Clinical trials

Within few years the peritoneal membrane of adult peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients undergoes substantial morphological transformation, including progressive fibrosis, vasculopathy and neoangiogenesis. Ultrafiltration capacity steadily declines and ultimately results in PD failure. In children, peritoneal biopsies demonstrating PD associated alterations have not yet been obtained. They, however, should be particularly informative, since secondary tissue and vascular pathology related to ageing or diabetes is absent. An international, prospective peritoneal membrane biopsy study in children on PD will therefore be performed. Biopsies will be obtained at time of PD catheter insertion, on occasion of intercurrent abdominal surgery (e.g. hernia repair, catheter exchange) and at time of renal transplantation. Quantitative histomorphometry and tissue protein expression analyses will be correlated with time integrated PD treatment modalities and functional characteristics as well as inflammatory and cardiovascular comorbidity surrogate parameter. Blood will be obtained during clinical routine sampling. Biopsies will be obtained during clinically indicated operations, without substantially increasing operation time and associated surgical risks. The detailed histomorphometry of the PD membrane will give additional information, potentially impacting on the individual PD regime. 3/2018: The analyses of the pediatric PD biopsy demonstrated early and major transformation of the peritoneal membrane with neutral pH low GDP fluids, and significant vasculopathy already in children with CKD stage 5, further progressing with PD. The underlying mechanisms are partly understood, only. In view of these major findings and the numerous open questions, collection of biosamples will be continued in children and also in adult PD patients. The following questions will be addressed: Molecular counterparts of peritoneal semi-permeability, solute and water transport (beyond AQP1), pathomechanisms and molecular and functional impact of peritoneal transformation with low and high GDP fluids, and the respective pathomechanisms and molecular and functional impact of vascular disease in CKD and with different PD fluids. The impact of renal transplantation following PD will be assessed in a subgroup of patients with tenckhoff catheter removal several weeks after transplantation and a functioning graft.

The MIR study proved the effect of Rituximab in combination with a localized irradiation given in a standard dose. Together with the TROG 99.03 trial, this led to the recommendation of using this combined approach in early stage nodal follicular lymphoma. The GAZAI study is currently looking for the effect of a low dose radiotherapy of 2x2 Gy in combination with Obinutuzumab. The combination seems to show a high CR rate based on the 50% of the patients. This is in contrast to the FORT trial, which showed an inferiority of the 4 Gy dose compared to the standard dose (24 Gy) in terms of response and progression free survival. The goal of the FORTplus trial is to prove (1) the non-inferiority of LDRT (4Gy) in a combined approach with an anti-CD20-antibody. In case of non-inferiority, a possible (2) superiority of the Obinutuzumab + LDRT should be tested against Rituximab + standard dose using the same test set. The radiation dose can significantly be reduced to 16% of the standard dose if (1) is confirmed. Knowing the data of the FORT trial, this would have a significant influence on the treatment of the disease worldwide even if the difference in the CR rate at week 18 is not as high as currently in the historical comparison expected.

COLOSARC-Q is a multicenter study with the objective of providing an up-to-date assessment of colorectal resections and reconstruction techniques in the context of multivisceral resections for retroperitoneal sarcomas, as well as colorectal surgery-associated complications and their impact on patients' quality of life. In multivisceral resections involving the colon and rectum, the primary aim is to achieve complete resection and preserve organ function. However, multivisceral resections have a high risk of perioperative morbidity including anastomotic leakage. The proposed project aims to determine the number of primary anastomoses, their insufficiency rates, and the fraction of patients with primary and secondary stomas. In addition, the patients' quality of life after multivisceral sarcoma resection is to be recorded using standardized surveys. The analysis has the potential to facilitate intraoperative decision-making for colorectal resections in the context of multivisceral resections.

