Active clinical trials for "Lung Diseases"

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of 500mcg roflumilast vs placebo on exacerbation rate and pulmonary function as well as quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This study evaluated the effect of inhaled aclidinium bromide on exercise endurance and in reducing resting and dynamic lung hyperinflation in patients with moderate to severe COPD. It was 9 weeks in duration, consisting of; a 2-week run-in period, 6 weeks of double-blind treatment, and a 1-week follow-up phone call. All patients meeting the eligibility criteria were randomized to one of two treatment groups: aclidinium bromide or placebo.

Dietary magnesium (Mg) intake has been shown to be independently related to lung function, airway reactivity, and respiratory symptoms in the general population. Inhaled Mg and IV Mg administration have been shown to promote bronchodilation and to improve lung function in asthmatic patients. Some studies have suggested that COPD patients exhibit decreased body levels of Mg. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of acute IV Mg loading on parameters of respiratory function and maximal exercise capacity of stable COPD patients.The study hypothesis is that Mg administration will be associated to improvements on airflow and vasodilation leading to improvements of pulmonary function and exercise performance.

Sildenafil is a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor that has been approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension with orphan drug designation. Sildenafil modulates the nitric oxide (NO) pathway in the vessel wall. Since this pathway is impaired in pulmonary arteries of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we hypothesized that sildenafil might improve pulmonary hemodynamics and increase exercise tolerance in this condition. However, in COPD sildenafil may also impair gas exchange due to the inhibition of pulmonary hypoxic vasoconstriction. The research project is aimed to evaluate these effects. It is a prospective, randomized, double-blind study to evaluate the acute effects of a single dose of 20 or 40 mg of sildenafil on gas exchange and pulmonary hemodynamics. Subjects: 20 patients (10 in each group). Measurements: pulmonary hemodynamics, arterial blood gasses and ventilation-perfusion distributions; at rest and during sub-maximal exercise.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of fluticasone furoate/vilanterol Inhalation Powder on arterial stiffness compared with placebo and vilanterol over a 24-week treatment period in subjects with COPD and aortic pulse wave velocity of 11.0 m/s or above.

This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of oral Cyclosporine A (CsA) in patients with advanced stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of CsA as a therapy for the adaptive immune response in advanced stage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Subjects between 45 and 80 years of age with a confirmed diagnosis of advanced stage COPD, not responsive to conventional inhaler therapy, who meet all the study requirements, will be enrolled in this study. A total of 30 subjects of either sex will be enrolled in this study.

Breathing discomfort (dyspnea) and activity limitation are dominant symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and contribute to poor health-related quality of life in this population. Several small, uncontrolled studies and published case reports have provided evidence that inhaled fentanyl, a powerful pain relieving (opioid) medication, may be used to effectively reduce breathing discomfort in patients with advanced disease. However, the mechanisms of this improvement remain unclear. Therefore, the investigators plan to conduct the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study designed to explore the possible mechanisms of action of inhaled fentanyl on activity-related dyspnea and exercise performance in patients with advanced COPD.

The study is designed to evaluate the efficacy of montelukast on symptom-free days in unselected group of very young children with wheeze and recurrent asthma like symptoms. The secondary aim was to evaluate the effect of montelukast on lung function, airway responsiveness, airway inflammation and use of rescue medication.

This study was designed to investigate the 1 year efficacy and safety of the 50 µg once daily (od) dose of glycopyrronium bromide (NVA237) in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is currently being evaluated as a treatment option in major depression. It has been shown to be a safe procedure . Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation coils are designed to maximize the electrical field deep in the brain by the summation of separate fields projected into the skull from several points around its periphery. The device is planned to minimize the accumulation of electrical charge on the surface of the brain. Such accumulation can give rise to an electrostatic field that might reduce the magnitude of the induced electric field both at the surface and inside, thus reducing the depth penetration of the induced electric field . Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation could be more effective than repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation due to its deeper penetration into brain tissues . The deeper penetration should produce greater action on nerve fibers connecting the prefrontal cortex to the limbic system. The ability of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to alter dopaminergic neurotransmission in subcortical structures could explain recent reports, which suggest that it has the potential to reduce smoking and nicotine craving. Ecihhammer et al demonstrated a reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked and in the desire to smoke after a single rTMS treatment (Eichhammer et al., 2003). In addition, Johan et al in a cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled study demonstrated a reduction in cigarette consumption and desire to smoke after a single repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment (Johann et al., 2003). Recently, the investigators have finished a complete study on nicotine addiction using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for 10 consecutive days. They have found that 10 days of rTMS reduced significantly better from placebo the number of cigarettes smoked, nicotine dependence and craving (Amiaz et al 2007, in preparation). Interestingly, some of the effects were stronger in the sub-group of patients that were presented with smoking-related pictures immediately prior to stimulation onset. Although, these results are interesting and exciting, they have two important caveats. First, only about 50%-60% of the smokers responded to the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment. Second, among those responded to the treatment, only 10% had quit totally from smoking. Therefore, the potential therapeutic benefit of this treatment is limited. The investigators' hypothesis is that deep transcranial magnetic stimulation may be more efficient in smoking cessation due to it's deeper penetration and therefore it's capability to stimulate deeper fibers of the dopamine-reward-activating system.