View clinical trials related to Inflammation.
Filter by:A new technique called Ultrasound-based Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI)imaging is performed using standard approved ultrasound machines and transducers but the sound waves or impulses are produced in a different pattern. We are going to evaluate the usefulness of this new technique in diagnosing different liver conditions.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of a single dose of cranberry beverage in healthy adults on the kinetic uptake of polyphenol compounds and polyphenol metabolites, and antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activity.
Background: - Cardiometabolic diseases are medical disorders that can occur together and affect the heart. They increase the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. One disorder, psoriasis, is an inflammation that mostly affects the skin but can affect the entire body. Another disorder, atherosclerosis, is a process in which cholesterol is gradually deposited on the wall of arteries. This causes arteries to harden and become less flexible. Many cells that cause psoriasis also cause atherosclerosis. Researchers want to look at the relationship between cardiometabolic diseases and psoriasis. Objectives: - To study the relationship between psoriasis and cardiometabolic diseases. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age who have psoriasis. Design: - Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. - Participants will have up to seven outpatient visits over the 4 years. The first visit will be a screening visit. Visits 2 will be12 months after visit 1. Visits 3, 4, and 5, will be scheduled yearly for the next 3 years. If participants have a psoriasis flare with more severe symptoms, they may have an extra visit. Those who leave the study early will have a final visit with the full series of tests. - At visits 1, 2,and 5, and any flare visits, participants will have a physical exam and medical history. They will provide blood and urine samples, as well as optional tissue biopsies. They will also have heart function tests. Imaging studies, as well as optional photographs of affected areas, will be performed. These tests will also be performed at the final visit. - At visits 3 and 4, participants will have a physical exam and medical history. They will also provide blood and urine samples, and have heart function tests.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States with older age being a primary risk factor. The number of adults greater than age 65 years will almost double to 70 million by 2030, therefore identifying therapeutic strategies for treating or preventing age-related disorders in humans is of major biomedical importance. Cardiovascular aging, defined as a reduction in vascular and cardiac functions with normal aging, occurs even in the absence of CVD risk factors and overt CVD. A key feature of cardiovascular aging is stiffening of the large elastic central arteries such as the aorta. This is important because aortic stiffness directly contributes to clinical problems such as increased blood pressure, reduced blood flow to the heart muscle, and thickening of the heart muscle. Therefore, these clinical consequences are hypothesized to mediate a substantial proportion of the increase in CVD risk in older adults. However, effective drug treatments for aortic stiffness are not currently available and the biological reasons (mechanisms) involved in causing aortic stiffening remain undefined. In addition, the inability of smaller blood vessels to relax, impairment of the heart to relax during the filling phase of the heart cycle (i.e., diastole), and increased blood pressure variability, have all been linked to aortic stiffness. Furthermore, chronic low-grade inflammation with advancing age has been proposed to be a common mechanistic link (i.e., biological reason) between these reductions in cardiovascular function in older adults. Therefore, the investigators propose that inflammation could be a novel therapeutic target to treat cardiovascular aging in older adults. Our central hypothesis is that inflammation mediates the age-related deterioration in cardiovascular functions observed with advancing age through the development of oxidative stress (i.e., imbalance between damaging oxygen free radicals vs. protective antioxidants). Our hypothesis predicts that chronic inhibition of inflammation with Salsalate, an FDA-approved anti-inflammatory drug similar to aspirin that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis pain and known to inhibit the 'master' regulator of inflammation in the cell (i.e., nuclear factor kappa B), will improve cardiovascular function in older adults. In addition, the investigators hypothesize that the mechanism for the improvement in cardiovascular function during inhibition of inflammation will be by suppressing oxidative stress. To test our hypothesis, the investigators will randomize older healthy adults (age 50-79 years) to 3 g/day of salsalate or placebo (i.e., pill with inactive substance) pills for 4 weeks and have cardiovascular function measured at baseline and again after 4 weeks.
