Clinical Research Directory

Effectiveness of a 10-week Multicomponent Intervention Combined With Parent Education on Binge Eating Behavior in Children and Adolescents: a Randomized Controlled Trial With Long-term Follow-up

The main purpose is to investigate the effectiveness of a 10-week multicomponent camp intervention to reduce BE behavior in children and adolescents and explore in a randomized controlled setting if a parent-based BED-intervention has any add-on effect, attenuating the development of BE behavior in this sample. The study will include an initial follow-up assessment scheduled 10-12 weeks after camp completion and plans for long-term follow-up assessments one, three and five years after inclusion. Overall, we hypothesize that the multicomponent camp intervention will effectively reduce BE behavior in children and adolescents. Furthermore, we hypothesize that participants whose parents are randomized to receive the parental BED intervention will show a lower prevalence of BE behavior one year after the camp intervention compared with children whose parents receive standard care.

Screening Volunteers for Clinical Trials

Background: \- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health needs healthy volunteers for vaccine clinical trials. This is a screening study that is used to identify healthy volunteers who may be eligible to participate in other clinical trials at the Vaccine Research Center that evaluate investigational vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and injection devices. The VRC conducts studies that will allow researchers to better understand the immune system and how vaccines and monoclonal antibodies work. Objectives: \- To screen healthy volunteers for clinical trials at the NIAID VRC. Eligibility: \- Healthy people between 18 and 60 years of age. They must be available to take part in clinical trials and be able to provide blood for research studies. Design: * Screening for healthy volunteers to participate in clinical trials is an ongoing process. * Volunteers will be asked about their medical history, including sexual activity and drug use, and a detailed physical exam will be performed. * Blood and urine samples may be collected, and possibly other tests as needed to evaluate the volunteer's health status. * Volunteers will not receive any investigational product in this screening protocol.

Menstrual Cup for Early Endometrial Cancer Detection in Lynch Syndrome

Study Goal: This pilot study wants to find out if using a menstrual cup can be a good, non-invasive way to collect samples from the lining of the uterus (called the endometrium) to help screen for endometrial cancer. This is especially important for women who have a higher chance of getting this cancer, such as those with a genetic condition called Lynch syndrome. Main Questions the Study Will Answer: 1. Can a menstrual cup collect enough uterine lining (endometrial tissue) for doctors to examine under a microscope? 2. Are the samples from the menstrual cup as useful for diagnosis as samples taken using the usual method (called an endometrial biopsy or EMB)? 3. Is using a menstrual cup at home easy, effective, and comfortable for participants? 4. Can scientists grow small lab models of the uterus (called organoids) from the menstrual cup samples and from biopsy samples? What Will Happen in the Study: * Participants will use a menstrual cup at home to collect menstrual blood. * They will also have a standard endometrial biopsy done by a healthcare provider. * After both collections, participants will fill out a short survey about how comfortable and easy it was to use the menstrual cup. What the Study Will Measure: * Feasibility: How well participants are able to use the menstrual cup and send in the sample. * Sample Quality: Whether the menstrual cup collects enough good-quality tissue for testing, and how it compares to biopsy samples. * Participant Experience: How women feel about using the menstrual cup, based on the survey. * Lab Testing: Whether researchers can successfully grow endometrial organoids from both types of samples. Why This Study Matters: If this method works, it could offer a gentler, more convenient way for women to get checked for endometrial cancer-especially those who need regular screening. It could also make it easier to collect samples for research and improve early detection of cancer.

Novel, One Stop, Affordable, Point of Care and AI Supported System of Screening, Triage and Treatment Selection for Cervical Cancer in LMICs

