Clinical Research Directory

Home-based Acute Care for Older Persons Initiated by the Emergency Medical and Ambulance Services - a Retrospective Observation of Effects on Healthcare Utilisation and Mortality

This observational study aims to examine outcomes of home-based acute care delivered by a mobile healthcare team in persons aged 75 years and older following an episode of acute illness. The study will assess whether home-based acute care initiated by the emergency medical dispatch centre or ambulance services is non-inferior to emergency department care with regard to care needs and mortality.

GMPA Versus PPI for Gastric Protection and aGVHD Risk

The goal of this clinical trial is to observe whether different gastric protection strategies affect the incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are routinely used for gastric protection during transplantation, but their prolonged use may suppress gastric acid, alter gut microbiota, and potentially increase the risk of aGVHD. Teprenone, a gastric mucosal protective agent (GMPA), enhances mucosal defense mechanisms including promoting mucus secretion, increasing gastric mucosal blood flow, and facilitating epithelial cell repair, without affecting gastric acid secretion, and may therefore preserve microbial diversity and modify aGVHD risk. This study compares two strategies: continuous PPI use versus switching from PPIs to teprenone after transplantation. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Does switching from PPIs to teprenone after transplantation reduce the cumulative incidence of aGVHD within +100 days post-transplantation compared with continuous PPI use? * What adverse events do participants experience with teprenone versus continuous PPI therapy? * Does teprenone therapy provide better preservation of gut microbial diversity and lower rates of gastrointestinal and infectious complications compared with continuous PPI use? In this prospective, randomized, parallel-controlled, single-center trial, approximately 198 patients undergoing allo-HSCT will be enrolled and assigned in a 1:1 ratio using a central randomization system. The experimental group (teprenone group) will receive standard-dose PPIs (esomeprazole, 40 mg/d, intravenous/oral) during conditioning and switch to teprenone (50 mg tid, orally) after transplantation through day +100. The control group (PPI group) will receive continuous standard-dose PPIs from conditioning through day +100. Probiotic use is prohibited from conditioning through day +100 in both groups. All other anti-infective, GVHD prophylaxis, and supportive care regimens are identical between the two groups. The primary endpoint of this study is the cumulative incidence of aGVHD within +100 days post-transplantation. Secondary endpoints include grade II-IV and grade III-IV aGVHD, lower gastrointestinal aGVHD, steroid-refractory aGVHD, gut and salivary microbiome dynamics (α-diversity, β-diversity, and specific taxa at pre-conditioning, day 0, day +14, and day +28), plasma biomarkers related to intestinal barrier integrity, systemic inflammation, and immune regulation , infectious and gastrointestinal complications (febrile neutropenia, diarrhea, C. difficile infection, bacteremia, EBV/CMV reactivation, upper GI bleeding, reflux), and 1-year survival outcomes (non-relapse mortality, overall survival, GVHD-free/relapse-free survival). During the study, participants will: * Receive the assigned gastric protection regimen (teprenone or PPI) according to randomization * Undergo regular assessments for safety and efficacy monitoring, including aGVHD surveillance and infection screening * Provide fecal and saliva samples at pre-conditioning, day 0, day +14, and day +28 post-transplantation for microbiome analysis * Provide peripheral blood samples at pre-conditioning, day 0, day +14, and day +28 post-transplantation for exploratory analysis * Be followed for up to 1 year post-transplantation

SurgWeek-2: Identifying the Global Burden of Post Operative Complications: an International Prospective Cohort Study Protocol

