Clinical Research Directory

The Use of Infrared Cameras for Detecting Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic rheumatic disease in children, causing persistent joint inflammation, pain, and functional impairment. Current monitoring relies on clinical scores, laboratory markers, and imaging, which are often resource intensive. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a non-invasive, radiation-free method that detects skin temperature changes potentially reflecting joint inflammation. Evidence in pediatric populations is limited, but IRT could provide an objective, reproducible, and child-friendly tool. This study aims to evaluate IRT's diagnostic accuracy by comparing it with clinical scores, laboratory markers, and ultrasound Doppler, to assess its utility as a complementary monitoring tool. Patients with JIA will undergo clinical examination, routine blood tests, and IRT at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months. Control patients will participate in a single IRT session and, a CRP/ESR/blood test; if a biological workup is already planned as part of their routine care, existing results will be collected, and no additional sampling will be performed. IRT will follow a standardized protocol, including an acclimatization period, predefined positioning, and acquisition of three consecutive images per joint. After completion of the study, JIA patients will resume their standard-of-care follow-up.

Assessment of Intestinal Inflammation by Infrared Thermography in Pediatric Crohn Disease

The assessment of digestive inflammation and disease activity in paediatrics Crohn's disease (CD) is currently based on anamnestic, clinical and paraclinical elements such as the paediatric CD activity index (wPCDAI) , faecal calprotectin measuring or digestive endoscopy. Infrared thermal imaging is based on capturing electromagnetic waves, on a specific Wavelength, emitted by the human body surface and representing local thermic-metabolic activity. It concern metabolic activity in digestive inflammations. Infrared imaging is a non-invasive, contactless, stressless technique that assess the variations in skin surface temperature of the patient's entire abdomen or more targeted areas in a single photography. This technique would be useful for determination of Crohn's disease activity, inflammation's degree and partial mapping of inflammatory lesions. In a specific room with a patient lying, the investigators will determine the abdominal infrared radiation with a FLIR® thermal camera. This will be correlated with the measurement of the faecal calprotectin concentration and the composite CD activity index wPCDAI. All measurements will be performed during the standard follow-up of Crohn disease. No additional follow will be necessary.

The Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia in the Head and Face With Superficial Needling Combined With Electroacupuncture

Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, patients with head and face PHN who met the requirements were selected as trial subjects, and the efficacy was clarified in a randomized controlled design trial. The visual analog score VAS was used as the primary evaluation index, and the depression self-assessment scale score , Hamilton depression scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale, and quality of life evaluation scale (SF-36) were used as the secondary evaluation indexes, and oral pregabalin was used as the control group, and the subjects in the pregabalin and the plexus superficial stabbing combined with electroacupuncture groups were observed respectively at the time of Before treatment, immediately after the first treatment, after 2 days of treatment, after 2 weeks of treatment, after 4 weeks of treatment, after 1 month of follow-up after the end of treatment and after 2 months of follow-up after the end of treatment.