Clinical trials

Occlusive portal vein thrombosis (OPVT) is defined as complete thrombosis of the main portal vein trunk, resulting in total interruption of portal venous inflow and representing the most severe form of portal vein thrombosis. A small proportion of patients may remain asymptomatic for prolonged periods because of sufficient collateral compensation; however, most develop complications of portal hypertension when collateral flow is inadequate, including gastroesophageal variceal bleeding and ascites. Among these, gastroesophageal variceal bleeding is the most life-threatening, and its management is more challenging-with a higher risk of rebleeding-than in patients without portal vein thrombosis. Occlusive portal vein thrombosis (OPVT) is defined as complete thrombosis of the main portal vein trunk, resulting in total interruption of portal venous inflow and representing the most severe form of portal vein thrombosis. A small proportion of patients may remain asymptomatic for prolonged periods because of sufficient collateral compensation; however, most develop complications of portal hypertension when collateral flow is inadequate, including gastroesophageal variceal bleeding and ascites. Among these, gastroesophageal variceal bleeding is the most life-threatening, and its management is more challenging-with a higher risk of rebleeding-than in patients without portal vein thrombosis. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is an effective minimally invasive therapy for portal hypertension-related complications; however, in OPVT, technical feasibility largely depends on successful portal vein recanalization. To improve TIPS success in OPVT, our group-together with domestic and international investigators-has explored several adjunctive access routes and technical modifications, including percutaneous transhepatic or transsplenic portal vein recanalization TIPS (PVR-TIPS); transjugular portal cavernous collateral-caval shunt (TCCS); transjugular mesenteric-caval shunt (TMCS); transjugular spleno-caval shunt (TSCS); and surgically assisted hybrid procedures. Although these strategies have improved technical success rates to some extent, their applicability remains limited. In patients with extensive thrombosis involving intrahepatic portal vein branches, in those without a feasible splenic venous puncture route, or in patients with prior splenectomy, percutaneous transhepatic and transsplenic approaches are often not possible. Moreover, in patients with poor hepatic reserve and/or ascites, laparotomy-assisted hybrid procedures substantially increase invasiveness and perioperative risk. In this context, the present project aims to systematically investigate and evaluate ultrasound-guided percutaneous mesenteric vein (MV) puncture as an adjunctive access strategy for interventional treatment of OPVT. This technique uses ultrasound-guided percutaneous puncture of the MV to establish antegrade portal venous access, thereby facilitating subsequent portal vein recanalization and/or shunt creation.

Pancreatitis is the most common and serious complication following post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and is associated with occasional mortality, extended hospital stays, and increased healthcare expenses. Preprocedural administration of rectal non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was demonstrated to be an effective and convenient strategy for post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). Furthermore, several meta-analyses found that only 100mg indomethacin and diclofenac could effectively reduce PEP. Therefore, updated international clinical practice guidelines uniformly recommended administration of 100mg indomethacin or diclofenac in patients without contradictions. However, it was unclear which one of the two drug is more superior. A recent meta-analysis suggested 100mg rectal diclofenac was more efficacious than same-dose rectal indomethacin in PEP prevention (relative risk (RR) 0·59, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0·40-0·89). Based on the results, we conducted a multicenter, double-blind, control trial to investigate whether 100mg diclofenac is superior than same-dose indomethacin. This trial planned to enroll 3612 patients in total. However, in the first interim analysis, PEP occurred in 53 patients (8.8%) of 600 patients allocated to diclofenac group and 37 patients (6.1%) of 604 patients allocated to indomethacin group (relative risk (RR) 1.44; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96-2.16, p=0.074). Thus, the trial was stopped according to the futility rule of conditional power. However, it was worth noticing that PEP tended to be higher in diclofenac group than that in indomethacin group. A sample size of 1204 was under power to draw the conclusion of significantly lower PEP rate in indomethacin group and thus a new trial with larger sample size of sufficient power is predicted to prove the superiority of indomethacin over diclofenac. Here we conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial to investigate whether 100mg indomethacin is superior to 100mg diclofenac in preventing PEP.