The main objective of this study is to investigate the central and peripheral inflammatory, as well as the spontaneous Aβ-specific, immune responses at the asymptomatic stage and early stages of AD by combining molecular imaging techniques with blood biomarker analyses. The early and preclinical stages of AD will be studied in the relatives of patients with PSEN1, PSEN2 or APP mutations that are at-risk (50%) to be mutation carriers. This study will evaluate the contribution of Inflammatory and immune anti-Aβ responses (I2ARs) in AD progression. Inclusion of sporadic and familial forms of AD will aid in studying the chronology of pathological events. Clinical follow-ups will be conducted annually for two years and will include an MRI and a blood draw on the last visit. We expect I2ARs to appear in the early stages of the disease and to constitute new prognostic factors. I2ARs could also become therapeutic markers for the assessment of novel anti-amyloid treatments and may offer new insights to the development of Aβ-specific immunotherapy strategies.
Nutrasorb is a newly developed food product (see www.nutrasorb.com). This study will use the Nutrasorb soy protein product that is matrixed with polyphenols from blueberries and green tea extract, and test for efficacy as a nutritional countermeasure to exercise-induced physiologic stress (i.e., immune dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress) using both traditional and metabolomics-based outcome measures.
Gum disease and type 2 diabetes are common chronic diseases that affect each other. Diabetes is increasing, especially in Pakistan. People with diabetes have a greater risk for gum disease. Also, it is thought that that gum disease, a chronic infection, can be a source of systemic inflammation and may contribute to poorer diabetes control. The aims of this project are to study: 1. Changes in sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes and severe gum disease after having all teeth removed and replaced with Straumann dental implants and full dentures 2. Changes in certain inflammation markers seen with insulin resistance and other diseases and conditions more common in people with diabetes 3. Retention of dental implants in people with type 2 diabetes. Part I (up to 12 months after implant placement): The study will recruit 30 patients with type 2 diabetes and severe gum disease from Dr. Amin Rahman's private practices in Pakistan. Their long-term sugar (HbA1c) must be 7.5% or more and the inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein (hsCRP) 1mg/dL or more. Consenting participants will first have an oral examination. Eligible patients will have impressions of the jaws and the color of their teeth and gums recorded. At the next visit, all teeth will be extracted and dentures provided. One week later, there will be a check-up visit. Three months after the teeth were removed, Straumann dental implants will be placed in the jaws. After one week, the patient will be checked again. After three months, the dentures will be adjusted to fit the implants. Follow-up visits will occur every three months until one year after the implants were placed to check the health of the patients as well as their implants, the gums around them, and the dentures. Blood samples will be taken at each follow-up visit. Part II (from 12 months to 11 years after implant placement): Follow-up visits will occur every six months for the next ten years, to check the health of the patients as well as their implants, the gums around them, and the dentures. The follow-up visit will be identical to those done in Part I, including blood samples.
The purpose of the study is to learn more about how advanced glycation end-products can affect insulin resistance, inflammation and blood vessel health in people with kidney disease.
The main aims of this study are to determine whether: a) ART-naïve HIV+ subjects have increased artherosclerotic plaque inflammation/vulnerability, b) newly-initiated QUAD/Stribild therapy will decrease plaque inflammation/vulnerability in these subjects, and c) QUAD/Stribild therapy will improve indices of immune dysregulation and lipid dysfunction as a mechanism of improved plaque inflammation/vulnerability. Parameters of lipid and immune function will also be assessed in healthy control subjects, for comparison.
Excessive inflammation is associated with tissue damage caused by over-activation of the innate immune system. This can range from mild disease to extreme conditions, such as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and acute respiratory distress (ARDS). In marked contrast to adaptive immunity which is very sensitive to immune modulators such as steroids, the innate immune system cannot be sufficiently targeted by currently available anti-inflammatory drugs. The investigators hypothesize that pre-treatment with C1-esterase inhibitor in a human endotoxemia model can modulate the innate immune response. In this study, human endotoxemia will be used as a model for inflammation. Subjects will, prior to endotoxin administration, receive C1 esterase inhibitor or placebo. Blood will be sampled to determine the levels of markers of the innate immune response.