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.
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.
Profound and concomitant cardiovascular hemodynamic changes, necessary to support fetoplacental development and its increasing supply demands, occur during a physiological pregnancy characterized by an increase in cardiac output, heart rate and plasma volume, and fall in vascular resistance and blood pressure. The result of these changes is a volume overload that will lead to a compensatory transient left ventricular eccentric hypertrophy. This, together with the pro-inflammatory state typical of pregnancy, represents the pregnancy as a stress-test for the maternal cardiovascular system. Pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), particularly those with early onset and/or complicated by intrauterine fetal growth restriction (FGR), are characterized by a cardiovascular maladaptation. Women who experienced HDP in pregnancy, especially pre-eclampsia (PE), more often develop later in life ischemic heart disease, hypertension and stroke, obesity, dyslipidemia, and end-stage renal disease. Regardless its clinical impact, very little knowledge is available on the mechanisms by which PE could lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD), and, especially, to heart failure after pregnancy. Preliminary results suggest a cross-talk between pregnancy-induced biomarkers and cardio-vascular system. Particularly, cultures of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts were used to investigate the role of the serum of women with HDP in regulating their proliferation. 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) was administered to label DNA synthesis in proliferating cells. After 3 days of in vitro culture, EdU incorporation was analyzed upon immunofluorescence staining using specific antibodies by high content microscopy. A possible protective effect exerted by the selected sera against apoptosis was evaluated, as well, by Caspase activation. Moreover, the effect of cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts proliferation and apoptosis on maternal hemodynamic parameters was evaluated using median regression models. These data show that the serum of women with HDP triggers a net increase in the percentage of proliferating cardiomyocytes compared to controls. Moreover, there were relationship between cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts proliferation and maternal hemodynamics parameters thus, supporting the hypothesis that the serum of women with HDP may contain factors capable of stimulating cardiac cells in response to the cardiovascular stress-test
This study is an observational study that aims to validate the Elderly Mobility Scale (EMS) in Italian (EMS-I) by comparison with the Barthel Index scale, already validated in Italian. Furthermore this study wants to evaluate the inter-rater reliability comparing the scores assigned to the same sample of patients by two independent evaluators. The study population includes 50 elderly in-patients eligible for physiotherapy.
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.
It is a single centre, randomized (set up or distributed in a deliberately random way), open-label (study participants and researchers both know which treatment the patient is receiving), prospective, interventional, post-marketing, controlled (An experiment or clinical trial in which two groups are used for comparison purpose), non-inferiority study (a study that tests whether a new treatment is not worse than an active treatment it is being compared to). The PRIMARY OBJECTIVE is to assess the reduction of skin tension in patients with 1st and 2nd degree superficial burns treated either with Neoviderm Skin Emulsion medical device or Connettivina 0.2% Cream. Neoviderm Skin Emulsion soothes and relieves the skin, promoting its physiological normalization process. It is suitable for adults, children and infants in case of sunburns; 1st degree and 2nd degree superficial burns; superficial ulcers; protection before and after radiotherapy treatment; skin irritation and manifestations involving redness; skin cracks, including recurring ones; desquamative states; erythema; dry skin; small abrasions. It is also indicated only for adults in case of tattoo aftercare and chemical peel.
During hospital stay, a family centered therapeutic approach is increasingly seen as the preferred clinical and care model to be adopted, since it is effective in promoting the neurobehavioral development of the infant and the psychophysical health of the family. In preterm infant, parental relationship and parental relationship-centered interventions, such as kangaroo mother care (KMC), are actively promoted. Studies carried out with electroencephalography showed that preterm infants who participated in KMC interventions have, when reach term equivalent age, a similar level of maturity as healthy full-term infants. It has also been observed that KMC carried out in preterm infant with gestational age <33 weeks promotes adequate development of the primary motor cortex during adolescence. Recent scientific evidence showed an early response to relational stimulations, in particular to their emotional content, of term infants. After few days of life, the infant's brain picks up messages from the human context and interacts with them. For example, a study using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) showed increased activation of the right frontal cortex in infants in association with their mother's direct speech. Similar neuroimaging studies have not yet been conducted in preterm infants during hospitalization. The aim of this study is to assess the activation of the cerebral cortex of the preterm infant in the course of 1) KMC and 2) listening to their mother's voice, using optical topography, a multichannel NIRS system.
Fentanyl is an opioid drug used as analgesic and anaesthetic also in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU), according to the last national and international recommendations, during invasive life support strategies such as mechanical ventilation. Opioids manifest their sedative effect through activation of μ-opioid receptors, which are abundant both in the central and peripheral nervous system. Comparing fentanyl to morphine we can appreciate a much more powerful effect (75-220 major) with lower doses to obtain similar analgesic effect; these characteristics are due to the high lipophilicity of the molecule which easily crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB). At the same time, fentanyl shows less adverse effects than morphine such as vomiting, nausea, gastrointestinal constipation, respiratory depression, dependence and tolerance. The drug is extensively metabolized by liver enzymes. In routinary clinical practice it has been observed that large interindividual differences are found in the daily dosages needed to achieve pain control. Literature evidences that pharmacodynamic variation related to genotypes in receptor signalling or pain modulators may play an important role in this variability. Many genes are related to fentanyl pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Some polymorphism in these genes are already known to correlate with toxicity or efficacy of the drug, also in the paediatric population. More polymorphisms could be involved in abnormal pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetics of fentanyl, therefore studies are necessary to better explain the possible role of pharmacogenetics in precision medicine especially in a very specific population as newborn.
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) is a rare disease characterized by rupture of red blood cells (hemolytic anemia), low platelet count (thrombocytopenia), and thrombotic occlusion of small vessels (thrombotic microangiopathy), with prevalent involvement of the kidneys. SEU, in its typical form is caused by gastrointestinal infection with Escherichia coli. The atypical form of SEU (aSEU), which is not caused by an Escherichia coli infection, is a very rare disease that may have a genetic origin; it affects both children and adults and may occur in a sporadic or familial form. Many studies have shown that about 60% of cases of atypical HUS are associated with genetic abnormalities of the complement system (particularly the so-called "alternative pathway"), which is a key part of the immune system for responding to infection. Complement consists of a series of proteins that, when activated, create a so-called "cascade," which leads to the elimination of the infectious agent, either directly or through other cells. Complement is finely regulated in such a way as to prevent damage to healthy cells in one's own body. Genetic defects in some of these complement regulatory proteins cause reduced protection of the endothelial surface (thus the vessel wall) against complement activation. Recently, new mutations have been described in a gene unrelated to the complement pathway, the DKGE gene, which codes for the intracellular isoform of diacylglycerol kinase . In these patients, small renal vessel occlusion appears to occur as a result of altered endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis through mechanisms apparently unrelated to complement activation. However, to date these mechanisms are poorly studied. Throughout the entire project statistical methods will be applied to optimize the characterization of the abnormalities in phenotype and function of iPSC-EC derived from aHUS patients with either DGKE or MCP genetic abnormalities as compared with control iPSC-EC, including identifying potential drugs that could correct the abnormalities