This study aims to assess and improve the global outcomes following surgery. Every year approximately 313 million operations are performed, with 50 million people experiencing a complication and unfortunately 3.5 million people will die following these operations. This study will assess how outcomes vary following surgery throughout the world and explore system access, quality and efficiency. The secondary aims of this study are to (1) assess the use of antibiotics and the impact of resistant organisms globally, (2) assess who dies after an operation and whether there are factors that were identified that could have prevented the death, (3) assess the assess and outcomes to minimally invasive and robotic surgery, (4) assess the outcomes of the Bellwether procedures (laparotomy, caesarean delivery, open fracture management) as these are conditions used to assess the functioning of a health system. The study will take place for six week in May-June 2026 and will aim to collect data from 100,000 patients across 1000 hospitals in 100 countries to give a global perspective on the above outcome measures. The data will be analysed by hospital income group to understand how resources impact on outcomes. By combining global data on clinical outcomes with information on hospital resources, this study hopes to provide valuable insights into how to improve surgical care across diverse settings, making recommendations that lead to better access to safe, timely and affordable care for surgical problems worldwide.

Prospective Cohort Study of 4,837 Post-myocardial Infarction Patients (Alpha Omega Cohort)

The Alpha Omega Cohort is a prospective study of 4,837 state-of-the-art drug-treated Dutch patients aged 60-80 years who had a clinically diagnosed myocardial infarction up to 10 years before enrolment. During the first 40 months of follow-up, patients took part in an experimental study of low doses n-3 fatty acids (Alpha Omega Trial, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00127452). At baseline (2002-2006), data on medical history, medication use, diet, lifestyle and other factors were collected by means of questionnaires. Patients were physically examined by trained research nurses and blood samples were obtained. Follow-up for vital status and cause-specific mortality is ongoing. The trial was approved by a central medical ethics committee (Haga Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands) and all patients provided written informed consent.

Azithromycin for Child Survival in Niger II

Several randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that azithromycin mass drug administration (MDA) reduces child mortality, but increases antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for this intervention specify that implementation must be accompanied by continued monitoring of mortality and AMR. Niger is expanding the azithromycin MDA program nationwide. To establish monitoring of mortality and AMR as part of this program as well as to leverage the infrastructure to evaluate other child health interventions, AVENIR II is designed as an adaptive platform trial with monitoring and re-randomization every 2 years.

Limited Versus Extended Trophic Feeding (LET-FEED) Trial

Study Hypothesis/Question In infants born very preterm, advancing enteral feeds after 24 hours from birth (limited trophic feeds) versus after 72 hours (extended trophic feeds) reduces the risk of all-cause late onset sepsis (LOS) without increasing the risk of other adverse outcomes. Study Design Type This is a multi-center, open-label, parallel-group, individual randomized controlled trial comparing two different trophic feeding regimens in preterm infants born between 25w0d and 31w6d. These infants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group, receiving limited trophic feeding (20 to 25 mL/kg/day for one day) or the control group, receiving extended trophic feeding (20 to 25 mL/kg/day for three days) prior to advancing enteral feeds until full feeding volume (140 mL/kg/day) is achieved. Eligibility Criteria Preterm infants with gestational ages between 25 0/7 and 31 6/7 weeks and a birthweight of \<1500 grams who are admitted to six participating neonatal units will be eligible for inclusion. Infants with \<5th percentile for weight at birth, vasopressor use within first 24 hours of life major congenital/genetic anomalies affecting enteral feeding, growth, or mortality, and those with a terminal illness in which decisions to withhold or limit support have been made will be excluded. Infants of parents or legal guardians who are unable to provide consent within 36 hours of birth will also be excluded. Study Intervention/Methods Written parental informed consent will be obtained prenatally or within the first 36 hours of birth. Infants will be randomized to receive limited trophic feeds of 24 to 36 hours or extended trophic feeds for 72 hours prior to the advancement of enteral feeds. Infants will be fed parent's own milk (POM) with donor human milk as the alternative if POM is unavailable. Primary Outcome Late-onset sepsis, defined as positive blood, urine, and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures in the presence of compatible clinical signs of sepsis, occurring after postnatal day 3 and before hospital discharge, and treated with antibiotics for 5 days or more. Secondary Outcome(s) The trial will assess various secondary outcomes including length of hospital stay, all-cause in-hospital mortality, duration of IV fluids and central line utilization, necrotizing enterocolitis (Bell's stage IIa or higher), severe intraventricular hemorrhage (grade III or IV either unilaterally or bilaterally), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (oxygen requirement or positive pressure ventilation at 36 weeks corrected gestational age), or retinopathy of prematurity requiring intervention. Additionally, growth metrics throughout hospitalization will be evaluated using change in weight, length, and head circumference z-scores from birth to 36 weeks' corrected gestational age between infants in the limited and extended trophic feeding groups. We will also evaluate the 2 year developmental outcomes of a subset of participants who consent to follow up. This will include the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-4th edition Language, Cognitive, and Motor domain scores at 2 years corrected age.

