Clinical trials

The goal of this interventional pilot trial is to evaluate whether a telerehabilitation protocol based on immersive virtual reality (VR) is effective and feasible for the recovery of cognitive and/or motor functions in patients with sequelae of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke or with Parkinson's disease. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the VR-based telerehabilitation protocol improve cognitive and/or motor outcomes compared to conventional rehabilitation? * Is the protocol feasible, defined as ≥80% adherence among participants? Is the system acceptable and user-friendly from the patient's perspective? Researchers will compare an interventional arm receiving telerehabilitation via an immersive VR home kit with a control arm receiving conventional rehabilitation according to standard clinical practice. Both groups will receive the same number of sessions, with the same duration and weekly frequency. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline (T0), after 4 weeks of treatment (T1), and at 3-month follow-up (T2).

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a life-threatening emergency and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Survival depends critically on how quickly help arrives and whether cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation are started early. In recent years, many regions in Europe and Italy, including Emilia-Romagna, have introduced systems that alert nearby volunteers, called First Responders (FRs), through smartphone applications (such as DAE RespondER). These individuals can reach the patient before emergency medical services (EMS) and begin life-saving actions. The FIRSST-RER study aims to evaluate whether the intervention of First Responders improves survival in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Emilia-Romagna. This is a multicentre observational study involving approximately 5,000 adult patients who experienced cardiac arrest between 2018 and 2025 and were treated by the regional emergency system. The study compares two groups of patients: those who received help from at least one First Responder activated via the app those who did not receive First Responder intervention The main objective is to determine whether First Responders increase survival at 30 days after cardiac arrest. Additional objectives include evaluating: survival at 6 months and 1 year neurological outcomes (brain function recovery) Data for this study are collected from existing healthcare and emergency system databases, including EMS dispatch records, national health data systems, and the DAE RespondER platform. For patients who survive, follow-up information may be collected through medical records or telephone contact. Importantly, this study does not involve any experimental treatments or changes in patient care. It is based entirely on data already collected during routine emergency care, and therefore does not pose additional risks to patients. All data are handled securely and in compliance with privacy regulations. Personal identifiers are replaced with coded information (pseudonymisation), and only authorised researchers can access the data. Patients who are alive may be contacted to provide consent and additional follow-up information; participation is voluntary, and consent can be withdrawn at any time. The results of this study will provide important evidence on the effectiveness of citizen responder systems and may help guide future improvements in emergency response organisation, public health strategies, and training programmes. Ultimately, the goal is to increase survival and improve outcomes for people experiencing cardiac arrest in the community.

This non-drug, non-medical device, interventional study explores the feasibility of integrating virtual reality (VR) with wearable sensors to support gait training using a passive orthosis in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim is to determine whether this approach can enhance clinical gait assessment and facilitate orthosis adaptation by replicating real-life scenarios within a safe and controlled environment. The virtual environment, accessed through a head-mounted display, will be delivered via a custom simulator incorporating standardized gait tasks embedded in everyday settings. This system is designed to minimize the artificial influence of clinical settings on walking performance, while providing clinicians with objective gait data for more comprehensive evaluation.

This randomized clinical trial will test whether an internet-based lifestyle intervention administered through a web app can foster Health Related Quality of Life in patients who survived an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and suffer from these symptoms

The goal of this observational study is to learn about renal and hepatic blood flow abnormalities detected by bedside ultrasound in adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) following major trauma. The main questions it aims to answer are: * How reliably can trained operators measure renal Doppler and venous congestion scores (RDRI and VExUS) across different hospitals? * How common are abnormal kidney and liver blood flow patterns in major trauma patients during the first 72 hours of ICU admission? * Are these abnormal patterns associated with acute kidney injury or the need for mechanical ventilation? Participants admitted to ICUs or high-dependency units (HDUs) with major trauma (Injury Severity Score \>15) will undergo non-invasive bedside ultrasound assessments at admission and at 24, 48, and 72 hours. No additional treatments or interventions will be given as part of this study. Kidney function will also be checked at 6 months after hospital discharge.

