Active clinical trials for "Spinal Cord Diseases"

The purpose of this study is to establish the safety and effectiveness of the BRYAN(R) Cervical Disc Prosthesis in treating single-level degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine.

HTLV stands for human T cell leukemia virus. HTLV-1 is a virus that attacks specific kinds of white blood cells called T cells. T cells are part of the natural defense system of the body. HTLV-1 has been associated with leukemia and lymphoma. In addition, approximately 1% of all patients infected with HTLV-1 develops a condition known as HTLV-1 associated myelopathy (HAM) / tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP). Currently there is no clearly defined, effective treatment for patients with HAM/TSP. Steroids have been used as therapy but have only been able to provide temporary relief of symptoms. Human interferon is a small protein released from different kinds of cells in the body. Interferon has been known to have antiviral and immunological effects and has been used to treat hepatitis and multiple sclerosis. Interferon Beta is released from cells called fibroblasts. These cells play a role in the production of connective tissue. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the possible role of recombinant interferon beta (Avonex) in treatment of HAM/TSP. The study is broken into three phases, a pre-treatment phase, a treatment phase, and a post-treatment phase. The total duration of the study will be 44 weeks. Patients participating in this study will receive injections of Avonex 1 to 2 times a week. Throughout the study patients will regularly submit blood samples and undergo diagnostic tests such as MRI and measures of somatosensory evoked potentials.

Up to 15 able-bodied individuals will participate in one testing session to evaluate the effectiveness of the A-FES system. Up to 20 individuals with SCI will participate in 12 sessions of A-FES therapy. At each session, participants will stand on a force plate (Accu Sway, AMTI, USA) with the A-FES system (Compex Motion II, Compex Motion, Switzerland) donned. The centre of pressure (COP) will be calculated in real time using the force plate data. The calculated COP will be presented to participants on a monitor and they will be instructed to shift their COP in the indicated directions as represented by a cursor (i.e. training with visual feedback). The intensity of electrical stimulation provided by the A-FES system will be regulated by the measured COP in a closed-loop manner. In this study we propose to develop and evaluate the clinically-feasible A-FES system for the training of standing balance.

Individuals with HTLV-1 secondary myelopathy (HAM/TSP) may have motor and sensory alterations, which may result in reduced functional performance and consequent risk of falls. The aim of the study is to verify the therapeutic effect of a Pilates exercise program on functional performance and risk of falls, when compared to task-oriented training, of people with HAM / TSP. This is a randomized, crossover clinical trial performed with individuals with HAM / TSP who are attended at a referral center who is able to perform gait whether or not to use a walking aid. Amputees, with psychiatric disorders, rheumatic or orthopedic diseases and other associated neurological disorders, which could influence the balance and functional mobility, as well as pregnant women, were excluded. Participants will be submitted to the initial evaluation of functional mobility, balance, gait balance, fatigue, gait endurance, sphincter changes and questioned about the occurrence of falls in the last three months and will answer a semi-structured questionnaire about their conjugality. They will be allocated randomly to two groups. One will perform the Pilates Method protocol and the other task-oriented training. The first group, called test-control group (GTC), will initiate the protocol with exercises of the Pilates method; the control-test group (GCT) will initiate the task-oriented training protocol. A p <0.05 will be considered a statistically significant difference.

This study will comprehensively evaluate the outcomes and endpoints of these two different FDA-approved artificial disc implants used to treat cervical spondylotic myelopathy and/or radiculopathy today: Biomet Zimmer Mobi-C and Nuvasive Simplify. Both implants are structurally different with the Nuvasive Simplify implementing a three-piece design with two endplates and a semi-constrained mobile core while the Biomet Zimmer Mobi-C implements an unconstrained three piece design. Subjects will be age-matched and randomly assigned to either implant with informed consent. All subjects will undergo a variety of assessments that evaluate neck disability, quality of life, pain, physiological outcome (radiographic assessments), and neck range-of motion before and after their procedure. One baseline testing will be conducted along with three post-operation visits (three months, six months, and one year) in accordance to standard follow-up procedure. Thus, the duration of participation in the study will be approximately one and a half years.

Evaluation of Wire Electrodes to Activate the Expiratory Muscles to Restore Cough

The purpose is to evaluate the efficacy of tranexamic acid in cervical laminoplasty; the surgical procedure used was identical in all cases.

This study is designed to investigate the effectiveness of pregabalin (Lyrica) on nerve pain caused by degenerative neck problems. Pregabalin is a new drug registered for use in nerve pain worldwide

A clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of solifenacin in patients with bladder symptoms due to spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis

The goal of the investigators work is to establish how nerve transfers can be best used to improve upper extremity function in patients with cervical level spinal cord injury (SCI). The investigators' hypothesis is that nerve transfers are safe and effective and will improve function and quality of life in patients with loss of upper function due to spinal cord injury. The investigators plan on looking at upper limb function, and health-related quality of life in patients before and after surgery to better understand how patients benefit from these treatments. A nerve transfer procedure can be used to rewire the system to make some muscles work again following SCI. The nerve transfer procedure (which is done in the arm and not at the level of the spinal cord) can be used to bypass the damaged area and to deliver a signal from the brain to a muscle that became disconnected following that injury. A donor nerve is taken from another muscle whose use is not essential and then transferred to help in providing more a more critical function. For example, one type of nerve transfer is done to restore the lost ability to pinch or grasp small objects between the fingers that occurs in many patients with cervical SCI. In this surgery, a donor nerve that normally helps flex the elbow. This nerve can be used because the biceps muscle is also working to flex the elbow. This donor nerve is cut and re-attached to the nerve going to muscles in the forearm that provide pinch by bending the tips of the thumb and index finger. Because the nerve transfer procedure involves cutting and reattaching nerve and muscle tissues, time is required to regenerate working connections between the nerves and muscle as well as to allow the brain to relearn how to use and strengthen that muscle.