There are about 21062 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Italy. 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 Multitude is a registry of patients who receive commercially available CIEDs that remotely communicate through the LATITUDE monitoring system and transfer data to a central database. The registry is designed to constitute a shared environment for the collection, management, analysis and reporting of clinical and diagnostic data, adopted by a network of European scientifically-motivated physicians who use rhythm management diagnostic and therapeutic solutions from Boston Scientific in their clinical practice. The Multitude study will facilitate the sharing of scientific proposals within a large network of researchers, and it will allow researchers to record the experience with medical devices throughout the device and patient lifecycle.
This is an experimental study without drug or device, randomized, open-label, non-profit, sponsored by the IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital in Negrar, which will take place at the Department of Advanced Oncological Radiotherapy and 18 other Italian centers. The reason for this research study is to evaluate whether stereotactic radiotherapy treatment (SABR), in addition to the systemic chemotherapy treatment foreseen by clinical practice for low-intermediate risk oligometastatic colorectal cancer, is able to: - delay possible local recurrence and/or distant polymetastatic progression - improve disease-free survival - reduce side effects in the short and long term thus inducing an improvement in the quality of life of patients suffering from this type of pathology. Therefore, as part of this randomized study, before starting first or second line systemic therapy for his tumor, the patient will be randomized to one of the following treatment arms: - Experimental arm: ablative stereotactic radiotherapy on all sites of oligometastatic disease (from 1 to 3 sites, performed at most within the second cycle of systemic therapy) - Control arm: no ablative stereotactic radiotherapy to sites of oligometastatic disease The procedure that is intended to be tested in the experimental arm is a stereotactic radiotherapy treatment on oligometastases (up to a maximum of 3 sites), with ablative dosage (effective biological dose >100 Gy), performed before the start of systemic therapy of I or II line (at most within the second cycle of the same). It is hoped that the addition of this type of radiotherapy will increase the potential clinical benefit of the treatment in the context of colorectal cancer.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a group of disorders caused by the degeneration of the motor neuron cells of the anterior horn of the spinal cord and, in some subtypes, of the bulbar motor neurons. Almost all cases are genetically determined. Most SMAs are autosomal recessive diseases, caused by homozygous deletions of the survival motor neuron (SMN) gene located on the long arm of chromosome 5. The estimated incidence of recessive childhood and juvenile SMA linked to deletion of the SMN gene is 1 in 6000 to 10000 live births, with a carrier frequency of 1 in 35 in the general population, making it a major genetic cause of infant mortality. Up to 95-97% of all childhood cases are due to homozygous deletions of the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene, or telomeric SMN, located on chromosome 5q11.2-13.3. The remaining 3-5% of cases are due to small mutations in SMN1 (rather than complete deletions). Until a few years ago, the prognosis of type 1 SMA was poor. In the absence of therapies, the only measures were supportive (ventilation, nutrition) and the prospect, especially in the early forms, was to accompany them towards an early end of life. There are currently three treatment options available: nusinersen, risdiplam, and gene therapy with onasemnogene abeparvovec. The three options were found to be equally effective in reducing the symptoms of the disease, making it possible to reach or safeguard fundamental stages in a child's neuromotor development, starting from the ability to remain seated. At this moment, gene therapy is probably the preferred choice. To date, in Italy, there are approximately 100 patients undergoing gene therapy. To ensure maximum benefit for affected patients, it is essential that the therapy is administered as soon as possible. Literature shows how the administration of gene therapy in pre-symptomatic subjects made it possible to achieve a better neurological outcome compared to symptomatic patients. From this perspective, the inclusion of spinal muscular atrophy in neonatal screening is of fundamental relevance.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a therapeutic approach for autism that is based on the principles of behavioral theory, learning, and positive reinforcement. Current research shows that early and intensive ABA intervention is effective in reducing dysfunctional behaviors and promoting learning and enactment of socially appropriate behaviors. In this context, new approaches that attempt to integrate advanced technologies can play a key role. This experimental protocol aims to test whether the use of advanced technologies, such as tablets, as part of an intervention for a group of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more effective than the traditional approach implemented in a control group of children with ASD. The experimental protocol is aimed at enhancing cognitive skills, increasing new skills and acquiring functional/adaptive behaviors.