The PFOCUS Study aims to clarify the relationship between patent foramen ovale (PFO) and migraine with aura (MA). Patients diagnosed with MA according to ICHD-3 criteria will be classified as cases (PFO+) or controls (PFO-) based on the presence or absence of a right-to-left shunt detected by transcranial Doppler or a previously documented PFO. The study will enroll 240 adult participants over 36 months. The primary objective is to determine whether genetic variants differ significantly between patients with MA with and without PFO. Secondary objectives include assessing cerebral blood flow regulation and platelet function in patients with MA with and without PFO. Participants will undergo a single study visit including the collection of demographic and clinical data and a comprehensive neurosonological assessment. This will include microembolic signal counts, cerebrovascular reactivity testing, and a contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler study for shunt detection. Blood samples will be collected for whole-exome sequencing (with a focus on NOTCH3 and an expanded gene panel) and for platelet aggregometry. The study is expected to provide new insights into the biological mechanisms linking PFO and MA-potentially involving endothelial dysfunction, altered vascular smooth muscle responses, or platelet activation-thereby informing prevention strategies and guiding future research.

The goal of this observational study is to investigate the frequency and the possible pathogenic role of neuronal synaptic antibodies (NSAb) in patients with cognitive impairment (CI). The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. the frequency and associated features of NSAb in patients with CI and the usefulness of a clinical score in improving autoimmune dementia (AID) diagnosis; 2. the clinical significance of NSAb in patients with CI not fulfilling the autoimmune encephalitis (AE) criteria and serum NSAb (NSAb-pos-CI); 3. the impact of blood-brain-barrier (BBB) dysfunction on their pathogenicity.

The goal of this interventional trial is to evaluate whether the CB240\_Aurora medical device is effective for targeted temperature management in adult patients with acute ischemic stroke. The main questions it aims to answer are: Is the CB240\_Aurora effective in maintaining normothermia in patients with acute ischemic stroke? Does the medical device improve clinical and radiological outcomes? Is the medical device well tolerated by patients? Researchers will compare an interventional arm, in which the CB240\_Aurora measures and treats body temperature to maintain normothermia, with a control arm, in which the CB240\_Aurora only measures but does not treat body temperature. Participants will wear the medical device for 72 consecutive hours in the Stroke Unit. Outcome assessments will be performed at 72 hours, 7 days, and 3 months.

The research project aims to detect the effect of the Brief Motivational Interview (BMI) on the motivation to change risky behaviors and the adoption of healthy lifestyles by citizens attending Community Health Centers (CdC). The controlled, multicenter, prospective design study involves the enrollment of 304 people, with 152 at the Borgo Reno CdC and 152 at the Navile CdC.

Primary Purpose: To investigate the incidence and risk factors related to the appearance of tracheal phlegmon in patients undergoing percutaneous tracheostomy. Participant Population/Primary Condition: Patients admitted to Intensive Care Main Questions Aims to Answer: 1. \- What are the risk factors associated with the development of tracheal phlegmon percutaneous tracheostomy? 2. \- How does the appearance of tracheal phlegmon impact intensive care stay, hospital stay, mortality, and Health-related quality of life? Participants will be followed up after undergoing tracheostomy for 7 days to identify eventual phlegmons. At the two-year follow-up, the health-related quality of life will be assessed

Up to today, inadequate evidences and knowledge exist about the best prehospital management of hypotensive trauma patients and its clinical consequence on the in-hospital recovery and mortality. Also new emerging therapies such as prehospital blood transfusion and REBOA (resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta) are lacking strong evidences in, eventually, reducing hospital mortality and improving outcomes. Moreover, prehospital emergency medicine is throughout Italy an heterogeneous system that has no unique standard operating procedures and, even among HEMS (helicopter emergency medical service), management and therapies on complex trauma patients may vary upon local policies. With this study we aim to enroll hypotensive trauma patients and study factors of prehospital rescue that can be associated with in-hospital mortality and recovery, eventually even with hospital outcome. For each patients data as demographic, kind of trauma (mechanism, injury scores), therapies and maneuvers will be recorded and then analyzed in comparison with in-hospital data such as need for transfusion, ABG parameters, length of stay (in-ward and ICU), need of therapies like invasive ventilation and renal replacement therapy, recovery and outcome