View clinical trials related to Fibrosis.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to determine if inhaled urea can be used to detect the presence of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa in the lungs
Liver-related death is the leading cause of mortality in HIV-infected individuals with CD4+ cell counts over 200, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the greatest risk for liver-related mortality in HIV-positive patients. Compared to HCV monoinfected individuals, patients with HIV and HCV coinfection experience accelerated progression of liver fibrosis, which can lead to higher incidence of cirrhosis, end stage liver disease (ESLD), and death. Changes in CD8+ T-cell activation, inflammatory cytokines, and serum markers of tissue injury may offer an immunologic platform to determine factors associated with progressive liver fibrosis in coinfected patients. In this cross-sectional study we will evaluate whether HIV and HCV coinfection patients with well-controlled HIV infection who have an undetectable viral load exhibit abnormal levels of inflammation and immune activation, potentially contributing to advanced liver fibrosis. Comparative groups include coinfected patients successfully treated for hepatitis C, or who have absence of hepatitis C viremia through spontaneous clearance, hepatitis C monoinfected patients, and HIV-positive patients with well-controlled HIV infection without hepatitis C. Liver fibrosis will be measured by non-invasive methods. The primary objectives of this study are: 1. To determine if there are differences in markers of inflammation and immune activation in subsets of patients with HIV, hepatitis C, and HIV and hepatitis C coinfection. 2. To assess the stage of liver fibrosis using non-invasive methods in subsets of patients with hepatitis C and HIV and hepatitis C coinfection and compare the degree of liver fibrosis with levels of inflammation and immune activation.
Previously, the investigators and others have shown that mucociliary clearance (MCC) is defective in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and it is now thought that alterations in airway mucus rheology figure prominently in the impairment. Mucociliary clearance works by trapping toxic particles, bacteria and viruses in the lung mucus and then quickly removing the mucus out of the lungs. Defects in MCC typically lead to the accumulation of mucus in the airways, and this in turn is associated with acute infections, chronic bacterial colonization and chronic inflammation. One treatment strategy that is gaining acceptance as an important therapy for improving MCC in adults with CF is the inhalation of the osmotic stimulus, hypertonic saline (HS). A number of studies have shown that acute inhalation of HS (7% saline) significantly improves MCC in adults with CF and results from a recent study indicate that two weeks of inhaling HS leads to a significant increase in MCC that is sustained for 8 hours post inhalation and is associated with significant improvements in FEV1, FVC and FEF25-75 values. Since MCC in patients with CF appears to be impaired by adulthood, any drug that disrupts or slows the impairment in childhood could prove enormously beneficial in the long-term prognosis of the disease. Nevertheless, no studies have been conducted to determine if HS treatment improves MCC in children with CF. This is most problematic for physicians who care for children with CF who have normal FEV1 and FVC values, since it is unclear if they should treat these children with HS or not. This research study is designed to begin to answer this question. The investigators hypothesize that acute inhalation of hypertonic saline (7%) will improve MCC in CF children with normal pulmonary function. Our hypothesis will be tested in a one-year clinical trial that will be randomized and placebo-controlled. Twelve children with CF who are 7-12 years old and have normal FEV1 and FVC values will participate. Our goal will be to compare MCC in these children on two study visits after acute inhalations of placebo (0.12% saline) or hypertonic saline (HS) (7% saline) aerosol. The investigators predict that MCC values after acute inhalation of 7% HS aerosol will be statistically significantly greater than after placebo inhalation.
To study the contribution of osteopathy on the reduction of pain in adult patients with cystic fibrosis
Ascites is the most frequent complication of liver cirrhosis and carries a significant worsening of the prognosis. Approximately 10% of patients per year develop refractory ascites because of either the lack of response to medical treatment or the onset of diuretic-induced complications that preclude the use of an effective dosage. Refractory ascites is associated with an increased incidence of severe complications of cirrhosis. Thus, the overall probability of survival of patients with refractory ascites is very poor, being approximately 30% at 2 years. Repeated large-volume paracentesis, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), and liver transplantation represent the therapeutic alternatives for refractory ascites. As renal sodium retention and ascites formation are the consequence of portal hypertension and effective hypovolemia, the preservation of the central blood volume represents a major purpose in the management of patients with advanced cirrhosis. Although albumin is responsible for about 70% of the plasma oncotic pressure, the absence of large multicenter randomized studies together with its high cost explains why albumin infusion is not usually included among the therapeutic options for difficult-to-treat ascites. The objective of the present study is to define the effectiveness of the prolonged administration of human albumin in the treatment of liver cirrhosis with ascitic decompensation. This goal will be reached by performing a multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy of chronic albumin administration on top of standard medical treatment versus standard medical treatment alone in patients with cirrhosis and ascites. The study will be conducted in 44 Italian clinical centers and will enrol 440 in- or out-patients affected by liver cirrhosis with uncomplicated ascites who will be randomized with a ratio of 1:1. The duration of the study for each patient is 18 months from randomization. The enrolment of patients will last 18 months and will be competitive between centers. Treatment will be interrupted if one of the following condition occur: orthotopic liver transplantation, TIPS, need of 3 paracentesis/month (indication to TIPS), patient refusal to continue, and medical judgement. An ancillary optional study will be performed in a subset of patients to analyze the non-oncotic properties of albumin.