When children become very sick and need to stay in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), it can have a big impact on their recovery and their family's well-being. Sometimes kids and their families feel worried or sad even after they leave the hospital. This can have an impact on the quality of their life after hospital discharge. To help understand and improve these experiences, the investigators want to study the "PICU diaries." These are journals that families and hospital staff can write in during the child's time in the hospital. Parents, other visitors and healthcare professionals can share thoughts, experiences, and even drawings or photos related to the child's admission. The content is a narrative account of what happens during the child's hospital stay, for the family to take home at PICU discharge. The investigators believe that writing in these diaries might help children and their families feel better after leaving the hospital. It might help kids feel less worried or sad, and it might also help their parents or caregivers feel better too. The study will include children who have been in the PICU and their families. Some families will receive these special diaries to use during their time in the hospital, while others won't. We'll then see how everyone feels after they leave the hospital and compare the two groups to see if the diaries make a difference. The investigators hope that by understanding how these diaries can help, healthcare professionals can make hospital experiences better for everyone involved.
Retrospective and Prospective Observational Study in Patients With Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma.
This is a pilot, experimental, monocentric study. The main objective of the study is to evaluate whether stereotactic radiotherapy is able to reduce symptomatic spasticity from a clinical point of view, and therefore induce an improvement in posture and quality of life in patients with malignant spasticity. The study foresees the enrollment of about 10 patients, in a period of 24 months. The radiotherapy treatment will be delivered in a single session with an image-guided stereotaxic technique, and a prescription dose between 45 and 60 Gy; subsequently the patients will be followed up for one year.
The effectiveness of low-protein diets supplemented with essential aminoacid (EAA) formulas in genetic disorders of amino acid (AA) catabolism, such as maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), is widely recognized (Blackburn PR et al. 2017). The main aim of the present study is to evaluate a difference in the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program in patients with high degree of obesity with and without supplementation of this new formula of amino acids (essential + tricarboxylic acids - EAA-AC). For this reason, patients of both sexes, aged between 45 and 65, suffering from high-grade obesity will be recruited in Piancavallo. The enrolled patients divided, randomly, into two groups will be given: EAA-AC group a low-calorie and low-protein diet integrated with 4 sachets of EAA-AC supplement per day; the control group will follow a low-calorie and low-protein diet only with placebo. The parameters considered, after two weeks of treatment, will be: weight loss; the maintenance/recovery of muscle mass assessed through changes in body composition and functional tests (Hand grip, 6MWT or TUG) but also through the analysis of mitochondrial function in PBMC and circulating levels of mtDNA; the improvement of the glucose picture and the lipid profile. 1 month after discharge, patients will carry out an outpatient check-up to evaluate the maintenance of muscle mass using impedance testing.
Diagnosing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in patients complaining exertional breathlessness can be challenging: diagnostic algorithms and scores have low sensitivity, and ageing-associated comorbidities can complicate the interpretation of symptoms. Thus, exercise right heart catheterization (RHC) or invasive cardiopulmonary exercise test (iCPET) have been advocated as gold-standard methods for HFpEF diagnosis. However, exercise RHC and iCPET are still not widely standardized methods, with results mainly coming from US cohorts (that may differ from Italian cohorts), and other provocative tests (e.g. non-invasive CPET, passive leg raising) may offer complementary diagnostic information.
Patients with heart failure and a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFpEF) almost invariably complain of exertional breathlessness. Abnormal cardiac hemodynamics with pulmonary congestion are believed to trigger dyspnea in this patients. However, some patients may complain of exertional breathlessness which seems to be out of proportion as compared with hemodynamic abnormalities. Chemoreflex sensitivity accounts for the ventilatory responses to a variety of chemical stimuli, including carbon dioxide produced by the organism during exercise. Chemoreflex sensitivity can be augmented in heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, and an increased chemoreflex sensitivity has been linked to symptoms, neurohumoral activation, breathing disturbances, and adverse prognosis. However, the clinical correlates and implications of chemoreflex sensitivity in HFpEF have not been accurately studied. We aim to characterize chemoreflex sensitivity in patients with a diagnosis of HFpEF, and to correlate chemoreflex sensitivity with clinical and hemodynamic characteristics.