View clinical trials related to Lung Diseases.
Filter by:This is a PI-initiated study taking place only at UCLA, sponsored by Sunovion. The investigators plan to enroll about 20 subjects who are at least 40 years old and have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of Brovana and Serevent in helping relieve COPD symptoms. Specifically, the investigators are looking at how much and for how long the two drugs can open up the small airways in the lungs. This will be done with breathing tests on all subjects, and with high resolution CT scans on subjects who agree to this optional part of the study. Half of subjects will take Brovana (arformoterol tartrate inhalation solution) for 2 weeks and then Serevent (salmeterol xinafoate inhalation powder) for 2 weeks; the other half will take Serevent the first two weeks and Brovana the second two weeks. All subjects will also take Spiriva (tiotropium) and will be provided with albuterol for immediate relief of symptoms. After a Screening Visit to determine eligibility, subjects will be randomly assigned to receive Brovana or Serevent for the first 2 weeks, complete Test Visit 1, then receive the other study drug for 2 weeks, and finally complete Test Visit 2. Visits will include questionnaires, review of health and medications, and breathing tests before and after taking the study drug. Subjects who agree to be in the sub-study will also undergo CT scans before and after taking the study drug at both test visits.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Hong Kong. Lung adenocarcinomas is the most common type, accounting for 70% of lung cancer and the molecular target of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation at exons 18 - 21 is present in about 50% of lung adenocarcinomas. The v-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (K-ras) mutations are commonly present in the other 50% that are EGFR wildtype. EGFR and K-ras mutations are found to be mutually exclusive in the same tumor. EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) can be used as treatment for EGFR mutated tumors while no specific targeted therapy can be recommended for EGFR wildtype tumors and these patients often receive chemoirradiation, which is toxic and clinical response is suboptimal. There is a need to find alternative molecular pathways/targets in EGFR wildtype lung adenocarcinomas. Even with EGFR mutations, good clinical response to EGFR-TKI is achieved in about 70% of these patients. This would mean suboptimal targeting of the EGFR gene or the presence of alternative pathways mediating tumor progression and susceptibility to therapy. Exploration of molecular pathways in lung cancer may allow for discovery of new molecular targets for therapeutic development. Neutrophil infiltration is frequently observed in lung cancer. Recognized similarities between neutrophils and cancer cells include (i) ability to circulate as single cells; (ii) target attachment via vascular system; (iii) target invasion. The major difference is that migrated neutrophils will undergo apoptosis while cancer cells can escape apoptosis. This led to the postulation that neutrophils and cancer cells may share similar inflammatory cascades by secreting a similar panel of proteases, and one of these could be neutrophil elastase (NE). Animal studies demonstrated that NE from neutrophils moves into lung tumor cells and mediates lung tumor growth via degradation of Insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), leading to activation of intracellular phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3k) and the v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (Akt) signaling pathways and the intracellular tyrosine kinase of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR). The aims of this study are to demonstrate NE activities and the subsequent signaling cascades activated in lung cancer cells, and to verify NE and its related pathway activation in clinical lung cancer specimen. This study will conclude the roles of NE and the therapeutic potential of NE/IRS-1/PI3K/PDGFR pathways in EGFR wildtype lung adenocarinomas.
The pathomechanisms of COPD are still not fully understood, and up to now there is no satisfying causal treatment inhibiting the progress of the disease. Available therapy is in most cases symptomatic. Experimental and clinical observations suggest that treatment with ASA might be beneficial in the treatment of COPD in terms of respiratory and lung-functional improvement. To evaluate the efficacy of ASA as add-on therapy in COPD in comparison to placebo a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study will be conducted. Adult male and female patients (n=74) with proven COPD GOLD grade II-III will be randomized to 2 groups (i.e. 37 patients per group, stratification according to smoking status and gender). They will receive either 500 mg ASA per day or matching placebo over 12 weeks. Primary efficacy endpoints are changes in the lung-functional parameter FEV1 (forced expiratory 1-second volume) after 12 weeks of treatment. Secondary endpoints are the health score of the St. Georges respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) and Peak-flow (PEF).
When to start children with Fabry disease on therapy is controversial because of its expense and inconvenience. Many Fabry children complain of exercise intolerance. In adults, the investigators have found decreased lung function and ability to exercise on a treadmill. Whether or not lung function and exercise capacity is abnormal in children is unknown. While lung function and exercise tests are commonly part of routine evaluations for adults with Fabry, they are not yet for children. The objective of the proposed study is to more accurately define the lung and exercise abnormalities in a group of 20 boys from 8-18 years of age with Fabry disease who have not been treated with enzyme replacement therapy (Fabrazyme).