Women's Health Initiative Strong and Healthy Study

The WHISH trial applies state-of-the science behavioral principles and currently available technologies to deliver a physical activity intervention without face-to-face contact to \~25,000 older U.S. women expected to consent. It includes the National Institute of Aging (NIA) Go4Life® Exercise \& Physical Activity materials 3 and WHISH developed targeted materials based on Go4Life® to provide inspirational tips and recommendations about how to achieve nationally recommended levels of PA and overcome barriers to exercise, with a means for self-monitoring and setting personal goals. The intervention builds upon evidence-based behavioral science principles and intervention components that have proven to be effective in increasing PA in older women, with innovative adaptive approaches to tailoring the delivery to meet individual (personal) needs.

Short- and Medium-term Results of New Generation Aortic

Over the past decade, aortic valve replacement surgery has undergone significant changes in terms of both the approaches and the prostheses used. In parallel with the historical biological prostheses for aortic valve surgery, a new generation of bioprostheses has been marketed since 2008, with the entry of these new prostheses in the armatorium of the Amiens-Picardy University Hospital since 2010. These are rapid deployment prostheses or prostheses without sutures. As a result, patients undergoing aortic valve replacement have been able to benefit from this type of bioprosthesis during their procedures. There are few publications reporting the 5-year follow-up of these bioprostheses. The investigators therefore decided to follow up patients operated on by a new generation bioprosthesis to study the 5-year survival and the functioning of their bioprostheses, in order to make a scientific contribution to the follow-up of these valves. These patients will be compared to patients who have benefited from the implantation of traditional bioprostheses.

MOTORCYCLE THORACIC TRAUMA SEVERITY SCORE: A NEW TRAUMA SEVERITY SCORE

This study aimed to test the hypothesis that a practical, bedside-applicable tool could be developed to help identify patients at high risk of mortality following motorcycle accidents more quickly and facilitate treatment by enabling faster clinical decision-making.

Human Observatory Study

The Human Observatory Study is a prospective observational and ecological surveillance study building a continuously-updating world model for human health, disease, and death at the individual and population level. Individual multi-system clinical data from enrolled participants are linked to a continuously-ingested ecological data infrastructure spanning environmental exposures, social determinants, genealogical and family history records, mortality data, and population health databases at geographic resolutions from home address to global scale and beyond. The resulting model generates individual screening recommendations informed by population-level causal estimates, and population-level causal forecasts anchored by present-timepoint individual clinical biology. Thus creating a feedback architecture designed to improve both simultaneously.

ICU Background Early Awareness for Critical deterioratiON

The study will compare ICU sub-units, those with additional support of a clinician awareness system, ICU Beacon, and those receiving the standard of care. The win-ratio composite outcome will be assessed by comparing patients by study group and stratified by APACHE score at admission.

Surgical Emergencies Gradation and Postoperative Outcome

Reducing surgical waiting time has been shown to be associated with a reduction in postoperative morbidity and mortality in this type of surgery. The use of a gradation of surgical emergencies makes it possible to prioritise them in an objective, consensual manner and to carry them out within a theoretical expected waiting time relative to the degree of urgency. The investigators hypothesise that exceeding the theoretical expected waiting time relative to the degree of urgency defined by the gradation of surgical emergencies is associated with an increase in postoperative morbidity and mortality in emergency surgery. The objective is to assess the impact on post-operative morbidity and mortality of waiting times exceeding the theoretical expected time by grading the surgical emergencies of patients undergoing emergency surgery.

