduled to stop their antibiotics. Participants will be asked to fill out questionnaires the day after finishing antibiotics. Participants will be enrolled in the study for a maximum of 21 days.

Intravenous Versus Oral Treatment of the Main Acute Infections

Patients admitted to the hospital with acute infections are often treated with intravenous (IV) antibiotics. Around 70% of these infections fall into three categories: respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, and cellulitis. A Danish study found that 76% of patients admitted with suspected community-acquired pneumonia and treated with antibiotics received them intravenously. Based on an extrapolated estimate from an unpublished local survey, approximately 50,000 patients in Denmark are admitted each year for infections and treated with IV antibiotics. The average hospital stay for these patients is 5.9 days, resulting in a total of 295,000 hospital days annually, accounting for about 7% of total hospital admissions in Denmark. This represents an annual cost of 2.3 billion DKK. While some patients need hospitalization due to their overall health or other serious conditions, others remain hospitalized primarily to receive IV antibiotics. Expanding the use of oral antibiotics in emergency departments should be pursued only if it can demonstrate comparable efficacy and safety to IV administration. Therefore this study will investigate the efficiency of primarily oral antibiotics in acutely admitted patients with proven or suspected infections. Additionally, the investigators will evaluate the safety of oral regimen for these patients.

Single Dose Amikacin for Uncomplicated Cystitis in the ED: A Feasibility Study

The purpose of this study is to determine if a single dose of amikacin (a type of antibiotic) can be used to effectively treat emergency department patients with uncomplicated cystitis (inflammation of the bladder). Participating in this study will allow the patient to treat their urinary tract infection (UTI) with a single intramuscular (IM (into the arm)) or intravenous (IV (into the vein)) shot of amikacin, rather than having to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for antibiotics, and then take antibiotics for 3-7 days. A single dose of amikacin has been demonstrated to be safe, effective and well tolerated in other studies, but some patients may decline to participate because they do not wish to have an IV or IM shot, or because they don't want to speak on the phone with a research assistant three times over the next 30 days.

Effect of Comprehensive Spa Care on Kidney and Urological Conditions: A Clinical Study in Adult Patients

This is a single-arm, pretest-posttest study evaluating the effects of a 21-day comprehensive spa care (Komplexní lázeňská léčebně rehabilitační péče, KLP) on patients with nephrological and urological conditions treated at a spa facility in Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic. The study enrolls 150 adult patients (75 men and 75 women), aged 40-70 years, who are prescribed KLP for indications VIII/1 (recurrent and chronic non-tuberculous inflammation of the kidneys and urinary tract), VIII/2 (nephrolithiasis without urinary tract obstruction, nephrocalcinosis), VIII/3 (conditions after kidney and urinary tract surgery), and VIII/4 (chronic prostatitis or prostatovesiculitis resistant to pharmacological treatment). The spa treatment consists of the use of natural healing resources of Mariánské Lázně, including a mineral spring drinking cure, balneotherapy (mineral water baths), peloid therapy, carbon dioxide therapy, climatotherapy, exercise therapy, and dietotherapy. The standard treatment duration is 21 days, during which each patient receives a total of 63 therapeutic procedures and drinks mineral spring water three times daily. Patients undergo assessments at the beginning (days 1-3) and at the end (days 19-21) of their treatment. Assessments include physical examination, abdominal and urinary tract ultrasound, blood and urine sampling with laboratory analysis, body composition measurement using bioelectrical impedance analysis (InBody), and psychometric questionnaire surveys. The primary aim of the study is to objectively assess the therapeutic effect of comprehensive spa care on nephrological and urological diseases by comparing pre-treatment and post-treatment clinical, laboratory, and patient-reported outcomes. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen (decision of November 2, 2023, ref. no. 437/23).

A Study in Pediatric Participants Aged ≥2 to <12 Years With a Suspected or Confirmed Bacterial Infection or Receiving Prophylaxis Antibiotics

The study will be conducted to evaluate how a single oral dose of Gepotidacin is processed in the body over time along with safety monitoring in hospitalized pediatric participants who are receiving a standard of care treatment with antibacterials for a confirmed or suspected infection or for its prevention.

Vitamin C and Hiprex in rUTI

A single centre proof of concept study to assess whether Vitamin C improves the efficacy of Methenamine Hippurate (Hiprex®) in the prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs) in women

Metaphylaxis of Infected Kidney Stones After Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy

Kidney stone recurrence, particularly infection-related stones, remains a significant clinical problem after percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PCNL). Bacterial colonization and persistent infection are recognized contributors to stone recurrence. This study evaluates the effectiveness of intrarenal dioxidine instillation as a metaphylactic measure to reduce recurrence of infection-related kidney stones following PCNL. Patients undergoing PCNL will receive standard treatment, with or without adjunctive intrarenal dioxidine administration. The study aims to assess whether this approach reduces stone recurrence and infection-related complications.

