There are about 25435 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in United Kingdom. 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.
The incidence of prostate cancer is rising however the number of deaths from prostate cancer is stable. Meaning the investigators are diagnosing many men with prostate cancer that will not impact on their life. The rise in incidence is mainly due to increased use of the blood test Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), as a screening test. Currently men suspected of having prostate cancer, identified by a raised PSA undergo trans-rectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy (TRUS biopsy). Many men have this test unnecessarily, only 1/3 being diagnosed with prostate cancer. TRUS biopsy is problematic as it is random and performed blind-the operator does not know where the cancer is. Thus many low-risk cancers that do not need treating are diagnosed and many high risk cancers are missed or incorrectly classified. So, men with a negative biopsy or those with low risk disease are usually advised to undergo another TRUS biopsy. An imaging test is needed that could help men and their doctors decide whether the biopsy is a true reflection of what is inside his prostate. The investigators will test the role of two imaging tests. The first, multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) uses magnetic signals from the body to form images. The second, Prostate HistoScanning™ (PHS) uses sound-waves. The investigators will compare the results of these tests with a detailed biopsy map-transperineal template prostate mapping biopsy (which is currently the best way to find out what is in the prostate but requires multiple biopsies to be taken under general anaesthetic. Eligible men will have undergone one or more TRUS biopsies and who have been advised to have further tests on as part of standard of care. They will be recruited from UCLH referral letters and clinics. The investigators aim is to see if either of these tests can confidently rule out the presence of clinically important disease.
Aims: We plan to investigate how common uterine malformations are in high-risk women (with history of miscarriage or preterm delivery), by analysing different characteristics in these groups. This study will also investigate other ultrasound characteristics detected on these women. This study will point towards the possible mechanism of how uterine malformations may affect pregnancy outcomes.
The use of pre-emptive analgesia to prevent pain following sternotomy for cardiac surgery
Skeletal muscle is composed of two fibre types which are intertwined. Skeletal muscle weakness, particularly of the walking muscles, is an important complication of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) but so far the investigators do not know what mechanisms drive the process. All existing studies have investigated signalling pathways in the whole muscle so they have been forced to consider type I and type II fibres together. It is possible that disease selectively affects one fibre type, most likely type I fibres which are in fact lost in COPD patients. For this reason mechanisms of disease may have been overlooked by current studies. The applicants have acquired the technology which allows type I and type II fibres in a muscle specimen to be split (by laser capture microdissection) and so signalling pathways can be assessed separately in type II and type I fibres which is what this proposal sets out to do. The proposal therefore aims to capture well characterised clinical data from 60 COPD patients and 20 age matched controls, from whom a biopsy of the main walking muscle, the quadriceps, will be taken. In the samples the investigators will assess at a fibre specific level inflammatory signalling. Surplus material will be retained for subsequent fibre specific analysis.
Having an operation places an enormous burden on the body, leading to the development of inflammation and so called 'insulin resistance'. Insulin resistance means the body is unable to respond to important hormones that control use of energy. Recent studies have shown that patients who develop 'higher' insulin resistance and inflammation have more serious complications and take longer to recover after surgery. The investigators do not know what controls the development of insulin resistance and inflammation after surgery. Similarly, the investigators do not know why certain patients develop much more insulin resistance and inflammation than others, even though they have the same operation. The main purpose of the study is to try to find out which patients are prone to developing greater 'amounts' of insulin resistance and inflammation. The investigators also want to find out whether the investigators can reduce the 'amount' of insulin resistance and inflammation in these patients (for example by giving them carbohydrate [sugar-based] drinks before surgery - these have been shown to reduce insulin resistance in some patient groups). Information from this study should improve the way the investigators prepare patients before surgery and this should help to improve patient outcomes following surgery (by reducing complications and speeding recovery after major surgery).
