Clinical trials

Cell therapy (CT), including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and advanced CAR T-cell therapies, is used for the treatment of oncohematological and other diseases. HSCT is associated with treatment-related toxicities, including fatigue, muscle weakness, and reduced functional capacity due to intensive conditioning chemotherapy, immunosuppressive treatments, corticosteroids, and complications such as infections or graft-versus-host disease. Emotional symptoms, including anxiety, depression, fear, and frustration, also affect patients' recovery and ability to regain functional independence. Evidence indicates that exercise interventions improve emotional well-being, fatigue, quality of life, physical function, cardiovascular fitness, and muscle mass in patients with hematological malignancies and HSCT recipients. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an innovative tool in rehabilitation, supporting patient motivation, exercise guidance, and monitoring. Immersive virtual reality (IVR), through head-mounted displays and multisensory environments, enhances the sense of presence and engagement. Studies suggest that IVR-based exercise programs are feasible, improving functional abilities, quality of life, satisfaction, and adherence. Since 2017, a Therapeutic Exercise program for patients admitted for HSCT has been implemented at Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital (Vigo) through collaboration between the Physiotherapy Unit and the Hematology Department. Before admission, patients undergo a physical assessment, receive an individualized exercise plan, education, and a therapeutic exercise guide. Based on clinical experience, the team hypothesizes that integrating IVR into therapeutic exercise may improve motivation, adherence, and emotional well-being during hospitalization.

Adequate postoperative pain management, along with mobilization and early oral nutrition, is the foundation for optimal recovery after surgery. Unidimensional pain scales (Numerical Verbal Rating Scale - NRS, Visual Analogue Scale - VAS, Categorical Scale - CRS, Facial Pain Scale - FPS) do not adequately reflect a patient's actual analgesic needs. Basing analgesic treatment on the classic algorithm of administering opioids if pain is greater than 4 on the NRS, without considering functional impairment, has been shown to be a cause of overtreatment in surgical wards. The Functional Activity Score (FAS) is the simplest scale, designed for bedside application and geared toward therapeutic decision-making. R: Able to perform any activity; B: Pain prevents some activity; C: Unable to perform any activity. Given the need to standardize functional limitation when measuring postoperative pain, we propose the Pain and Functional Activity Scale (PFAS), which combines the NVA (Non-Visual Analogue Scale) with the Functional Activity Scale. Specifically, pain on movement would be recorded using the NVA in motion (NVAm), along with functional limitation (A, B, or C). The rescue analgesia treatment algorithm adapted to the PFAS would involve treating patients with pain greater than 4 on the NVA whenever it represents a severe limitation of their functional activity (C). In this study, we aim to evaluate whether there are significant differences in the proportion of patients who meet the criteria for needing rescue analgesia according to the NVA compared to the proportion of patients who meet the criteria for needing rescue analgesia established by the PFAS, during the 2-day postoperative period. To this end, an experimental, longitudinal, prospective, randomized, single-blind study for the data analyzer will be carried out, where a group that will receive rescue analgesia if VNS\>4 and another if VNSm\>4 + FAS C will be compared in the first two days of postoperative surgical patients of the surgeries selected in the EOXI of Vigo.

Heart rate variability (HRV) provides a non-invasive assessment of autonomic control of the nervous system over the heart. During pregnancy, the cardiovascular system adapts significantly, affecting HRV and hemodynamics. Studying the relationship between HRV and hemodynamic changes is critical to understanding and monitoring cardiovascular health during pregnancy and postpartum, and predicting potential complications.

Computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) for colonoscopy aims to enhance optical diagnosis but often underperforms when used alongside humans due to under-reliance on AI. Psychological interventions like cognitive forcing, such as delaying CADx suggestions, may improve human-AI interaction by fostering critical assessment. However, their impact on patient-important outcomes remains unexplored. The investigators will conduct an ex-vivo randomized study with 70 endoscopists assessing 100 polyp videos (≤5 mm) using a CADx tool (GI Genius, Medtronic). Participants will be randomized to either: * Intervention group: CADx suggestions will be shown in the last 3 seconds of the 15 second polyp video. * Control group: CADx suggestions will be shown in real-time throughout the playback of the 15 second polyp video. The primary endpoint is sensitivity for high-confidence neoplasia detection, with secondary endpoints assessing endoscopists' reliance on AI. CADx systems on the market function in various ways, such as real-time, delayed, or on-demand diagnosis. Our study aims to inform users and manufacturers whether cognitive forcing through delayed CADx suggestions enhances human-AI interaction, leading to improved clinical outcomes.

The goal of this clinical trial is to see the impact of a physical exercise programme and respiratory physiotherapy before and after bariatric surgery in obese patients. The main questions it aims to answer are: Could it help to avoid decompensation of underlying diseases? Could it reduce the risks associated with the intervention and the number of adverse effects during the postoperative period? Could it reduce the number of patients and encourage early discharge? How does exercise affect epigenetics in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery? Can we correlate epigenectic markers obtained from tissue obtained by invasive procedures such as fat or muscle to those obtained by non-invasive methods such as blood and saliva samples? How does exercise affect the hepatic tissue in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery? And are the any predictive markers in pre-exercise samples that can correlate with the evolution of liver diseases such asl NALFD or NASH? Researchers will compare one group of subjects performing the exercise programme and respiratory physiotherapy and anoher group performing the normal activities of routine clinical practice. Participants, who are on the surgical waiting list for bariatric surgery, will be assigned to one of the two groups. Participants in group 2 will follow the normal procedure before and after surgery. Participants in group 1 will be asked to do a exercise programme and respiratory physiotherapy before and after surgery.

Drug use, substance-related disorders (SUD), other addictive behaviors, or, from a broader perspective, dual pathology, are problems of enormous socio-health impact that still require a great research effort to improve diagnostic and therapeutic procedures employed in healthcare practice. Since addictive behaviors have been consistently associated with the presence of alterations in cognitive and executive functions, it is necessary to be able to detect, evaluate, and have specific therapies for these dysfunctions and investigate, among other issues, the role they play in the onset and course of evolution. After implementing neuropsychological evaluation techniques for diagnostic improvement, the search addresses procedures that allow working on cognitive and executive deficits as a specific therapeutic target. In a previous project, the investigators studied the presence of social cognition (SC) dysfunctions in a clinical sample of patients treated in drug addiction care facilities. The investigators evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of the ET® program in those who presented difficulties in SC and analyzed molecular patterns in saliva that could be associated with SC dysfunctions and predict therapeutic response. The ET® program is an online self-training program for SC rehabilitation that includes modules for emotion recognition (ER), Theory of Mind (ToM), and attributional style (AS). To replicate the RCT carried out in patients with SUD in patients with dual pathology with difficulties in ER or ToM, in addition to including a gender perspective, tele-neuropsychology, and searching for a biomarker or a pattern of them that predicts the patient profile that will benefit from the training, using advanced LC-ESI proteomics techniques. It is also intended to subsequently improve the instrument (ET®) through the implementation of a gender perspective and big data analysis and machine learning, and the introduction of automated user management. From the perspective of the STATE PLAN FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL RESEARCH AND INNOVATION, the project combines clinical and translational research, based on evidence of scientific and technological knowledge, and the use of e-health enabling technologies in the area of Health Services. Health for people with dual pathology, with special attention to the gender perspective.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs have been implemented to reduce the burden of the disease. When an advanced colonic lesions is detected, it is recommended to perform endoscopic surveillance with different intervals between explorations. Although the reduction in CRC incidence, endoscopic surveillance is producing a considerable increase in the number of colonoscopies. However, participation in CRC screening programs based on the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) could be a non inferior alternative to endoscopic surveillance. Based on this hypothesis, the research group have designed a randomized clinical trial within the population CRC screening programs to compare FIT surveillance to endoscopic surveillance in patients with advanced lesions resected.