Active clinical trials for "Polyneuropathies"

Impaired mobility is a major health problem affecting many subjects with diabetes mellitus. It is associated with loss of quality of life and it is a strong predictor for poor health outcomes. Reduced lower extremity muscle function, as a consequence of diabetic polyneuropathy, is a major cause of impaired mobility. We hypothesize that a programme of resistance training will counterbalance the effects of polyneuropathy on muscle wasting, and will improve mobility and associated quality of life. The objective of this study is to develop a resistance training intervention that improves mobility and quality of life in diabetic patients. It is also our intension to achieve a better understanding of the relation between diabetic neuropathy and muscle weakness, limited mobility and quality of life. Moreover, insight will be gained in optimizing training programmes for neuropathic patients.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether or not surgical decompression of the common peroneal, tibial, and deep peroneal nerves in the legs of persons with diabetic peripheral neuropathy is effective treatment.

To assess clinical efficacy and safety of long-term orally administered thioctic acid in the treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy.

To assess clinical efficacy and safety of Actovegin in type 2 diabetic patients with symptomatic diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy after 250 ml i.v. infusions once daily for 20 days followed by oral treatment 600 mg × 3 daily for 140 days.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy is disease believed to be due to immune cells, cells which normally protect the body, but are now attacking the nerves in the body. As a result, the affected nerves fail to respond, or respond only weakly, to stimuli causing numbing, tingling, pain, and progressive muscle weakness.The likelihood of progression of the disease is high. This study is designed to examine whether treating patients with high dose cyclophosphamide (a drug which reduces the function of the immune system) and ATG (a protein that kills the immune cells that are thought to be causing disease), followed by return of the previously collected blood stem cells will stop the progression of CIDP. Stem cells are undeveloped cells that have the capacity to grow into mature blood cells, which normally circulate in the blood stream. The purpose of the high dose cyclophosphamide and ATG is to destroy the cells in the immune system. The purpose of the stem cell infusion is to evaluate whether this treatment will produce a normal immune system that will no longer attack the body.

The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of C-peptide administration on nerve function in patients with type 1 diabetes and peripheral sensory neuropathy.

This study will test the safety and effectiveness of the drug Rituximab in treating a nerve disease called MGUS (also known as neuropathy with anti-MAG antibodies). Patients with MGUS have an abnormal protein called monoclonal IgM immunoglobulin that attacks the myelin sheath (protective coating) of nerves, causing them to not function properly. The disease affects the nerves in the legs or arms, and patients have numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, and unsteady gait. There are no adequate treatments. Immunosuppressive drugs or human immunoglobulin infusions can produce mild and transient improvement, but the benefits of these therapies are not significant. The abnormal immunoglobulin protein in MGUS is produced by white cells called B lymphocytes. Rituximab is approved to treat B cell lymphomas. Also, the drug showed promise in a recent study of patients with demyelinating neuropathy associated with production of antibodies from B lymphocytes directed against certain nerve proteins. Although the number of patients treated with Rituximab was small, the drug was well tolerated and caused significant improvement in several of the patients. Patients 25 years of age and older with MGUS may be eligible for this 2-year study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, physical and neurological examinations, and blood tests. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive intravenous (through a vein) infusions of either Rituximab or placebo (a solution that looks like Rituximab but has no active ingredient) once a week for 4 consecutive weeks. In addition, they will undergo the following tests and procedures: Monthly follow-up visits following Rituximab treatment for repeat physical and neurological examinations, blood tests, muscle strength measurements, and review of signs and symptoms. Two sessions of lymphapheresis, one at the beginning of the study and one a year later-to collect lymphocytes. For this procedure, whole blood is drawn through a needle in an arm vein, much like donating a unit of blood. The blood then flows through a catheter (plastic tube) into a cell separating machine, where the white blood cells are extracted and removed. The red cells and plasma are then returned to the body through a needle in the other arm. The procedure takes about 60 to 90 minutes. Electrophysiologic studies (electromyography and nerve conduction testing) are done once at the beginning of the study and again one year later. For electromyography, a small needle is inserted into a few muscles and the patient is asked to relax or to contract the muscles. The electrical activity of the muscle cells is recorded and analyzed by a computer. For nerve conduction testing, nerves are stimulated through small wire electrodes attached to the skin and the response is recorded and analyzed. If this study indicates that Rituximab is beneficial against MGUS, patients who were assigned to receive placebo during the trial will be offered treatment with Rituximab (four weekly infusions) at the end of the study.

Many people with polyneuropathy suffer from pain which is difficult to treat. Escitalopram is a relatively new drug used in the treatment of depression. Escitalopram's action mechanism on the brain suggests that escitalopram also may have an effect on neuropathic pain. This study will test the efficacy of escitalopram in patients with painful polyneuropathy.

Chronic Inflammatory Demylinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) is an autoimmune condition affecting the nervous system. Researchers believe the immune system begins attacking the cells covering nerves called myelin. The destruction of myelin causes muscle weakness, loss of sensation, abnormal levels of protein in the fluid surrounding the brain (CSF), and slowing of the nervous system. The disease progresses slowly and disables patients suffering from it. CIDP is treated with steroids, plasmapheresis, and immunosuppressive drugs. Many patients initially respond to these treatments, but develop resistance to the therapy or experience side effects causing the treatments to be stopped. Researchers believe that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) may provide patients with CIDP a safer and more effective alternative to standard therapies for the disease. IVIg is a drug that has been used successfully to treat other immune-related diseases of the nervous system. However, because IVIg is so expensive, researchers believe it should first be proven effective on a small group of patients. The study will take 60 patients with CIDP and divide them into two groups. Group one will receive 2 injections of IVIg once a month for three months. Group two will receive 2 injections of placebo "inactive injection of sterile water" once a month for three months. Following the three months of treatment, group one will begin taking the placebo and group two will begin taking IVIg for an additional 3 months. The drug will be considered effective if patients receiving it experience a significant improvement (>25%) in muscle strength.

To assess the bioequivalence of test oral formulation of Alpha Lipoic acid 600 mg HR film coated tablets of Ilko Ilac San. Ve Tic. A.S. versus reference Thioctacid (Alpha Lipoic acid) 600 mg HR film coated tablets of Meda Pharma GmbH& CO .KG, Germany.