100-Year Human Aging Study

The 100-Year Human Aging Study is a prospective, pragmatic, observational trial enrolling participants across fixed and mobile clinical sites to undergo comprehensive multi-system health screening and longitudinal follow-up until death. Participants are followed to determine whether measurements taken at enrollment and repeated across the lifespan - individually and in combination - predict all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality, incident serious disease, and functional disability. The study is designed to generate the surrogate endpoint validation data that longevity medicine currently lacks.

Factor Associated With Mortality in the ICU

ICU mortality indicates the severity of disease, healthcare quality, and the efficacy of interventions. The severity scores are tools to predict the risk of mortality in the ICU, and the APACHE II score is frequently used for this purpose. However, studies validating the score in Colombia are limited. There is uncertainty about the precision and discrimination capacity of the APACHE II score in a population that varies from the original, with varying diseases, and in a different timeline. The investigators determined to evaluate: 1. Evaluate the rate of mortality in the ICU by type of disease and type of admission. 2. The factors associated with mortality. 3. Validate the performance of the APACHE II score as a predictor of mortality.

NIH-AARP Diet and Health Secondary Research Study Based on OH95CN025 Data

Background: The NIH and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) conducted a Diet and Health Study. It studied the links between diet, cancer, and cause of death in a group of middle-aged people in the U.S. Researchers want to learn more about how diet and lifestyle can affect cancer and mortality. Objective: To clarify links between diet, lifestyle, cancer, death, and chronic diseases. Eligibility: AARP members ages 50 to 71 who took part in study #OH95CN025 and lived in California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, Louisiana, Atlanta, or Detroit in 1995 1996. Design: This study will use existing data and samples. Participants will not be contacted. Participants personal data, like name, date of birth, and address, will be used. This data will be kept private. Their data and samples will get a unique ID. Data from other follow-up studies will be used. Cancer outcome data will be obtained from the 8 sample areas. Many participants have moved to Arizona, Nevada, and Texas. Data will be obtained from those states as well. Cause of death and date of death will be obtained from the National Death Index. Cheek swab samples were gathered from 2004 to 2005. They will be used to study the oral microbiome. The University of Washington (UW) will be added as a study site. UW will study air pollution. The process of linking with the Virtual Pooled Registry Cancer Linkage System will be explored. It uses one system. Right now, 11 state systems are used to get and link data. Paper records will be stored in locked file rooms. Electronic data will be stored on secure servers.

Establishment of Reference Limits for Blood Lactate Levels in Intensive Care Patients With a Particular Focus on Age and Sex

