All clinical trials

The aim is to assess the efficacy of adding on a Mindfulness-based therapy to pharmacological prophylaxis (experimental group: pharmacological prophylaxis + Mindfulness) against pharmacological prophylaxis only (control group) on the reduction of monthly headaches frequency (primary endpoint), symptomatic medications intake, inflammatory pattern, depression, anxiety, cutaneous allodynia, improving disability and quality of life (secondary endpoints). Moreover, other aims are to assess whether adding on Mindfulness-based therapy is also associated to a superior improvement of neuroimaging pattern among patients prescribed neuromodulators or antidepressants and to assess the cost-efficacy of adding on a Mindfulness-based therapy to pharmacological prophylaxis. Mindfulness will be provided in small groups (5-7 patients each) by specifically trained therapists. The treatment consists in six 45 minutes weekly sessions in which one will work on meditation, acceptance and awareness. The program of control group will consist in education of patients, followed by pharmacological prophylaxis. Prophylaxis is prescribed based on patients' profile, such as previous failures, contraindications and so on by a neurologist with expertise in headache treatments. We expect that adding-on Mindfulness will determine a wider reduction of headaches frequency and improvement of secondary endpoints, and that disease cost reduction will support the cost-efficacy of Mindfulness. The study will be a Phase III; randomized, Open-Label; Monocentric study. Patients will be enrolled to detect a 20% difference between the two groups on the primary outcome (50% or more of headache reduction by 12 months). For each medication type and research arm 20 patients will be selected: thus 80 patients will be enrolled for neuroradiological investigation.

The body has different ways of fighting infection and disease. No single way seems perfect for fighting cancer. This research study combines two different ways of fighting disease: antibodies and T cells. Antibodies are proteins that protect the body from disease caused by bacteria or toxic substances. Antibodies work by binding those bacteria or substances, which stops them from growing and causing bad effects. T cells, also called T lymphocytes, are special infection-fighting blood cells that can kill other cells, including tumor cells or cells that are infected. Both antibodies and T cells have been used to treat subjects with cancers. They both have shown promise, but neither alone has been sufficient to cure most subjects. This study is designed to combine both T cells and antibodies to create a more effective treatment. The treatment that is being researched is called autologous T lymphocyte chimeric antigen receptor cells targeted against the CD138 antigen (CAR138 T cells). In previous studies, it has been shown that a new gene can be put into T cells that will increase their ability to recognize and kill cancer cells. A gene is a unit of DNA. Genes make up the chemical structure carrying the subject's genetic information that may determine human characteristics (i.e., eye color, height and sex). The new gene that is put in the T cells in this study makes a piece of an antibody called anti-CD138. This antibody floats around in the blood and can detect and stick to cancer cells called multiple myeloma cells because they have a substance on the outside of the cells called CD138. Anti-CD138 antibodies have been used to treat people with multiple myeloma, but have not been strong enough to cure most subjects. For this study, the anti-CD138 antibody has been changed so that instead of floating free in the blood part of it is now joined to the T cells. Only the part of the antibody that sticks to the multiple myeloma cells is attached to the T cells instead of the entire antibody. When an antibody is joined to a T cell in this way it is called a chimeric receptor. These CD138 chimeric (combination) receptor-activated T cells seem to kill some of the tumor, but they do not last very long in the body and so their chances of fighting the cancer are unknown.

The investigators are proposing to perform a double-blinded, non-inferiority randomized controlled trial comparing a short 30-day treatment with BZN 150mg/day (30d/150mg) vs. a 60-day treatment with BZN 300 mg/day (60d/300mg). The investigators will recruit not previously treated T. cruzi seropositive women with a live birth during the postpartum period in Argentina, randomize them at six months postpartum, and follow them up with the following specific aims: Specific Aim 1: To measure the effect of BZN 30d/150mg compared to 60d/300mg preconceptional treatment on parasitic load measured by the frequency of positive PCR (primary outcome) and by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), immediately (Specific Aim 1a) and 10 months (Specific Aim 1b) after treatment. Hypothesis 1a: The frequency of positive PCR and the parasitic load measured by qPCR immediately after BZN 30d/150mg will be non-inferior (Non Inferiority [NI] margin for PCR: 10% absolute difference) to BZN 60d/300mg. Hypothesis 1b: The frequency of positive PCR and the parasitic load measured by qPCR 10 months after BZN 30d/150mg will be non-inferior (NI margin for PCR: 9% absolute difference) to BZN 60d/300mg. Specific Aim 2: To measure the frequency of serious adverse events leading to treatment interruption of BZN 30d/150mg compared to 60d/300mg. Hypothesis 2: The frequency of serious adverse events leading to treatment interruption will be 50% lower with BZN 30d/150mg than with BZN 60d/300mg. A 24-month recruitment period is planned in four hospitals with 23,436 deliveries in 2015 and frequencies of T. cruzi seropositive women varying from 1.5% to 4.8%. The investigators are planning to enroll 600 T. cruzi seropositive women.

