View clinical trials related to Scleroderma, Systemic.
Filter by:Systemic sclerosis (SSc, AKA scleroderma) is an autoimmune condition characterized by endothelial damage and progressive fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. One of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with SSc is pulmonary hypertension (PH), which is estimated to occur in up to 31% of high risk SSc patients. Early detection of patients with SSc-PH may lead to improved outcomes and although there have been concerted efforts to accurately screen for SSc-PH, these patients continue to present with advanced disease and suffer from poor survival. Therefore, better methods to screen for patients with PH and, perhaps more importantly, to screen for those at risk for PH development are desperately needed. Since PH and SSc are disorders originating from the endothelium, biomarkers that reflect endothelial damage are very promising tools to identify early disease. Such potential biomarkers include endothelial microparticles, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), pentraxin-3, and soluble endoglin. No previous study has used a combination of these biomarkers to detect the presence of PH in patients with SSc, or studied the novel concept of exercise-induced changes in biomarker levels. The investigators will collect the above listed endothelial biomarkers before and after exercise, and combine these levels with exercise echocardiogram findings, and routine clinical information to derive a composite detection score for the early identification of systemic sclerosis-associated PH.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious and often fatal complication of connective tissue diseases including systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. It has been reported primarily from European series that the prevalence of PAH in patients with connective tissue diseases particularly systemic sclerosis is as high as 15-20%. However, given the paucity of medical literature in the area from Chinese population, the prevalence of PAH amongst Chinese patients with these conditions is largely unknown. Even worse, PAH is often undiagnosed amongst patients with connective tissue diseases due to the lack of awareness and/or access to echocardiography, which is a non-invasive first-line screening tool for PAH. As a result, most patients at diagnosis of PAH are at a relatively late stage, rendering pharmacological treatment less effective. Here, the investigators propose a territory-wide pulmonary hypertension screening for patients with connective tissue disease in order to (1) detect pulmonary hypertension amongst patients with connective tissue disease through systematic screening, and (2) understand the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in Chinese patients with connective tissue diseases.
Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a progressive multi-organ disorder with high disease burden. Life expectancy in SSc is reduced by 25-40 years, mainly due to cardiopulmonary and gastro-intestinal (GI) disease involvement; and a very poor response to available treatment. Aiming to improve treatment for SSc, the ReSScue project will determine the therapeutic potential of standardized, cultivated gut microbiome transplantation (GMT), and assess the mechanisms by which this novel intervention strategy works. This approach is rationalized by studies indicating that skewed gut microbiomes could act as major, environmental risk factors in SSc; and thereby be rational targets for therapeutic manipulation. ReSScue is set up as a 4 months randomized double blind trial involving the University Hospital in Oslo. Trial participants will be recruited from the population-based, nationwide SSc cohort. Intervention will be by GMT or placebo. Primary end point is changes in SSc-related GI parameters , while secondary outcomes include safety, explorative clinical parameters, changes in oral, skin and gut microbiomes, and in immune cell phenotypes.
Alveolar macrophages isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with clinically significant lung fibrosis will be studied at baseline and at 6 months after enrollment to assess longitudinally the presence and persistence of an emergent, pro-fibrotic alveolar macrophage population, using single cell RNA-Seq technology to measure the individual transcriptome from each cell.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), since December 2016, Brazil is showing a significant increase in cases of yellow fever in humans. In view of this, vaccination is suitable for residents and travelers to the risk area. However, for immunosuppressed patients there is a formal recommendation not to vaccinate with live virus vaccine. On the other hand, the safety and efficacy of the vaccine has been demonstrated in patients with HIV, and safety and seroconversion have also been demonstrated in patients with rheumatic disease who were inadvertently revaccinated for yellow fever. Faced with the impossibility of leaving the high-risk area for some patients the vaccination could be released to only those who have low level of immunosuppression as suggested by some recommendations of medical societies. The availability of a fractional vaccine in the State of São Paulo, which has proved its efficacy, opens the possibility of exposure to a lower number of copies of the virus in the first exposure of immunosuppressed patients, allowing, if necessary, a safer revaccination, after 28 days to obtain of a more effective immunogenic response. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the immune response of the immunization with fractional yellow fever vaccine (neutralizing antibodies) in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases residing in a high-risk area. Secondarily, evaluate the possible association between immunogenicity and vaccination with: demographic data, clinical and laboratory activity of the disease in patients with chronic rheumatic diseases, evaluate the curve of viremia and report adverse events. Patients and healthy controls will be vaccinated for yellow fever in the Immunization Center of Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HC-FMUSP). The patients' screening for exclusion and inclusion criteria will be done at the rheumatology outpatient clinic after medical evaluation. For the controls will be the routine screening of the Immunization Center. The vaccination protocol will be a fractional dose of the yellow fever vaccine on day D0 for both groups. Patients will be evaluated on day D0, D5, D10, D30-4 and D365 and controls only on days D0, D10, D30-45 and D365 for aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), platelets, urea and creatinine, immunoglobulin M (IgM) by immunofluorescence for Yellow Fever, viremia, autoantibodies.
