There are about 13446 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Belgium. 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.
The purpose of this study is to estimate the incidence rates of malignancy, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), venous thromboembolic events VTE (deep venous thrombosis [DVT] and pulmonary embolism [PE]), NMSC, major adverse cardiac events (MACE), progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), infections, hospitalization and specific antibiotic or antiviral treatment, lung cancer, lymphoma, herpes zoster, myocardial infarction (MI), gastrointestinal (GI) perforations, fractures, surgery for UC and death; through 4 sub-groups: adult patients with UC who initiate tofacitinib in the course of routine clinical care compared to other medications approved to treat UC.
CF is caused by mutations in the gene that encodes the 'Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR)' channel. To re-establish the function of this complex chloride channel, typically two to three drug modes of action are needed. To date, clinical studies of CFTR modulators have focused on patients carrying the F508del CFTR mutation, which is present in approximately 80% of CF patients, or gating mutations which are present in 5% of CF patients (gating mutations result in a reduced opening of the CFTR-channel at the cell surface which limits the flow of chloride ions through the CFTR channel). Although CF is a monogenetic disease, the 15% remaining patients represent more than 2000 different rare and mostly uncharacterized CFTR mutations. Multiple pharma companies have one or more CF drugs in their developmental pipeline. However, it is not known which patients may respond to the drugs in the pipeline. It is hypothesized that by using individual patient's intestinal organoids to screen for drug response, a subset of patients with rare CFTR mutations can be identified who will clinically respond to drugs in the developmental pipeline. The Human Individualized Therapy of CF (HIT-CF) project has been designed to further evaluate this hypothesis. The project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 755021. The core of the project consists of a two-step approach to identify patients outside the existing drug label who may also benefit from CFTR-modulator treatment. In the first step of the project (HIT-CF Organoid Study, NTR7520), novel CFTR modulators and their combinations were tested on organoids from over 500 European and Israeli CF patients with rare CFTR mutations to identify patients who are predicted to clinically benefit from these treatments. The second step will evaluate the predicted clinical effect of the CFTR modulators in subjects identified by their organoid response to investigational products. CFTR modulators from the HIT-CF participating pharmaceutical company, FAIR Therapeutics, will be evaluated in the CHOICES clinical study described in this protocol. Data from this clinical study will be compared with the HIT-CF Organoid Study results to validate the organoid model.
This is an observational study in which images (photos and/or videos of lesions found during endoscopy) will be collected and the associated data about these lesions (size, location in the body, outcome of histology, if resected and examined). The images will be taken while performing a diagnostic or therapeutic endoscopy. This footage can be recorded in different light modalities, and various lesions can be removed during one procedure. It is of importance that the images are recorded in the best possible image quality. The images can be either endoscopic images or endoscopic images combined with room view (this means that the endoscopic room can be filmed, for example, to visualize the endoscopist and thus show techniques of the procedure, without the patient being identified). The GDPR regulations will be respected at all times during the video recordings. The purpose of this registry is to create a database with images in the form of photos and video clips, histopathological data, demographic data of patients and data about the endoscopic procedure. The recording of this data is standard with every endoscopic procedure that patients undergo at UZ Gent. The data will be used for the following purposes: linking procedural outcomes with procedural data and patient data to improve endoscopic technique and to guarantee quality in our endoscopic unit. In this way we will also be able to identify trends and link adverse events back to the patient data with the aim of informing the patient. In addition, as a university center, we can train doctors in training with this educational material. The footage can be shared via online and/or live presentations that are only accessible to/by healthcare workers and without the patient being identifiable. Such material and its dissemination is essential to improve (the safety of) techniques (such as those of today), to share knowledge about techniques, and in this way to train the next generation of doctors and nurses.
Time-use epidemiology is a rapidly growing research area that aims to understand how individuals allocate their time to various activities throughout the day. Accurate assessment of daily activity behaviors, such as sleep, sedentary behavior (SB), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), is crucial for studying the associations between activity patterns and health outcomes. To gather this information, researchers often rely on self-report questionnaires and objective measures, such as accelerometers, to provide a comprehensive understanding of individuals' activity levels. Recently, a validated questionnaire known as the Daily Activity Behavior Questionnaire (DABQ) has been developed. In a study comparing DABQ estimates with the activPAL4 accelerometer (as the reference method), good results regarding absolute agreement and consistency were obtained for sleep duration (ICC 0.6), while the absolute agreement and consistency for SB, LPA, and MVPA estimates was lower (ICC ranging from 0.22-0.47). It should be noted that this study acknowledges the limitation of not treating the data as compositional data. Compositional data analysis accounts for the relative distribution of different activities and avoids the assumption of independence between behaviors. Additionally, the activPAL4 accelerometer used as the reference method in the study had its own strengths and weaknesses when compared to other objective measures, such as the Actigraph. Where ActivPAL4 is more used to differentiate between sitting and standing, Actigraph is able to better classify activity intensities. Moreover, as recommended in different research, I use the Actigraph in my PhD to objectively asses 24-hour movement behaviors. Given these considerations, the aim of this study is to validate the DABQ against the Actigraph as the reference method. Furthermore, this study aims to analyze the data as compositional data, which would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the interrelatedness of behaviors. The hypothesis is that there will be moderate convergent validity between the DABQ and Actigraph, allowing for accurate assessment of sleep duration, SB, LPA, and MVPA. By establishing the validity of the DABQ and considering the data as compositional, researchers can utilize this questionnaire in time-use epidemiology studies, which could be seen as an easy to use and cost-effective measurement method.
