Clinical Research Directory

Belgian Lung Function Study

Currently, it remains unclear how to manage serial lung function measurements in a clinical setting. The investigators aimed to tackle this problem by developing a machine learning (ML) model that can accurately predict population and individual lung function trajectories. These predictions would enable the investigators to identify positive or negative deviations, thereby revealing unexpected disease patterns. A prospective validation is needed that includes data on mortality, hospitalisations, emergency-room visits and patient-reported outcomes. Within this study, the goal is to validate the ML model with the data collected from this observational study.

Chinese Population Health and Multimorbidity Study

The Chinese Population Health and Multimorbidity Study (CPHMS; initially named China Pulmonary Health Study, CPHS) was a large-scale epidemiological survey designed to investigate the pulmonary health of Chinese adults aged 20 years or older leveraging a multistage stratified sampling scheme between 2011 and 2014 in mainland China. Briefly, a total number of 57,779 local residents were recruited from 10 representative provinces and municipalities and were invited to participate in the study. A final number of 50,991 adults who met the major inclusion criteria could be considered in further analyses. In order to investigate the changes of pulmonary health and disease status (e.g. occurrence and development of chronic respiratory diseases and other important relevant multimorbidities, lung function indices, etc.) and corresponding impact factors in the CPHMS study population, we plan to initiate the first round of follow-up investigation between 2025 and 2027 (planned) , i.e. more than 10 years after the baseline survey.

Interest of Cryotherapy in Reducing Pain During Radial Arterial Blood Sampling

Arterial puncture for blood gas analysis is a diagnostic procedure used to assess arterial blood gases and monitor a patient's oxygenation status. It is widely regarded by nursing staff as one of the most painful routine procedures. Despite this, the use of local anesthesia prior to arterial puncture remains uncommon in clinical practice. Several types of anesthetic agents and administration techniques have been evaluated, with mixed results regarding their effectiveness in reducing patient-reported pain. Studies comparing subcutaneous lidocaine injection or ethyl chloride spray to no analgesic intervention have shown that ethyl chloride does not significantly reduce pain. Moreover, the discomfort caused by lidocaine injection appears to be comparable to that of the arterial puncture itself, suggesting limited overall benefit from this approach. Other investigations have similarly reported a lack of significant pain reduction with ethyl chloride spray, although some contradictory findings exist. Ultrasound-guided arterial puncture has been shown to improve success rates and shorten procedure duration; however, it does not appear to influence pain perception. The impact of needle size on pain intensity has also been explored, with conflicting results. Some studies found no significant difference in pain when using different gauge needles, while others reported reduced pain with the use of finer needles, such as insulin needles, compared to standard arterial puncture needles. Topical anesthetic creams combining lidocaine and prilocaine have been assessed in randomized, double-blind trials. These studies found no significant difference between anesthetic and placebo groups in terms of pain intensity or the proportion of painful procedures. More recently, cryotherapy has been investigated as a non-pharmacological method to reduce pain prior to arterial puncture. Several randomized controlled trials using varying cryotherapy protocols have generally reported a significant reduction in pain compared to control groups, with longer application times appearing to enhance effectiveness. However, these findings must be interpreted with caution due to methodological limitations. In some studies, sample size calculations were not justified, randomization procedures were poorly described, and reported pain levels were unusually high compared to those typically observed in European populations, raising concerns about external validity. In certain cases, although pain reduction was statistically significant, it did not reach the minimal clinically important difference, limiting its clinical relevance. Conversely, other trials reported very low pain scores following cryotherapy, suggesting a substantial clinical benefit. The short application time required for cryotherapy also makes it far more practical than topical anesthetic creams, which require prolonged application. This practicality supports its use in both emergency and outpatient settings. Some authors have noted that blinding is challenging when using cryotherapy and have suggested incorporating placebo interventions in future studies to improve methodological rigor. Overall, systematic analyses indicate that cryotherapy appears to be a safe and potentially effective method for reducing pain during arterial puncture. Nevertheless, the existing evidence is limited by a high risk of bias, underscoring the need for further high-quality randomized controlled trials. Conclusion: Given the promising but methodologically constrained evidence, there is a strong justification for conducting a rigorously designed, placebo-controlled randomized trial to accurately assess the effectiveness of cryotherapy in reducing pain associated with radial arterial puncture.

Epigenetics and NCD Prevention in Kazakhstan: Personalized Approaches and Biological Age Prediction

This study aims to enhance personalized and preventive care for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Kazakhstan by examining epigenetic factors, predicting biological age and reproductive function using machine learning, and developing health improvement recommendations.

Breath Analysis and Arterial Stiffness in Patients With Respiratory Diseases

Assessment of cardiovascular disorders using echocardiography and arterial stiffness; comparative noninvasive assessment of volatile organic compound (eVOC) exhale breath patterns in patients with different chronic respiratory diseases with age and gender-matched healthy adults in order to identify a disease-specific exhaled eVOCs profiles and markers of respiratory and cardiovascular disorders.