Active clinical trials for "Wounds and Injuries"

Background: Although glucose is essential to cerebral function, abundant experimental and clinical evidence demonstrates that endogenously released lactate, rather than glucose, is the preferential energy substrate for the brain in conditions of stress and acute injury. In patients with severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) monitored with cerebral microdialysis and brain tissue oxygen (PbtO2), our preliminary data show that increased brain extracellular lactate is frequently observed. Our findings indicate that elevated brain lactate more often occurs in the absence of brain hypoxia/ischemia and is mainly the consequence of increased cerebral glycolysis, i.e. it occurs in association with high extracellular pyruvate. These data suggest that the primary source of elevated lactate is activated glycolysis and strongly support the concept that endogenously released lactate can be utilized by the injured human brain as energy substrate. They prompt further investigation to examine whether exogenous lactate supplementation can be a valuable neuroprotective strategy after TBI or SAH. Indeed, in animal models of brain injury, administration of exogenous lactate improves neuronal and cognitive recovery. Hypothesis: The investigators test the hypothesis that lactate therapy, administered during the acute phase of TBI or SAH, might exercise neuroprotective actions by restoring brain energetics and improving brain tissue PO2 and cerebral blood flow (CBF). Aim of the study: The aim of this single-center study is to examine the effect of sodium lactate infusion on cerebral extracellular metabolites, brain tissue PO2 and cerebral blood flow, measured with CT perfusion and transcranial doppler (TCD). Design: Prospective phase II interventional study examining the effect of a continuous 3-6 hours infusion of sodium lactate (20-40 µmol/kg/min), administered within 48 hours from TBI or SAH, on cerebral extracellular glucose, pyruvate, glutamate, glycerol, PbtO2 and CBF.

Quadriceps muscle weakness is a common consequence of ACL injury. This muscle weakness is considered to result from neural inhibition preventing full muscle contraction and is referred to as arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI). AMI hinders rehabilitation by preventing gains in strength, increasing the risk of re-injury, and potentially placing patients at risk for chronic degenerative joint conditions. Quadriceps weakness that occurs following ACL injury is also thought to be caused by muscle atrophy which is thought to manifest due to alterations in muscle architecture, selective fiber atrophy or even neural deficits such as AMI. Importantly, interventions that are designed to counter this muscle weakness are required in order to promote long-term knee joint health. Hence, the purpose of the current study is to determine the efficacy of interventions that target quadriceps weakness to improve quadriceps muscle function and biomechanics in patients prior to and following ACL reconstruction. Specifically, the efficacy of neuromuscular electrical stimulation aimed at improving quadriceps neural activity and eccentric exercise intended to minimize quadriceps muscle atrophy will be investigated. The investigators expect that patients who receive the electrical stimulation therapy will demonstrate improvements in quadriceps strength and activation. Furthermore, it is expected that patients who receive both the electrical stimulation and eccentric intervention will demonstrate markedly greater gains in quadriceps strength and activation than patients who receive only the electrical stimulation therapy or standard of care post-surgery. The investigators also hypothesize that the patients who receive the electrical stimulation therapy and/or eccentrics will display knee motion similar to uninjured control subjects.

The goal of this study is to test the effects of Seprafilm adhesion barrier on patients who are undergoing open abdomen damage control management for traumatic injuries when compared to no adhesion barrier use. Specifically, the researchers wish to study the effects of Seprafilm adhesion barrier on: the number and intensity of adhesions, whether there is any difference between treatment groups (Seprafilm vs. no Seprafilm) who go on to successful definitive abdominal closure, rate of occurrence of secondary complications (such as abscesses) associated with short- and long-term beneficial effects of reducing adhesion formation,and whether there is any difference between treatment groups regarding patient functional recovery.

The purpose of this study was to address 3 short term objectives; (1) Determine the effects of physiologic testosterone (T) therapy on neurological function and functional independence following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in hypogonadal men during inpatient rehabilitation; (2) Document the natural history of neuroendocrine dysfunction and recovery in men during inpatient rehabilitation after TBI; (3) Obtain data to validate the NIH toolbox, a novel assessment of neurological function for use in the TBI population; and 2 long-term objectives: (1) Utilize study findings to design a multicenter trial to further assess the impact of T therapy in hypogonadal men following TBI and (2) Impact TBI practice management with new information about neuroendocrine dysfunction after TBI and hormone treatments to improve outcomes.

