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.
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common inherited renal disorder occurring in 1:400-1:1.000 live births and affects 4 to 6 million persons worldwide and about 205.000 people in Europe (EU). This figure is equivalent to 4 in 10.000 people and thus below the prevalence threshold of 5 in 10.000 used to designate a disease as rare in EU. Renal cyst development and expansion in ADPKD involves both fluid secretion and abnormal proliferation of cyst-lining epithelial cells. The chloride channel of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) participates in secretion of cyst fluid, and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway may drive proliferation of cyst epithelial cells. CFTR and mTOR are both negatively regulated by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Metformin, a drug widely used, is a pharmacological activator of AMPK. The investigators found that metformin stimulates AMPK, resulting in inhibition of both CFTR and the mTOR pathways. Metformin induces significant arrest of cystic growth in both in vitro and ex vivo models of renal cystogenesis. In addition, metformin administration produces a significant decrease in the cystic index in two mouse models of ADPKD. These results suggest a possible role for AMPK activation in slowing renal cystogenesis as well as the potential for therapeutic application of metformin in the context of ADPKD. Thus this study aims to evaluate metformin efficacy in slowing renal cystogenesis in ADPKD as compared to the actual gold standard (Tolvaptan).
Exercise is reported to have significant beneficial effects in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients, particularly with respect to cardiovascular function, aerobic capacity, muscular strength and ambulatory performance. Inflammation-mediated synaptic alterations have been measured by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and found to correlate with disability level in MS. Due to their plastic nature, synapses represent a good therapeutic target that is sensitive to environmental stimulation, such as physical exercise. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of exercise in reducing peripheral inflammation that drives the synaptic pathology and neurodegeneration occurring in the brain of MS patients. Recruited patients will be given a therapeutic exercise program, consisting of 3 hours of treatment per day, 6 days/week for 4 weeks. The program will be applied on hospitalised patients to ensure adherence to the program and reducing the risk of abandonment. The rehabilitation program will be planned by a physician specialised in physical and rehabilitation medicine and will consist of both passive and active therapeutic exercises specifically aimed at restoring or maintaining muscular flexibility, range of motion, balance, coordination of movements, postural passages and transfers, and ambulation. The day of recruitment (t0) patients will undergo radiological and neurological examination. The effect of exercise will be evaluated with respect to neurologic function, mood and neurophysiological parameters, autonomic system function, and peripheral marker levels assessed at t0 and after 4 weeks (t1). A second time point will be included (t2, 8 weeks after the end of the treatment) to address long-term effects, with analysis limited to neurologic and mood measurements and peripheral marker levels.
We will investigate the use of TR, based on advanced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions, taking into account that the supervision of rehabilitation at home will be enriched with the counselling and vital parameters monitoring. The aim of the study is to evaluate that TR is at least non-inferior in comparison with the same amount of usual territorial rehabilitative physical treatments (UTRT), taking into account patients' functional recovery, psychological well-being, caregiver burden, and healthcare costs. The enrolled patients will be balanced for pathology and randomized in two groups, performing TR (G1) or standard rehabilitation training (G2), respectively, according to a pc-generated random assignment.TR will be delivered by means of an advanced video-conferencing system, whereas the patient will be provided with low-cost monitoring devices, able to collect data about his/her health status and QoL. In both the groups each treatment (either cognitive or motor, or both as per patient functional status) will last about one hour a day, five days/week, for 12 weeks. Two structured telephone interviews will be administered to the patients (when possible) and/or their caregivers, and to all the healthcare professionals involved in the patient management, one week after the beginning and at the end of the TR.
The study will identify the epidemiological and treatment profiles of acute peritonitis in Italy
The objective of the study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of umbilical cord milking as compared with immediate cord clamping on placental transfusion, estimated by Δ hematocrit between cord blood at birth and capillary heel hematocrit at 48 hours of age, in elective cesarean delivered neonates.