The goal of this observational study is to learn whether there are age- and sex-specific threshold levels of blood lactate that can better predict the risk of death and serious illness in people receiving intensive care, especially those with sepsis (a severe infection that affects the whole body). Lactate is a chemical that the body produces during metabolism. High levels in the blood are often a sign that tissues are not getting enough oxygen, but newer research shows that lactate may also rise due to stress hormones and changes in how cells use energy. Doctors currently define septic shock as sepsis with low blood pressure that does not improve after fluids, combined with a lactate level higher than 2 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). This value was set based on expert agreement but may not be ideal for everyone. Recent studies suggest that even lactate levels below 2 mmol/L can still be linked to a higher chance of dying in the hospital. This study aims to find out if different cutoff levels for men and women, and for different age groups, could improve how doctors identify patients at higher risk, compared with using the same general value for everyone. Main questions: Do older adults and younger adults have different blood lactate thresholds linked to worse outcomes in sepsis? Do men and women show different relationships between lactate levels and risk of death or complications? Can combining lactate levels with other factors (such as blood pressure or medical history) improve predictions of outcome in intensive care? Study design: This is a retrospective observational study based on data from Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden. The study includes all people admitted between 2016 and 2024 who had blood lactate measured during their hospital stay. People without lactate measurements or with unknown identity are excluded. Researchers will analyze the relationship between lactate levels, age, sex, and survival in intensive care. They will use statistical models to find threshold values of lactate linked to higher risk of death or need for advanced care. Machine learning methods, such as clustering algorithms, will be used to identify patient subgroups with similar biological patterns. The researchers will also perform sensitivity analyses to test whether their findings are robust. Why this study matters: If reliable age- and sex-specific lactate thresholds can be identified, doctors may be able to detect patients at risk earlier, even when lactate levels seem normal. This could help guide treatment and monitoring more precisely for each person. The results may contribute to a more personalized definition of septic shock and influence future international guidelines for sepsis management. Background: Traditionally, high lactate levels in sepsis were believed to mean tissues were not getting enough oxygen. However, new evidence shows that lactate can also increase for other reasons, such as overactive stress responses, even when oxygen levels are normal. The liver and kidneys usually remove lactate from the blood, but their function may be reduced during severe infection. Treatments for septic shock currently focus mainly on maintaining blood pressure, but this does not always reflect how well oxygen reaches tissues. Current definitions do not consider differences in how people of various ages or sexes produce or clear lactate. Understanding these differences could improve how doctors interpret blood tests and adjust treatments. Potential benefits: The study will not directly involve new treatments, since it uses existing hospital data. However, its findings may help improve early detection of severe infection, support development of personalized treatment strategies, and reduce death rates among people with sepsis in intensive care. In summary, this study seeks to find better ways to interpret blood lactate levels in intensive care by focusing on age and sex differences. The results may lead to more accurate risk prediction and individualized care for people with sepsis.

EWSs and 28-Day Mortality in Geriatric ED Patients

This prospective observational cohort study evaluated the prognostic performance of commonly used early warning scores for predicting 28-day all-cause mortality among geriatric patients presenting to the emergency department with non-traumatic conditions. Patients aged 65 years and older were consecutively screened during the study period. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, vital signs, level of consciousness, blood gas parameters, complete blood count parameters, frailty status, and early warning scores were recorded at emergency department presentation or within the first hour of admission. The evaluated scoring systems included National Early Warning Score (NEWS/NEWS2), Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS), Cardiac Arrest Risk Triage (CART), and Hamilton Early Warning Score (HEWS) score. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality. The study also examined whether age, comorbidity burden, frailty, laboratory markers, and hemodynamic parameters were independently associated with 28-day mortality in this population.

Pre-ICU Hospital Length of Stay and 30-day Mortality in the Very Old: a National Cohort of 315 042 ICU Admissions

How does waiting in hospital before intensive care affect older patients?Patients who become seriously ill are sometimes admitted to a regular hospital ward first, and only transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) when their condition worsens. The longer this wait, the higher the risk of dying within the following weeks. The number of very old patients (aged 80 and over) considered for ICU care is rising, and decisions about whether and when to admit them are difficult. It is not known whether the wait before ICU matters as much in this age group as in younger patients, or whether it carries different weight when judging how serious their illness is. Over 315,000 adults admitted to Swedish ICUs between 2005 and 2016 were examined, and statistical models were used to estimate how the risk of dying within 30 days depends on age and on the time spent in hospital before reaching the ICU.

The Italian Registry of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a treatable but debilitating medical condition associated with persistent symptoms and chronic airflow obstruction. Despite the availability of multiple therapeutic options, COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide and has a substantial socioeconomic impact. The present real life study is aimed at describing the clinical and functional characteristics, treatment patterns, impact of exacerbations and comorbidities and their association with mortality in a large cohort of Italian patients with COPD.

Rehabilitation Practices in Critically Ill Patients Receiving Invasive Mechanical Ventilation in the Intensive Care Unit.