The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) is an organization established by researchers, health care providers, and people living with scleroderma (systemic sclerosis or SSc) from Canada, the USA, and Europe. The objectives of SPIN are (1) to assemble a large cohort of SSc patients to complete outcome assessments regularly in order to learn more about important problems faced by people living with SSc and (2) to develop and test a series of internet-based interventions to help patients manage aspects of their disease, including hand limitations. In SSc, approximately 90% of patients experience significant hand function limitations, which impact overall disability more than any other aspect of the disease. The SPIN hand exercise program was designed by SPIN experts in rehabilitation, behavioural therapies, and e-health interventions, as well as patient representatives in SPIN. The program core consists of 4 modules that address specific aspects of hand function, and integrates tools to support key components of successful self-management programs, including goal-setting and feedback, social modeling, and mastery experiences. The SPIN-HAND trial is a pragmatic randomized control trial (RCT) embedded in the SPIN Cohort that will evaluate the effect of SPIN's online hand exercise program, in addition to usual care, on hand function and health related quality of life (HRQL) in SSc patients with at least mild hand function limitations. SPIN will randomize 586 SPIN Cohort participants with at least mild hand function limitations and an indicated interest in using an online hand exercise program to be offered the hand exercise program or usual care only.
This study will assess the mental health and clinical benefits of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in patients with rheumatic disease who have anxiety or depression. MBSR, an interactive form of meditation that includes gentle yoga, will be taught by a certified instructor over an eight-week period. Mental health surveys will be conducted within one month of the study start and end as well as mid-course. Clinical assessments will be conducted within one-month of the study start and end.
A randomized controlled trial will be performed to confirm preliminary uncontrolled data indicating that regional adipose tissue grafting is effective in inducing digital ulcer healing in patients with systemic sclerosis. Systemic Sclerosis patients with digital ulcers will be randomized to be blindly treated with adipose tissue implantation or a sham procedure. Adipose tissue grafting will consist of injection at the base of the finger with digital ulcer of 0.5-1 ml of adipose tissue after centrifugation of fat aspirate. Sharm procedure will consist of false liposuction and local injection of saline solution. The primary end-point will be to compare the cumulative prevalence of healed digital ulcers in the two groups within the following 8 weeks.
This is a Phase 3 multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study assessing the efficacy and safety of lenabasum for the treatment of diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (SSc). Approximately 354 subjects will be enrolled in this study at about 60 sites in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The planned duration of treatment with study drug is 52 weeks.
This is a phase IV, single-arm, open-label clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PLACENTEX ® Polydeoxyribonucleotide i.m. in patients with fibrotic and atrophic cutaneous lesions in scleroderma diseases during the inactive stage of the disease (experiencing dystrophic outcomes of the disease with no inflammatory component at the time of enrolment). The patients enrolled will be evaluated at study site at screening (V1), then after 3 months of treatment with PLACENTEX ® Polydeoxyribonucleotide (one vial per day for intra-muscular administration) (V2). After completion of the study treatment period, the patients will be followed for an additional period of 3 months without study medication, after which the patient will visit the site for the last visit (V3). 1 investigational site. 45 patients enrolled (included drop-outs).3 months of treatment with PLACENTEX ® Polydeoxyribonucleotide (one vial per day for intra-muscular administration).