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fast gaining reputation as a highly promising solution for cervical cancer screening. AI-based detection of cervical neoplasias is named automated visual exam (AVE) by the National Cancer Institute, USA. The investigators propose to develop and evaluate the performance characteristics of a novel AI system to both screen and triage women as well as help in treatment decision making. AI will analyse infrared spectroscopic signals derived from urine samples of unscreened women for the presence of high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV). Our preliminary study has shown that spectroscopy can detect hr-HPV in urine. For screen-positive women the AI will interpret a set of cervical images captured with a high-quality devoted camera to detect high grade cervical precancers and cancers and to determine the type of transformation zone (TZ) (helps in treatment decision). The prototype device for image capture and the AI algorithms are already developed by us. The technologies will be further improved in part 1 (initial 2 years) and validated in part 2 (subsequent 3 years). During Part 1, the investigators will analyse urine samples collected from 1100 women at multiple screening clinics in Zimbabwe for the presence of hr-HPV using spectroscopy and use the signals generated to improve the AI algorithm. In this part the investigators will also assess the concordance between hr-HPV detection in urine samples using spectroscopy and cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) detection using a validated HPV test. The cervical image recognition device and the AI algorithm will be further improved during part 1 by collecting more images from hr-HPV positive and negative women. AI will also be trained to interpret the cervical images to determine the TZ type. In part 2 total 2100 women will be screened in Zimbabwe with AI-supported spectroscopic analysis of urine to detect hr-HPV and a validated HPV test to evaluate and compare their sensitivity and specificity to detect histology-proved high grade cervical precancers and cancers. The sensitivity and specificity of AI-supported detection of cervical neoplasias on cervical images will be evaluated to triage the HPV positive women. The accuracy of AI to determine TZ type will be compared with expert opinion. During the field validation part (part 2), the investigators will also conduct a cost analysis and compare cost of our approach to current standard Zimbabwean practice. The International Agency for Research on Cancer- World Health Organization WHO (IARC-WHO) has partnered with The Neo Sense Vector Company (NSV), Delaware, USA (industry), The Engineering Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK and The University of Zimbabwe, College of Health Sciences, Harare, Zimbabwe to implement this study focusing on innovation that will greatly contribute to the global elimination of cervical cancer, a WHO priority.

Evaluation of Bili-ruler, a Low-cost, Plastic Icterometer for Community-based Screening of Jaundice in Newborns

Newborn jaundice, or accumulation of bilirubin molecules in blood, affects 60-80% of newborns and, in severe cases, places newborns at risk of brain damage and death. Universal screening of all newborn for jaundice ensures that at-risk newborns are identified and treated early. The bili-ruler is a low-cost ($10) plastic icterometer which could enable accurate and timely identification of jaundice in diverse settings. The objective of this study is to evaluate the ability of bili-ruler to identify jaundiced newborns in their first week of life, compared to traditional methods of jaundice screening: visual inspection and transcutaneous bilirubinometry.

Adaptation of Pediatric Speech Audiometry Tests Into Other Languages

The objective of this study was to offer a comprehensive framework for the adaptation of speech audiometric tests into other languages. To date, this is the first universal protocol of its kind that systematically considers linguistic, phonological, and audiological aspects. The present paper provides a protocol and an example for adaptation and standardization of the Mainzer Audiometric Test for Children (MATCH) to another language.

AI Facial Analysis Algorithm to Screening Coronary Artery Disease in High-Risk Community Population

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this facial image-based AI algorithm for screening CAD in high-risk community populations (specifically individuals with diabetes, hypertension, or aged over 65). The main objectives are: 1. To verify if the AI algorithm can accurately distinguish between high-risk and low-risk groups by comparing the actual prevalence of CAD in these groups. 2. To compare the CAD detection rate using this AI screening strategy against the natural detection rate in a real-world cohort.

SCREaning of Advanced Liver Fibrosis Using Non-Invasive Tests in General Population

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the pertinence of initiating screening for advanced hepatic fibrosis after a FIB4 result \> 2.67 automatically calculated in the local laboratory and followed by a specialized hepatic evaluation.

UK Islet Autoantibody Registry

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a life-long condition where the immune system destroys part of the body (the pancreas) which makes the chemical, insulin. Insulin is needed to control blood sugar levels. Treatment involves life-long insulin replacement by injection or insulin pump. Previous research has shown that the development of T1D occurs through different stages. This starts with a phase where there are no symptoms, which can last months or years, before symptoms of T1D develop and a person becomes unwell. The risk of developing T1D increases with presence of markers in the blood called islet autoantibodies. The risk of developing T1D increases with presence of markers in the blood called islet autoantibodies (IAb). Children with two or more IAb have an 80-90% chance of developing T1D within 15 years. It is almost certain that they will develop the condition in their lifetime. Children with only one IAb have a much lower risk of developing T1D (around 15%). Less is understood about the natural history of being IAb positive in adults, and the investigators hope this study will help them understand more. The aim of the research is to understand what it is like to live with being at risk of T1D, what information and support people need, and whether they use NHS services more than others, for example due to being anxious about developing T1D. The investigators will work with the public and patient involvement group using information from the research and, with the charity Diabetes UK, to create a policy statement about the type of care that is needed to support these individuals. To be able to do this research, tbhe investigators need first to recruit these rare individuals into one single registry of children, young people and adults who have islet autoantibodies in their blood. This will also allow the invetigators to collect data from individuals in the registry to compare this to data from other countries, to help understand why people progress from being islet autoantibody positive to requiring insulin in the UK. People entering the registry will also be told if a drug is licensed in the UK to help delay T1D onset. Participants can also consent to be contacted about any research studies, which are testing drugs or interventions to prevent or delay the start of T1D.

