Clinical trials

This study examines how well computed tomography (CT) imaging performed during spine surgery - known as intraoperative CT - can detect instability in the lower (lumbar) part of the spine. Spinal instability means that the bones of the spine move more than they normally should, which can contribute to pain and may affect the outcome of surgery. Before surgery, doctors usually check for this instability using X-rays taken while the patient bends forward and backward. These X-rays do not always show instability clearly. During surgery, the patient lies face down and the muscles are fully relaxed, which can change how the spine appears on imaging. The purpose of this study is to learn whether CT images taken during surgery can identify signs of lumbar spinal instability as reliably as standard imaging performed before surgery, and whether they can reveal signs of instability that were not visible beforehand. To do this, the researchers will review imaging and clinical information from adults who are undergoing surgery for degenerative (wear-related) conditions of the lower spine. This study does not change a patient's surgery or treatment. It only analyzes imaging and clinical information that are already part of standard care. The findings may help guide imaging and surgical decisions in lumbar spine surgery in the future.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing chemotherapy often experience anemia, oxidative stress, and immune suppression, significantly impacting their quality of life and treatment outcomes. Normobaric oxygen (NBO) therapy, which delivers oxygen at atmospheric pressure with elevated oxygen concentration, has shown a potential to enhance erythropoiesis, reduce oxidative stress, and modulate immune function. However, its efficacy in CRC patients remains underexplored. This study aims to evaluate the effects of NBO exposures on (1) supporting erythropoiesis by measuring erythropoietin (EPO) levels and hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF-1α), (2) reducing oxidative stress and improving stress and emotional well-being, and (3) modulating immune function by assessing cytokine profiles. Secondary objectives include assessing the impact of NBO on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) such as stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 254 CRC patients undergoing chemotherapy will be randomized 1:1 to receive either active NBO therapy (n=127) or placebo NBO therapy (n=127). The intervention consists of 10 NBO sessions over five weeks. Primary outcomes include biomarkers of erythropoiesis, oxidative stress, and immune response. Secondary outcomes assess quality of life and psychological well-being. Data will be collected at baseline, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and during two follow-up visits (3- and 6-months post-intervention). The study hypothesizes that NBO therapy will improve erythropoiesis, reduce oxidative stress, and enhance immune function in CRC patients, leading to improved quality of life and clinical outcomes. Findings from this trial may establish NBO as a novel supportive therapy for CRC patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of dapagliflozin on the incidence of cancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction in patients with breast cancer receiving anthracycline treatment.

The study aims to improve the safety of the electroporation ablation (PFA) procedure by using muscle relaxants to reduce skeletal muscle damage during the procedure. It will also assess myocardial damage to improve the procedure's quality and speed up recovery after the procedure.

Our study consists of a combination of regional blockade ('local' anesthesia) of the anterior and lateral chest wall in the form of a thin needle prick and the supply of local anesthetic drugs to the area of the relevant chest wall structures to exclude all stimuli, including pain from the operative site. A short-acting analgesic and sedative drug will be administered intravenously throughout the procedure - in a dose that allows the required contact between the patient and the anesthetist. If necessary, the dose of the drug may be increased to maintain pain comfort throughout the procedure. The anesthetic team will be with the patient throughout the procedure to ensure comfort and safety.

About 20% of stroke causes are atherosclerotic strokes caused by carotid artery stenosis. In 2005, 92% of carotid artery interventions in the USA were performed in asymptomatic patients. It should be noted that screening in the general population for carotid artery disease is unwarranted, due to uncertain eligibility criteria for interventional treatment of asymptomatic patients. On the other hand, 10-15% of all patients with a first-ever stroke will experience an ischemic stroke as a result of previously untreated, asymptomatic, significant carotid artery stenosis. Carotid artery angioplasty with stent placement (CAS) has become the second method of revascularization. ed, however, there is a great deal of ambiguity in the application of these criteria, which stems from the ratio of the risk to the possible benefit to the patient of performing the procedure, as well as the cost-effectiveness for health care systems. OBJECTIVES The overall goal is (following the model of measuring fractional flow reserve - FFR) to try to establish a new parameter that could prove helpful in qualifying patients for percutaneous internal carotid artery angioplasty with stent implantation (CAS). Determining whether measuring the pressure gradient across the stenosis will determine which patients will benefit from the CAS procedure. In the absence of convincing evidence on the effects of CAS, especially for so-called asymptomatic patients, it is advisable to establish a parameter that would complement the eligibility criteria that, on the one hand, could prevent strokes in the population of patients with silent internal carotid artery stenosis and, on the other hand, avoid performing the procedure in the absence of benefit. PRIMARY ENDPOINTS: 1. Assessment of cerebral perfusion by magnetic resonanse before and after CAS 2. Assessment of cognitive symptoms using before and after CAS 3. Assessment of neurological symptoms before and after CAS 4. Assessment of otolaryngological symptoms before and after CAS SECONDARY ENDPOINTS: Creation of a non-invasive computed tomography protocol with pressure gradient assessment in patients with carotid artery stenosis. A final version of the algorithm based on a new diagnostic measurement (concentration gradient) ready to be used in the diagnosis of CAS-eligible patients with an implemented function for automatic classification of measurement results that will indicate the group of patients who will benefit from the CAS procedure.