The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a leading global cause of morbidity and mortality, so it's important to find actions that could improve quality of life and decrease the mortality. The objective of this study is to verify if a ground walking program applied to hospitalized exacerbated COPD patients has effects in quality of life, exercise capacity, airways obstruction, body composition, heart rate variability, quadriceps isometric force and in the "Body-mass index, Airway Obstruction, Dyspnea, Exercise Capacity index" (BODE index). An evaluators-blinded randomized controlled study will be conducted in "Hospital Escola Municipal de São Carlos" where forty patients will be recruited to participate. The volunteers will be randomized in two groups with twenty patients, the usual care group, that will receive only the usual care of the hospital; and the trained group that will receive the same care, but will also participate in a ground walking program associated with respiratory exercises. It will be evaluated, in the start and at the end of the program, the health related and general quality of life and the Barthel index. Daily, the patient will be submitted to the Six Minute Walk Test, to a body composition analysis, to a hand grip test and to a dyspnea assessment, and will be calculated its BODE index. All patients will be invited to a follow up in the 12th and 24th weeks after hospital discharge, when they would receive the same evaluation of the last day in the hospital. All the collected data will be expressed in means and standard deviations or medians and range when appropriated. It will be chosen appropriated tests to compare and correlate them.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) represents one of the most challenging chronic diseases of the 21st century: it is expected to be the fourth leading cause of death by 2030. COPD is characterized by pulmonary and extra-pulmonary systemic manifestations caused by partly irreversible expiratory airflow obstruction. The cornerstone of COPD management is the prescription of single or combined inhalation therapy, such as short- and long-acting bronchodilators, inhaled corticosteroids to possibly prevent disease progression, preserve lung function, relieve respiratory symptoms and prevent or treat exacerbations. Given the complex and lifelong treatment, one can expect that adherence to the prescribed inhalation therapy is not self-evident. Adherence can be defined as the "the extent to which a person's behaviour (taking medications, following a recommended diet and/or executing life-style changes) corresponds with the agreed recommendations of a health care provider". Inhaled medications have an additional complexity in that patients who intend to be adherent may be take the inhaled medication incorrectly, prohibiting proper therapeutic action. Taking less than the prescribed amount of medication, missing doses or stopping treatment for brief or extended periods will put the patient at risk for suboptimal disease control. Hence, the effectiveness will largely depend on the patient's ability to manage their disease adequately in daily life. Using electronic monitoring, 3 studies in COPD found a prevalence of medication non-adherence of 51% which was worse than the average prevalence of 29% (range 3-66%) found across diseases such as hypertension, cancer, epilepsia, infections and HIV. The existing evidence on risk factors for nonadherence in COPD is mostly anecdotic and not guided by behavioral models. According to the integrated model of behavioral prediction (IMBP), barriers, skills and ability and intention are the most important drivers of adherence (i.e. medication adherence). The aims of the study are the following: - To prospectively investigate the impact of medication nonadherence on time to exacerbation (primary end-point) and exacerbation rate, FEV1, hospitalization rate and duration, and quality of life (secondary end-points) at 1 year follow-up using electronic monitoring - To investigate risk factors for medication nonadherence, using the Integrated Model of Behavioral Prediction as a theoretical framework - To determine the diagnostic accuracy of different measures of medication nonadherence (i.e. pill count, self-report and physician rating) relative to electronic monitoring. - To investigate the prevalence of nonadherence to other aspects of the therapeutic regimen, i.e. the use of concomitant medications, smoking cessation, alcohol use, physical activity, attendance to rehabilitation sessions and dietary adherence, their interrelations, and impact (alone and in combination) on time to first exacerbation. - To investigate the interrelations in adherence to the various components of the therapeutic regimen. - To investigate the impact of nonadherence to the other components of the therapeutic regimen (alone and in combination) on clinical outcomes (i.e. time to exacerbation, exacerbation rate/PPY, FEV1, hospitalization rate and duration, and quality of life at 1 year follow-up.
The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the usefulness of MRI using 129Xe gas for regional assessment of pulmonary function. Specifically, three forms of 129Xe MRI contrast will be the investigators focus - 1) imaging of the 129Xe ventilation distribution, 2) imaging the alveolar microstructure via the 129Xe apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and 3) imaging 129Xe that dissolves in the pulmonary blood and tissues upon inhalation. Such imaging of 129Xe gas transfer is expected to be uniquely sensitive to pathologies affecting gas exchange (fibrosis, emphysema, pulmonary hypertension) and provide new insights regarding the normal resting heterogeneity of pulmonary gas exchange.
Aim: To investigate whether ER stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of various pulmonary disorders Measurement: 1. Unfolded protein responses (UPRs) in blood (PBMCs)of patients 1. CHOP 2. GRP 78 and so on 2. Unfolded protein responses (UPRs) in blood (PBMCs)of healthy controls 1. CHOP 2. GRP 78 and so on
This study will investigate if adding a domiciliary respiratory physiotherapy treatment to standard care in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can improve physical function (walking test) and quality of life.
The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of oxygen therapy delivered by systems using oxygen-saving valves or not (continuous oxygen). We aim to determine if systems using oxygen-saving valves are equally effective as continuous oxygen delivery systems in reducing exercise-induced hypoxemia in patients with COPD.