Active clinical trials for "Sclerosis"

The primary objective is to study changes in disease related biomarkers in patients with progressive SSc during treatment with ABR-215757. The secondary objectives are to assess the safety and tolerability of ABR-215757,to assess disease activity and quality of life (QoL)during treatment with ABR-215757 and to assess the plasma levels of ABR-215757 during the study.

Patients with neuropathic diseases are experiencing increasing muscle weakness, loss of muscle strength and functional abilities during their illness. In healthy people, regular exercise is the best way to maintain or improve muscle strength, endurance and general health status and thereby maintain functioning abilities. Previously, patients with neuromuscular diseases were advised to avoid any kind of physical exercise. However, lately a number of studies have evaluated the effect of training in patients with neuromuscular diseases, and positive effects on the functional abilities have been found. Based on these findings we want to investigate the mechanisms leading to development of muscle atrophy and loss of functional abilities, and to explore the opportunities of reducing muscle wasting and thereby improve the course of the disease development through strength training. The main objective is to investigate the effects of strength training on slowing disease progression and reduce the decline in muscle strength and function in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In addition, the aim is to carry out detailed studies of biological processes in muscle tissue in order to unveil mechanisms leading to muscle atrophy, and to examine effects of a strength training program. The goal is to be able to incorporate strength training in the treatment program of these patients in order to maintain muscle strength and function in the individual for as long as possible. Minimum 10 patients with the disease are included in the study. Through a 12 week period the patients will participate in strength training 2-3 times per week. Muscles biopsies will be taken (i) 12 weeks before commencement of strength training program, (ii) at the beginning of training and (iii) after 12 weeks of strength training. Patients will function as their own controls. Blood samples will be collected simultaneously in order to follow the development of the strength training. Furthermore, participants will be assessed through at number of functional tests and questionnaires evaluating their strength, balance and social/ psychological status. Subjects are recruited through their association with Odense University Hospital. In the present study, the participants become part of a social network, while participating in organized training sessions, and thus have a possibility to make contact with other ALS patients in the same situation as themselves.

Impaired standing balance, fatigue and abnormal eye movements are common problems in persons with MS. These complaints are related to advanced disability and decreased quality of life for persons with MS. Researchers from the University of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center (RMMSC) at the Anschutz Medical Campus have recently completed and published a research study that showed an exercise program consisting of balance and eye movement training, referred to as a vestibular rehabilitation program, was very effective in improving self-reported fatigue and standing balance in persons with MS. This initial study was the first to have proven that this type of exercise program is able to improve both of these potentially devastating complaints. The investigators from this initial study have partnered with other well-established researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center (RMMSC) at the Anschutz Medical Campus to advance our knowledge of the effect of vestibular rehabilitation for persons with MS. Using the findings from the initial study, the investigators propose to conduct a larger study specifically identifying persons with MS who have brain lesion involvement in areas that control balance and eye movements. Primarily, the current study will determine if those individuals who have involvement in these areas of the brain improve more in balance and fatigue compared to those who do not following participation in a vestibular rehabilitation program. Additionally, the investigators will test if study participants who have abnormal eye movement control, will improve their eye movement control following the training program. For persons with MS, impaired eye movements can lead to a considerable decline in health status, further illustrating the importance of the research plan to study this important factor. The investigators believe that greater improvements in balance and fatigue are possible from a longer treatment, and that participants who have brain lesion involvement in areas that help control balance and eye movements will benefit greater than those who do not. This information is important to determine who is more likely to benefit from a vestibular rehabilitation program. Additionally, the researchers will be able to measure changes in eye movement control, providing valuable insight into the reasons for the program's effectiveness.

Aim of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study is to investigate cannabinoid-induced changes in neurophysiological parameters in a group of 40 patients with secondary or primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

It is well accepted that nutrition as an environmental factor is involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. But is there a role for prolonged fasting and ketogenic low glycemic load treatment to alter the course of multiple sclerosis (MS)? The investigators think yes there is. Primarily the investigators want to detect if these diets are feasible for MS patients. Therefore the investigators examine the impact of this dietary intervention on the health related quality of life for individuals after 7 days, 3 months and 6 months in compare to baseline. Secondarily the investigators focus on endocrinological and immunological changes after 7 days, 3 months and 6 months in compare to baseline.

Scleroderma,also known as systemic sclerosis (SSc), is a multisystem disease affecting skin and other tissues including joints, muscles, lungs, the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys and tissue fibrosis is widespread. SSc presents special problems for developing therapies due to the heterogeneous clinical presentation, the variability of disease progression and the difficulty quantifying the extent of disease. For most disease manifestations, treatment is primarily symptomatic and generally inadequate. This study will utilize a 4-gene biomarker of skin disease as the primary efficacy outcome in a short duration, placebo-controlled clinical trial of rilonacept, designed to provide preliminary data for a larger trial. These gene biomarkers should provide a strong surrogate for such trials in the future and, if IL-1 is indeed the cytokine leading to fibrosis in this disease, provide a highly significant start to finding a therapeutic for SSc that for the first time might dramatically affect fibrosis. A central hypothesis of this study is that IL-1 inhibition will downregulate the 4-gene biomarker over a relatively short period of time, much shorter than is historically thought necessary to see changes in the MRSS, a skin score measurement tool. Entry criteria will include the recent onset of diffuse cutaneous SSc as this is the population most likely to show progressive skin disease and also the population examined in previous studies showing correlations between MRSS and the 4-gene biomarker. Secondary outcomes will include other validated measures of SSc disease activity. MRSS and SSc health assessment questionnaire (SHAQ), will be followed during the trial. This study will also test the effect of rilonacept on global skin gene expression using microarray analyses of skin biopsies. In addition, serum biomarkers of SSc disease activity (COMP, THS-1 and IFI44) and a biomarker of inflammasome activation (CRP) will be tested before and after treatment.

The purpose of this study is to determine if cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) based self help is effective for the management of symptoms of fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

The purpose of the study is to test whether noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) without expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP) (inspiratory positive airway pressure (IPAP)-only) will result in an increase in patient usage of NIPPV compared with standard, Bi-level NIPPV. Secondarily, the investigators will assess measures of dyspnea, quality of life, patient satisfaction, and side effects.

The purpose of the study is to determine the safety and tolerability, dose-limiting toxicities, maximum tolerated dose, and recommended therapeutic dose of intravenously administered MIS416 weekly in patients with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis.

This study consisted of a two year dose blinded phase during which patients received one of five doses of siponimod (10, 2, 1.25, 0.5 or 0.25mg) following which patients were switched to open label treatment with siponimod 2mg for approximately a further 3 years. It will provide data on long term safety, tolerability and efficacy of siponimod in the RRMS patient population