DOvEEgene/WISE Genomics: Diagnosing Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer Early Using Genomics

This study aims to develop and validate a test for detecting ovarian and endometrial cancers early. It relies on detecting somatic mutations that are associated with these cancers from a uterine pap test. A saliva sample is also collected that acts as an internal control and has the ability to detect deleterious germline mutations associated with common hereditary cancers (such as breast, ovarian, endometrial, colon, and pancreatic cancers). A machine learning classifier is then used to discriminate between cancer and benign disease.

Smartwatch-Based AI Model for OSA Prediction (SWOSA)

This study aims to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model for more accurately diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by collecting blood oxygen saturation and other health information during sleep using a smartwatch. OSA is common but often underdiagnosed, and the gold-standard diagnostic test, polysomnography, is costly and time-consuming. Smartwatches can provide a variety of health data, such as sleep patterns, blood oxygen saturation, and heart rate, which can help detect key symptoms and signs of OSA. By developing an AI model that uses smartwatch data to screen for OSA, this study seeks to offer a cost-effective and accessible diagnostic method, ultimately contributing to the early detection and improved treatment rates of OSA.

A Patient Portal and PROMs to Improve Health Problem Detection and Retention in HIV Care: The DRHIVe Study

Too often, people living with HIV (PLHIV) face challenges, including additional health and psychosocial problems, that complicate self-care, like medication-taking and medical appointment attendance. Healthcare providers are not always aware when patients face these difficulties. A 'patient portal' is an online application that can give patients access to their medical records, appointment reminders, and questionnaires to inform providers about their health and wellbeing. Patient portals in HIV care can help providers detect patient problems and improve care. At the McGill University Health Centre's (MUHC) HIV care service, a survey showed great interest in a patient portal among both PLHIV and healthcare providers. Yet, little is known on how best to integrate a portal in HIV care settings and ensure it is accessible to patients. This project will be conducted at the MUHC's HIV care service in Montreal, Quebec which has over 2,000 patients. Participating patients will log on to a patient portal through a smartphone application and have a calendar of their HIV care appointments, health questionnaires to complete (previously chosen by people with HIV and healthcare providers), reminders for both and access to educational material. HIV physicians will be able to see their patients' questionnaire results to discuss them during clinic appointments. The project's objectives are to better understand what is needed to successfully integrate a portal in similar HIV practices with diverse patients and learn how acceptable and usable it is for HIV patients and doctors. The project will also examine how patient portal use impacts satisfaction, attendance, and physician detection of specific health problems. Furthemore, it will consider how patient sex, age, and ethnicity influence the results. People with HIV, providers, and staff at the study site will be involved in decision-making about this project. Over its 5-year duration, knowledge will be gained and shared on how to expand portal use efficiently and equitably in similar HIV care centers.

Improving Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening

This is a monocentric, single blind, interventional, single arm study. It is designed to compare the rates of detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by ultrasound (US) used in clinical routine vs. abbreviated magnetic resonance imaging (AMRI). The hypothesis is that dynamic AMRI with extracellular contrast agent injection has a higher patient-level detection rate of HCC than screening US and non-contrast AMRI. Interested and eligible patients will be enrolled and undergo HCC screening rounds including US +/- contrast-enhanced US (clinical routine) and screening MRI within the same week bi-annually.

Comparison and Strategy Optimization of Plasma EBV DNA and P85-Ab with VCA/EBNA1-IgA for Screening Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in High-risk Areas

This study is a prospective, self-controlled, multicenter clinical trial. All participants will be tested for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) associated biomarkers, including the two-antibody method (VCA-IgA and EBNA1-IgA), BNLF2b total antibodies (P85-Ab), and plasma EBV DNA. Furthermore, novel screening biomarkers, such as next-generation sequencing for EBV and castoff cells using nasopharyngeal swabs, will be explored. First, it aims to investigate whether plasma EBV DNA testing or the P85-Ab testing can achieve higher sensitivity than the current standard two-antibody method testing while maintaining specificity in NPC screening, thereby identifying the optimal initial NPC screening strategy. Based on the determined optimal initial screening strategy, the study will validate the proposed two-step method (subjects first undergo two-antibody method testing and P85-Ab testing; those positive for either one biomarker above proceed to plasma EBV DNA testing; subjects positive in both steps are defined as high-risk and receive endoscopic examinations with or without biopsy) compared with the single-step method (subjects simultaneously undergo two-antibody method testing, P85-Ab testing, and plasma EBV DNA testing; subjects with any positive biomarker undergo endoscopic examinations with or without biopsy) and each single screening testing. The aim is to determine whether two-step method can further improve the positive predictive value (PPV) while maintaining non-inferior sensitivity, thereby enhancing screening efficiency, reducing the rate of invasive procedures (such as endoscopic biopsies), and lowering medical costs and insurance burdens.

