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.
Background Cervical spondylosis is a prevalent condition. Studies has shown that it is a leading cause for headache, which is termed cervicogenic headache (CGH). The prevlance of CGH among severe headache is 17.5%. While conventional treatments, such as physical therapy and surgery, is effective in controlling symptoms, the effect was found to be short-lasting. There is existing clinical evidence supporting traditional Chinese cervical manipulation (CCM) as a viable treatment for CGH. Objective To preliminarily assess the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of CCM on patients with CGH, and to optimize parameters for a future large-scale trial. Method This study is a pilot randomized, controlled, single-blind trial. 84 participants will be randomized evenly to receive either CCM or sham manipulation for 4 weeks. Outcome measurements will be conducted at baseline, week 2, week 4 and week 8 on cervical functional disability, cervical range of motion, and data on headache onset and painkiller assumption. Adverse events will be recorded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE).
Left main coronary artery (LMCA) is a major branch of coronary artery and supplies a large bulk of myocardium. Revascularization by either surgical coronary bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is recommended for significant unprotected LMCA disease, with CABG being preferred if there is significant involvement in other coronary arteries1,2. CABG has been demonstrated to confer survival benefit over medical therapies patients with LMCA in earlier clinical trials3,4,5. However, these trials were performed before the wide adoption of modern medical therapies such as antiplatelet and statin. Antiplatelet agents, for example, was only used in 32% of all patients in the Coronary Artery Surgery Study3. Modern day medical treatment for stable coronary artery diseases have been shown to be non-inferior to revascularization in both the COURAGE and ISCHEMIA trials6,7. However, patients with LMCA involvement were mostly excluded from both of these studies. In Hong Kong, the average waiting time for an elective CABG for stable patients with LMCA is around 18 months, during which time the patients are treated with modern medical therapies including high-intensity statin and antiplatelet.
To determine if a two-week ecological momentary intervention (two EMA + one EMI daily) as augmentation to treatment as usual would reduce depressive symptoms, rumination levels, and functioning in subjects with mild to moderate depression, as compared to active controls receiving three EMA prompts daily.
Intervention aiming to improve cardiometabolic health by reducing prolonged sitting
Thyroid nodule is a common condition that affects up to 60% of the population. There is an estimated 10% lifetime probability of developing a thyroid nodule. Although most thyroid nodules are benign, up to 10-15% can enlarge to cause compressive symptoms including neck pressure and discomfort, dysphagia, dyspnea, and dysphonia. The conventional treatment for these benign but problematic nodules has been thyroidectomy. Although generally a low risk operation, thyroidectomy is associated with some risk for recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, bleeding, infection, and need for thyroid hormone supplementation. Since the early 2000s, ultrasound-guided percutaneous thermal ablation has emerged as a potential alternative treatment to surgery for benign thyroid nodules. Of the myriad ablation methods, the most commonly used techniques are radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA). [1-3] A growing body of evidence shows that RFA is an effective treatment for benign solid thyroid nodules, toxic adenomas, and thyroid cysts resulting in overall volume reduction ranges of 40-80% at 1 year, with durable resolution of compressive and hyperthyroid symptoms. However, RFA is not without its limitations. Radiofrequency waves can be limited by the heat sink effect and tissue char leading to longer procedure times and potentially less optimal outcomes in larger, hypervascular, and/or more cystic nodules. Microwave ablation (MWA) is another ablative technique that uses electromagnetic energy waves to cause tissue hyperthermia and coagulative necrosis. It generally causes higher ablation temperatures than RFA and is less subject to the heat sink effect, and therefore can facilitate more efficient ablation procedures. Current evidence comparing RFA versus MWA for thyroid ablation was limited and was either retrospective, non-randomized [4-9], under-powered, or with an unequal baseline. The results from these studies were also conflicting, suggesting suboptimal quality of evidence and bias due to non-standardized technique of ablation across studies. To date, there is no randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy and safety of RFA versus MWA for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules. Given the higher ablation temperatures, freedom from heat sink effect, and no influence from impedance changes during ablation, MWA may achieve different treatment efficacy.
