COVID-19 Clinical Trials and Expanded Access

The project aims to clarify how immunity to SARS-CoV2 develops in humans and to investigate the possibility of finding patients with a particularly effective, neutralizing antibody response for future treatment. The project also aims to detail the virus's damage mechanisms in tissue.

This phase I trial investigates breathing techniques and meditation for health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic. Breathing techniques and medication may help manage stress and improve lung health. The goal of this trial is to learn if breathing techniques and meditation may help to reduce stress and improve lung health in health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a multicenter, Phase 2 study, to assess the efficacy of the treatment with convalescent plasma in patients with severe COVID-19 infection.

This study collects blood samples, medical information, and medical images from patients who are being treated for cancer and have a positive test for SARS CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes the disease called COVID-19. Collecting blood samples, medical information, and medical images may help researchers determine how COVID-19 affects the outcomes of patients undergoing cancer treatment and how having cancer affects COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to demonstrate that the intracorporeal resection and anastomosis in left-sided colon cancer, sigma and upper rectum, is not inferior to extracoprporeal resection and anastomosis, in terms of anastomotic leakage. BACKGROUND: Due to the recent events of a pandemic respiratory disease secondary to infection by SARS-CoV-2 virus or coronavirus 19 (COVID19), surgeons have been forced to adapt our surgical procedures in order to minimize exposure to the virus as much as possible. Based on the recommendations in case of surgery in patients with highly contagious viral diseases, the latest studies suggest minimally invasive accesses to minimize the risk of contagion. One of the proposed measures is the performance of intracorporeal anastomoses. Therefore, given the extensive experience of our center in minimally invasive surgery and studies on the validation of intracorporeal anastomosis techniques in both laparoscopic surgery of the right colon and rectum (TaTME), and the study of advantages that they can provide to the patient, our intention is to apply it to surgery on the left colon, sigma and upper rectum. Our hypothesis is that exteriorization of the colon through an accessory incision increases the risk of tension at the mesocolon level, thus increasing the risk of vascular deficit at the level of the staple area and it may increase the rate of anastomotic leakage. In this sense, studies that validate a standard technique of intracorporeal anastomosis in left colon surgery and that demonstrate its benefit with respect to extracorporeal anastomosis are lacking. We intend to describe a new intracorporeal anastomosis technique (ICA) that is feasible and safe for the patient and that can be applied universally. Once the ICA technique is established, it will allow us to determine its non-inferiority compared to the standard technique performed up to now with extracorporeal anastomosis. METHODS: All consecutive patients with left-sided, sigma and upper rectum adenocarcinoma will be included into a prospective cohort and treated by laparoscopy with totally intracorporeal resection and anastomosis. They will be compared with a retrospective cohort of consecutive patients of identical characteristics treated by laparoscopy with extracorporeal resection and anastomosis, in the immediate chronological period.

The proposed study is designed to investigate if and how pregnant women infected with Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) infection go on to develop long-term immunity. In December 2019, a group of people in Wuhan, China presented with symptoms of a pneumonia of an unknown cause that led to the discovery of a new coronavirus called COVID-19. COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic with 7,140,000 confirmed cases and 418,000 deaths as of 13th June 2020. In the United Kingdom (UK), there have been 294,000 cases and 41,662 deaths as of 13th June 2020. In humans, this infection primarily involves the upper part of the lungs, but it can also affect other organs. It causes mild symptoms in the majority of people affected but some people can have severe infections, with some even requiring critical care in hospital. During Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a previous coronavirus epidemic, pregnant women were disproportionately affected with severe illness. Understanding how the immune system responds long-term to this infection may hold the key to developing better vaccines and efficient treatment plans. Specialised immunity develops when individuals are infected by this and other viruses. The investigators of this study propose that, in pregnancy, this specialised immunity may not behave effectively. This may affect their ability to develop long lasting immunity and make them more vulnerable to re-infection. In this study, the investigators aim to recruit patients across 6 groups including COVID-19 newly infected pregnant women, and people with differing illness severity, mild to moderate, severe/critical, no infection (controls), as well as pregnant women with influenza and those receiving influenza vaccine. The study team will compare COVID-19 in pregnancy with non-pregnant infected and with influenza infected and vaccinated pregnant women. The study team will consent patients in all of these groups to provide a series of blood samples at different time points in a 12-month period.

This is a prospective observational cohort study that will aim to recruit 60 participants who have had COVID-19, were admitted to hospital, required intensive care, and/or developed AKI during their hospital stay. Potential participants will be approached either by telephone by a member of the research team or via clinics (nephrology, post-ICU follow up clinics).

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged in late 2019 and has since been diagnosed in over a million persons worldwide. As this virus progresses, it causes an extreme and uncontrolled response from the patient's immune system accompanied by reduced oxygen flow to major organs, and subsequent ischaemic injury. The current treatment of COVID-19 is largely supportive without any cure or vaccine available at this time. Developing new methods to reduce this heightened inflammatory response is essential to halting progression of COVID-19 in patients and reducing the severity of damage. The cellular mechanisms seen in COVID-19 are similar to those seen in patients with sepsis. A process known as Remote Ischemic Conditioning (RIC) is an intervention which has been shown to prevent cellular injury including those associated with sepsis. Based on the evidence from studies looking at sepsis, it is anticipated the same benefit would be seen in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. RIC is a simple, non-invasive procedure where a blood pressure cuff is applied to the arm for repeated cycles of inflating and deflating (typically 3-5 cycles of 5 minutes each). This process activates pro-survival mechanisms in the body to protect vital organs and improve the immune system. Therefore, we believe it represents an exciting strategy to protect organs against reduced blood flow and extreme immune response, as seen in COVID-19 infections. This study has already been fully approved

This is an open label randomized controlled clinical trial which was designed to confirm the potential efficacy and safety of favipiravir in the management of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 compared to best supportive care.

Until now there is no vaccine or reliable treatment for the COVID-19 pandemic. The fundamental mechanisms of non-invasive low-level laser in photobiomodulation (PBM) and photodynamic therapy is to stimulate the mitochondrial respiratory chain where a transient release of non-cytotoxic levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) will lead to positive modulation of the immune response. As previous studies mentioned that the most important strategy for COVID-19 management is oxygenation and faster rehabilitation of the damaged tissue, antiviral effects, and, finally, reduction or controlling the cytokine storm by reducing inflammatory agents. PBM may be used as adjuvant therapy or even an alternative therapy in all these mechanisms without side effects and drug interactions. Objectives The objective of this clinical trial is to use the photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), and photodynamic therapy as adjuvant therapy or even an alternative therapy for Covide-19. Patients and methods A randomized controlled study will be conducted on 60 patients of positive COVID 19. The patients will be divided into 3 equal groups. Group, I will receive a low-level laser (diode laser 980nm) from laser watch for 30 minutes, 20 J for 3 to 5 days, and laser acupuncture. Group 2 will be treated with photodynamic therapy by injecting the methylene blue as a photosensitizer and irradiated with laser watch (diode laser 670 nm). Group 3 will serve as a control. Evaluation methods will include laboratory investigations and CT chest.