Active clinical trials for "Respiratory Tract Diseases"

The objective of this study is to determine whether oral NAC is effective at attenuating COVID-19 disease symptom severity and duration of symptoms.

This study aims to answer the question whether daily oral vitamin D supplementation can reduce the risk of respiratory or lung complications in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease. Respiratory problems are the leading causes of sickness and of death in sickle cell disease. The investigators hypothesize that daily oral vitamin D3, compared to monthly oral vitamin D, will rapidly increase circulating vitamin D3, and reduce the rate of respiratory complications by 50% or more within the first year of supplementation in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease. This study is funded by the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD).

Aspirin-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (AERD), although uncommon in the general population, is an important phenotype of severe asthma and nasal polyposis where it occurs in 15% of severe asthmatics, and up to 30% of those with nasal polyposis. An important therapy for AERD is aspirin therapy after desensitization (ADAT). This is an inexpensive and proven therapy to improve the burden of sinus disease in AERD. Aspirin desensitization is the mechanism by which tolerance is induced in AERD patients. This is a 1-2 day outpatient procedure whereby increasing doses of aspirin are administered and the patients invariably experience some degree of hypersensitivity reactions. It is important to understand the effect of medications on the aspirin desensitization. It is known that the leukotriene modifier medications decrease the severity of the reactions in AERD. Other treatments such as antihistamines and the biologic agent omalizumab might have an effect on either blocking or blunting reactivity in AERD during desensitization. Dupilumab is a new respiratory biologic approved for atopic dermatitis, eosinophilic asthma and nasal polyposis. As such, it is well situated to be used for many AERD patients whose disease cannot be well controlled. The effect of dupilumab on the aspirin desensitization process and reaction is unknown and is the topic of this investigation. The primary objective is to determine the effect of dupilumab on reactions during aspirin challenge/desensitization.

The protocol, in accordance with the objectives of ORCHESTRA project - Work Package 2, aims at investigating the characteristics and determinants of COVID-19 long-term sequelae. This goal will be reached through the harmonization of follow-up strategies across the participating cohorts to allow a standardized collection of data on COVID-19 long-term sequelae. The result will be a platform including a set of data and biomaterials from large scale international cohorts, that will be uniformly recorded, prospectively tracked and analysed. The ultimate goal will be that of providing evidence to contribute to the optimization and improvement of the management and prevention of COVID-19 sequelae. The follow-up will be organized in multiple levels of tests, according to the capability of each cohort, and will include questionnaires to collect demographic, epidemiological and clinical data, physical examination, radiological exams and biological sampling. The long-term follow-up will also allow the assessment of long-term immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and its association to the vaccination and to different treatment strategies, including monoclonal antibodies.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a novel medical challenge, particularly because of the systemic nature of this disease. Indeed, COVID-19 affects several organs and systems at once. The brain is affected in several ways: direct infection of nerve cells by SARS-CoV-2, inflammation of the central nervous system, severe systemic inflammation damaging nerve cells, global cerebral ischaemia related to respiratory failure, thromboembolic events related to increased intravascular coagulation and severe psychological stress. As a result, COVID-19 sometimes manifests as neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms such as dizziness, sleep disturbances, cognitive deficits, delirium, or severe depression. Sudden loss of smell is a common symptom associated with COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infection of neurons in the olfactory system has been reported in both hamsters and humans. The vast majority of COVID-19 patients recover their olfactory function within a few weeks. However, a significant minority of infected individuals (1 in 5 cases) still suffers from olfactory disorders (anosmia, hyposmia and/or parosmia) several months after the primary infection. These olfactory disorders are frequently associated with depressive behaviour and cognitive complaints. In PET scans, it is even possible to correlate this cognitive dysfunction with hypometabolism of certain brain regions, including the olfactory gyrus. This project proposes, during one year, to evaluate and follow the evolution of the olfactory capacities of patients suffering from persistent smell disorder since one year (+/- 4 months) following COVID-19. The issue is to study the link between viral persistence in the olfactory sensory organ, chronic inflammation, and central damage to the olfactory system. The follow-up of the evolution of olfactory and neurocognitive capacities, in an integrative way by means of molecular, physiological and behavioural approaches, will inform us on the specificities of "COVID-long" and on the level of peripheral and/or central damage of the olfactory system.

