There are about 21062 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Italy. 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.
In Parkinson's disease (PD), direct evidence linking inflammation to the harmful activities of alpha-synuclein (a-syn) aggregates, the disease onset, and its progression is still lacking. This translational project aims to reveal the causal relationship between a-syn and inflammation. The investigators will also investigate the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of two non-pharmacological approaches, motor exercise and neuromodulation, with particular focus on neuroinflammation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) production. the investigators will investigate the molecular pathways and synaptic alterations underlying disease progression. This will be paralleled by a clinical study, in which clinical assessment will be associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood neurodegeneration and inflammatory biomarkers measures. Then, the investigators will test the hypothesis that intensive exercise and neuromodulation may reduce neuroinflammation and a-syn spreading via the activation of BDNF-related pathways.
Molecular characterization of persistent tumor cells remaining after NAC and infiltrating immune cells, for example, M2 macrophages, could strongly contribute to identifying targeted therapeutic approaches for this disease.
Systemic rheumatological diseases often occur in young women of childbearing age and can therefore impact fertility. There are diseases, such as arthritis, which present no contraindication to assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs), because there is no influence on the disease itself if the disease activity at conception is stable. On the other hand, patients suffering from connective tissue diseases, primarily Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and patients suffering from primary or SLE-related Anti-Phospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS), deserve more targeted therapies both in the context of ARTs and in the ensuing pregnancy. To evaluate the response to ARTs in patients with systemic rheumatological diseases, both in terms of reactivation of the underlying pathology and in terms of ARTs outcome.
Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a complex clinical syndrome caused by cardiac abnormalities compromising the ability of the heart to provide a blood supply adequate to the metabolic needs of peripheral tissues. ADHF is characterized by systemic and pulmonary fluid retention, with weight gain, peripheral edema, needing diuretic therapy. Moreover, ADHF is associated with neurohormonal hyper-activation with enhanced sympathetic nervous and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone systems stimulation, that sustain the vicious circle of cardiac dysfunction and fluid retention. The administration of high doses of diuretics, usually required in ADHF treatment, can induce hypovolemia-induced neurohormonal activation and transient deterioration of kidney function, that, in turn, counteracts the effect of diuretics and limits recovery from fluid overload. The investigators hypothesized that, in patients with ADHF, a more controlled and physiologically-oriented dehydration may blunt diuretic-associated neurohormonal activation, thus providing a safer and more sustained clinical benefit. This controlled dehydration can be achieved by combining furosemide with the RenalGuard System (see The RenalGuard™ System Operator's Manual for specific instructions in setting up and running the device). To date, no data have been provided regarding the potential beneficial effect of this therapeutic strategy in patients with ADHF and fluid overload. Much of the evidences on the use of the RenalGuard system comes from the clinical setting of acute kidney injury (AKI) prevention in patients undergoing intravascular contrast exposure. In this specific field, furosemide-induced high-volume diuresis with concurrent maintenance of intravascular volume through matched hydration, by the RenalGuard System, is now considered by current Guidelines a recommended strategy for AKI prevention in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing coronary interventional procedures. Based on this experience, the investigators will assess the safety and efficacy of this known system capable of delivering intravenous fluid in an amount exactly pre-determined, considering the volume of urine produced by the patient and precisely weighed by the system. This could prevent hypovolemia that may occur in response to high-volume diuresis induced by furosemide. The researchers will perform a spontaneous, prospective, randomized trial aiming at investigating the effect of combined furosemide-induced diuresis and automated matched dehydration, compared with standard furosemide administration in ADHF patients with fluid overload.
The aim of the MoDiet study is to evaluate the usefulness of the GourMed© prepackaged diet in guaranteeing a safe, compliant and effective diet satisfying the nutritional needs of the elderly dysphagic patient.
Carcinogenesis and coagulation activation are closely related processes. In a previous study of coagulation activation in stage I-IIA breast cancer patients, we developed a prognostic model that includes coagulation activation biomarkers and demonstrated efficacy to in distinguish between risk categories and survival. Here, we propose a study useful for the validation of this prognostic model in an independent cohort of 108 patients with locally advanced breast cancer and indicated for neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by breast surgery. Within this study population, we will validate our prognostic model for risk assessment and risk stratification with respect to the following endpoints: 1. Complete pathological response rate to definitive breast surgery; 2. Rate of thromboembolic events.
