Active clinical trials for "Scleroderma, Systemic"

Many people living with scleroderma, a rare autoimmune connective tissue disease, attend support groups to help them cope with the disease. Support groups provide a safe environment where people facing a similar challenge can come together to share disease-related experiences and exchange practical and emotional support. This is especially important for rare diseases such as scleroderma as organized support services can be limited. However, many people with scleroderma do not have access to scleroderma support groups, and many support groups that are initiated are not sustained due to a number of obstacles. Leaders of these support groups play a particularly important role. They are responsible for a wide range of tasks including administrative details that go into planning meetings, facilitating effective and meaningful discussions, managing any issues that may arise in group dynamics, balancing their own needs with the needs of the group and many more. The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) team has worked with patient organizations and an advisory team of scleroderma support group leaders to develop the Support group Leader EDucation (SPIN-SSLED) Program for scleroderma support group leaders with the goals of (1) providing information and resources to leaders to help them feel more comfortable, confident and supported in their roles and (2) to provide people with the skills they need to establish scleroderma support groups where none exist. The SPIN-SSLED Trial will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the SPIN-SSLED Program on scleroderma support group leaders' self-efficacy (primary outcome) in carrying out their leader tasks (which is defined as their perceived ability to carry out actions needed to be successful in support group leadership), burnout and emotional well-being.

In this study, it is aimed to investigate the mouth handicap in Systemic Sclerosis.

Contagious disease outbreaks, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, and associated restrictions to prevent spread can lead to negative psychological outcomes, including loneliness, depression, and anxiety, particularly in vulnerable populations at risk due to existing medical conditions. To date, no randomized controlled trials have tested interventions to reduce mental health consequences of contagious disease outbreaks. Systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma) is a rare, chronic, autoimmune disease characterized by vasculopathy and excessive collagen production. Systemic Sclerosis can affect multiple organ systems, including the skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and heart. Many people with scleroderma are at risk of serious complications from COVID-19 if infected due to lung involvement (> 40% have interstitial lung disease) and common use of immunosuppressant drugs. The objective of The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network COVID-19 Home-isolation Activities Together (SPIN-CHAT) Trial is to evaluate a videoconference-based intervention designed to improve symptoms of anxiety and other mental health outcomes among individuals with systemic sclerosis at risk of poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The trial is a pragmatic randomized controlled trial that will be conducted using an existing cohort of systemic sclerosis patients. We will use a partially nested design to reflect dependence between individuals in training groups but not in the waitlist control. The SPIN-CHAT Program includes activity engagement, education on strategies to support mental health, and mutual participant support.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective-tissue disease characterized by excessive collagen deposition, vascular hyper-reactivity and obliterative microvascular phenomena leading to disability, handicap, and worsening of quality of life. Pharmacological treatments are mainly used for vascular involvement. To date, no pharmacological treatment have been shown to be effective for the fibrosis leading to skin, tendon, and joint disability. Our hypothesis is that rehabilitation could be an interesting non pharmacological treatment in order to decrease the handicap of SSc patients. Our objective is to evaluate the effect of a personalized standardized rehabilitation program on the quality of life of SSc patients in a multicentric randomized controlled trial. This trial will compare a personalized standardized rehabilitation program to the usual non pharmacological treatment. The primary outcome measure will be the HAQ DI (Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index). A Zelen design will be used for this study.

