Clinical Research Directory

Bacterial Lysate In Preventing Asthma

Bronchiolitis is a common viral infection of the small airways of infants and some affected infants will require hospital admission. Severe bronchiolitis is a marker for greatly increased risk of developing both preschool wheeze and subsequent school age asthma. Since epidemiological studies suggest that exposure to microbial products protects against preschool wheeze, lysates of bacteria may prevent the development of wheeze after bronchiolitis, with long-term beneficial consequences. BLIPA is a phase 2b, randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study, investigating the efficacy superiority of bacterial lysate (Broncho Vaxom) capsules over placebo, in reducing wheeze in infants after severe bronchiolitis. The primary end point of the study to establish whether there is superiority of oral Broncho-Vaxom over placebo in reducing the number of parent-reported wheeze episodes by 12 months post IMP/placebo initiation. The study aims to test bacterial lysate capsules (3.5mg over 12-24 months) for safety, efficacy, and to advance mechanistic understanding of its action.

IPV and Lung Compliance in Invasively Ventilated Children

The goal of this observational study is to determine if Intrapulmonary Percussive Ventilation (IPV) improves lung compliance in children receiving conventional invasive mechanical ventilation. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does IPV improve lung compliance 15 minutes after and 3 hours after receiving one treatment in a heterogeneous group of pediatric patients? 2. Does IPV improve lung compliance in patients with Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (PARDS), and what is the degree of change compared to those without PARDS? 3. What is the effect of IPV on lung compliance according to PARDS severity (mild-moderate disease vs. severe disease). 4. What is the incidence of adverse effects of IPV? Participants will receive IPV because their medical team feels it will help their lung recovery and has already determined them to be safe candidates to receive this therapy, which is a standard airway clearance modality already routinely used in our PICU. Nothing additional will happen to participants as a result of this study. Enrolling in this study simply gives the study team permission to collect specific health information that identifies your child for research purposes, which may include results from medical tests found in their medical record and information from your child's bedside monitor and ventilator. This information will be collected before and after the IPV treatments to evaluate their response to the therapy.

Outcome of Patients Admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care for Acute Respiratory Failure

This study aims to assess the quality of life of patients six months after admission to a pediatric intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure. Children's quality of life will be assessed using the PedsQL scale at 6 months. This is a prospective cohort diagnostic and prognostic study.

The Impact of E-cigarettes During Pregnancy on Childhood Health Outcomes Study

Tobacco smoking in pregnancy is now widely accepted as having adverse health outcomes for both the mother and fetus. Tobacco smoking in pregnancy is associated with increased incidence of miscarriage, stillbirth and preterm birth as well as low birthweight, respiratory infections, wheeze and asthma in childhood. E-cigarettes are a popular method for trying to quit smoking in Ireland and there has been an explosion in the use of e-cigarettes over the past ten years. However, there is currently insufficient evidence on their long-term safety and effectiveness as a smoking cessation tool. E-cigarettes contain varying combinations of compounds and flavours which are used differently in different e-cigarette types, with unknown long-term effects. Research has shown that pregnant women perceive e-cigarettes to be a healthier option when compared with tobacco smoking. But, there is very little known about the long-term health impact of exposure of unborn babies to e-cigarettes during pregnancy. The ECHO study will determine what the long-term health outcomes are in children born to mothers who use e-cigarettes during pregnancy. Specifically, we will focus on birth, nutritional, brain development and respiratory outcomes in children. To answer this research question, the ECHO study will recruit infants born to women who use e-cigarettes during pregnancy across three maternity hospitals and follow them up over 2 years. We will invite women at their booking visit to take part in this research study. We plan to also recruit a similar number of both non-smoking and tobacco smoking pregnant women for comparison. We will record a detailed record of e-cigarette and tobacco use by women during pregnancy as well as checking smoking using special monitoring tools. After the baby is born, we will perform growth measurements, neurocognitive assessments and a respiratory questionnaire at 6 months, one year and two years of age.

COVID-19 in Hospitalised Norwegian Children - Risk Factors, Outcomes and Immunology

Prospective cohort study of COVID-19 infection among children in Norway.