There are about 13446 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Belgium. The country of the clinical trial is determined by the location of where the clinical research is being studied. Most studies are often held in multiple locations & countries.
Autoinflammatory diseases (AID) are clinical entities characterized by recurrent inflammatory attacks in absence of infection, neoplasm or deregulation of the adaptive immune system. Among them, hereditary periodic syndromes, also known as monogenic AID, represent the prototype of this disease group, caused by mutations in genes involved in the regulation of innate immunity, inflammation and cell death. Based on recent experimental acquisitions in the field of monogenic AID, several immunologic disorders have been reclassified as polygenic/multifactorial AID, sharing pathogenetic and clinical features with hereditary periodic fevers. This has paved the way to new treatment targets for patients suffering from rare diseases of unknown origin, including Behçet's disease, Still disease, Schnitzler's disease, PFAPA (periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis) syndrome, chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO), non-infectious uveitis and scleritis. Gathering information on such rare conditions is made difficult by the small number of patients, along with the difficulty of obtaining an accurate diagnosis in non-specialized clinical settings. In this context, the AIDA project promotes international collaboration among clinical centres to develop a permanent registry aimed at collecting demographic, genetic, clinical and therapeutic data of patients affected by monogenic and polygenic AID, in order to expand the current knowledge of these rare conditions.
The objective of the study is to compare the effect of a 6-week supplementation with a dietary supplement based on plant extracts to the effect of placebo, in patients with a moderate depressive episode (F32.1 by ICD10 definition) and with moderate symptoms (score HAM-D ≥ 16 and ≤ 23).
The purpose of this single-arm interventional study is to evaluate the long-term safety, efficacy, and durability of the Symplicity Spyral system in subjects treated with renal denervation. Additionally, long-term follow-up data will also be collected from eligible subjects previously treated in the SPYRAL PIVOTAL-SPYRAL HTN-OFF MED and SPYRAL HTN-ON MED studies.
A mixed longitudinal design study will be carried out to explore the onset and time course of morphological muscle changes on a macroscopic level in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP). Therefore, this project aims to (1) describe the macroscopic morphological muscle changes with increasing age and (2) evaluate the onset and development of muscle alterations in relation to the brain lesion (e.g., timing, extent and location), to the neuromuscular impairments and to treatment. Overall, this project will evaluate the macroscopic muscle properties by means of 3D freehand ultrasound (3DfUS).
Researchers are looking for a better way to treat children who have chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is long-term kidney disease, and proteinuria, a condition in which a person´s kidneys leak protein into the urine. The kidneys filter waste and fluid from the blood to form urine. In children with CKD, the kidney´s filters do not work as well as they should. This can lead to accumulation of waste and fluid in the body and proteinuria. CKD can lead to other medical problems, such as high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Vice versa, hypertension and proteinuria can also contribute to worsening of CKD. Therefore, the treatment of CKD aims to control blood pressure and proteinuria. There are treatments available for doctors to prescribe to children with CKD and hypertension and/or proteinuria. These include "angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors" (ACEI) and "angiotensin receptor blockers" (ARB). Both ACEI and ARB can improve kidney function by helping the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) to work normally. The RAAS is a system that works with the kidneys to control blood pressure and the balance of fluid and electrolytes in the blood. In people with CKD, the RAAS is often too active, which can stop the kidneys from working properly and cause hypertension and proteinuria. However, ACEI or ARB treatment alone does not work for all patients with CKD as they only target the angiotensin part of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. The study treatment, finerenone, is expected to help control RAAS overactivation together with an ACEI or ARB. So, the researchers in this study want to learn more about whether finerenone given in addition to either an ACEI or ARB can help their kidney function. The main purpose of this study is to learn more about whether finerenone added to either ACEI or ARB can help reduce the amount of protein in the participants' urine more than a placebo. A placebo looks like a treatment but does not have any medicine in it. Participants will also continue to receive their other medications. To see how the treatment work, the doctors will take samples of the participants' urine to measure their protein levels before and during taking treatment and after their last treatment. In addition, blood samples will be taken to monitor kidney function, electrolytes and the amount of finerenone in the blood as well as for other tests. This study will include children with CKD and proteinuria aged from 6 months up to less than 18 years. The participants will take: - either finerenone or the placebo, in addition to - either ACEI or ARB, whichever they take as part of their normal treatment Two visits are required up to 104 days, to check whether a child can take part in the treatment phase of the study. If participants qualify for the treatment phase, they will then undergo treatment for about 180 days. During this time, they will visit the study site at least 7 times. During these visits, the participants will: - have their blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, height and weight measured - have blood and urine samples taken - have physical examinations - have their heart examined by an electrocardiogram and echocardiography (a sonogram of the heart) - answer questions about their medication and whether they have any adverse events , or have their parents or guardians answer - answer questions about how they are feeling, or have their parents or guardians answer - answer question about how they like the study medication, or have their parents or guardians answer The doctors will keep track of any adverse events. An adverse event is any medical problem that a participant has during a study. Doctors keep track of all adverse events that happen in studies, even if they do not think the adverse events might be related to the study treatments. The doctors will check the participants' health about 30 days after the participants take their last treatment.
