Clinical trials

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic intestinal disease, often debuting early in life, and affecting the colon and rectum. The therapy is mainly medical and based on 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and steroids. The last 20 years numerous new advanced therapies have become available and introduced more and more early after diagnosis. Surgery is still needed in refractory disease and will cure most patients, while ending up with a stoma. There is conflicting data on whether advanced therapies are decreasing the need for surgery or not. Reconstruction of bowel continuity is usually possible but somehow performed in less than 50% of Swedish patients. Restorative proctectomy with ileal pouch (created of the last part of the small bowel) anal anastomosis (IPAA) is gold standard. As of this year it is centralized to 4 units in Sweden. One complication after IPAA is pouchitis, an inflammation in the pouch that behaves like UC. More than half of all patients will have at least one flare of pouchitis, and some will develop chronic or recurrent pouchitis. Recent publications have shown an increased risk of pouchitis after the introduction of advanced therapies, but the reasons for this are still unknown. Prophylactic therapy with 5-ASA after IPAA surgery have been suggested. All patients in Sweden going through IPAA surgery due to UC will be invited to be part of this randomized controlled study to evaluate if 5-ASA can diminish the risk of pouchitis in UC.

Total hip replacement is the most successful treatment modern healthcare can offer patients to regain quality of life. Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is the most common and devastating complication after total hip replacement (THR). Between 0.5 to 2% of primary THR (first time hip replacement), and 8-10% of revision THR (replacement of a hip prosthesis) will become infected.1 The introduction of local antibiotics blended into bone cement has led to a reduction in postoperative infection in primary THR by half.2 Unfortunately, cement can't always be used in relevant quantities. The number of primary and revision surgeries of the hip is projected to increase dramatically. Therefore, the need for a feasible infection prophylaxis that is applicable for complex primary and revision THR in addition to antibiotics loaded cement is urgent. Impacted morselized bone allograft is often used in (revision) THR to fill bone defects. Morselized allograft has been used as a carrier for local antibiotic treatment in multiple pilot studies and appears to be an attractive and effective treatment option, both for already infected joints and as a prophylactic measure in high-risk patients (e.g. THR revision surgeries). Nonetheless, a pivotal trial to support its use in THR is lacking. The aim of this pragmatic randomized controlled double blinded drug trial is to investigate whether antibiotic impregnated bone graft (AIBG) decreases the risk of infection after hip arthroplasty compared to controls treated with placebo impregnated bone graft. Patients scheduled for elective THR will be randomized to receive AIBG or a placebo impregnated bone graft. The primary outcome variable will be the number of re-operations due to infections and PJI diagnoses 2 years postoperative.

Background: Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a surgical emergency where the normal continuous bowel movements are hindered and approximately 8000-9000 patients visit the emergency department every year in Sweden due to SBO. A minority of these have evidence of intestinal injury, warranting emergency surgery, while the majority (70-90%) will have an initial plan for non-operative management with a nasogastric tube (NGT), placed to alleviate gastric pressure, reduce pain and prevent complications like aspiration pneumonia. The effectiveness of NGT in patients with SBO to prevent complications is unclear, with current data from observational data indicating increased risk of pneumonia in patients treated with NGT. Objective: To assess whether deferring the placement of a NGT in subjects with small bowel obstruction and planned for non-operative management leads to lower rates of respiratory complication compared to placing an NGT. Methods: This will be a randomized, controlled, open-label, multicenter study of patients with SBO and an initial plan for non-operative management. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to not receive an NGT (intervention) or receive an NGT (control) and monitored regularly until the SBO resolves spontaneously or through surgery, whichever comes first. The primary outcome will be a composite of pulmonary complications and treatment in a high dependency unit, analyzed as a superiority study with an intention-to-treat framework with secondary per-protocol and non-inferiority analysis. The trial will recruit 1000 patients. Secondary analysis includes health-economy, qualitative interviews, and long term (1 year) follow up. Discussion: The current management of NGT in SBO is based on clinical and guideline-based recommendations with limited supporting data. Available data, albeit observational with risk for selection bias, indicates increased risk of complications. This equipoise warrants further investigation to understand the true benefit of NGT in SBO. This study will provide high quality evidence of the ability of a NGT to prevent complications in SBO through its randomized, prospective design

Background: Previous findings have indicated antineoplastic properties of tinzaparin (Innohep®), a commonly used anti-coagulant. Earlier studies have mainly investigated the antineoplastic effects of tinzaparin in animal models and in human cell-lines. In this pilot study the aim is to examine the potential antitumoral effects of tinzaparin in vivo in women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Study objectives: Primary objective: The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the effects of tinzaparin on changes in levels of CA-125 in EOC patients who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Secondary objectives: The secondary objective of the study is to explore the impact of tinzaparin on the dynamic of a spectrum of immunological and coagulation factors in EOC patients who receive NACT. Besides, the compliance of tinzaparin injections and adverse events caused by tinzaparin will be described.

