Clinical Research Directory

Effects of Kneipp Hydrotherapy in Post-COVID-19 Patients

This randomized controlled study evaluates the effects of cold water hydrotherapy in patients with Post-COVID Syndrome. The primary aim is to assess changes in quality of life compared to an usual care setting without hydrotherapy treatment.

Central Processing of Odour Stimuli in Patients With Functional Somatic Disorder, MCS or Post Covid Compared to Healthy Controls

Background: Functional somatic disorders (FSD) are frequent in all medical settings and characterized by persistent physical symptoms that cannot be explained by other somatic or psychiatric conditions. In recent decades, a number of different types of functional somatic disorders have been defined, but so far there is no clear explanation for the pathophysiology. The high prevalence of olfactory problems in some patients with FSD suggests that olfactory symptoms are a potential diagnostic biomarker, especially in patients with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and/ or post-covid. The olfactory system is a unique sense with direct pathways to the limbic system, which is associated with emotion and mood. The focus on the olfactory system has revealed a significant association of this sense with numerous diseases. Hypotheses: * Patients with MCS and FSD have normal olfactory tests (normosmic subjects according to TDI score using "sniffing test") but differ in habituation test compared to healthy controls. * MCS, post-covid and FSD patients have different odour perception processing in the brain as a "fingerprint" of functional somatic disorder compared to healthy controls. Research plan: The aim of this parts of the study is to identify specific MRI and paraclinical measures for MCS, post covid and BDS. In the first phase, 5 patients with MCS and 5 healthy controls will have a full clinical test of the olfactory system at the Flavour Institute, AU. In addition, they will be scanned (for "fingerprinting") where the investigators expect to find changes in olfactory connectivity similar to those seen in depression. This phase of the study will lead to a conclusion on the exact MR parameters to be used in the main study. In the second phase of the study, 10 patients with MCS, 10 with post-covid, 10 with FSD, and 10 healthy controls will be evaluated using a test battery of questionnaires and paraclinical tests. Perspectives: Previous imaging studies have focused on pain stimulation paradigms, rest-state fMRI, and DTI, but the olfactory system may be the "missing link" in identifiying a quantitative candidate in terms of whole-brain computational modeling and could potentially be used as a "fingerprint" in diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

Changes in Electrocardiographic (ECG) Ventricular Repolarization and Transthoracic Impedance Cardiography (ICG) Parameters in Patients with COVID-19 and After the Disease: Persistence and Prognostic Significance of These Changes

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between changes in resting electrocardiography (ECG) ventricular repolarization parameters, transthoracic impedance cardiography (ICG) parameters, and COVID-19, to assess the relationship between ECG changes after COVID-19 and heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias), cardiovascular events (the onset and exacerbation of cardiovascular diseases), the persistence of changes two years after the illness, and to identify prognostic ventricular repolarization parameters in patients with and after COVID-19. It is expected that the results obtained during the study will help predict long-term cardiovascular complications in these patients, aiming to prevent them by providing recommendations for the long-term monitoring of individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. Additionally, the investigators hope to propose a new ECG ventricular repolarization parameter that could be used in the future for prognostic assessment in patients with other diseases as well.