Clinical Research Directory

Tocilizumab Treatment in Patients With COVID-19

A phase II clinical trial will be carried out with the objective of studying the impact of the administration of Tocilizumab on the evolution of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with severe or critical SARS-CoV-2 infection. Due to the high mortality of severe forms of SARS-CoV-2 and for ethical reasons, a control arm will not be included. Patients will be recruited by signing an informed consent and the baseline variables of interest will be recorded. Tocilizumab will be administered in one or two doses, depending on the case, and will be followed up for 30 days. The response to treatment, survival and evolution will be studied. Factors associated with improvement of ARDS and survival will be identified through multivariate analyzes. The results will be compared with those reported internationally.

The Natural History of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

This is an observational study. The aim is to describe the natural history and clinical evolution over time of hospitalized patients affected by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) infection, including the genetic pathology of the disease and improve therapeutic procedures.

Low-Dose Radiotherapy For Patients With SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) Pneumonia

Low doses of radiation in the form of chest x-rays has been in the past to treat people with pneumonia. This treatment was thought to reduce inflammation and was found to be effective without side effects. However, it was an expensive treatment and was eventually replaced with less expensive treatment options like penicillin. The COVID-19 virus has emerged recently, causing high rates of pneumonia in people. The authors believe that giving a small dose of radiation to the lungs may reduce inflammation and neutralize the pneumonia caused by COVID-19. For this study, the x-ray given is called radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-ray beams from a large machine to target the lungs and reduce inflammation. Usually, it is given at much higher doses to treat cancers. The purpose of this study is to find out if adding a single treatment of low-dose x-rays to the lungs might reduce the amount of inflammation in the lungs from COVID-19 infection, which could reduce the need for a ventilator or breathing tube.

COPE - COVID-19 in Pregnancy and Early Childhood

Purpose: The emergence of a new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causing a novel infection in the human race resulting in a world-spanning pandemic came as a surprise and at a tremendous cost both for individual human lives as well as for the society and the health care sector. The knowledge on how this new infection affects both the mother and the unborn child as well as the outcomes for the mother and the child in the long run are unknown. What is known is based on case-reports and small case-series solely. Both the coronaviruses causing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) can cause a threat to pregnant women and their offspring, which leads to the question whether this could be the case also for SARS-CoV-2. Aims: To establish a biobank of biological material from infected as well as non-infected pregnant women and their offspring. To combine this biobank with Swedish quality and health care registers, computerized patient charts and questionnaire data, enabling both short-term follow up, such as obstetric outcomes, as well as long-term outcomes both for mother and child. To study how the pandemic situation affects both the mother and her partner in their experience of pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood. Design: A national Swedish multicentre study. Women are included when they have a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 or a clinical suspicion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (COVID-19 group). Pregnant women without COVID-19 symptoms will be included at their routine visits (Screening group). Blood samples and other biological material will be collected at different time-points. Additional predictors and outcomes are collected from the Swedish Pregnancy Register as well as obligatory Swedish health registers. The biobank and its linkage to health registers through the Swedish personal identification number will enable future research. Child development will be followed during the first year of life by questionnaires to the parents. Womens' and their partners' experience of childbirth and parenthood will be studied in form of questionnaires as well as in form of interviews. Conclusion: This project will help obstetricians and neonatologists better recognize clinical manifestations of the virus, identify possible risk factors during pregnancy and tailor therapies alongside providing right level of surveillance and management during pregnancy, delivery, and child health care.