We have been well guided in the "Good use of blood" during major surgery for many years, reaching a percentage of 4% of patients transfused after elective prosthetic operations. Valid patient blood management must provide for the possibility of limiting/zeroing the transfusion risk dependent on preoperative anemia, and the national guideline on PBM (Patient blood management) also underlines this Hypothesis and relevance
Calcific aoric valve disease (CAVD) is extremely common worldwide, affecting almost 50% of the population over 85 years of age, with a lethality higher than 50% at 2 years for symptomatic patients, unless aortic-valve replacement is performed. CAVD is characterized by slowly progressive fibro-calcific remodelling of the valve leaflets causing aortic stenosis. The spectrum of the disease progression starts with leaflet degeneration and progresses from early lesions to valve stenosis/obstruction, which is initially mild to moderate but eventually becomes severe. Risk factors for CAVD partly overlap those for atherosclerosis but also intake age-related tissue changes and effects of comorbiditiies (e.g. renal failure) in the overall complex mechanisms of valve leaflet degeneration, which is, at present, unpreventable, leaving aortic valve repair the only treatment option for severe aortic stenosis. In the first phase of the disease the valve becomes thickened and mildly calcified, then the disease evolves to severe valve calcification with impaired leaflet motion and vast blood flow obstruction. Calcific AS valves show advanced osteogenic metaplasia with the presence of osteoblast-like cells and chondrocytes associated with dense inflammatory infiltrates. Bacteria have been detected in the absence of diagnosis of acute infective endocarditis, but their role is still unknown. Different bacterial species (C. acnes (59%), E. faecalis (16%), S. aureus (15%), and S. pyogenes (10%)) have been typed and intramural bacterial colonization has been observed in patients with calcified structural valvular heart disease. Indeed, it has been recently demonstrated that bacterial infections can directly affect osteoblast differentiation/activation. The Authors hypothesized that a subclinical or latent valvular bacterial infiltration facilitates a chronic inflammation and contributes to accelerated structural valve degeneration. An interdisciplinary team has been established to investigate the infective, biochemical and structural features of calcific aortic valve disease.
Molar Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) is a worldwide widespread qualitative developmental defect of the dental enamel with a multifactorial aetiology defined in 2001 as an "hypomineralization of systemic origin affecting one or more permanent molars, usually first permanent molars (FPMs), with or without the involvement of one or more affected permanent incisors". Clinically MIH lesions appear as demarcated opacities with a creamy-white to yellow-brown colour depending on the severity of the defect that is classified as mild or severe (levels of severity) according to the European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (EAPD) severity criteria. The distribution of the lesions is asymmetrical and their severity varies from a patient to another and also within the mouth of the same patient. Due to its porous structure with an altered prism organization and an increased content of proteins, the hypomineralized enamel has reduced mechanical properties and a lower refractive index if compared to the sound enamel. MIH is associated to a large number of objective and subjective problems as an altered aesthetics, an increased risk of plaque accumulation, caries, post-eruptive breakdown (PEB), reduced retention rates of adhesive materials, hypersensitivity and difficulty in anesthetizing the affected teeth making its management a challenging condition. Among preventive measures, pit-and-fissure sealants are a valuable and effective treatment to prevent occlusal caries in FPMs when they are still intact. However, since their efficacy is closely related to the sealant retention, they have to be monitored over time. When the molar to be sealed is fully erupted and isolation is adequate, resin-based sealants are indicated while if the moisture control is inadequate and/or the tooth is hypersensitive and patient is not sufficiently cooperative, low-viscous glass ionomer cements (GICs) are suggested as a temporary measure until the eruption is completed and both symptoms and cooperation are improved. To date, the scientific knowledge regarding the use of different type of sealants in MIH affected molars is insufficient to draw exhaustive conclusions and further studies are needed to deepen the knowledge on this topic. The aim of this study is to assess, by clinical examination, the survival rate of a glass ionomer sealant in MIH affected FPMs at 12 months of follow-up.
In recent years, the scientific community has recognized the need to differentiate between poly- and oligo-metastatic disease (OMD) in oncology due to their distinct clinical and biological behavior. The definition of "true" and good-prognosis OMD is necessarily retrospective, as many patients initially considered oligo-metastatic develop poly-metastatic disease within one year. The PREDICTION study is a prospective, observational, and monocentric investigation. The study has two primary objectives. The first one is descriptive and aims to determine the prevalence of specific biological characteristics in OMD derived from gastrointestinal tract neoplasms (colon, stomach, biliary tract, exocrine glands of the digestive tract). These biological characteristics include genetic landscape and T lymphocyte infiltrate of the primary tumor and/or metastases. Genetic assessment will be done on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues or liquid biopsies with the Oncomine Solid Tumour DNA kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Data analysis will be performed using the Torrent Suite Software v5.0 (Thermo Fisher Scientific). The analysis of T lymphocytes will be conducted through immunohistochemistry (IHC) in primary and or metastatic tissues (if available). The second co-primary objective aims to identify OMD through the prognostic effect of a score designed ad hoc. It is tested in a single pathology, namely in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. A score is constructed based on the following characteristics, with possession of all characteristics (3+) constituting the full score: a primitive/metastasis genetic concordance >80% = 1 point; high T-lymphocyte infiltration GRZB+ (>10 cells/mm2) in the primary tumor and/or metastases (where tissue is available) = 1 point; absence of clonal evolution favoring specific key-driver genes = 1 point. The hypothesis is that patients with true OMD (score 3+) have a significantly lower rate of progression at one year, defined as recurrence after radical surgery or progression (in oligometastatic patients who are not candidates for upfront definitive local treatment) based on RECIST v 1.1 criteria since enrollment in the study, compared to those with false OMD who subsequently develop polymetastatic disease. The treatments will be chosen at the discretion of the referring Oncologist, in multidisciplinary sessions, according to normal clinical practice. The sample size was determined using a two-sided test of difference between proportions to evaluate the statistical significance of the difference in recurrence within 1 year. For this purpose, the following scenario was considered: a reasonable probability of the simultaneous occurrence of the 3 factors in true OMD (score 3+) of 60%; a recurrence rate of 20% for true OMD (score 3+), and 80% for false OMD (score <3+). With a significance level of α=0.05, a test power of 90%, and a Fisher exact test, the required number of patients to be enrolled is 32, to be recruited over an expected period of 2 years.