Active clinical trials for "Lung Diseases"

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are common respiratory diseases in which people experience long-term inflammation of the lungs. Exacerbations, or prolonged worsening of symptoms, of asthma and COPD are often life-threatening and can lead to frequent need for hospitalization. Even with the proper use of bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and other currently available medications, clinical responses among people with COPD and asthma are variable. There remains a significant unmet clinical need for new therapeutic approaches and insights, including the identification of biomarkers to accurately assess the presence of airway infection and intensity of airway inflammation. This study will investigate potential natural biological causes and new biomarkers for increased susceptibility to persistent airway infection in asthma and COPD.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease. Azithromycin, an antibiotic, may be beneficial at reducing the symptoms and severity of the disease. This study will analyze previously collected study data to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties of azithromycin and determine how azithromycin affects the frequency and severity of COPD exacerbations.

The purpose of this research is to understand the properties of mucus in persons with COPD, specifically Chronic Bronchitis. We hypothesize that those with Chronic Bronchitis have dehydrated mucus, and thus have a harder time coughing it out of their lungs. This leads to a greater vulnerability for lung infection, inflammation and airflow obstruction. Ultimately, our goal is to understand how mucus dehydration contributes to the progression of COPD/Chronic Bronchitis so that better therapies and interventions can be developed for future generations.

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are diseases that affect a person's ability to breathe normally. People who do not receive enough vitamin D may have a higher risk of developing asthma or COPD. This study will examine previously collected blood samples of participants in three studies to determine whether people with low vitamin D levels have an increased risk of severe asthma or COPD.

There are 24,000 admissions each year to Intensive Care Units (ICU) in the United Kingdom due to pneumonia, asthma and a common condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with rates of death of 10%, 40% and 50%, respectively. These conditions account for 10% of all ICU admissions. It is therefore important to find out if it would be possible to detect deteriorations in patients with breathing problems early, in order to increase appropriately their level of care. Clinical early warning scores (EWS) are used in many hospitals to detect patients whose medical condition is getting worse, and who are likely to need admission to intensive care or high dependency care units. EWS are usually calculated from several measurements taken from the patient, such as blood pressure, temperature and heart rate. However, they are often inaccurate as they need to be calculated manually by nursing staff from a number of measurements taken from a variety of different devices. Furthermore, even when accurately calculated, it is not clear how helpful EWS are in predicting whether or not patients will deteriorate. Neural respiratory drive (NRD) is an objective indicator of breathlessness, and can be derived from the amount of electrical activity occurring in certain muscles used in breathing. The Myotrace system measures this electrical activity, as well as measurements such as rate of breathing and heart rate. It then analyses these measurements together to help identify patients at risk of deterioration. This study will use Myotrace to monitor patients with severe breathing difficulties due to an acute worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for early identification of failure to respond to medical treatment. Patients will be recruited at St. Thomas' Hospital. This research is funded by the Guy's and St. Thomas' Charity.

The study is a follow-up of investigations done in the years 1999-2002 in bakery employees. The main purposes are to look at the associations between flour dust exposure and respiratory disease, and to find out the best ways to reduce the flour dust levels in the working environment.

This project will evaluate the effects of World Trade Center (WTC) exposure in WTC responders 10-13 years following the events of 9/11. Prior studies have described persistent pulmonary function abnormalities in a significant portion of responders. The investigators study seeks to examine the relationship between pulmonary function abnormalities and other markers of chronic cardiopulmonary disease and further elucidate the pathophysiologic effects of exposure to inhaled particulate matter (PM) on 9/11. This study will provide critical information regarding risk of exposure to PM, risk factors for disease and potential for improvements in diagnosis and treatment.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the multiple mechanisms through which stress, physical environment, and genetic predisposition contribute to asthma in urban children.

This study will examine bacteria and toxins in the mouth, lung and digestive system that may be the cause of various diseases or symptoms. H. pylori is a bacterium that produces various toxins that may contribute to lung problems. This study will examine specimens collected from the mouth, teeth, lung, digestive tract and blood to measure H. pylori and its toxins and their effects on cells. People 18 years of age and older with or without gastrointestinal disease may be eligible for this study. These include people without a history of lung disease as well as patients with any of the following: lymphangioleiomyomatosis, asthma, sarcoidosis, other chronic or genetic lung disease (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis or eosinophilic granuloma). Participants may undergo the following tests: Blood and urine tests, chest x-ray. Measurement of arterial blood gases: A small needle is placed in an artery in the forearm to collect arterial blood. Lung function tests: Subjects breathe deeply and occasionally hold their breath. They may also receive a medication that expands the airways. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy with lavage and bronchial brushing: The subject's mouth and throat are numbed with lidocaine; a sedative may be given for comfort. A thin flexible tube called a bronchoscope is advanced through the nose or mouth into the lung airways to examine the airways. Saline (salt water) is then injected through the bronchoscope into the air passage and then removed by gentle suction. Next, a small brush is passed through the bronchoscope and an area of the airway is brushed to collect some cells for examination. Mouth rinsing or teeth brushing to collect cells. Endoscopy: A small needle and catheter (thin plastic tube) are placed into an arm vein to administer fluids and medications through the vein. A sedative may be given. The throat is numbed with lidocaine and a thin flexible tube called an endoscope is inserted through the mouth and down the esophagus into the stomach and upper part of the small intestine to examine those areas.

In the weeks following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many patients presented to their physicians with complaints related to exposure to the debris. These included nose and throat complaints (drip, congestion, sore throat), increased GE reflux (heartburn, regurgitation, retrosternal chest burning) and respiratory symptoms (worsening cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, sleep disturbance). In addition, there was a disproportionate rate of self-reported worsening asthma symptoms in patients living in Lower New York 5-9 weeks after the attack; those with exposure to the dust cloud fared worse. The functional abnormalities of firefighters with exposures to dust at the WTC site has been recently described. However, the effects of WTC dust exposure on pulmonary function in residents and workers near the WTC site remain unclear. This study will retrospectively review the charts of all patients referred to the pulmonary function laboratory for evaluation of symptoms following exposure to WTC dust. The main objectives for this study will be to characterize the functional abnormalities in these subjects.