Researchers are looking for a better way to treat people who have diabetic macular edema. Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a diabetes-related eye disorder. In DME, the macula, which is the central part of the retina at the back of the eye, swells up resulting in vision problems. This happens due to leakage of fluid from damaged blood vessels. The study treatment, 8 milligram (mg) aflibercept is injected into the eye. It works by blocking a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which causes abnormal growth and leakage of blood vessels at the back of the eye. A lower dose of aflibercept (2 mg) is already approved for the treatment of DME. Based on the findings of another study, the higher dose of aflibercept (8 mg) is expected to reduce the frequency of injections required for treating DME while being equally safe and working as well as the lower dose. The higher dose could make it easier to treat DME and improve quality of life for people with DME. The main purpose of this study is to learn if high-dose (8 mg) aflibercept given every 16 weeks works as well as low-dose (2 mg) aflibercept given every 8 weeks in Chinese participants. For this, the researchers will compare the change in participants' 'best corrected visual acuity' (BCVA) after 48 weeks of starting the treatment. BCVA is the clearest vision a participant can have with the help of corrective lenses, such as glasses. It will be measured by the number of letters the participant can read on an eye chart. This is known as their Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letter score. Participants will be randomly (by chance) assigned to one of two treatment groups to receive study treatment as an injection into the eye up to Week 56: - 2 mg aflibercept every 8 weeks after receiving 5 initial monthly doses - 8 mg aflibercept every 16 weeks after receiving 3 initial monthly doses Each participant will be in the study for around 63 weeks with up to 18 visits to the study site. This includes: - one visit up to 21 days before the treatment starts during which the doctors will confirm that the participant can take part in the study - 16 visits during which the treatment will be given. Most of these visits will have a gap of 4 weeks except for one visit that will happen a few days after the previous visit - one visit 4 weeks after the treatment ends During the study, the doctors and their study team will: - check the participants' vision and their overall eye health using different eye tests - check participants' health by performing tests such as blood and urine tests - ask the participants questions about the disease and study treatment and how these impact their quality of life - ask the participants what adverse events they are having An adverse event is any medical problem that a participant has during a study. Doctors keep track of all adverse events, irrespective of whether they think they are related to the study treatment. Access to study treatment after the end of this study is not planned. Participants can switch to available approved treatments for DME.
There have been previous reports of using High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) as a feasible thermal ablative treatment for relapsed Graves' disease. In recent years, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has become another promising alternative for thermal ablation of benign thyroid nodules. RFA has the advantage of avoiding a surgical scar, organ preservation and being an ambulatory procedure. It utilizes a small caliber radiofrequency electrode, which is inserted into the thyroid gland percutaneously. The active tip of the RF electrode would induce frictional heat in the surrounding tissue, causing a thermal ablative effect. The direct application of energy of RFA to tissue is different from that in HIFU, in which energy is transmitted through the skin of the participants from the transducer. Studies of follow-up after RFA of Graves' disease have not been published. Given the previous successful experience with HIFU, the investigators would like to explore the feasibility, safety and efficacy of RFA as an alternative thermal ablation option for relapsed Graves' disease. Thus, the purpose of this prospective study is to assess the efficacy and safety of US-guided RFA for the treatment of relapsed Graves' disease.
This is an academic research study aiming to explore the relationships between equanimity, mindfulness, self-compassion, and mental health outcomes, and to examine the reliability and validity of the new measures in Hong Kong.
This study aims to test the feasibility and acceptability of home-based psychoeducation in older adults with frailty in the community. The main questions it aims to answer are 1. Are the proposed eligibility criteria for participants and the study process in recruiting and retaining the participants appropriate? 2. Is home-based psychoeducation feasible and acceptable for older adults with frailty in the community? Participants will receive 12 weekly online group-based sessions at their homes. The content for the experimental group and control group is different: - Intervention group: psychoeducation - Control group: physical health education Participants will receive two home visits for data collection. An individual interview will be conducted with participants in the experimental group to explore their experiences.
This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a 12-week home-based telerehabilitation programme on improving subjective well-being among community-dwelling older people with frailty. The main question it aims to answer is - Could home-based psychoeducation significantly enhance subjective well-being in older adults with frailty in the community? Participants will receive 12 weekly online group-based sessions at their homes. The content for the experimental group and control group is different: - Intervention group: psychoeducation - Control group: physical health education Participants will receive three home visits for data collection. Some of participants in experimental group will receive interview for process evaluation.