Cutaneous Squamous Cell Cancer (Cscc, 25%) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC; 75%) are the major subtypes of non-melanoma skin cancer. Most cSCC arise in the head and neck region because it is frequently exposed to sunlight and its ensuing UV radiation-induced DNA damage, which is the major etiologic factor. There is an urgent need to identify new therapeutic targets for patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous Cell Cancer of the skin. Substantial progress has recently been made in the development of immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer. In particular, the treatment with pembrolizumab alone or in conjunction with an anti epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) agent may reverse this condition, so performing radical surgery. Finally, the adjunct of an anti EGFR agent as cetuximab could reverse the primary and secondary resistance to pembrolizumab, with a synergistic effect able to counteract pathway redundancy (i.e. the presence of several concurrent pathways which need to be addressed together) and boosting T cell priming. Hence, there is rationale to combine cetuximab with pembrolizumab in order to increase its effectiveness.
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) belongs to the dominant forms of inherited cerebellar ataxias (CA), being one of the rarest form. SCA7 has no therapeutic options, so that the relentless course, the important visual deficit that accompanies CA, and the possibility of disease development in childhood are pressing unmet needs. The investigators published encouraging data on riluzole in inherited CA other than SCA7. These results prompted off-label use of riluzole in single cases of SCA7 in Italy and United States, suggesting possible efficacy of the drug in this condition.
The study is about a protocol of protective mechanical ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass used during cardiosurgery for the correction of congenital heart diseases, to evaluate what's the best for the lungs
The global incidence of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is increasing, with no appreciable reduction in the percent of patients progressing toward end stage renal disease (ESRD) and dialysis (Tuttle et al, 2014, Winocour et al, 2018). Therefore, identification of modifiable risk factors and early biomarkers of progressive decline in kidney function is an urgent clinical need. Phthalates are environmental and dietary contaminants with a various array of use that are identified in many consumer and industrial products; among them, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and its metabolites (mono 2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), 5OH-MEHP (MEHHP) and 5oxo-MEHP (MEOHP)) are widely used (Kato et al 2004, Braun et al, 2013). They partially distribute to the human tissues and their urinary and serum levels are directly related; therefore, urinary concentration of phthalates is commonly used as proxy of their exposure in humans (Kato et al 2004). While the association between phthalates exposure and development of T2D is currently being explored (Dong et al 2017, Dales et al, 2018), little is known about their role in DN. Recent observations show that DEHP and its metabolites are associated with a higher prevalence of low-grade albuminuria and in children exposed to higher phthalates concentrations (Trasande et al, 2014, Wu et al, 2018), however such association has yet to be verified in adults. The environmental ubiquity of the phthalates enhances the importance of investigating the potential relation between their exposure and different degrees of renal function. (Kato et al 2004, Kataria et al, 2015). Given this premise, the investigators will explore this potential association in a population of subjects with T2D consecutively referring to the outpatient diabetes clinic in Santa Chiara Hospital, Pisa, enrolled on a volunteer basis. During their routine visit at Santa Chiara Hospital outpatient diabetes clinic participants will provide the results of blood tests prescribed as per standard clinical practice along with a first morning, overnight fasting, urine sample collected in a phthalates-free container. The investigators will record the participants' clinical history, physical examination and anthropometric measurements, will measure their renal function, evaluated by eGFR (calculated with the CDK-EPI formula), albumin excretion, fasting glucose, HbA1c%, and the exposure to phthalates, assessed by total concentrations of MEHP, MEOHP, MEHHP and adjusted for urinary creatinine. In this way, the investigators aim to point out the relationship of urinary phthalates with higher degrees of albuminuria and/or lower eGFR after adjustment for all potential confounders, including therapies.
The study aims at evaluating the introduction of tomosynthesis in mammography screening, analyzing the benefits, disadvantages and feasibility in current clinical practice. It involves women aged 45-46 that will be divided, by drawing lots, into two groups: one group will do the 2D digital mammography (control group), while the other group (intervention group) will do tomosynthesis. In the intervention group the 2D two-dimensional mammography will be reconstructed starting from tomosynthesis without exposing women to other radiation.