Project synopsis: This prospective cohort study investigates impact of (1) hearing loss and (2) cochlear implantation on cost and health state on one hand, and employment, productivity and social wellbeing on the other hand in a professionally active group using validated questionnaires. Participants: The investigators aim to include 100 professional active adults between 18 and 65 years old. All participants have a bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural or mixed hearing loss. Due to several reasons such as an optimal hearing aid fitting, the presence of a residual hearing or physical contra-indications, half of these participants will not be implanted with CI. Additionally, 100 participants with a single-sides deafness (SSD) in the acute or chronic setting (SDD present for at least three months) will be included. Study design Study measures: All audiological tests and patient-reported outcome measures will be included in this test protocol and repeated throughout the follow-up visits depending on aided or unaided setting. The cognitive evaluation will be executed during the first and last test moment. The investigators anticipate that the protocol will take 1 hour per follow-up in the hospital (audiological testing and to go over the questionnaires), plus an extra hour at home to fill out the questionnaires. For the cognitive tests, an extra hour in the hospital will be scheduled. Hypothesis As a primary endpoint, the investigators anticipate demonstrating that severe-to-profound hearing loss has a significant impact on sick leave and self-reported productivity. Health state will also be analyzed as a secondary endpoint because the investigators anticipate only marginal improvement (if any) on these instruments due to the lack of sensitivity and responsiveness, even in this population. The investigators will also determine the rate of usage and non-usage at this long-term follow-up to demonstrate the utility of cochlear implants. Statistical analysis IBM SPSS Statistics (IBM; Armonk, NY) will be used for the statistical analyses. The participants' hearing profiles will be summarized using descriptive statistics (median, and range). In view of the sample size, non-parametric tests and linear mixed models (to describe evolution in time and difference between groups) will be used. Quantitative data will be presented as median and range (minimum and maximum). Descriptives will be used to summarize the outcomes of the subjective data logging. For the speech perception in noise results, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test will be used. In addition, to correct for the multiple speech in noise test configurations, Holm's correction will be applied. The level of significance will be set at p.0.05. Data storage REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure, web-based application designed exclusively to support data capture for research studies. REDCap provides an interface for data entry (with data validation) and audit trails for tracking data manipulation and export procedures. Data will be pseudomized before storage in REDCap.
Rationale: Acute intestinal ischemia is a life-threatening condition with a short-term mortality that can range up to 80%. Medical diagnosis and treatment have remained troublesome, due to the clinical presentation which is mostly characterized by non-specific signs and symptoms. Early unambiguous diagnosis of acute intestinal ischemia is critical to prevent progression from reversible to irreversible intestinal injury, and henceforth decrease morbidity and improve survival. Objective: We aim to validate a panel of plasma biomarkers and investigate volatile biomarkers that allow early and accurate identification of acute intestinal ischemia in patients. In addition, we aim to identify a volatile organic compound (VOC) profile specific for acute intestinal ischemia in exhaled breath. Study design: Prospective observational study Study population: All patients suspected of acute intestinal ischemia Main study parameters: The primary endpoint of the study is the early and accurate identification of presence and severity of acute intestinal ischemia in patients. The main study parameters are plasma biomarkers indicative for intestinal damage and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in exhaled air of patients suspected of acute intestinal ischemia. Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: There is a minimal amount of risks involved in participating in this study. Blood samples will be obtained with the use of an arterial line, intravenous line (IV), central venous catheter (CVC), peripheral venous catheter (PVC) or a venepuncture. The risk of venepuncture is a small local hematoma. In addition to blood sampling, we will also obtain exhaled air. This non-invasive procedure takes approximately 5 minutes in which patients breath in a 3L Tedlar bag at a normal frequency and volume. This procedure will not cause any physical strain. Collection of samples and data will take place during the hospital stay of the included patients. For this reason, no additional hospital visits are required for this study. Participating patients in this study will have no direct benefits, but in the future the results of our study will likely be useful in the early diagnosis of patients suspected of acute intestinal ischemia. The research goal in this study is the early identification of patients that suffer from acute intestinal ischemia. These patients are difficult to diagnose due to a multitude of non-specific symptoms and the lack of fast and specific tests. In this study we will be able to investigate patients that are admitted with acute abdominal complications and observe them in the early stages of their condition. Accordingly, we will be able to evaluate the proposed panel of biomarkers and to identify VOC patterns in patients with acute abdominal complications.