Evaluation of Safety and Efficacy of Phage Therapy for Drug-resistant Bacterial Infections: An Exploratory, Prospective Single-arm Study

This study is an investigator-initiated, single-center, exploratory clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of phage therapy in patients with urinary tract infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria. Eligible patients aged 18 to 65 years will receive the phage cocktail intervention according to a predefined dosage regimen, with a treatment course of 2 to 3 days and a follow-up period of 2 to 4 weeks after treatment. The primary outcome measures include the incidence of adverse events during treatment, the pathogen clearance rate, and the improvement of clinical symptoms (e.g., fever, local inflammation). The purpose of this study is to provide a scientific basis for the subsequent clinical application of this phage cocktail, and to explore a novel therapeutic option for patients with drug-resistant bacterial infections who have shown poor responses to conventional antibiotic therapy. All participants will undergo standardized medical monitoring throughout the trial, and their rights and safety will be fully protected by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) during the entire process.

Qualitative Assessment of the Impact of TTNS on QOL and Participation

This study through the use of semi-structured interviews or focus groups will explore the lived experience with Transcutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation (TTNS) with Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction to generate user-defined themes regarding bladder function and catheter-related barriers and the daily impacts on one's life.

Dissemination and Implementation of a Videoconference Antimicrobial Stewardship Team

Antimicrobial-resistant and healthcare-associated pathogens are a global health threat. The goals of antimicrobial stewardship are to minimize unnecessary and inappropriate antimicrobial use as a means to combat antimicrobial resistance. Previously, the investigators implemented a Videoconference Antimicrobial Stewardship Team (VAST) at 2 VA Medical Centers (VAMCs), using telehealth to connect clinicians at a rural VAMC to a geographically distant infectious disease expert Both VASTs successfully decreased overall antibiotic use in acute and long-term care units. This project will expand the VAST approach to other VAMCs and test the hypothesis that quarterly reports that quantify facility-level antibiotic use will enhance the efficacy of VASTs to support antimicrobial stewardship. This work will directly increase access to antimicrobial stewardship consultation at rural VA facilities, which are often underserved by infectious disease expertise.

Chlorhexidine Lavage for Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection

A two-arm randomized control trial evaluating rates of urinary tract infection in post-menopausal women on vaginal estrogen with recurrent urinary tract infections.

Discharge Stewardship in Children's Hospitals

The goal of this interventional study is to test if a discharge stewardship bundle is effective at reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions at hospital discharge for children with the three common infections: community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), urinary tract infections (UTI), and skin/soft tissue infections (SSTI). The goals of this study are: * To develop, locally adapt, and implement a discharge stewardship intervention across four geographically diverse children's hospitals. * To measure the impact of the discharge stewardship intervention on antibiotic prescribing and patient outcome for three common pediatric infections. Families who are enrolled in the study will be asked to: * complete a one question wellness track on days 3, 7, and 21 after hospital discharge * complete a brief survey on days 7 and 21 after hospital discharge The study team will conduct interviews with the hospitalists at each of the four participating hospitals to create a "discharge stewardship" bundle. Once the bundle intervention is implemented, the hospitalists will be asked to follow prescribing guidelines for CAP, UTI, and SSTI. They will receive regular group-level feedback reports to show how well they follow the guidelines and motivate the hospitalists to follow the guidelines better.

Follow-up Automatically vs. As-Needed Comparison (FAAN-C) Trial

Compare the effectiveness of automatic vs as-needed (PRN) post-hospitalization follow-up for children who are hospitalized for common infections.

NextGen - Clinical Implication of Next Generation Sequencing

Recently more advanced techniques, including Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) are available to detect bacteria in urine based on bacterial genomes. Comparing to traditional culture, these techniques have more sensitivity and could potentially be of a great help in patients with Colony Count of less than 10,000 and more than zero.

Identification of Predictive Blood Biomarkers of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections affect more than 130 million people worldwide each year. Almost 50% of women will have at least one urinary tract infection during their lifetime, usually cystitis. Half of them will have recurrent cystitis. Antibiotics are the first-line treatment for cystitis, but their effectiveness is decreasing due to the rapid spread of multi-resistant uro-pathogenic bacteria. The objective of this study is to identify blood biomarkers associated with a high risk of recurrent cystitis. Immune system cells, and more specifically innate immunity cells, play a key role in controlling urinary tract infections. In addition, clinical studies have shown that there is a high inter-individual variability in the ability of innate immune cells to respond to different stimuli. We therefore hypothesized that there was an association between the risk of recurrent cystitis and a deficiency of certain immune cell types in producing certain pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, in response to one or more bacterial stimuli, particularly flagellin.

