All clinical trials

Mammography is considered the standard imaging method for breast cancer screening, and is known to result in reduced mortality from breast cancer. However, the diagnostic yield of mammography depends particularly on breast tissue density, with sensitivity as low as 30-48% in dense-breast women. Ultrasound is an attractive adjunct imaging method to mammography as it is widely accessible, relatively inexpensive and well-tolerated by patients. The addition of hand-held ultrasound to mammography has been demonstrated to significantly increase breast cancer detection in women with dense breasts. It is however dependent on the expertise and skill of the operator. In recent years, the FDA has approved the use of the automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) for use in screening of women with dense breast. Unlike handheld ultrasound, the ABUS is relatively simple to use, necessitating less technical training, and results in higher reproducibility. The research aim is to evaluation of automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) regarding the detection and classification of breast lesions, compared to hand-held ultrasound, according to the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) classification. The investigator will also evaluate parameters regarding patients' comfort, workflow, and duration of image interpretation.

To lower the threshold for clinical application by reducing the testing time for recording vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs), we evaluated whether a simultaneous recording of ocular and cervical VEMPs after unilateral or bilateral stimulation can be achieved without a loss in diagnostic sensitivity.

This study aims to analyze serum and plasma samples from patients with late onset Pompe disease treated and not treated with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) to identify microRNA that could be specific of the disease. The investigators will correlate the concentration of these microRNA with several muscle function tests and quantitative muscle MRI to know whether they are good biomarkers of progression.

The purpose of this study is to determine if Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) can produce reproducible and accurate images in people with stroke or head injury compared to existing standards such as MRI, CT. Electrical Impedance Tomography is a relatively new medical imaging method, which has the potential to provide novel images of brain function. It is fast, portable, safe and inexpensive, but currently has a relatively poor spatial resolution. It produces images of the internal electrical impedance of a subject with stroke or head injury using rings of ECG like electrodes on the skin. EIT recording will take place as early as possible, usually within 24 hours of admission. Following completion of the recording, the EIT images will subsequently be analysed and compared to other imaging data for accuracy.

Nutritional status in patients with cirrhosis has been shown to have a direct influence on the prognosis of these patients, it is related to higher mortality and it has been linked to the developement and perpetuation of certain complications such as hepatic encephalopathy, ascites and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Despite the importance of nutritional status in this patients, most of the methods for its assessment are still not completely reliable or not easily accessible; therefore, evaluating nutritional status in the daily clinical practice is still a complex task.

The gold standard in hemodynamic evaluation has been the combined use of echocardiography and right heart catheterization. Fall backs to echocardiography are its time consumption and requirement for specialist interpretation while the Swan-Ganz® catheter shows a poor correlation of central venous pressure to volume status and provides indirect and difficult to interpret measurements in patients with unique pathophysiological states. Next generation continuous hemodynamic transesophageal echocardiography (hTEE®) is being increasingly utilized to assist with complex resuscitations and to monitor the hemodynamic profiles of critically ill patients. hTEE is proving to be an essential diagnostic, therapeutic and monitoring tool for the rapid evaluation of the hemodynamic state in the critically ill patient and or hemodynamically compromised patient. The purpose of this observational study is to evaluate the role of hTEE in clinical decision-making in 30 patients recruited from OR-Trauma and in 30 patients from the Cardiovascular-OR. Hemodynamic trans-esophageal echocardiography (hTEE) incorporates an FDA-approved miniaturized, disposable probe for continuous use in patients for up to 72 hours. This device has been used for postoperative assessment in the ICU for several years with successful placement of probes and without any adverse incidents. The probe allows for the rapid, intermittent or continuous evaluation of bi-ventricular function, volume status and valve function at bedside or intraoperatively. It also allows for the evaluation of pericardial effusions and or the exclusion of pericardial tamponade.

This study evaluates the clinical significance of CX3CR1-expressing myeloid and lymphoid cells in patients of hematologic malignancy. Tumor cells either express membrane molecules or release tumor-derived soluble factors able to alter myelopoiesis and lymphopoiesis. Myeloid cells expressing CD11b play a critical role in sustaining cancer progression. Also, the fractalkine (CX3CL1; Fkn)/CX3CR1 axis plays an important function in the pathophysiology of various forms of cancers. Fkn is the only known ligand for CX3CR1, and it triggers recruitment of CX3CR1-positive cells through its unique receptor, CX3CR1. Therefore, the investigators focused the prognostic significance of CD11b+ myelo-monocytic cells expressing CX3CR1 and CD3+ lymphoid cells expressing CX3CR1 in the clinical outcomes of newly diagnosed Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and Multiple myeloma (MM).

The purpose is to build up a data observatory of individuals with thoracic pain evoking acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The aim is the characterization of this population of patients consulting at emergency department, the evaluation of therapeutic strategies with regard to guidelines and the becoming of patients including severe complications and mortality.

This study aims to investigate the factors (clinical, care-related and genetic) affecting renal outcome in patients with TSC (Tuberous sclerosis complex)

The Investigators hypothesise that asthma is not a single disease, but a syndrome resulting from several distinct underlying disease processes known as endotypes. There are approximately 30,000 genes in humans, and each gene is responsible for the production of a particular protein. Using a technique called "whole genome expression profiling" The Investigators have undertaken a small study looking at the activity of all 30,000 genes in the airway tissue of people with asthma. This work has identified 3 mutually exclusive distinct molecular patterns (endotypes) of severe asthma and has identified other potentially important molecular targets (manuscripts in preparation). In particular,the Investigators have found that 25-50% of patients have asthma associated with the activity of proteins called Th2 cytokines (Th2-high asthma). New treatments are in development that target this pathway. However, the Investigators do not know what is driving severe asthma in patients who do not express these Th2 cytokines. The aim of this study is to investigate in more detail the molecular mechanisms driving severe asthma in patients who do not express Th2 cytokines (Th2-low asthma), so that the Investigators can identify new targets for treatment in this group. To do this the Investigators will collect airway tissue via a telescope (bronchoscope), and analyse gene and protein expression in the tissue. The Investigators will then compare the molecular activity between patients with Th2-high and Th2-low asthma, and healthy control subjects (data obtained from a parallel study).