Publications by authors named "Amalia Bolanou"

Article Synopsis
  • The study examines whether adding the macrolide antibiotic clarithromycin to β-lactam antibiotics can improve early clinical responses in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia, based on previous observational studies rather than randomized trials.
  • Conducted as a phase 3 double-blind randomized controlled trial in Greece, the research involved adult patients with severe pneumonia who were given either standard care plus a placebo or standard care plus clarithromycin for seven days.
  • The primary outcome measured included a significant improvement in respiratory symptoms and reduction in inflammatory response after 72 hours of treatment, with both groups being kept unaware of their allocated treatment for unbiased results.
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In a recent study of our group with the acronym ACTIVATE, Bacillus Calmete-Guérin (BCG) vaccination reduced the occurrence of new infections compared to placebo vaccination in the elderly. Most benefit was found for respiratory infections. The ACTIVATE-2 study was launched to assess the efficacy of BCG vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

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BCG vaccination in children protects against heterologous infections and improves survival independently of tuberculosis prevention. The phase III ACTIVATE trial assessed whether BCG has similar effects in the elderly. In this double-blind, randomized trial, elderly patients (n = 198) received BCG or placebo vaccine at hospital discharge and were followed for 12 months for new infections.

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