Background Sinus node dysfunction (SND) and atrioventricular block (AVB) are significant diagnostic and therapeutic problems. The primary method of their treatment is cardiac pacemaker implantation (PM). Although PM remains the main therapeutic approach for most patients with SND/AVB, long-term PM therapy can be associated with various limitations, complications, and the need for device and electrode replacement. There is increasing evidence for the effectiveness of an alternative approach to functional bradycardia associated with excessive vagal activation - cardioneuroablation (CNA). The method leads to the alleviation or complete resolution of bradycardia symptoms, as well as reflex syncope, providing an opportunity to discontinue PM therapy. Primary aims 1.Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of CNA as a therapy allowing for discontinuation of PM therapy in patients with SND or AVB. Secondary aims 1. Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of CNA as a therapy allowing for the optimization of PM therapy in patients with SND and AVB. 2. Development of a diagnostic algorithm allowing for the identification of patients with SND and/or AVB suitable for CNA and discontinuation of PM and TLE therapy. 3. In addition, blood samples will be collected for future analysis and biobanking. Methodology Inclusion criteria 1. Patients up to 50 years old who underwent pacemaker implantation due to sinus node and/or atrioventricular node dysfunction 2. Positive response to atropine test 3. Age between 18-65 years 4. Signed informed consent to participate in the study Exclusion criteria 1. Own heart rate \<30/min 2. Fainting after pacemaker therapy initiation 3. Persistent and sustained atrial fibrillation 4. History of myocarditis 5. History of myocardial infarction 6. History of cardiac surgery 7. History of ablation procedures 8. Congenital heart defects 9. Congenital atrioventricular block 10. Neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases 11. Indications for expanding the pacemaker system to ICD/CRT-D 12. Pregnancy 13. Renal insufficiency with GFR \<30 ml/min/1.73m2 14. Age below 18 and above 65 years 15. HAS-BLED score \>/= 3 points Randomization, study scheme Qualified patients will be randomly assigned (1:1:1) to group 1 undergoing first-stage invasive electrophysiology study (EPS), extracardiac vagus nerve stimulation (ECVS) and CNA with continued PM therapy and implantable loop recorder (ILR) implantation, to group 2 undergoing first-stage EPS and ECVS with continued PM therapy, ILR implantation, and no CNA, and to group 3 where patients will undergo observation only for the entire study. The follow-up time will be 18 months. Groups 1 and 2 will be blinded. Two months after the first invasive procedure, the secondary endpoint-stimulation rate in all groups will be assessed. In addition, a non-invasive evaluation of the efficacy of CNA and the incidence of syncope (MAS) and collapse (paraMAS) will take place in group 1, as well as an evaluation of the pacing percentage. After another month during the second hospitalization, the following will be performed: EPS and ECVS, and repeat CNA if ECVS does not show full parasympathetic cardiac denervation. In group 2, after 2 months, non-invasive tests will also be performed to assess and presence of MAS, paraMAS symptoms, and to assess pacing rates. After another month, during the second hospitalization, the following will be performed: EPS, ECVS and CNA. Group 1 and 2 patients will have their pacemaker set to VVI/AAI 30/min. Group 3 patients will then be evaluated for pacing rates and MAS, paraMAS symptoms. At the third visit, one month after the second invasive procedure in group 1 and 2 patients, the pacing percentage will be assessed. Patients with zero pacing percentage PM will be put on ODO/OVO/OAO-pacing off mode. Patients with a pacing percentage greater than zero PM will be set to their optimal mode. A pacing percentage of \<0.1% will be treated as 0%, which will be confirmed in the ILR control. For the next 12 months, patients will be observed. During this period, at the next 4 visits repeated every 3 months, groups 1 and 2 will undergo a non-invasive assessment of CNA efficacy and bradycardia symptoms, while group 3 will be evaluated for MAS, paraMAS and pacing percentage assessment. At the 7th visit, the qualification of patients in groups 1 and 2 for discontinuation of continued pacing treatment will take place, with possible qualification for TLE. Justification Early and late results of a new strategy which is CNA, indicate the possibility of developing an new approach that allows patients with functional bradycardia to decide whether to discontinue or optimize PM therapy. However, standardized approaches based on noninvasive and invasive techniques have not yet been validated and evaluated in a prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial with long-term remote follow-up, including ILR.