There are about 3753 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Hong Kong. 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 PASS test is only available and valid tool for the evaluation of persistent acid-related symptoms in patients receiving PPI therapy. There is lack of a validated Chines version of PASS questionnaire for the GERD patients with partial response to proton pump inhibitor (PPI). The English version of PASS test will be translated to traditional Chinese by using forward-backward procedure, and the Chinese version of PASS test will be validated its psychometric properties in Hong Kong population. Eligible subjects will be invited to administer questionnaires to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of PASS test.
This study investigated the use of novel plasma and urinary biomarkers to predicte the development of hepatorenal syndrome in patients with advanced cirrhosis. The biomarkers investigated include plasma cystatin C, plasma NGAL, plasma NAG, plasma IL-18, plasma ADMA, plasma BTP, urinary KIM-1 and urinary LFABP. These biomarkers will be checked in advanced cirrhotic patients who have or have not developed hepatorenal syndrome and compared between the two groups. These biomarkers will also be correlated with the occurence of hepatorenal syndrome.
Scoliosis is a three-dimensional deformity affecting the orientation and position of the spine. Locally, the shape of the vertebra is also affected. The most common form is adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) with a prevalence of 1-3% affecting primarily young adolescent females. AIS can either be treated using a brace and in some cases necessitate surgical correction to prevent progressive deformity. Risk factors for progression include female gender, curve magnitude and location, skeletal maturity and growth velocity. However, these risk factors have been shown to be inconsistent in predicting curve progression. Over the past 6 years, the investigators have developed a predictive model of the final Cobb angle in AIS based on 3D spinal parameters. This analysis was based on a prospective cohort of 195 patients that were enrolled upon their initial visit and followed until maturity. This predictive model has a determination coefficient of 0.702. The proposed new study aims at refining and testing the external validity of this model in a larger cohort. The next step towards using the new model in the clinical setting is to redesign the model and to externally validate the model by measuring the agreement between the new method and the traditional Cobb angle at maturity in a larger multicenter study. The objective of this study is to characterize the risk of scoliosis progression based on local three-dimensional vertebral and pelvic measurements present on initial evaluation. Three-dimensional reconstructions will be derived from stereo-radiographs acquired with a new biplanar low-dose radiographic system installed in all 8 clinical sites (EOS system, EOS-Imaging, Paris). These calibrated radiographs will then be used to reconstruct the vertebrae and intervertebral disks at each level as well as the geometry of the pelvis. A series of local and regional parameters will then be calculated from these 3D reconstructions. Correlation analysis will help determine if intervertebral disk wedging, vertebral wedging, transverse plane rotation or pelvic geometry can be used as early predictors of curve progression in AIS. Identifying a new 3D measure of scoliosis associated with rapid curve progression could help predict which curves need early treatment to prevent further progression. The ultimate goal of this research project will be to validate this new predictive model and finally transfer this new predictive tool in the hands of clinicians treating AIS.
Objectives: (1) To investigate the effects of Qigong training on upper limb oedema, circulatory status, shoulder flexibility and muscular strength, body balance, and quality of life (QOL) in community-dwelling breast cancer survivors; and (2) to explore the relationship between the impairment outcomes and QOL outcomes. Hypothesis: (1) The experimental participants will have less impairment and a better QOL after Qigong training compared with the no-training control group; and (2) the impairment parameters will be related to the QOL indexes in the Qigong participants. Design and subjects: This will be a prospective, randomised, single-blinded controlled trial. Approximately 60 breast cancer survivors will be randomly assigned to either the Qigong training group (n~30) or control group (n~30). Intervention: Participants in the Qigong group will receive 18 Forms of Tai Chi Internal Qigong training for 3 months with two supervised 1-hour sessions per week. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome measures are upper limb circumference, arterial blood flow velocities and resistance index, shoulder joint passive range of motion, muscular strength (peak force) and body balance. The secondary outcome measure is quality of life as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast scale. Data analysis: Data will be analysed via repeated-measures analysis of variance followed by post-hoc tests (α = 0.05). Expected results: The investigators pilot studies produced encouraging results on the efficacy of Qigong exercise in reducing chronic breast cancer-related symptoms in survivors. Therefore, the investigators expect that participants in the Qigong group will have fewer upper limb impairments and a better quality of life after Qigong training. If the results are positive, this Qigong training regime is readily transferrable to clinical practice, and could have positive socioeconomic effects such as reduced healthcare costs.
The purpose of the study is to compare the recurrence of endometriotic cyst in patients taking Dienogest or Microgynon after conservative surgery.
Drug metabolism in the liver is subject to large fluctuations (differences between women and men, people of different ethnic backgrounds, children and adults). These large differences are responsible for very different drug effects and side-effects (and especially liver damage caused by drugs) between individuals. Recent scientific findings suggest that blood derived cells can be used to model individual effects of drugs on the liver reflect inter-individual differences. Since liver damage caused by drugs is a diagnosis of exclusion, the aforementioned cells can be used to identify patients that show higher sensitivity to hepatotoxic side-effects and - in case several drugs are involved - identify the causal agent or possible interactions.
The aim of the study is to assess the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in patients with periodontitis during orthodontic-periodontal treatment for 12 months on the following aspects: (1) Effects on periodontal status; (2) Effects on alveolar bone remodeling; (3) Effects on cervical dentin sensitivity; (4) Effects on pain and quality of life. To eliminate any bias, the investigators will initially hypothesize that there is no difference in periodontal status, jawbone remodeling, tooth sensitivity, pain and quality of life in patients having teeth with chronic periodontitis and receiving LLLT with orthodontic treatment versus teeth undergoing orthodontic treatment without incorporation of LLLT.
In this project we will design a control algorithm to identify the focalized motor-related clusters for hand function on each stroke patient. A real-time feedback will control the robotic hand when motor imagery is successfully identified. Finally, the focalized BCI-robot training will be compared in a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the training effectiveness and changes in the EEG patterns.
Objectives: This study aims to examine the use of low frequency (2Hz), low amplitude (intensity just produce visible muscle contraction), and long duration (2x3 hrs/day) neuromuscular electrical simulation (NMES) in attenuating the effects of muscle atrophy resulted from disuse. Design and subjects: The study is a randomized, double-blind, controlled, and parallel group study. Subjects with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be included. Intervention: Subjects will be randomized to 3 groups to receive different NMES program over the quadriceps and calf muscles: (i) the proposed NMES program; (ii) conventional NMES program (50Hz, 30 min/day), or sham group for a period of 8 weeks. Outcome measures:The effectiveness of the NMES will be evaluated by the improvement in muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), muscle performance (muscle strength, muscle shortening velocity and muscle activation testing), functional performance (6 min walk) and subjects' rating of the perceived acceptability of the stimulation protocol. Data analysis: Baseline characteristics of the intervention and sham groups will be compared using one way ANOVA. Two-way mixed repeated measures analysis of variance will be performed to examine the differences between groups over time for all the outcome variables. The significance level is set at p < 0.05. Expected results: The investigators hypothesize that the proposed new paradigm of NMES would be more effective in improving muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), strength, endurance, and exercise tolerance.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential efficacy of auricular acupressure to stimulate specific acupoints in enhancing smoking cessation by reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms among attendees in primary healthcare settings.