The oximeter is an instrument for monitoring patients receiving oxygen therapy. It displays pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2), which is a reflection of arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2). An accurate SpO2 value is essential for optimal management of the O2 flow delivered to patients. Several factors can influence this measurement and the choice of ventilatory support: the type of oximeter used, skin pigmentation and the oxygenation goal. The objective of our study is to evaluate the impact of the oxygenation goal and the oximeter used on oxygen flows in patients with COPD (or with hypercapnia, or at risk of hypercapnia) and in patients without COPD (in particular pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis and other pathologies) Our hypothesis is that the SpO2 target and oximeter used will have an impact on oxygen flows and that these effects will be synergistic in these different populations.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a program that helps people with lung disease improve their function. It uses exercise, education, and self-management strategies to improve physical ability and quality of life. Because some people are unable to visit West Park Healthcare Centre, we established a remote supervised pulmonary rehabilitation program that patients can access via an electronic device (computer, tablet or smart phone). Regular quality assurance is necessary to ensure that the program is effective. We plan to collect and summarize the program's results. The benefit of doing so is that it allows us to make any changes or improvements that may help patients with chronic respiratory conditions.

Observational study in patients with chronic respiratory diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, bronchiectasis, interstitial lung diseases, neuromuscular diseases, obesity-hypoventilation syndrome...) admitted in intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure. The main objective is to determine the prevalence of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in this population and to analyze the impact of such a complication on outcomes (survival at day-28, duration of non-invasive or mechanical ventilation, duration of hospital stay). RV function will be assessed by echocardiography at admission, after 3 days and at discharge. Plasma NT-proBNP and troponin levels will be collected.

Use of caffeine citrate in late-preterm infants with respiratory distress is questionable. Oliphant and colleagues found in a recently published study that caffeine therapy use in late-preterm infants at a loading dose of 20 and 40 mg/kg and maintenance dose of 10 and 20 mg/kg/day reduces the incidence of intermittent hypoxia events by 61 and 67% respectively. The investigators hypothesized that caffeine will improve respiratory drive, prevent apnea, shorten the hospital stay and improve arousal state in late preterm infants. The investigators aim to study the effect of caffeine citrate on late preterm babies as regard duration of respiratory support, duration of hospital stay, respiratory morbidity, incidence and frequency of apnea.

Lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with proton and inhaled inert gases has demonstrated a clinical ability to provide valuable structural and functional information in lung disease. Advances in lung MRI methods have led to the STH department handling clinical imaging referrals from local and national respiratory units. Hyperpolarised Xenon-129 gas MRI is now the gold-standard MRI modality used in clinical practice for asthma and COPD in Sheffield. In this new study, the investigators will use Xenon gas MR imaging and 19F gas MR imaging to obtain physiological, structural, and functional information about patients with known respiratory disease, namely asthma and COPD. Up to 20 patients with asthma and up to 20 patients with COPD will be recruited. Study visits will involve lung function tests and imaging using proton MRI, hyperpolarised xenon gas MRI, and 19F perfluoropropane MRI. After initial baseline assessments, patients will be followed up after 3 and 6 years to investigate the utility of MRI and lung function measurements in tracking disease progression over time. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic will also be studying the long term effects of this novel disease. The investigators will use Xenon gas MR imaging and pulmonary vascular 1H MR imaging to obtain physiological, structural, and functional information about patients with COVID-19, including hospitalised patients and mild, non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients. Participants may be invited for baseline assessments during the symptomatic phase of the disease and/or be followed up after 6, 12, 24 and 52 weeks (in line with clinical follow up for hospitalised patients) to investigate long term effects of this novel disease. This novel approach will provide mechanistic insight in to clinical observations such as : (i) why previously healthy patients can respond so poorly to oxygen/ventilation therapy, (ii) why patients respond to proning, and (iii) whether this is caused by alveolar-capillary interstitial changes and /or microvascular clotting in the pulmonary vasculature (leading to V/Q mismatch), and (iv) whether these acute changes lead to long term interstitial lung disease.