View clinical trials related to Lung Diseases.
Filter by:Patients admitted to the hospital with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are evaluated with regard to early follow-up by a specialized nurse in the home after discharge.
We want to study the effect of the combination of metoprolol (a beta-blocker) with formoterol (a beta-agonist) on long function in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). There are more and more clues that a beta-blocker, when well chosen and in the right dosage, won't harm the long function in patients with COPD. Since a beta-blocker can be a valuable addition to treating patients with heart problems we would like to see if this category of medication can be available for COPD patients in the future.
The purpose of this study is to place past, current, and future medical record information into the UPMC Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease Research Registry.
PEP03 is a new chemical entity developed as a highly selective, potent, and orally active 5-LO inhibitor. PEP03 exerts its action by blocking the generation of both cysteinyl LTs and LTB4. These LTs have been associated with the inflammatory response in the lung and with the clinical sequelae, including bronchospasm. Preclinical pharmacological in- vitro, ex-vivo and in-vivo testing indicates that PEP03 has multiple beneficial actions including prevention of bronchoconstriction, and reduction of vascular leakage, cellular infiltration, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Clinical studies in asthmatic patients indicate that PEP03 improved FEV1 and other secondary endpoints, such as morning and evening peak flow, daytime and nighttime symptoms score, beta-agonist use, physician’s and patient’s global impression of change. Since leukotrienes have been suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of COPD, this study is designed to explore the clinical utility of PEP03 for the treatment of moderate COPD.6; 7; 8; 9
A breathing condition known as "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease" (COPD) caused by cigarette smoking is a major health problem. The way by which smoking leads to lung disease is uncertain. Recent research done in animals provides a description of specific changes (that is a reduction) in these immune cell types as a result of cigarette smoke exposure. The study you have been asked to participate in is a pilot study to see if similar changes occur in humans who smoke. The purpose of this study is to evaluate this new method of testing blood in 3 groups of 10 people: normal non-smoking subjects, subjects who smoke with no history of lung disease and subjects who smoke and have smoking related COPD.
At present, a specific community based rehabilitation programme for lung or heart-lung transplant recipients does not exist. 160 hospitals throughout the United Kingdom (UK) offer pulmonary rehabilitation programmes. The programmes operate under evidence-based guidelines as outlined by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Increasing evidence shows that rehabilitation programmes help improve performance, exercise endurance, and quality of life; and reduce symptoms and demand on health-care resources. This study proposes to compare the outcomes of lung and heart-lung transplant patients attending local pulmonary rehabilitation against others receiving the Trust's current document-based programme. The study is a randomized controlled trial: - Control Arm: Those patients randomized to the 'control' arm will receive the Trust's standard rehabilitation programme that consists of an information pack supplied upon discharge. They will then complete and undertake the following tests: Short-Form 36 (SF 36; version 2) Questionnaire, Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ-SR), Incremental Shuttle Walk Test and Spirometry forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). The patient will follow the information contained in the information pack and the above tests and questionnaires will be repeated 6 months post discharge. - Experimental Arm: A patient who is randomized to the 'experimental' arm will be asked to complete the following tests upon discharge: Short-Form 36 (SF 36; version 2) Questionnaire, Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ-SR), Incremental Shuttle Walk Test and Spirometry FEV1 and FVC. Three months post discharge, the patient will be enrolled into a local pulmonary rehabilitation programme. The programme is typically structured to last 6-12 weeks. The above tests and questionnaires will be repeated 6 months post discharge. To measure the effectiveness of either the information pack or the rehabilitation programme the following endpoints will be subjected to analysis in both the experimental and the control group: - Short-Form 36 Questionnaire; - Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire; - Incremental Shuttle Walk Test; - Borg Scale; - Spirometry FEV1 and FVC; - Hospital re-admission rates and mortality rates. The undertaking of a multidisciplinary-led programme of rehabilitation facilitates a better quality of life than a document-based rehabilitation programme in lung and or heart-lung transplant out-patients. The aim of the study is to construct an optimal programme of rehabilitation in lung or heart-lung patients.