The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) is an organization established by researchers, health care providers, and people living with scleroderma from Canada, the USA, and Europe. The objectives of SPIN are (1) to assemble a large cohort of scleroderma patients to complete outcome assessments regularly in order to learn more about important problems faced by people living with scleroderma and (2) to develop and test a series of internet-based interventions to help patients manage aspects of scleroderma, including hand limitations. In the SPIN-HAND feasibility trial, SPIN Cohort participants with at least mild hand function limitations and an indicated interest in using an online hand exercise program will be randomized to be offered the SPIN hand exercise program or to usual care only. The core SPIN hand exercise program consists of 4 modules that address specific aspects of hand function, including Thumb Flexibility and Strength; Finger Bending; Finger Extension; and Wrist Flexibility and Strength. The program also integrates tools to support key components of successful self-management programs, including goal-setting. The aim of the SPIN-HAND feasibility study is to collect data to assess the feasibility of the steps that need to take place as part of the main trial; required resources; and scientific aspects (e.g., withdrawal rate, outcomes measures). Data will be used to determine whether it is feasible to carry out the main study or whether changes need to be made before conducting a full-scale RCT of the SPIN-HAND program.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Cognitive Exercise Therapy Approach (BETY) on vascularization, muscle strength, functionality, anti-inflammatory and biopsychosocial status in individuals with systemic sclerosis and to present a named exercise model for this disease group with objective results.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma) is a multi-organ systemic disease characterized by activation of immune cells, which results in vascular dysfunction (vasculopathy) and subsequent scarring (fibrosis). SSc has a higher than expect prevalence in the US military. On a national level there are 5,766 SSc patients (ICD-9 710.1) presently cared for in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). While there is no cure for SSc, studies of therapeutics that can help slow disease progression are valuable to our Veterans. This proposal addresses the solicitation for projects with attention to SSc requested by President Obama after reviewing potential contamination of water at Camp Lejeune. This proposal is a patient-centered outreach for our Veterans with SSc to inform and prevent catastrophic endstage vascular abnormalities, including digital ulcers, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and scleroderma renal crisis in SSc. The study proposes a novel application of a therapeutic for this disease. A better understanding of the initiating insult and natural progression of SSc vasculopathy is needed in order to develop therapeutics with a goal of curing/treating the underlying disease. This project has the potential to impact not only Veterans with SSc, but also those with vascular abnormalities including digital ulcers, PAH, and renal crisis. This proposal represents a potential major therapeutic advance for our Veterans with SSc.

Many people living with a rare disease turn to peer-led support groups to cope with their condition and access educational resources. Systemic sclerosis (SSc), or scleroderma, is a rare autoimmune connective tissue disease where peer-led support groups play an important role. There are currently approximately 200 SSc support groups in Canada and the US, most of which are led by people with SSc. Many SSc patients, however, cannot access support groups. In other cases, support groups are not sustained due to factors that include the burden on group leaders living with a serious, unpredictable disease and limited group leadership skills of some untrained leaders. Our partners from Scleroderma Canada and the Scleroderma Foundation in the US are committed to improving support group accessibility and effectiveness. These organizations maintain a list of active support groups, but currently do not provide training or other resources to groups or their leaders. To address this gap, our team, including investigators and patients from the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN), developed the Scleroderma Support group Leader EDucation (SPIN-SSLED) Program, which is designed to improve support group leader confidence and self-efficacy, reduce burnout, improve emotional well-being, and improve health-related quality of life. In the planned full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) that will follow our feasibility trial, we will evaluate whether the SPIN-SSLED Program is effective in improving SSc support group leaders' self-efficacy for carrying out their leader role (primary) and if it reduces burnout, improves emotional well-being, and improves health-related quality of life (secondary). Thus, the SPIN-SSLED Feasibility Trial answers the following research questions: (1) Is a full-scale SPIN-SSLED RCT feasible? (2) Are adaptations needed to the research design for the planned full-scale RCT? (3) Are there ways to improve the SPIN-SSLED Program for delivery in the planned full-scale RCT based on input of support group leaders who participate in the feasibility trial?

This is a randomized, blinded, and controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of UVA1 phototherapy in the treatment of active morphea in adults and children. Forty patients will be randomized to receive either medium dose (70 J/cm2) phototherapy (active UVA1 phototherapy) with an ultraviolet translucent acrylic screen or "sham" UVA1 (0 J/cm2) phototherapy with an ultraviolet opaque acrylic screen 3 times per week for 10 weeks. The phototherapists, patients, and principal investigator will be blinded to whether the patients receive active or sham UVA1 phototherapy. Patients will only be allowed to apply emollients during the study. Patients completing the randomized placebo controlled trial (RPCT) will be followed during an open observation period for 3 months. During the open phase, all outcome measures from the RPCT (LoSSI, PGA-A) will be assessed every 5 weeks as well as adverse events. Patients who received sham UVA1 phototherapy will be invited to receive active UVA1 phototherapy using the same protocol as in the RPCT during the open observation. Adult patients enrolled in the RPCT will also be part of a nested translational study investigating the effect of UVA1 phototherapy on gene expression from whole skin biopsies taken before (Study Visit 1) and after UVA1 phototherapy (Study Visit 3). Gene expression profiles will be compared in lesional skin before and after treatment as well as nonlesional skin.

By contrast to other proinflammatory cytokines which are found up-regulated in the skin of patients with psoriasis, atopic dermatitis or systemic sclerosis, IL-34 is the only cytokine that undergoes down-regulation. This finding is interesting regarding the description of IL-34 as an immunosuppressive cytokine. In this study, the expression and the role of interleukin-34 (IL-34) will be investigated in the physiopathology of systemic sclerosis.