Heart failure patients may benefit from having a special pacemaker implanted that can make the heart pump in a more coordinated and efficient way Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy (CRT). For the heart to pump well it is necessary for the pacing wires to be placed in optimal positions. Only two thirds of people respond to CRT and this may be because of non-ideal pacing wire position. A potential marker for response is the change in heart pump pressure change over time. The aim of this study is to use a specialised wire in the main pumping chamber of the heart to record the pressure changes with the pacing lead in various positions to determine the optimal position. It is postulated that the improved pressure changes will increase the proportion of responders. Pilot study work has shown that the work is technically feasible and safe. The initial data has been published in a highly regarded scientific journal. This main study will be a multicentre randomised controlled trial whereby patients will be randomised to either standard treatment or pressure wireguided treatment. The patients in the pressurewire guided arm will have a specialised wire implanted into the main pumping chamber of their heart via a blood vessel at the top of the leg (or less commonly a blood vessel in the wrist). This will measure acute pressure changes over time and the pacing lead will be positioned in the site that gives the greatest change in pressure. If the patients in the pressurewire guided arm fare better than those receiving standard treatment it may alter how a large proportion of heart failure patients are treated around the world. The study requires 282 patients and is likely to take two years to complete.
Heart disease remains the most common cause of death in the UK. Chest pain is often the first presenting symptom in patients with heart disease, and may be a warning signal prior to a heart attack or death. The diagnosis based on symptoms alone however is unreliable and further testing is almost always necessary. Rapid access chest pain clinics (RACPCs) are able to expedite the assessment of such patients. The principal investigation used is an exercise stress electrocardiogram (s-ECG). Although simple, cheap, and convenient, the s-ECG is often inaccurate; missing the diagnosis or falsely suggesting the diagnosis. This can happen in as many as 25% of patients, resulting in a delay in treatment or unnecessary further investigation. CT Angiography (CTA) is a novel non-invasive technique where the coronary arteries can be visualised by Computerised Tomography. In previous studies it shows a high degree of correlation with invasive angiography, with a high accuracy for the diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease. However, the technique is relatively new, and its full role is yet to be defined in the clinical setting of a chest pain clinic. The investigators do not at present have any information as to whether it is able to speed up the diagnosis, reduce the need for other tests, and therefore also costs. In this trial, the investigators aim to examine the accuracy and cost effectiveness of CTA in patients with suspected cardiac chest pain presenting to a chest pain clinic, when compared to the more established techniques like s-ECG, myocardial perfusion scanning and coronary angiography. The study will enable us to establish the optimal and most cost effective strategy for investigation of patients presenting to chest pain clinics.
The purpose of this study is to determine the Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD) of olaparib in combination with radical radiotherapy in patients with oesophageal cancer who are unsuitable for platinum containing chemotherapy.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of Apelin on the lung circulation. The investigators hypothesise that Apelin will relax the lung blood vessels and improve the pumping ability of the heart.
The investigators hypothesise that H2H will result in improved symptom control and quality of life and may be more cost-effective than standard best practice. Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) is a lung condition characterised by progressive scarring - known as fibrosis. This is especially seen in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). There around 2,000 new patients diagnosed in the UK every year with a similar number of deaths. Fibrotic-ILD causes breathing to slowly deteriorate and as there is no cure, an estimated two-thirds of patients die within five years of diagnosis. Patients suffer from many symptoms including shortness of breath, cough, low mood and fatigue which are currently being poorly managed. In addition, these patients suffer a poor health related quality of life whilst dying from their disease. In the later stages of their disease, these patients often end up in hospital (see appendix 1a) when there is no proven or effective treatment. Many die there despite wishing to be looked after and die at home. These patients rarely receive palliative care which may help to improve their symptoms, quality of life, address end of life planning needs and prevent hospital admission. The Hospital2Home case conference conducted in the patient's home (or place of their choice) aims to address this. At the case conference involving the patient, their carers, a specialist nurse, and all the community health professionals, a care plan specific to the patient will be developed. Each health professional will be aware of their responsibility and duties. The investigators will look at whether this results in better symptom control and better quality of life for the patient and their carer. The investigators will also examine whether this prevents emergency hospital admission and allows patients to die in their preferred place. The investigators will compare patients who receive the service immediately with those who receive it after a delay.