Large numbers of micro-organisms (especially bacteria) live in and on human bodies and have a very important function for the health. These microorganisms are called 'the microbiota'. They aid in the digestion of food, ensure the production of certain vitamins, and are very important for the development and regulation of the immune system. In many diseases (including Crohn's disease, arthritis, obesity, diabetes and cancer), a disruption of microbial composition is observed. There are indications that a disruption of the microbiome can contribute to the development of inflammatory diseases and cancer, but the underlying processes are not sufficiently understood. To understand the mechanisms underlying these disease processes, fundamental research is conducted at Ghent University. Stool, skin, oral and vaginal samples from various origins are examined, e.g. from people from indigenous tribes with a traditional lifestyle. It is important that these samples can be compared with microbiome samples from healthy Western (West-European) controls. In this study, the investigators want to build up a collection of samples from healthy donors between the ages of 2 and 70, with the exception of vaginal samples collected from women between the ages of 18 and 45. The samples will form the basis for further fundamental and functional research into microbiota-host interactions at Ghent University.
The central aim of this study is to investigate the optimal timing of vaccination in pregnant women. Therefore, pregnant women will be vaccinated against pertussis at different timepoints and blood and breast milk samples will be taken at several timepoints. The main objectives are to assess the impact of timing on humoral and cellular immune responses in pregnant women, on antibody characteristics transferred across the placenta and on transplacental transport efficiency. The impact of maternal pertussis vaccination and timing of maternal pertussis vaccination on breastmilk antibody composition will also be investigated, as well as the impact of vaccination during pregnancy on the mucosal uptake of breastmilk IgA antibodies by the infant respiratory and gastrointestinal tract.
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the Mi2000 Totally Implantable Cochlear Implant in a population of candidates for a cochlear implant. The main question it aims to answer is, whether the device is able to improve speech perception compared to the pre-operative score. Participants will undergo cochlear implantation and fitting, and will be asked to perform the following tests pre- and post-operatively: - Word test in quiet - Sentence test in noise - Audiograms - Health Utilities Index 2 and 3 (HUI2&3), a generic quality-of-life questionnaire - Nijmengen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ), a disease specific quality-of life questionnaire - Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ12), a disease specific questionnaire - Hearing Implant Sound Quality Index (HISQUI19), a sound quality questionnaire
Smell/taste disorders are common conditions with a significant impact on quality of life. In September 2021, a specific consultation for patients with smell and taste disorders was initiated at the ENT-HNS (ear, nose, and throat, head and neck surgery) department of UZ Leuven, partly in light of post-COVID-19 related smell disorders. With this observational ambidirectional study, we aim to better map smell/taste disorders in the Belgian/Flemish population. Using standard-of-care diagnostic tests and structured questionnaires, we strive to gain more insight into the severity, impact, and progression/prognosis of smell/taste disorders.
The study GPPAD-05 AVAnT1A is a phase 4 clinical trial intending to enroll 2252 children, who will be randomly assigned to receive COVID-19 vaccination (Comirnaty® 3 μg Omicron XBB.1.5 or new variant Comirnaty vaccines ) or placebo from age 6 months. The study is an investigator initiated, randomized, controlled, multicentre, multinational, primary prevention trial for children at increased risk of type 1 diabetes. The primary objective is to determine whether vaccination of children with elevated genetic risk for type 1 diabetes against COVID-19 from 6 months of age reduces the cumulative incidence of islet autoantibodies or type 1 diabetes in childhood. Secondary objectives are: 1. to determine whether vaccination against COVID-19 similarly reduces the cumulative incidence of multiple islet autoantibodies in childhood. 2. to determine whether vaccination against COVID-19 similarly reduces the cumulative incidence of type 1 diabetes in childhood and 3. to determine whether vaccination against COVID-19 similarly reduces the cumulative incidence of celiac disease-associated transglutaminase autoantibodies in childhood. Further exploratory objectives are described in the study protocol. Study participants will be identified through an ongoing study screening for genetic risk of type 1 diabetes using a polygenic risk score (NCT03316261). Eligible participants will be enrolled at age 3.00 to 4.00 months (baseline visit). Randomization to vaccine or placebo will occur at age 6.00 to 7.00 months at visit 2. Consent will be obtained by the custodial parents prior to enrollment.
The first aim of the study is to investigate the effects of a single therapy session on trunk muscle activation and lumbopelvic sensorimotor control in persons with recurrent low back pain in remission. The second aim of the study is to examine the convergent validity of (in)voluntary multifidus activation by means of inspection and palpation during two clinically assessed lumbopelvic sensorimotor control tests in persons with recurrent low back pain in remission. The convergent validity will be examined by calculating the relationship between (1) the clinical score of (in)voluntary multifidus activation, (2) back muscle activation during the same tests measured simultaneously with electromyography and (3) trunk muscle activation during other functional movements measured with electromyography. The third aim of the study is to investigate the convergent validity of a left-right discrimination test by calculating the relationship between (1) the left-right discrimination test, (2) position-reposition test, (3) the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire and (4) the Photograph Series of Daily Activities Scale.