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare neoplasm. The most common type, the epithelioid type, has been further divided into histological patterns of tubulo-papillary, acinar, adenomatoid, micropapillary, or solid. Its prognosis is improved by the use of a locoregional treatment combining extensive cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which increases survival up to 50 months. Histology is one of the most important prognostic variable that, forms the basis for treatment decisions. However, the prognostic of the epithelioid type varies greatly due to its tumor heterogeneity. It is therefore necessary to find prognostic factors of malignant epithelioid peritoneal mesothelioma in order to better define the therapeutic strategy. Among histological factors, solid growth, tumor necrosis, nuclear atypia, and mitotic count were found to be independent prognostic factors in epithelioid malignant pleural mesothelioma. However, in epithelioid malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (EMPM), these factors were studied in small and heterogeneous series in terms of histological growth and definitions used for histological factors. The present large study was conducted to investigate the prognostic impact of several histologic factors in EMPM. Their prognosis impacts were assessed using overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in EMPM.
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination usually takes 30 to 45 minutes and requires the patient to remain perfectly still during the entire acquisition process to ensure quality. Children under 6 years of age are not very cooperative and sedation is required for this age group. Currently, there are no specific recommendations for sedation for a paediatric MRI examination. In 2018, a retrospective study on the sedation protocol applied at Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola (H.U.D.E.R.F.) was conducted. In this protocol, premedication was done with oral midazolam and sedation with iterative boluses of propofol. This study concluded that the protocol in place was effective, but found that image acquisition during the procedure was interrupted in 25% of cases, largely due to involuntary movements of the child. Preoperative stress can be emotionally traumatic for the child and may even extend beyond the perioperative period, hence the importance of premedication. For the most anxious children, non-pharmacological means of premedication are often not sufficient. Moreover, the literature shows that pharmacological premedication is useful in reducing parental separation anxiety and in facilitating induction of anaesthesia. Midazolam is an effective premedication agent with some disadvantages (paradoxical reaction, low compliance of oral intake). Dexmedetomidine is a highly effective α-2 receptor agonist that can also be used as premedication according to the current literature. A report by the Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium (P.S.R.C.) shows that it has a safe profile and an incidence rate of serious adverse events of 0.36% in the paediatric population. Furthermore, administered intranasally, it is non-invasive, painless and has good bioavailability (over 80%). The primary objective is to demonstrate the superiority of intranasal dexmedetomidine over oral midazolam as a premedication for bolus sedation of propofol in terms of the incidence of any event during the MRI procedure requiring temporary or permanent interruption of the examination. The impact of dexmedetomidine on the amount of propofol administered and on the post-sedation period, the impact of external factors on the primary objective, the acceptance of intranasal premedication by the children and the quality of the MRI images will also be analyzed.
This is a multi-part, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical study comparing the safety and efficacy of bezuclastinib (CGT9486) plus best supportive care (BSC) with placebo plus BSC in patients with nonadvanced systemic mastocytosis (NonAdvSM), including indolent systemic mastocytosis and smoldering systemic mastocytosis, whose symptoms are not adequately controlled by BSC. This study will be conducted in three parts. Patients in Parts 1a, 1b and 2 will receive bezuclastinib or placebo, and may roll over onto Part 3 to receive treatment with bezuclastinib.