Clinical Research Directory

Neurological Recovery Following NOS-SACD

Nitrous oxide has become an increasingly popular recreational drug amongst young people, particularly at festivals, nightclubs and parties. Considering the drug is not illegal to possess, has low cost in the form of 'whippets' and can be easily purchased online, it has become the second most commonly used recreational drug amongst people aged 16-24 in the UK. However, nitrous oxide is known to irreversibly inactivate the functioning of vitamin B12, a vitamin required for the maintenance and proper functioning of nerves in the spinal cord. Neurological symptoms in this population have been reported in around 3.4% of nitrous oxide users, although the true incidence is expected to be higher as the cases being reported by UK hospitals continues to rise. Patients may present with adverse neurological symptoms like tingling, weakness, coordination and mobility problems. Currently, studies reviewing the functional recovery of these patients have been limited by a retrospective study design, short follow up duration and being limited to small cohort sizes. This is in part linked to patient non-compliance and non-attendance at follow-up appointments. The investigators will therefore prospectively recruit all patients presenting with these symptoms and continue to collect data relating to their neurological recovery for 12 months. Data collection will be remote to ensure it is of low burden to the participants. This will allow the investigating team and others to fully appraise the severity of these toxic neuropathies and understand how best to manage their follow up.

Depo-Medrol on Psoas After LLIF

The goal of this study is to determine the effects of a corticosteroid administered to the psoas muscle following a transpsoas lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) on postoperative hip flexor weakness and thigh pain and numbness.

Gut Microbiome Profiles in Patients with Chemotherapy-induced Neuropathy in the RCT OzoParQT (NCT06706544).

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common and debilitating side effect of chemotherapy (CT), often requiring dose reductions or treatment interruptions, which can compromise efficacy of the planned CT (limiting its efficacy). Additionally, CIPN usually decreases patients' quality of life. Unfortunately, effective treatments for CIPN are limited. Emerging evidence suggests potential benefits of rectal ozone therapy and points to a possible role of the gut microbiome in CIPN development and treatment response. This observational study, ancillary to the randomized clinical trial (RCT) OzoParQT (NCT06706544), investigates the relationship between gut microbiome composition and CIPN severity in patients receiving rectal ozone therapy. Primary Objectives: To evaluate if gut microbiome profiles differ between patients: 1. with and without symptomatic improvement of CIPN. 2. receiving rectal ozone therapy and those receiving placebo. Secondary Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between gut microbiome composition and: 1. Health-related quality of life, 2. Anxiety and depression, 3. Biochemical markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. Main Trial Endpoints. Changes from baseline at the end of ozone therapy (week 16) in: * Gut microbiome profile * Patient-reported numbness and tingling * Neuropathy severity (QLQ-CIPN20 scale) * Paresthesia toxicity grade (CTCAE v.5.0) Secondary Trial Endpoints. Changes from baseline at the end of ozone therapy (week 16) in: * Patient-reported quality of life (EQ-5D-5L questionnaire) * Quality of life (QLQ-C30 questionnaire) * Anxiety and depression levels (HADS questionnaire) * Biochemical markers of oxidative stress * Biochemical markers of inflammation Trial Design: This observational study will analyze data from patients enrolled in the randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled OzoParQT clinical trial (NCT06706544). Trial Population in the OzoParQT trial (NCT06706544): Adults (≥18 years) with any tumor type, experiencing CIPN-related paresthesias (numbness and/or tingling), with a toxicity grade ≥ 2 according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v.5.0) for ≥ 3 months. Intervention in the OzoParQT trial (NCT06706544). All patients will receive standard care for their CIPN symptoms plus 40 sessions of rectal insufflation of an O3/O2 gas mixture over 16 weeks: * Ozone group: O3/O2 concentration increasing from 10 to 30 µg/mL * Control-placebo group: O2 only (0 µg/mL O3) Study Duration: Each patient will participate in this study (OzoParQTmicrob) for 16 weeks, concurrent with the ozone therapy intervention. The total planned project duration is 60 months.

Ozone Treatment in Paresthesia (Numbness, Tingling) Secondary to Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy

The goal of this phase II/III randomized clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of adding rectal ozone therapy to the usual management of patients with paresthesia (numbness and/or tingling) due to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Ozone treatment consists of the rectal insufflation of 180 - 300 milliliters of an ozone/oxygen gas mixture. The main questions to answer are: 1. Can ozone therapy improve patients' self-perceived level of numbness and tingling? 2. Can ozone therapy improve patients' self-perceived health-related quality of life (HRQoL)? In 42 patients with chronic numbness and tingling secondary to chemotherapy, the researchers will compare: * the addition of rectal ozone insufflations * versus the addition of rectal oxygen insufflations (placebo). Participants will receive 40 rectal gas (ozone versus oxygen) insufflations in 16 weeks and will continue other symptomatic or cancer treatments prescribed by their oncologists. Before treatment, after treatment, and 12 weeks after treatment, they will be evaluated: * Several questionnaires about neuropathy, quality of life, and anxiety and depression. * Biochemical parameters of oxidative stress and inflammation * Hyperspectral images of hands and feet * Toxicity of procedure.