Common gallbladder conditions like gallstones, polyps, and gallbladder inflammation are typically treated by surgically removing the gallbladder. However, surgery may be too risky for elderly patients or those with severe medical conditions, and some patients strongly prefer to keep their gallbladder. Newer, less-invasive endoscopic treatments can drain the gallbladder to treat inflammation without surgery. However, after successful drainage, doctors currently do not know whether it is better to leave a stent inside for long-term drainage or to actively remove the gallbladder stones using an endoscope. This multicenter study will follow patients in a real-world setting to compare these two approaches: the endoscopic treatment group (stone removal after drainage) and the non-endoscopic treatment group (long-term drainage alone). The goal is to evaluate which method is safer and more effective over the long term, helping doctors make better clinical decisions and improve patients' quality of life.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a key therapeutic intervention for complications of portal hypertension. However, the risk of post-procedural hepatic encephalopathy (HE) limits its broader clinical application. In the management of gastroesophageal variceal bleeding, the primary goal of TIPS is to reduce the portosystemic pressure gradient (PPG) to less than 12 mmHg (16 cmH₂O), which defines the standard TIPS procedure. The investigators hypothesize that, in patients undergoing TIPS for the prevention of variceal rebleeding, stent underdilation using a 6-mm balloon (underdilated TIPS) will not increase the risk of rebleeding but may reduce the incidence of overt HE and attenuate liver injury. To test this hypothesis, the investigators have designed a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial.

This study adopted a bidirectional cohort study design. On the one hand, the previous clinical data, treatment exposure and clinical endpoint events of the enrolled patients were retrospectively collected. On the other hand, prospective regular follow-up was conducted from the date of enrollment to continuously observe long-term recurrence, progression and survival outcomes, and analyze the correlation between related factors and prognosis. The primary objective of this study was to describe the efficacy and safety of SIRT-Y90 in combination with atezolizumab and bevacizumab in adult patients with unresectable HCC in China. Medical records from approximately eight sites in China will be used.

This prospective real-world study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of an alternating treatment regimen combining hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) with systemic chemotherapy, with or without adebrelimab and apatinib, in patients with unresectable biliary tract cancer receiving first-line treatment. The study comprises two cohorts: one receiving alternating HAIC and systemic chemotherapy alongside adebrelimab and apatinib, and the other receiving alternating HAIC and systemic chemotherapy alone. Treatment allocation follows real-world clinical decision-making. Patients will be monitored throughout the treatment period to assess tumor response, survival outcomes, and safety profiles. The study aims to generate evidence on the clinical benefits of integrating immunotherapy and targeted therapy into HAIC-based regimens for this patient population.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a crucial minimally invasive technique for the diagnosis and treatment of biliary and pancreatic diseases. However, it remains technically demanding and carries a postoperative adverse event (AE) rate exceeding 10% (e.g., pancreatitis, bleeding, and perforation), which subsequently leads to prolonged length of stay (LOS) and increased healthcare costs. With the rapid acceleration of population aging, the clinical demand for ERCP among the elderly has surged. Although ERCP is generally considered safe for older adults, advanced age also increases the risk of ERCP-related AEs and prolonged LOS. While previous studies investigated the outcomes of ERCP in elderly patients, those studies were predominantly retrospective, accompanied by selection bias. Moreover, insufficient factors were included in those retrospective studies. Importantly, some aging-related parameters, such as frailty, functional reserve, cognitive and psychological status, were not included in previous studies. Therefore, we conducted a prospective, multicenter cohort study aimed at investigating outcomes in elderly patients undergoing ERCP and comprehensive factors (patient-related, procedure-related, and geriatric factors) associated with adverse outcomes.

This study is a single-arm, single-center, open-label, dose-escalation exploratory clinical study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of CD19 CAR-γδ T cells. The subjects enrolled in this study are patients with relapsed/refractory autoimmune nephropathy, including lupus nephritis, IgA nephropathy, and membranous nephropathy. This study adopts a standard "3+3" design to assess the recommended dose (RD) and identify dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs). The treatment process is as follows: subjects who meet the inclusion criteria will receive lymphodepletion conditioning, followed by a single intravenous infusion of CD19 CAR-γδ T cells. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the safety profile of this cellular therapy, including the incidence of DLTs, maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or RD, as well as the incidence and severity of treatment-related adverse events and clinically significant abnormal laboratory test results after CAR-γδ T cell infusion (including the incidence of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS)). The planned follow-up duration of this study is 1 years.

Within 30 minutes before anesthesia, acupoint electrical stimulation at different frequencies were applied at Neiguan, Jian Shi, and Baihui. The changes in blood pressure during the anesthesia induction period were compared between the high-frequency group and the low-frequency group.