This prospective multicenter observational study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the Testicular Workup for Ischemia and Suspected Torsion (TWIST) score in adult patients presenting with acute scrotal pain in Swedish Emergency Departments. The TWIST score is a clinical decision tool originally validated in pediatric populations to stratify patients into low, intermediate, and high risk for testicular torsion. The study will include men aged 18-40 years presenting with scrotal pain or symptoms suggestive of torsion. Patients with scrotal trauma, symptom duration over one week, previous testicular surgery, or inability to give informed consent in Swedish will be excluded. Participants' clinical findings will be recorded on a standardized form, and the TWIST score will be calculated. Management will follow standard clinical practice independently of the study. Primary outcome is the diagnostic accuracy of the TWIST score to rule out testicular torsion in low-risk patients (TWIST 0-2). Secondary outcomes include diagnosis of torsion within 30 days, time to surgery, patient-reported pain, number of Doppler ultrasounds performed, and the potential reduction in unnecessary imaging. The study will be conducted at multiple Swedish sites, including Linköping University Hospital, under oversight by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Etikprövningsmyndigheten, decision number 2025-07400-01). The results aim to inform clinical practice by providing a validated decision-support tool for adult patients with suspected testicular torsion, potentially improving patient outcomes and resource utilization.

The objective of this randomized clinical trial is to assess both the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of patient education for individuals aged 50 years and older with osteoporosis. Primary research question: What differences in outcomes can be observed among three different educational interventions with respect to osteoporosis-specific self-care, health related quality of life, fracture risk, illness perception, physical activity, physical function, fear of falling, and pain in patients diagnosed with osteoporosis? The trial will include three study arms: 1) Control group: Participants receive standard osteoporosis information provided by healthcare services. 2) Face-to-face education: Three 2-hours sessions led by a physiotherapist (two sessions) and physician or nurse (one session) within a 2 months period. 3) Digital education: Internet-based program consisting of nine modules accessible to participants over a one-year period. Participants will complete questionnaires and undergo physical assessments at baseline, and at 3 and 12 months follow up. Additionally, a subset of participants will undergo objective assessment of physical activity pattern and sedentary behaviours with an accelerometer at baseline and after 3 and 12 months.

The purpose of this study is to compare the presence of graft patency in single aspirin vs dual anti platelet therapy (DAPT) treatment including ticagrelor in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) treated with coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Follow up time is 12-36 months postoperatively and the patency will be evaluated with coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)

This pilot study evaluates potential biological and psychological effects of Swedish massage in adults with type 1 diabetes. Massage may influence stress-related mechanisms, such as hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and inflammation, which are linked to impaired insulin sensitivity and glycemic control. Twenty participants with type 1 diabetes will receive weekly 45-60-minute Swedish massage sessions for five weeks. Biological outcomes include HbA1c, fasting glucose, copeptin, hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α. Glycemic variability will be assessed using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Psychological outcomes include perceived stress (PSS-10) and anxiety (GAD-7). The study aims to explore feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary within-group effects on stress regulation and glycemic balance

A cluster randomized study in the primary care setting to evaluate a computer-based clinical decision support system to aid in the identification and management of patients with FH. The primary outcome of the study is the number of patients diagnosed with FH thirty-six months after study initiation.

In order to improve and individualize cancer treatment personalized treatments developed much further. Colon cancer is treated with surgery and thereafter adjuvant oncological treatment. The selection of chemotherapy is today mainly done according to best guess. Today only a small fraction of oncological treatment may be known to be effective in a person before treatment start, most often it is trial and error. A fast reliable system for looking at response to different treatments in each unique patient is much needed and would, if successful, completely change the way we give oncological treatment today. This system would also be possible to use to evaluate new treatments and if successful, implement in the clinical setting. In this project we will implant a part of the patient's tumour tissue into a zebrafish embryo and evaluate tumour growth and frequency of metastatic disease as well as response to given oncological treatment. 2.2 Objective: The objective of this project is to explore the usefulness of zebrafish (Danio Rerio) embryo models to determine tumor biology and treatment response in colon cancer. An overarching goal would be, before start of any oncological treatment in a patient, to have evaluated the response of oncological treatment in the zebrafish avatar and only treat with a combination of drugs known to have effect against the patient's own tumour. 2.3 Study design: This protocol describes a series of prospective studies in different cohorts of patients with colon cancer to investigate the applicability of zebrafish embryo models. The common denominator of the sub-studies is prospective collection of tumor tissue implanted in zebrafish embryos in order to evaluate if the model is robust enough for growing colon cancer tissue and evaluate growth pattern and response to chemotherapy. This study protocol is designed according to and in adherence with the SPIRIT guidelines. 2.4 Intervention: In all sub-studies the intervention is inoculation of tumor cells in zebrafish embryos followed by observation of tumor behavior and testing of treatments.