Large population-based studies suggest that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are 2 to 3 times at risk for cardiovascular mortality, which accounts for a large proportion of the total number of deaths. How COPD increases the risk of poor cardiovascular outcomes is largely unknown. However, there is growing evidence that persistent low-grade systemic inflammation is present in COPD and that this may contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease among COPD patients. Inflammation and more specifically, C-reactive protein (CRP), has been linked with all stages of atherosclerosis, including plaque genesis, rupture and subsequent thrombo-fibrosis of vulnerable vessels. Recently, our group has demonstrated in a relatively small study that short-term inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy can repress serum CRP levels in stable COPD patients. Conversely, withdrawal of ICS leads to a marked increase in serum CRP levels. Although very promising, these data cannot be considered definitive because the study was small in size and scope (N=41 patients). Additionally, this study did not address the potential effects of combination therapy with ICS and long-acting β2 agonists (LABA). This is an important short-coming because combination therapy of ICS and LABA have been shown to produce improved clinical outcomes over ICS monotherapy and is commonly used by clinicians in the treatment of moderate to severe COPD. We hypothesize that inhaled fluticasone (Flovent®) reduces systemic inflammation and that combination therapy (Advair®) is more effective than steroids alone in reducing systemic inflammation in COPD. In this proposal, we will implement a randomized controlled trial to determine whether ICS by themselves or in combination with LABAs can: 1. reduce CRP levels in stable COPD patients and 2. reduce other pro-inflammatory cytokines, which have been linked with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1)
This study will examine the different types of proteins present in the lungs of patients with pneumonia to explore the causes of different types of the disease. Pneumonia is a condition that causes lung inflammation AND is often caused by an infection. It is usually diagnosed by lung x-rays and listening to the chest with a stethoscope. This method can diagnose pneumonia, but it does not provide information on the cause of the inflammation - information that might be helpful in guiding treatment. This study will measure proteins in the lungs of patients to see if certain proteins are associated with specific forms of pneumonia, and can thus serve as biomarkers for disease. Patients undergoing diagnostic bronchoscopy at the NIH Clinical Center may participate in this study. Patients will undergo bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage as scheduled for their medical care. For this procedure, the patient's mouth and throat are numbed with lidocaine; a sedative may be given for comfort. A thin flexible tube called a bronchoscope is advanced through the nose or mouth into the lung airways to examine the airways carefully. Saline (salt water) is then injected through the bronchoscope into the air passage, acting as a rinse. A sample of fluid is then withdrawn for microscopic examination. Researchers in the current study will use some of the fluid obtained from the lavage to examine for protein content. In addition to the bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage, participants will have about 2 tablespoons of blood drawn to compare blood test results with the results of the lung washings. Patients' medical records will be reviewed to obtain information on past medical history, current medical treatment, vital signs, and results of x-ray tests.
This study is designed to evaluate the genetics involved in the development of lung disease by surveying genes involved in the process of breathing and examining the genes in lung cells of patients with lung disease. The study will focus on defining the distribution of abnormal genes responsible for processes directly involved in different diseases affecting the lungs of patients and healthy volunteers. Optional CT Sub-study The standard CT scan will be compared to the low dose radiation CT scan for the 150 subjects enrolled in the sub-study to assess the variation between the two techniques. Specifically, the quantitative computer aided detection of lung CT abnormalities from LAM can be compared to assess whether low radiation dose CT exams is an alternative to conventional CT to monitor disease status. This optional sub-study will be offered to up to 100 adult subjects with lung disease and up to 50 children age 9 and older with CF. Children will not be enrolled in the optional CT sub-study unless they have had a standard CT scan for medical purposes to use in comparison. One additional low dose radiation CT scan of the chest may be done as part of this sub-study when these subjects have their next annual CT scan.
Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a destructive lung disease typically affecting women of childbearing age. Currently, there is no effective therapy for the disease and the prognosis is poor. This study is designed to determine the disease processes involved at the level of cells and molecules, in order to develop more effective therapy. Researchers intend to identify the proteins and genes that contribute to the process of lung destruction in affected individuals. ...