This phase II trial studies the side effects and how well liposome-encapsulated daunorubicin-cytarabine and gemtuzumab ozogamicin work in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia that has come back (relapsed) or that does not respond to treatment (refractory) or high risk myelodysplastic syndrome. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as liposome-encapsulated daunorubicin-cytarabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin is a monoclonal antibody, called gemtuzumab, linked to a toxic agent called calicheamicin. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin attached to CD33 positive cancer cells in a targeted way and delivers calicheamicin to kill them. Giving liposome-encapsulated daunorubicin-cytarabine and gemtuzumab ozogamicin together may be an effective treatment for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia or high risk myelodysplastic syndrome.

This is a pilot study to test the efficacy of the anti-inflammatory drug (Fisetin) in reducing inflammatory factors in blood in elderly adults and to test the efficacy of the drug (Fisetin) in reducing frailty and markers of inflammation, insulin resistance, and bone resorption in elderly adults.

Lateral cord stimulation (LCS) was discovered by the author as the producer of an average threshold increase for abnormal muscle contraction responses, in experimental pathological conditions, as described and referred. This physiological effect is proposed to improve tone, motor function and speech, in patients with spasticity of different causes, such as cerebrovascular accident, congenital brain malformations, perinatal anoxia (image called cerebral palsy), sequels of neurosurgery, etc. Due to its non-invasiveness and possible efficacy, the use of magnetic stimulation is proposed to try to demonstrate its therapeutic utility. This is the clinical test of phase 2/3 of the method, in the future, and how its use could be extended, if the results were positive, its indications could be extended to other pathological conditions, giving a greater spectrum of spastic patients, potentially benefited

Assess the effect of iontophoresis of treprostinil on wound closure over 12 weeks, in patients with DFU. In the present study the investigators aim at establishing the proof-of-concept of iontophoresis of treprostinil as a potential treatment of diabetic foot ulcers in humans. The main hypothesis is that in patients with DFUs, the pharmacodynamic effect of a PGI2 analogue potentiates the effect of low-intensity current on microvascular function, tissue oxygenation and healing.

In this study, the investigators will be examining the effects of the deep repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) using the H1 coil in patients over the age of 60 diagnosed with mild to early-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and comorbid Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) who have been unable to tolerate or failed to respond to antidepressant medications. The coil was designed to stimulate deeper regions of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Based on prior research, the investigators propose that active stimulation with the H1 coil for 4 weeks may result in significant remission rates and will be tolerable and safe.

The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of isometric handgrip training (IHT) on blood pressure of hypertensive patients with peripheral arterial disease. Will be recruited 30 patients which will be randomized into 2 groups (15 per group), IHT and control group (CG). IHT group will training isometric contraction for 12 weeks. In CG patients will be encouraged to increase the level of physical activity. In the pre and post-intervention cardiovascular measures will be obtained.

Pulmonary sarcoidosis (PS) is defined as a multisystem granulomatous disorder of unknown cause affecting different vital organs, especially the lungs. PS manifest in reduction of pulmonary function. Overall symptoms lead to poor physical conditioning contributing to a vicious cycle of more physical inactivity. Treatment of sarcoidosis is usually limited to patient symptoms. Progressive fibrosis sometimes can lead to respiratory failure and ultimately, pulmonary transplantation. Physical training shows promising evidence of a positive effect on PF. No defined training program with regard to exercise frequency, duration or intensities exists. PS is a relatively rare disease and patients are scattered in great geographically areas,.It is difficult to organize targeted group training with supervised physical training, convenient for patients and affordable for the public health sector. Tele-rehabilitation (TR) seems to be a good approach to reach patients in low inhabited areas, going from health care to self-care, empowering patient's awareness of their disease and increasing the flexibility patients need to acquire healthier behaviors. Preliminary evaluations from TR initiatives in Scotland showed tele-rehabilitation to be more cost effective with patients living in remote areas than with the outreach- or centralized model. No studies on the feasibility effect of TR in PS exists. The study is a prospective randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of tele-rehabilitation in patients with PS compared to standard practice. 24 patients with PS will be randomized in two groups, trained by tele-rehabilitation for 12 weeks and afterwards followed for 6 months. The control group will follow the usual control program for PS patients that only involves outpatient visits approximately every 3rd month. No specific PS rehabilitation program exists. The intervention group will receive TR in the form of video consultations- and chat sessions with a real physiotherapist and workout sessions with a virtual physiotherapist agent. They will also train with virtual reality glasses or tablets that show the actual exercises in the training program. Patients will be tested with pulmonary function, physical, anxiety and quality of life parameters, all at baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, 3 and 6 months after cessation of the program.