Active clinical trials for "Splenomegaly"

This randomized clinical trial will address a complication related to recurrent episodes of malaria in endemic areas - hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly. We aim to assess the efficacy of chloroquine after prednisone-induction therapy compared to standard treatment of chloroquine alone in the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly.

The 40 resident study subjects will be randomized to either receive a training session on use of a pocket-sized ultrasound or to receive training on physical exam skills. Following these sessions the subjects will have the opportunity to practice their skills during clinical rounds at BWH inpatient and outpatient settings. Four weeks after the training session all study subjects will take part in an assessment of their diagnostic skills. During this assessment they will be asked to complete an exam on a patient subject. Those randomized to the ultrasound group will be allowed to use their devices while the control group will use the traditional physical exam. Following the exams, resident study subjects will be asked to indicate whether they detected any of the following abnormalities on their exams: pleural effusion, hepatomegaly, cirrhotic liver, splenomegaly, ascites, aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, right atrial pressure, abdominal aortic aneurysm, deep vein thrombosis. Resident study subjects will also complete a questionnaire about the physical exam and use of the ultrasound. Prior to the assessment, all patients will undergo ultrasound by an attending radiologist, and these results will serve as the "gold standard" for our study.

In internal medicine, assessment of spleen size on physical examination is an extremely important part of the overall evaluation of patients with many illnesses. Examination of the spleen is also one of the core competencies that the investigators expect our students and residents to learn as part of their training. Unfortunately, the sensitivity and specificity of examination of the spleen at the bedside is not very good. The investigators wish to determine if handheld ultrasound can accurately assess spleen size. Doing so would make physical examination of the spleen obsolete and transform training objectives for medical students and residents.

In internal medicine, assessment of spleen size on physical examination is an extremely important part of the overall evaluation of patients with many illnesses. Examination of the spleen is also one of the core competencies that the investigators expect the students and residents to learn as part of their training. Unfortunately, the sensitivity and specificity of examination of the spleen at the bedside is not very good. The investigators wish to determine if medical residents can be taught to use hand carried ultrasound to accurately assess spleen size. Doing so would make physical examination of the spleen obsolete and transform training objectives for medical trainees.

This study will determine whether the spleen in people who donate stem cells (bone marrow cells collected from the blood) enlarges as a result of taking granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Donors take this growth factor to maximize the amount of stem cells that can be collected for transplantation to patients with leukemia or other diseases. The study will also examine whether changes in the donor's white blood cell count, blood stem cell count, and blood chemistries can predict a change in spleen size. Stem cells donors take G-CSF for 5 to 6 days before donating. Besides increasing the number of stem cells and white blood cells in the bloodstream, the drug also causes some other temporary changes in blood chemistry. Many people who take G-CSF for a few days get a headache, feel an ache in their bones, or feel tired for a few days. About one-third of patients chronically treated with G-CSF to raise blood cell counts develop an enlarged spleen. It is not known if a brief 5- to 6-day course of G-CSF also affects the size of the spleen, but about 1 in 10,000 blood stem cell donors have had a spontaneous rupture of the spleen. Adults and children 18 years of age and older who are donating stem cells for relatives enrolled in clinical trials at the National Institutes of Health may participate in this study. They will donate stem cells according to the standard procedure, but will give an extra 15 milliliters (3 teaspoons) of blood both before receiving G-CSF and after donating stem cells. Donors' spleen size will be measured by ultrasound scanning of the abdomen three times: the day before receiving G-CSF, the day after donating the stem cells and 4 days after donating.

The purpose of this study is to determine if splenomegaly on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an accurate and user-friendly surrogate to the heterophile antibody test and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) serologies to diagnose acute mononucleosis infection in patients presenting with sore throat to the Emergency Department (ED).

Development of a new mass spectrometry-based biomarker for the early and sensitive diagnosis of Gaucher Disease from blood (plasma)

Development of a new MS-based biomarker for the ear-ly and sensitive diagnosis of GM1/GM2 from blood

Primary Objective: To estimate the prevalence of Gaucher disease and of other etiologies, in patients of 15 years old or more presenting with unexplained splenomegaly after exclusion of first intention-diagnoses (e.g. portal hypertension, diagnosis or suspicion of haematological malignancy, haemolytic anemia) based on basic physical and biological exams (e.g. full blood count, liver enzymes, reticulocytes) Secondary Objective: To describe the exams and tests conducted for diagnosis purpose and the more frequent associations

Development of a new MS-based biomarker for the early and sensitive diagnosis of Sly disease from blood (plasma)