Auto-antibody Dosage From Blood Spots for Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes and Celiace Disease

Early diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and celiac disease is very useful, allows early therapy and prevents deaths from the onset of diabetic ketoacidosis. This is a pilot study on screening of autoantibodies of type 1 diabetes and celiac disease in tuscany patients. The study aims to evaluate the concordance between the screening results obtained using two different matrix (blood drop spots on card and serum) in the search for autoantibodies for celiac disease and for type 1 diabetes. Moreover, it will be evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of the screening on a sample of the population enrolled in the territory through the participation of pediatricians.

Artificial Intelligence-based Screening Models for Prevention and Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer screening is based on the fecal occult blood test (FIT), which has low sensitivity for adenomatous polyps, based on the currently used cut-off. Risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, alcohol, and cigarette smoking are associated with the presence of high-risk neoplasia in the screening population. CADe systems appear to increase ADR in screening programs; however, uncertainty remains regarding their true effectiveness. The study could provide the tools to: 1. devise a personalized pathway of CRC screening so as to refer to colonoscopy (with CAD or without CAD depending on the results that will be obtained) those at high risk of carrying neoplasms amenable to removal or curative treatment; 2. define risk categories for theoretical screening models giving the possibility of moving from the concept "one size fits all" to that of "personalized and precision prevention".

"Xijiang Project" Screening Cohort for NPC

The purpose of this study is to establish a comprehensive and integrated nasopharyngeal carcinoma screening cohort, which includes an epidemiological information database containing basic information, gender, age, ethnic and family history, dietary and lifestyle habits, and geographical environmental factors; a biobank of blood, tissue fluid, swabs, etc., for Epstein-Barr virus, tumors, and genetics; a clinical examination database including nasopharyngoscopy, imaging, pathology, and other examinations; and databases of Epstein-Barr virus and human genetic sequencing, etc.

Artificial Intelligence for Screening of Multiple Corneal Diseases

This study developed a deep learning algorithm based on anterior segment images and prospectively validated its ability to identify corneal diseases.The effectiveness and accuracy of this algorithm was evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under curve.

Breast Cancer Risk From Sonographic Glandular Tissue Component (or International GTC Study)

An international multicenter study to prospectively validate the association between sonographic GTC and subsequent breast cancer risk in women with dense breasts.

The Impact of Colorectal Cancer Screening on Surgical Outcomes

This study aims to investigate the pathological characteristics and surgical outcomes of stage III CRC patients detected through screening. Data extracted from the database included the following patient information: age at diagnosis, gender, tumor location, neoadjuvant therapy, surgical procedures, histologic type, differentiation, vascular invasion, perineural invasion, pathological T stage, pathological N stage, and survival outcomes.

New Cardiovascular Risk Screening Strategy.

Mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Spain accounted for 29% of all deaths (32% in women and 26% in men) in 2017. Out of those, 67% were related to a coronary or a cerebrovascular disease . A key strategy in primary prevention of CVD is to use risk functions to individualize preventive interventions for each patient. The current CV risk-screening program in some regions of Spain, is based using an adapted Framingham scale, REGICOR's risk function, which is integrated in the primary care electronic health record. This risk function predicts the probability within 10 years of developing a coronary event. However, this function fails to identify patients that fall into low- or intermediate-risk level, and might develop a CV event in the up following 10 years. Ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a simple, non-invasive and economic technique, which allows detecting peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and gives independent risk function information compared to other coronary risk functions. Even tough, between 13-27% of middle age population have an ABI ≤ 9, around 50-89% of them do not exhibit any symptoms. However, they hold higher mortality risk and CV events. Current clinical guidelines for PAD screening, have a limited level of evidence, and only recommend using ABI on patients aged 50-70, who have diabetes or are smokers, and patients older than 70 years old. A new risk function, REASON, to assess CVD risk has been designed. This model has proven to improve predictive capacity of holding an ABI ≤ 0.9 on those patients aged 50-74 that are apparently free of CVD. Therefore, a strategy that combines the current CV risk estimation using REGICOR, and the prediction capacity of pathologic ABI with REASON, would allow detecting high-risk patients with a PAD screening program. It is possible that patients, who hold an ABI ≤ 0.9, even if being asymptomatic, will adopt physician's recommendations on healthy life habits and preventive treatment. The aims of this study are: * To assess the effectiveness and cost-utility of adding a screening program with ABI to the current strategy of CV risk detection to reduce the incidence of CVD and mortality from all causes in the population aged 50 to 74. * To assess the effectiveness of adding a screening program with ABI to the current strategy of CV risk detection to improve cardiovascular risk factors in the population aged 50 to 74.