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy of a 12-week digital home-based intervention program, consisting of a tablet-based exercise program with or without personal coaching, to promote physical activity (PA) in older adults after total hip arthroplasty (THA). The main question it aims to answer is: • Does the combination of the digital exercise program and personal coaching lead to higher PA six months after THA compared to usual care among older adults? Secondary questions are: * Does the digital exercise program alone lead to higher PA compared to usual care? * Does the digital exercise program combined with personal coaching lead to higher PA compared to the exercise program alone? Participants' PA will be objectively measured with a body-fixed sensor at 1 week before THA (T1), 6 weeks after THA (T2), and 6 months (i.e. after THA (T3). After the postoperative assessment at T2, participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: * 12-week tablet-based exercise program at home with virtual personal coaching for physical activity promotion * 12-week tablet-based exercise program at home * Usual care (control group, no additional intervention)

Preeclampsia is a hypertensive pregnancy disorder that can quickly lead to serious, potentially life-threatening outcomes for both the mother and the fetus. Typical features of preeclampsia are by endothelial and microvascular dysfunctionsNotably, such impairments in endothelial function may precede preeclampsia diagnosis and canpersist for years postpartum. In clinical practice, however, no predictive methods have yet been established that specifically reflect endothelial dysfunction in the context of preeclampsia. Hyperspectral imaging represents a new and non-invasive imaging modality that allows contact-free visualization of peripheral microcirculatory dynamics and tissue perfusion. Despite its growing use in other medical fields, this technology has not yet been systematically studied to determine its predictive potential in preeclampsia. The HIPPA project (Systematic Evaluation of Hyperspectral Analysis for Prediction of Preeclampsia) is a prospective observational study to evaluate the applicability of hyperspectral imaging as a new tool for prediction of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific hypertensive disorder and can progress rapidly to severe adverse outcomes affecting both the mother and the fetus. Endothelial and microcirculatory dysfunction mediate systemic preeclampsia-related organ dysfunctions. Changes in endothelial and vascular function in preeclampsia have been demonstrated through reduced flow-mediated vasodilation as a result of reduced availability of nitric oxide, which potentially persists up to several years postpartum. Hyperspectral imaging is a new innovative technology that allows to assess the peripheral microcirculation and perfusion non-invasively and contactless, but has never been evaluated in the context of preeclampsia before. This EPICS project (Endothelial dysfunction for Prognosis In patients with preeClampSia) is a prospective observational study and aims to investigate hyperspectral imaging as a new potential diagnostic and prognostic marker in preeclampsia.

This two-armed randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effectiveness of an emotion regulation intervention in individuals with and without depressive disorders. The study encompasses participants diagnosed with mild to moderate major depression or persistent depressive disorder and healthy controls without a current depressive disorder. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group, receiving a valence-specific emotion regulation intervention in daily life, or a monitoring-only control group. The valence-specific intervention supports the implementation of different emotion regulation strategies based on whether a person is experiencing mainly positive or negative emotions. In contrast, participants in the control group will solely monitor their positive and negative emotions and the strategies used to regulate them. Outcome measures include emotion regulation ability, self-efficacy, and strategy use, depressive symptoms, positive and negative affect, and emotion beliefs (controllability, usefulness). A second aim of the study is to compare beliefs about positive emotions and strategies to regulate them between individuals with and without current depressive disorders. Furthermore, the investigators aim to examine why individuals might choose unfavorable emotion regulation strategies even when feeling good. Therefore, another research question is, how emotion beliefs might explain emotion regulation strategy choice.

OBJECTIVES Primary: To evaluate efficacy of treatment with anakinra in subjects with CF who are ≥ 12 years of age by means of lung clearance index (LCI). Secondary To evaluate safety and tolerability of treatment with anakinra as well as to investigate further effects of anakinra on lung function and quality of life (QOL) in subjects with CF.

The study aims to assess the effects of cardiovascular (aerobic) training on memory formation and cognitive function in people with Parkinson's disease. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two groups either performing cardiovascular training (experimental group) or stretching (control group) for twelve weeks, three times a week. The primary aim is to examine whether moderate-intense cardiovascular training (MICT) improves procedural memory formation (primary outcome) compared to stretching. Secondary outcomes include episodic memory formation, cognitive function, cardiorespiratory fitness, sleep quality, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) blood concentration levels.