This international, multicenter, observational study aims to describe rehabilitation practices in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) worldwide. The primary objective is to provide an overview of current rehabilitation strategies used in ICUs globally. Secondary objectives include assessing the relationship between rehabilitation and key ICU outcomes such as ICU and hospital mortality, length of stay, duration of invasive ventilation, extubation failures, and long-term outcomes including quality of life and functional performance 28 days post-ICU discharge. The study will also compare rehabilitation practices across different geographic and economic regions to identify potential disparities. The study is structured into three modules, with participation contingent on local resources and feasibility. The BASIC Module (mandatory for all centers) gathers fundamental data on rehabilitation practices and their association with patient outcomes. The EXTENDED Module (optional) collects more detailed information on the type, timing, duration, and safety of rehabilitation interventions, including passive exercises, active mobilization, respiratory therapies, dysphagia training, occupational therapy, and cognitive support. The EXTENDED FOLLOW-UP Module (optional) evaluates the patient's quality of life and functional recovery 28 days after ICU discharge. By examining global rehabilitation practices and their impact on patient outcomes, this study aims to improve rehabilitation strategies in ICUs, contributing to better patient care, recovery, and long-term health outcomes.

National, Non Interventional Study of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Children and Newborns

After 7 then 13 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) implementation in France in children, we will evaluate the impact of this vaccination on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). We will describe the clinical characteristics of IPD, pneumococcus serotyping, underlying conditions and vaccination status.

Association Between Primary Care Supply and Population Morbidity and Mortality in France at the Territorial Level

The M-OSP study investigates the association between the density of primary care professionals, including general practitioners (GPs), and population-level health outcomes across 2,850 life-health territories in France. Evidence from several OECD countries suggests higher GP density may reduce mortality, particularly cause-specific mortality such as cardiovascular deaths, but uncertainties remain regarding generalizability and other health outcomes. This cross-sectional epidemiological study uses aggregated, territory-level data from 2009-2022, including: mortality rates (age- and sex-standardized), hospitalizations (MCO), emergency department visits, and the distribution of primary care professionals and facilities (GPs, nurses, physiotherapists, dentists, midwives, gynecologists, pediatricians, psychiatrists, and community pharmacies).

Nut Consumption and Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases: A Global Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis

The relationship between nut consumption and the risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been a subject of growing interest. However, the findings from previous studies have been conflicting for some health outcomes, such as type-2 diabetes, and have been underexplored for other outcomes, such as neurodegenerative diseases. One contributing factor to these inconsistencies lies in the different analytical approaches and confounding factors used across studies. Furthermore, the majority of previous studies have primarily focused on populations in Europe or the United States, potentially limiting the generalizability of the findings to other global regions. The NUTPOOL project aims to address these gaps by conducting an extensive individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. This study will evaluate the association between total and specific types of nut consumption and the future risk of NCDs.

Minocycline in Stroke Study at Maimonides

The goal of this study is to determine if Minocycline, when added to standard care, can improve survival and functional outcomes in patients with moderate acute stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) aged 18 years and older. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does Minocycline improve \*National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale\* (NIHSS) scores at hospital discharge and 90 days post-stroke? 2. Does Minocycline reduce stroke-related disability, all-cause in hospital mortality (mRS -\*Modified Rankin Scale\* = 6) and at 90 days besides reducing brain bleeding complications compared to standard care? Researchers will compare patients receiving oral Minocycline plus standard care to those receiving standard care only to see if Minocycline leads to better neurological outcomes and lower mortality. Participants will: 1. Be randomly assigned by block to receive either: Minocycline 200 mg orally once daily for five days within 24 hours from symptoms onset + Standard Care, or Standard Care only 2. Undergo neurological assessments using NIHSS \*National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale\* and Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at admission, discharge, 30 days post-stroke, 90 days post-stroke 3. Be monitored for: a) hemorrhagic transformation of ischemic strokes; b) Adverse events and mortality outcomes; c) Safety and efficacy signals through interim analyses NIHSS: \*National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale\*, which is stroke severity scale, mRS: \*Modified Rankin Scale\*, which is stroke disability scale