Active clinical trials for "Syndrome"

Background: The evaluation for hypercortisolism includes an overnight 1mg dexamethasone (DXM) suppression test. An important shortcoming is the diagnostic specificity of only 80%, which is likely due to inter-individual differences in gut absorption or metabolism of DXM. Study hypothesis: The investigators hypothesize that serum-DXM measurements will increase the diagnostic accuracy of the overnight DXM-test in the work-up of hypercortisolism. Aims: The primary aim of this prospective study is to evaluate if serum-DXM measured simultaneously with serum-cortisol in morning samples could increase the diagnostic accuracy this diagnostic test. There are several secondary aims. One is to estimate the prevalence and causes of unusual DXM absorption or metabolism. The investigators will also evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of salivary DXM. Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy of midnight salivary cortisol and cortisone, and urinary cortisol, will be evaluated and compared. Design: Levels of DXM in morning serum following an overnight DXM-test will be analyzed in patients under evaluation for hypercortisolism (including incidentalomas). A cut-off level to identify inadequate DXM concentrations in serum to suppress endogenous cortisol production will be established based on the negative tests. This cut-off level will then be applied in a retrospective analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of DXM-tests. This prospective study has a blinded design as the DXM measurements are disclosed after the end of the trial.

All contemporary guidelines for secondary prevention in acute coronary syndromes recommend a combination of aspirin, beta-blockers, ACE-inhibitors and statins. Yet underutilisation of these drugs is common. We do not know in detail what drives underutilisation, nor what its long term consequences are for survival after discharge from hospital. Also unknown is whether potential adverse effects of underutilisation are the same for individual secondary prevention drugs. This study will assess the impact of secondary prevention underutilisation on survival.

The investigators aim to compare the levels of bone morphogenetic protein-4 and -7 (BMP-4 and 7) in blood, follicular fluid and ovarian organ culture supernatant obtained from healthy subjects and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic HCT followed by prophylactic dose-escalating DLIs in patients with higher risk MDS.

REGIME is comparing two treatments, with Darbepoetin Alpha (DA) and Filgrastim (Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor, G-CSF), to the standard treatment for Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). After giving Informed Consent patients will undergo a number of tests to confirm eligibility. Once eligibility is confirmed patients will be randomly assigned to one of the three treatments group: A: Darbepoetin Alpha (DA), B: Darbepoetin Alpha and Filgrastim (DA+G-CSF), C: Blood transfusion only. Patients will be required to attend the clinic once a month for 24 weeks. After 24 weeks if a patient has reacted favorably to the treatment they may continue on the treatment regime up to 52 weeks. After week 24 all patients will be required to attend the clinic twice more, at week 36 and 52. Patients will be followed for a further 5 years to record loss of response, transformation to Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and/or Refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts and death.

Autologous serum eye drops (ASE) have been becoming popular in treatment of severe dry eye for the past decade. One of the most beneficial properties of the ASE over artificial eye drops is the epitheliotropic capacity owing to the presence of growth factors and other proteins. There have been reports on alteration of serum growth factors in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Alteration in serum growth factors may lead to different therapeutic effect of ASE. We therefore would like to know if there are any alteration growth factors, epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1), transforming growth factor-beta2 (TGF-β2), and fibronectin, in ASE from Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) patients with dry eye, which constitutes a major group of ASE usage in Siriraj Hospital, as compared with non-autoimmune dry eye. We also study stability of these factors following different storage conditions.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a very frequent endocrine disease of women in reproductive age, with an estimated prevalence of 5 to 10 % according to the studied population. In 2003 a committee of experts joined in Rotterdam under the auspice of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology, defined diagnostic criteria. It should include unless two of the following: menstrual irregularities; excess of male hormones (clinic or biochemical) and polycystic ovaries under ultrasound examination; giving rise to four subgroups or phenotypes: 1- Women with polycystic ovaries, hyperandrogenism and oligoamenorrhea . 2. Women with normal ovaries, hyperandrogenism and oligoamenorrhea. 3- Women with polycystic ovaries, oligoamenorrhea without hyperandrogenism. 4- Women with polycystic ovaries, hyperandrogenism with normal menses. PCOS shares components of Metabolic Syndrome for the high prevalence of insulin resistance (abdominal obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, impaired lipid profile and probably cardiovascular disease). All these findings lead us to assume that women with PCOS could have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless it is premature to assume that every PCOS phenotype has the same cardiac and metabolic risk factors. So, it is important to evaluate the endocrine and metabolic characteristic in different phenotypes of PCOS to prevent the co morbidities that predispose to cardiovascular disease. And of course to avoid unnecessary measures in groups that could not show increased risk.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of blood and bone marrow in the laboratory from patients at risk of developing myelodysplastic syndrome may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to disorders of the blood and bone marrow. PURPOSE: This research study is looking at biomarkers in patients at risk of developing myelodysplastic syndrome or other disorders and in healthy participants.

The purpose of this study is to develop small molecule radio-labeled probes of beta-amyloid, to be used with positron emission tomography (PET) for early detection and treatment monitoring of Alzheimer disease (AD). The study hypothesis is that PET imaging of small molecule probes, in the form of novel fluorescent dyes with radioactive labels, will demonstrate cerebral patterns in patients with AD that are distinct from those of age-matched persons who are cognitively intact.

The purposes of this study are to: study the nature and longitudinal course of psychiatric symptoms in children with the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and identify genes that contribute to the occurrence of these symptoms.