Background: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a serious mental disorder. Mentalization-based treatment (MBT) is one evidence-based treatment for individuals with BPD. Specifically, MBT has been highlighted for its effectiveness in reduction of suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Yet, randomized-controlled trials (RCT) on MBT in outpatient settings compared with bona fide treatment (BFT) are still scarce and none has been conducted in Germany. The primary objective of this RCT is to investigate whether outpatient MBT is more effective in the reduction of crisis events (incidences of NSSI and suicide attempts) compared with BFT (namely psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy) in Germany. Secondary, MBT's efficacy will be investigated with regard to cost-effectiveness, general and interpersonal functioning, BPD and general symptom severity, social adjustment, quality of life, reduction in psychotropic medication and therapy retention. Additionally, moderator as well as common and treatment specific mediator variables will be investigated. Study Design/ Study Population/ Methods: Across 5 study sites in Germany, 304 individuals of all genders from age 18 to 65 with a BPD diagnosis and NSSI or suicide attempts in the past will be asked to participate in the study for two years. In the first year, patients will receive either MBT or BFT (psychodynamic or cognitive behavioural psychotherapy) and will take part in continuous scientific assessments. Scientific assessments will continue after therapy completion up to a 12-moth follow up. As primary outcome, crisis events will be assessed via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) four times a week once per month during the first year and once every three months in the second year. Number of crisis events up to 2 years post randomization will be compared between treatment arms using a log-linear regression model following an intention-to-treat approach. Secondary outcomes, such as borderline and general symptom severity, will be assessed at several timepoints. A within-trial cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) will be conducted with a societal perspective. Clinical Trial Rationale: This study investigates efficacy of MBT as BPD specific treatment in an outpatient setting compared with BFT in Germany. Results of this study can address a treatment gap in the German healthcare system, and inform about health economic aspects of BPD treatment as well as mechanisms of psychotherapeutic change.

Adenoid cystic tumors are rare tumors of the head and neck region. Despite their slow growth, re-irradiation is often necessary due to the high metastatic risk. Patients are usually irradiated with photons or, as here at the Heidelberg University Hospital, with a combination of carbon ions and photons. So far, there is no data from Europe available for the sole irradiation with carbon ions. The present ACCO (Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma and Carbon ion Only irradiation) study, a prospective, open-label, phase II, single-arm, investigator-initiated study, will therefore investigate the sole radiotherapy of carbon ions in this tumor entity. Irradiation is applied - significantly shorter than the combination therapy - in about 4 weeks (22 fractions); patients are followed up for further 5 years after the start of therapy. Carbon ions alone are expected to increase local tumor control rates from 60% to 70% after 5 years (primary objective criterion of this study). In order to reject the null hypothesis with a power of 80% and a significance level of 5%, 175 patients are included (including a drop-out rate of 15%). Secondary objective criteria are progression-free survival, overall survival, acute and late toxicity, and quality of life.

The purpose of this study is to further characterize early CF lung disease in newborns, infants and toddlers with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Exercise interventions alone or as a component of a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program for patients with heart failure (HFrEF and HFpEF) have already shown to reduce the risk of hospitalisations due to HF and improved exercise capacity and health-related quality of life. Two meta-analyses have confirmed the beneficial effects in cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life. The effects of exercise training on systolic and diastolic function remain inconclusive. Due to the positive results of exercise training in HFpEF, cardiac rehabilitation is recommended (Class I, level A) to be integrated into the overall provision of HF care. However, none of these studies focused on concomitant PH in HFpEF. Exercise training in patients with pulmonary hypertension has already shown to improve exercise capacity, quality of life and peak oxygen consumption, which was confirmed by three meta-analyses and a Cochrane review. Though different diagnostic subgroups have already been enrolled in PH exercise training studies, they mainly included pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Data on combined PH and HFpEF is still lacking. As recently pointed out by Arena et al. there may thus be an exercise training volume/intensity which may be detrimental to the RV in patients with HF and concomitant PH. This study is sought to investigate whether a specialized training program is safe and tolerable and may improve exercise capacity, quality of life, hemodynamics, diastolic dysfunction and biomarkers in patients with PH and HFpEF.

The prospective observational study entitled "Heidelberg Study on Diabetes and Complications" is designed to Monitor the presence and development of diabetic complications in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients, as well as pre-diabetics. Mail Goal is to detect new metabolic mechanisms or new risk factors for the development of diabetic complications in order to identify risk-subgroups. Non-diabetic controls will be enrolled for reference and comparison.