This study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, exploratory phase II clinical trial led by Professor Han Gyeong-ho from the Digestive Disease Hospital of Xi'an International Medical Center. The study enrolled 40 patients who had experienced recurrence of hepatic encephalopathy despite treatment with rifaximin and lactulose. These patients were randomly divided 1:1 into the experimental group and the control group. After obtaining informed consent from the patients, fecal microbiota transplantation or placebo control was performed. The fecal microbiota was sourced from the feces of healthy individuals who had a rich composition of the Muribaculaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Bifidobacteriaceae families and did not contain pathogenic bacteria. The safety and efficacy of the treatment were followed up, and blood and fecal samples were collected for sequencing analysis. The aim was to provide new solutions for patients with hepatic encephalopathy who did not respond to the treatment with rifaximin and lactulose after TIPS surgery; and to explore the impact of microbiota changes and translocation on the recurrence of hepatic encephalopathy after TIPS surgery.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the administration of 5 ml/kg of colloid solution prior to anesthesia induction, compared with 5 ml/kg of lactated Ringer's solution, can reduce hemodynamic fluctuations during the induction period (defined as the first 15 minutes after induction) in patients undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

This study will compare the effects of transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation versus no stimulation on intraoperative gastric reflux in patients undergoing general anesthesia with i-gel airway device ventilation.

The management of variceal bleeding in patients with cavernous transformation of portal vein (CTPV) generally adheres to the principles applied to cirrhotic portal hypertension, including pharmacological therapy, endoscopic intervention, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), and surgery. However, the distinct hemodynamic profile caused by portal vein occlusion in CTPV introduces specific therapeutic challenges: 1. Conventional pharmacological and endoscopic treatments often yield suboptimal outcomes. 2. Splenectomy with periesophagogastric devascularization is associated with significant complication rates and elevated perioperative mortality. 3. The feasibility of TIPS depends on sufficient portal venous inflow to ensure stent patency, while also carrying a risk of hepatic encephalopathy. Based on these considerations, the investigators hypothesize that for patients with extensive portal thrombosis and inadequate portal inflow who are ineligible for TIPS, a combination of variceal embolization and partial splenic artery embolization may reduce portal pressure and decrease the risk of esophagogastric variceal bleeding. To evaluate this hypothesis, a retrospective cohort study has been designed.

Pancreatitis is the most common and serious complication following post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and is associated with occasional mortality, extended hospital stays, and increased healthcare expenses. Rectal non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and pancreatic duct stent (PDS) placement were demonstrated to be effective strategyies to reduce PEP incidences, particlularly in high-risk patients for post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). Rectal NSAIDs were easy-to-use and safe, while PDS placement were technically complex and carried higher risks of adverse events. A previous network meta-analysis suggested rectal NSAIDs in combination with PDS placement did not differ from rectal NSAIDs alone in PEP prevention. To invesigate if rectal NSAIDs alone could obivate the need of PDS placement, a recent trial from Elmunzer et al. conducted a randomized trial to investigate if rectal NSAIDs alone was non-inferior to the combination of NSAIDs with PDS in high-risk patients. The trial found that the PEP incidence rate in combination group was significantly lower than that in NSAIDs alone group. However, post-hoc analysis of the study suggested that the combination strategy conferred significant benefits only in high-risk patients with pancreatic duct (PD) wire passage, but not in those with other risk factors. Therefore, we hypothesized that rectal NSAIDs alone may obivate the need of PDS in high-risk patients without PD wire passages. Here, we conducted a multicenter, randomized and non-inferiority trial to investigate whether rectal NSAIDs alone is non-inferior to NSAIDs plus PDS placement in high-risk patients without PD wire passages.

Gastrointestinal tumors (esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer) seriously threaten human health, with a high incidence rate and cancer related hope mortality. Digestive endoscopy is the main method for screening gastrointestinal tumors. Early screening of gastrointestinal tumors can improve the detection of early cancer and improve prognosis. The five-year survival rate of early stage tumors after comprehensive treatment can reach 90%, while the five-year survival rate of late stage tumors is less than 30%. Therefore, the screening of gastrointestinal tumors is very important. Studies have shown that there are similarities in risk factors for gastrointestinal tumors, such as age, gender, family history, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc. Currently, established digestive malignancies are targeted at a single malignant tumor. At present, there is a lack of understanding of the overall risk factors associated with gastrointestinal tumors and the establishment of relevant risk prediction models. Therefore, we conducted a prospective, multicenter cross-sectional study to explore the independent risk factors of combined gastrointestinal tumors and establish a risk prediction model for combined screening of gastrointestinal tumors.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common gastrointestinal disease, which is associated with decreased life quality and increased medical cost. Antipsychotic drugs were demonstrated to be effective in relieving symptoms in FD patients, especially for patients with refractory FD. However, the use of those drugs was associated with obvious adverse events. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has extensive applications and exhibited potential treatment effects in clinical practices, especially for treating anxiety, depression, pain or stress disorders. Several previous RCT studies have confirmed the effects of psychological intervention on improving dyspepsia in FD patients. Our hypothesis was that 8-week smartphone-based CBT would be non-inferior to conventional pharmacotherapy in reducing FD-related symptoms in patients with refactory FD.

The Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome (PJS) is a rare autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by mucocutaneous pigmentations, multiple gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps, and an elevated risk of developing malignancies. Patients with PJS often experience recurrent gastrointestinal polyps that gradually increase in number and size, requiring repeated treatments. As the disease progresses, most patients are forced to undergo multiple surgical or endoscopic treatments. Small bowel polyps develop in 60-90% of patients with PJS, and intussusception occurs in 65% of these patients. Currently, on-demand surgery or scheduled endoscopic polypectomy is the standard of care for the management of small bowel polyps, and among patients who have undergone an initial surgery, reoperation is performed in up to 40% within 5 years. In addition, 8-40% of patients develop small bowel polyp-related complications even with multiple endoscopic treatments. However, surgery and endoscopic treatments are associated with complications, including short bowel syndrome, intestinal adhesions, bowel perforation and bleeding, and health-related quality of life. These problems often lead to decreased patient compliance and even treatment resistance, which increases the risk of disease progression. Because surgical and endoscopic treatment do not completely eliminate the potential for future polyps or extraintestinal neoplasms, there is an unmet medical need for the identification and use of pharmacologic agents to delay endoscopic or surgical interventions. Cyclooxygenase (COX) is overexpressed in hamartomatous polyp tissue from PJS individuals, which may provide an avenue for possible effective chemoprevention of polyp formation and growth in PJS. Celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, has been shown to reduce polyp burden by 54% in PJS model mice. In addition, the study evaluated the treatment effect of celecoxib on six patients with PJS, two of whom experienced a reduction in gastric polyp burden after six months. These findings provide preliminary evidence that celecoxib may delay the progression of PJS as a potential pharmacological prophylaxis. Investigators plan to conduct a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of celecoxib, and they will use a time-to-event analysis with a composite efficacy end point to determine whether celecoxib can delay disease progression or reduce the need for important endoscopic or surgical procedures in patients with PJS.

Dyspepsia is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases. This disease was defined as predominant epigastric pain lasting for at least 1 month, which can be accompanied with other symptoms, such as epigastric fullness, and early satiety. Despite dyspepsia symptoms lasting for ≥1 month represented clinical problem, a longer duration of 6 months or more after first-onset symptom was required for the diagnosis of functional dyspepsia based on ROME IV criteria. It was unclear about the natural procession of first-onset dyspepsia to functional dyspepsia assessed by Rome IV or Asia criteria and possible factors associated with this progression.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ripertamab and its combination with tacrolimus in the initial treatment of MCD to provide a treatment regimen with higher remission rates, lower recurrence rates, and fewer side effects in patients with MCD.

The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of low-dose oral corticosteroids combined with cyclophosphamide therapy and low-dose corticosteroids monotherapy, on a background of maximal RAS inhibitor therapy, for IgA nephropathy with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease.

Recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) was defined as two or more occurrences of acute pancreatitis, which was associated with higher percentages of morbidities and mortalities, lower patients' life quality and increased health-care costs. Current interventions, including cholecystectomy and abstain from drinking were reported to be effective methods for preventing the recurrences of biliary and alcoholic etiologies, respectively. However, there were no effective preventions for other etiologies, such as idiopathic etiologies. Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including indomethacin, diclofenac and aspirin could inhibiting the inflammatory cascade of pancreatitis. In this study, we aimed at exploring the effects of 100mg aspirin on reducing the occurrences of recurrent acute pancreatitis.

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare overall response rate between gemcitabine, nimotuzumab and toripalimab as induction treatment and gemcitabine combined with cisplatine in paitents with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It aims to answer whether gemcitabine, nimotuzumab and toripalimab as induction treatment show non-inferiority compared to GP induction chemotherapy. Participants will be randomly divided into two induction treatment groups.