Clinical trials

Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction (POCD) is a common complication after surgery, particularly among older adults. It is characterized by cognitive impairment, reduced functional independence, and decreased quality of life. Growing evidence suggests that neuroinflammation plays a relevant role in POCD development and persistence. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endogenous lipid mediator involved in the regulation of neuroinflammatory processes through the modulation of non-neuronal cells, while luteolin is a flavonoid with well-known antioxidant properties. Under conditions of prolonged neuroinflammation, endogenous PEA levels may be insufficient to adequately counteract pro-inflammatory signaling, making exogenous administration necessary. In this context, exogenous micronized and ultramicronized PEA (mPEA and umPEA) supplementation has been shown to modulate cognitive and executive functions, working memory, language, and activities of daily living. Moreover, the combination of umPEA and luteolin (PEALut) may produce synergistic effects by modulating neuroinflammation and supporting neuronal function. This study aims to evaluate whether postoperative administration of co-ultramicronized PEA and luteolin (700 mg + 70 mg in 10 mL), added to standard of care, may contribute to the mitigation of POCD in older adults undergoing elective cardiac surgery, compared to standard care alone.

This interventional study aims to assess the clinical efficacy of transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) against sham stimulation on the recovery of consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness. The main question it aims to answer is: will taVNS improve patients' behavioral scores or will it produce an improvement in the diagnosed level of consciousness? Researchers will compare the results with non-stimulated unconscious patients to see if the re-gain of consciousness is faster in the treated group. Participants will undergo taVNS stimulation using the Parasym device or sham stimulation will be applied from the time of enrolment. Active stimulations will be carried out for 60 minutes twice daily during the acute phase and daily during the rehabilitation phase.

Recent studies state that patients affected by aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) today survive longer because they are treated early. Unfortunately, patients often develop chronic disabling neurological deficits at a rate that is still unacceptable given the progress in the specific treatment of this pathology and the volume of systems of neurological monitoring available to date in Italy. The main cause of unfavorable neurological outcome is delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), often resulting from symptomatic vasospasm defined as delayed neurological ischemic deficit (DIND). The incidence of DIND is not defined and is difficult to diagnose early as there is no gold standard for identifying it, nor guidelines regarding the most effective treatment. Given these gaps, the primary objective of this study is to describe the incidence of DIND in patients affected by aSAH, collecting information regarding the diagnostic imaging (neurological symptom on clinical examination or alteration on instrumental monitoring). Secondary objectives will be to evaluate the different therapeutic strategies adopted in the different participating centers and compare these strategies to mortality and short- and long-term functional neurological outcome. Furthermore, as there are no data in the literature, the Investigators want to describe the indications, usefulness and intensity of treatment in the aSAH patient in case of monitoring of parenchymal intracranial pressure.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an alteration of brain function caused by an external force. Long-term mortality in TBI is substantial, TBI survivors can develop chronic progressive disabilities and have a life expectancy shortened by 6 years. Treatment consists in supportive therapy directed at prevention of second insults, but no neuroprotective therapy is available. Given the multifaceted nature of TBI, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are an ideal candidate: they release multiple soluble factors shown to ameliorate the injury microenvironment through immunomodulatory, protective, reparative and regenerative processes. Preclinical data across a range of different TBI models and injury severities show that human MSCs improve outcome through pleiotropic mechanisms of protection and repair. Thus, data indicate MSCs as strong therapeutic candidate and support a clinical study in TBI. Aim: the study is designed to assess the safety and the efficacy of the MSCs, intravenously administered in severe TBI patients within 48h from injury. The study will be conducted in a stepwise manner. Step 1 will enroll 36 patients (randomized 1:1:1 in arms 80 x 10\^6 MSCs vs 160 x 10\^6 MSCs vs placebo) to define safety, and will allow to select the most promising dose. Step 2 will enroll 30 patients (1:1 in arms MSCs selected dose vs placebo) to define the MSC activity based on the quantification of the plasmatic levels of the neurofilament light (NFL) at 14 days, as biomarker of neuronal damage. Secondary objectives are aimed to assess: 1. brain injury evolution and white matter damage by longitudinal neuroimaging (at 4 days and 14 days post-TBI and at 6 months) 2. brain immunomodulatory changes by temporal profiling of circulating biomarkers of brain damage and neuroinflammation (daily for 3 days after TBI, at day 7 and 14, and at 1, 6 and 12 months) 3. clinical outcome by a structured clinical and neuropsychological assessment at both 6 and 12 months Methods: a multicenter, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, adaptive phase II dose finding study. Duration of the study: 36 months (24 of enrolment and 12 of follow up). Funding: Fondazione Regionale per la ricerca Biomedica, FRRB (Call "Unmet medical needs", proposal number 3440227) and Italian Ministry of health (Ministero della Salute, Bando di Ricerca Finalizzata 2021; proposal number RF-2021-12372642).