Main objective : This project aims to assess the educational needs of patients who received a lung transplantation or a simultaneous heart-lung transplantation for mucoviscidosis. Specific objectives : Evaluate the specific needs dependent on seniority transplantation : 3 to 6 months, 6 months to 2 years, more than 2 years after transplantation Secondary objectives : - Assess the state of health - Assess the knowledge - Assess gestural know-how - Assess the cognitive know-how - Assess the behaviour adopted in reality by the patient - Assess motivation psychosocial factors of : - self-efficacy and inefficiency - representation of obstacles, disadvantages of treatment - sense of control over their health - feeling of being supported by health professionals, by his close - representation of his responsibility to take care of his health, to follow his treatment, to be active about his treatment
Muscle cramp is defined as a paroxysmal, involuntary, and painful contraction of skeletal muscle. Cirrhotic patients can encounter with muscle cramp frequently, which might be associated with poor quality of life. Gabapentin can be prescribed for muscle cramp. However, patients with liver cirrhosis have limited access to gabapentin which is metabolized primarily in liver. Pregabalin with a similar mechanism of action to gabapentin undergoes negligible metabolism owing to its improved pharmacokinetic properties. Thus, pregabalin might be a promising therapeutic option for patients with liver cirrhosis who are suffering from muscle cramp and susceptible to drug-induced hepatotoxicity. Therefore, the investigators hypothesize that pregabalin could effectively reduce painful symptoms derived from muscle cramp. In the current study, the investigators are going to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pregabalin by comparing outcomes between two groups (treatment group vs. placebo group).
Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) suffer from chronic infections of the lower respiratory tract that can be caused by one or multiple bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which has been particularly problematic to eradicate and been implicated as the major cause of morbidity and mortality in CF patients. Aerosol delivery of antibiotics directly to the lung increases the local concentrations of antibiotic at the site of infection resulting in improved antimicrobial effects compared to systemic administration. Bacterial resistance to current aerosol antibiotic treatments indicate a need for improved therapies to treat CF patients with pulmonary infections caused by multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other bacteria. High concentrations of MP-376 delivered directly to the lung are projected to have antimicrobial effects on even the most resistant organisms.
The general aim of this project is to conduct a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of azithromycin to determine whether treatment from infancy is safe and will prevent the onset of bronchiectasis. One hundred and thirty infants will be recruited from CF clinics in Australia and New Zealand and treated from 3 months to three years of age. The primary outcome will be the proportion with radiologically-defined bronchiectasis at 3 years of age. Safety and mechanistic evaluations will also be undertaken.
Molecular mechanisms involved in radio-induced fibrosis are assessed in UPRES EA 27-10 since 10 years. Besides the canonical TGFbeta/ Smad pathway involved in radio-induced fibrosis (RIF), the Rho/ROCK/CTGF cascade has been shown to be also implicated in molecular mechanisms of RIF. Curative administration of Pravastatin or ROCK specific inhibitors inhibits the chronically activated Rho/ROCK/CTGF pathway in vitro in human cells lines and ex vivo in human samples. In addition, the curative administration of Pravastatin improves established RIF in vivo. The investigators data suggest that the pravastatin-based strategy is an efficient and safe antifibrotic therapy, easily transferable into the clinic to improve the quality of life of long-term cancer survivors without interfering with prior anticancer treatment. This clinical trial evaluates the curative efficacy of Pravastatine in patients who presented a cutaneous and/ or subcutaneous fibrosis (grade >= 2 according to NCI-CTCAE v4 toxicities scale) and who were treated by radiotherapy for a head and neck cancer. Patients will be treated by Pravastatin during 12 months. An intermediate evaluation of efficacy by ultrasound will be assessed at 6 months and at last, at the end of the treatment. Patients assessment will be performed at 6 and 12 months after the end of the treatment to look at a potential rebound effect. Objective(s) of the clinical study Main objective: To assess Pravastatin efficacy in established cutaneous and subcutaneous radio-induced fibrosis revealed from 6 to 24 months after head and neck radiotherapy. Second objective: To evaluate radio-induced fibrosis regression during the year following treatment stop.