The current study is a double-blind, placebo-control randomized clinical trial examining the efficacy of memory retraining in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Impairment in higher level cognitive processing, such as new learning and memory, is one of the most common deficits in individuals with TBI and such deficits have been shown to exert significant negative impact on multiple aspects of everyday life, including occupational and social functioning. Despite these findings, few studies have attempted to treat these cognitive deficits in order to improve the everyday functioning of individuals with TBI. The current proposal will evaluate (a)the efficacy of this treatment protocol within a TBI population,(b) the impact of the treatment on everyday functioning, (c) the long term efficacy of the treatment and (c) the utility of booster sessions in facilitating long-term treatment effects. The investigators will randomly assign individuals with TBI, with documented impairment in new learning abilities, to a memory retraining group or a placebo control group. Both groups will undergo baseline, immediate and long-term follow-up assessment consisting of: (1) a traditional neuropsychological battery and (2) an assessment of global functioning examining the impact of the treatment on daily activities. This design will allow us to evaluate the efficacy of this particular memory retraining technique in a TBI population through the assessment of cognitive function via a standard evaluation. In addition, the investigators will be able to draw conclusions regarding the impact of this particular memory remediation program on everyday life from questionnaires completed by the participant and a significant other. Optional enrollment in pre/post neuroimaging will also allow us to look at changes in the brain.

Traumatic bain injury(TBI) remains a hidden epidemic involving individuals affected predominantly at a young age who in the most severe cases remain with permanent physical,psychological and cognitive deficits.This study will investigate the therapeutic effects of intranasal Nerve Growth Factor(NGF) in TBI.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether V158866 is safe and effective for the treatment of neuropathic pain due to spinal cord injury.

Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation (TES) using the "OkuStim®" device delivers electrical impulses to damaged and/or diseased photoreceptor cells. This electric stimulation of the retina may help to preserve visual acuity and/or the visual field.

The purpose of this research study is to investigate the effectiveness of a technique designed to improve processing speed (i.e. the amount of time it takes to process information) in a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) population. The study is designed to study how well this technique can help people with TBI increase their processing speed and their ability to function better in everyday life.

The main objective of this study is to assess the safety and the efficacy of EscharEx in preparing the wound's bed in patients with hard to heal venous leg ulcers, diabetic lower extremity ulcers and traumatic/post operative wounds. This study will be a multi-center, assessor blinded, randomized, controlled study intended to demonstrate superiority of EscharEx debriding treatment over the Gel Vehicle control treatment in patients with hard to heal wounds. 72 + 24 adults with >50% necrotic/slough/fibrin non-viable tissue on a hard to heal wound (venous leg ulcer, diabetic lower extremity ulcer or traumatic/ post operative wound) between 5 cm2 and 200 cm2 (surface area in stage 1) or 3 cm2 - 150 cm2 (in stage 2), will be enrolled into the study. Patients will undergo a 1 week screening period (2 visits) which will include: record of demographics, medical history and concomitant medications, vital signs, physical examination, clinical laboratory tests, wound photography and assessments and questionnaires (wound status and quality of life). During this period wounds will be treated by standard treatment per the decision of the physician. During this screening period, subjects whose study wound size (surface area) decreases by more than 20 percent will be excluded. Following completion of the screening process, eligible patients will be randomized to either EscharEx or Gel vehicle debridement treatments. In stage 1 (72 patients): Treatment will be performed for up to 10 applications or until complete debridement is achieved, whichever occurs first. In stage 2 (24 patients): Treatment will be performed for up to 8 applications or until complete debridement is achieved, whichever occurs first. Following each application the wound will be washed, photographed and assessed for wound size, removal of nonviable tissue and change in granulation tissue (by digital planimetry software), wound status, and safety parameters. Subsequent to each debridement treatment the wound will be dressed with moist-to-moist saline gauze (except when successive 24h or 48h treatments are performed, in the second stage). Following completion of the debridement treatment period, patients will be treated according to standard procedures and evaluated (wound assessments) once a week until complete wound closure for up to 12 weeks from last application (up to 12 visits). Only during the first stage of the study, for patients who achieved wound closure, additional 3 monthly (3 visits) follow- up visits of wound closure recurrence will be conducted. Quality of life (QoL) will be evaluated at the last follow-up visit - 3 months post wound closure follow-up period. For patients who didn't achieve wound closure only the 3 months FU visit will be conducted. For patients enrolled at the second stage, if wound closure was achieved at the 12 weeks follow-up, additional visit will be performed 2 weeks later to confirm wound closure.