Physical Rehabilitation of Older Persons Following a Community-Acquired Infection Hospitalization - A Randomised-Controlled Trial

Community-acquired infections such as community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and urinary tract infection (UTI) remain leading causes of hospitalization and death due to infections in older persons in Europe. Hospitalization often results in further disabilities and frailty for older and frail individuals, from which some may never recover. Physical activity is well-established as a cornerstone in the primary prevention and treatment of several noncommunicable diseases. However, there is currently no established rehabilitation model following a pneumonia or other infection, nor is there any evidence to support the impact of rehabilitation on the mental and physical health of older and frail individuals following a pneumonia hospitalization or other infection. The aim of the feasibility study is to evaluate a patient-centered and individualized exercise intervention that is kick-started during hospitalization and continued for 3 months after discharge with video-supervised home-based exercise training to patients hospitalized with CAP or UTI compared to standard care with regard to safety, clinical outcomes, patients' perception, functional ability, organizational aspects, and economic aspects.

Cranberry Tablets Versus Nitrofurantoin Prophylaxis for Urinary Tract Infection Prevention After Urogynecologic Surgery

We aim to compare the effectiveness of cranberry capsules versus nitrofurantoin prophylaxis in preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs) after urogynecologic surgery by conducting a double-blinded randomized clinical trial involving women with pelvic organ prolapse and/or urinary incontinence scheduled to have surgery with the Urogynecologists who comprise the Brigham and Women's Urogynecology Group.

Phase I Study of Single/Multiple Ascending Doses of JKN2501 for Injection in Chinese Healthy Volunteers

This Phase I study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation trial conducted at a single center. It consists of two parts: Part 1 (SAD): Evaluates the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (PK) of single ascending intravenous doses of JKN2501 in healthy adults. Biological samples (blood, urine, feces) will be collected for PK analysis. Part 2 (MAD): Evaluates the safety, tolerability, and PK of multiple ascending intravenous doses of JKN2501 in healthy adults. Dose levels may be adjusted based on emerging safety, tolerability, and PK data from preceding cohorts.

The Impact of De-implementing Urine Dipsticks for Diagnosis of UTIs in Hospitals

The goal of this interrupted time-series analysis is to evaluate the impact of the de-implementation of urine dipsticks as a diagnostic tool for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in hospitalized patients in the North Denmark Region. The main question it aims to answer is: How does de-implementation of urine dipsticks affect the diagnosis and management of UTIs and related disorders? Specifically, does it change the following parameters: * Number and severity of UTI infections (lower and upper UTI, non-severe and severe) * Antibiotic prescription (overall, antibiotic classes, administration routes, duration, dosages) * Number of urine cultures and number of positive urine cultures * Risks of admission to intensive care units and 30-day mortality * Risk of drug toxicity * Length of hospital stay * Risk of admission to intensive care unit * 30-day risk of readmission after discharge * 6-month risks of Clostridioides difficile enterocolitis and de novo antimicrobial resistance in cultures obtained during routine clinical care. Researchers hypothesize that de-implementing urine dipsticks will lead to a reduced frequency of diagnosed cystitis, reduced antibiotic use, and fewer urine cultures without negatively affecting patient mortality or readmission risk. Researchers will compare the outcomes before and after the discontinuation of urine dipsticks across hospitals in the North Denmark Region. Furthermore, results will be compared to another Danish administrative healthcare region where dipsticks are still in use as well as urine culture data from the primary sector in the North Denmark Region. Since this is a registry-based observational study utilizing data from the electronic patient record system in the North Denmark Region, no direct contact will be made with participants.

Microbiome-Modulating Prophylaxis RCT: Antibiotic vs Gynoflor in Postmenopausal Women With Recurrent Cystitis

This open-label, parallel-group randomized controlled trial compares two prophylaxis strategies for recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI) in postmenopausal women: (1) nightly oral nitrofurantoin 100 mg for 6 months versus (2) a vaginal tablet containing Lactobacillus with ultra-low-dose estriol (Gynoflor: nightly for 14 days, then twice weekly to month 6). Participants (≥40 years) are randomized 1:1 in computer-generated blocks and followed for 6 months. The primary endpoint is the proportion with rUTI recurrence within 6 months. Secondary endpoints include time to first recurrence, antibiotic resistance in breakthrough infections, change in lower urinary tract symptoms (Thai RUTISS), and urinary microbiome measures (Lactobacillus dominance and community diversity by qPCR and 16S rRNA). Key assessments occur at baseline and month 6 (urinalysis, culture, urinary microbiome sampling, and kidney function). Adherence and adverse events are captured via twice-weekly phone/Line contacts. Approximately 100 participants (50 per arm) will be enrolled as a feasibility-sized pilot.