View clinical trials related to Inflammation.
Filter by:This study will measure levels of an enzyme called cyclooxygenase in gum tissue following third molar (wisdom tooth) extraction. Cyclooxygenase is thought to contribute to pain that normally follows tissue injury or surgery. Healthy volunteers between 16 and 35 years of age who require removal of their third molars may be eligible for this study. Participants will receive an injection of a local anesthetic (lidocaine) in the mouth and a sedative (midazolam) through an arm vein before surgery. Before the tooth is removed, a small tissue sample (biopsy) will be collected from the gum tissue covering one of the lower third molars to be extracted. After surgery, a second biopsy will be taken at some point between just after surgery to the time when pain from the extraction starts to develop. These tissue samples will be analyzed for cyclooxygenase levels. Patients will stay in the clinic for up to 4 hours after surgery while the anesthetic wears off. During this time, they will complete pain questionnaires. If needed, patients may receive additional medicine for pain relief at any time during the surgery or the 4-hour observation period. They will also be given standard pain medication to take home at the end of the study.
This study will evaluate the effects of the anti-inflammatory drug etanercept (Enbrel) on relieving pain and swelling after oral surgery. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Enbrel for treating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, including pain. Healthy volunteers 16 to 35 years of age who require third molar (wisdom teeth) extractions may be eligible for this study. Participants must not be allergic to aspirin or to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Candidates will be screened for eligibility with a medical history and oral examination, including X-rays if needed. Participation in the study requires four clinic visits: two for surgery and two for follow-up: Visit 1: Patients will have ultrasound pictures taken to measure cheek size. One hour before surgery, they will receive a dose of either 25 milligrams (mg) of Enbrel; 15 mg of the standard pain medicine Toradol; or a placebo (salt-water) through an arm vein. A local injection of an anesthetic (lidocaine) will be given before surgery to numb the mouth, and a sedative (Versed) will be infused through a vein to induce sleepiness. When the anesthetic takes effect, a small piece of tissue will be removed from the inside of the cheek, and then the upper and lower molars on one side of the mouth will be extracted. After surgery, a small piece of tubing will be placed in the lower extraction site, from which samples will be collected to measure chemicals involved in pain and inflammation. Patients will stay in the clinic for 4 hours after surgery while the anesthetic wears off and will complete pain questionnaires during that time. If, an hour after surgery, patients have pain that is not relieved by the treatment given before surgery, they may receive acetaminophen (Tylenol) and codeine for pain. Another biopsy will be taken (under local anesthetic) from the inside of the cheek when pain occurs or at the end of the 4-hour observation period. The tubing then will be removed and the patient discharged with Tylenol and codeine for pain. Visit 2: Patients will return to the clinic in the morning 48 hours after the oral surgery for a 1- to 2-hour visit. They will fill out questionnaires, undergo ultrasound imaging of both cheeks and have another biopsy taken from the inside of the cheek on the operated side. Visits 3 and 4: Three weeks after the first surgery patients will schedule extraction of the two wisdom teeth on the other side of the mouth, and the procedures for visits 1 and 2 will be repeated.
This study will determine the effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (trade name Ramipril) therapy on inflammation and stiffness of artery walls. These are two risk factors for developing atherosclerosis-deposits of fatty substances called plaques that can block the blood vessel, causing a heart attack or stroke. Studies of patients with coronary artery disease suggest that ACE inhibitor therapy reduces the risk of heart attack and heart failure. This study will examine the effects of this treatment on the artery walls and on levels of substances in the blood that indicate blood vessel inflammation. Patients between 40 and 75 years old with coronary artery disease caused by atherosclerosis may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) examination, electrocardiogram and blood tests. Those enrolled will be randomly assigned to take either an ACE inhibitor pill or a placebo (look-alike pill with no medicine) once a day for 3 months. No pills will be taken for the next month, and then participants will take the alternate pill for the next 3 months. That is, those who took ACE inhibitor for the first 3-month period will take placebo for the second 3-month period and vice versa. Blood pressures will be taken at the NIH Clinical Center or by the patient's physician at the end of the first and second weeks of the study. At the end of 3 weeks, patients will return to the Clinical Center for a blood draw of 6 cc (1/2 teaspoon) to assess kidney function. In addition, at the end of each 3-month study period, patients will undergo the following procedures at the Clinical Center: 1. Fasting blood draw of 60 cc (2 ounces) to measure electrolytes (e.g., sodium and potassium) and blood markers for inflammation 2. Ultrasound (use of sound waves to create pictures) study of the carotid arteries (arteries in the neck leading to the brain)-An ultrasound probe is applied gently on the neck, and ultrasound pictures of the right and left carotid arteries are recorded on tape. Heart activity and blood pressure are monitored during the procedure with an electrocardiogram and blood pressure cuff. 3. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the carotid arteries-The patient lies on a table in a narrow cylinder (the MRI machine) containing a magnetic field. A flexible padded sensor called a MRI coil is placed over the neck area. Earplugs are placed in the ear to muffle the loud thumping sounds the machine makes when the magnetic fields are switched. During the second half of the exam, a contrast agent (gadolinium) is injected through an intravenous catheter (flexible tube placed in a vein) to brighten the images. The heart is monitored during the procedure with an electrocardiogram.
To determine inflammation markers over time in cardiovascular disease. To test the hypothesis that measures of coagulation and fibrinolysis correlate with the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and other thrombosis related disorders, and to help identify those individuals at greatest risk, using the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) and Honolulu Heart Program (HHP) populations. These two genetically distinct populations had different event rates for CHD, and offered a unique opportunity to test associations that were uncovered by comparing results across populations.
To evaluate airway inflammation in persons with asthma exposed to endotoxin, a common occupational air contaminant. Subjects are subsequently challenged with allergen.
To examine markers of underlying chronic inflammation and infection as potential risk factors for future myocardial infarction (MI), stroke (CVA), and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in plasma samples collected at baseline from healthy participants in the Physicians' Health Study (PHS).
To determine whether airway inflammation secondary to inhalation of specific allergens and other environmental agents and functional imbalance of the autonomic nervous system played important roles in asthma and chronic bronchitis.
This study will examine the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting blood vessel inflammation. The results of this study may later be applied to diagnosing inflammation of arteries in patients with atherosclerosis, predicting disease progression in these patients, and guiding therapy. Patients with peripheral artery disease (for example, blockage of a leg artery) undergoing balloon angioplasty at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, may be eligible to participate in this study. Because this procedure, which opens blocked arteries, can cause inflammation in the vessel wall, it affords an opportunity for studying MRI detection of such inflammation. Study candidates will be screened with a medical history and physical examination. Participants will have a MRI scan and blood drawn at Suburban Hospital before the angioplasty and again either 1 to 3 days or 2 weeks after the procedure. Before the MRI scan is begun, a catheter (a thin plastic tube) is inserted in an arm vein and 90 milliliters (about 3 ounces) of blood is drawn. The patient then lies on a table that slides into the MRI scanner-a large donut-shaped machine with a magnetic field. A flexible, padded sensor called an MRI coil is placed over the area to be imaged; this device is used to improve the quality of the pictures. During the scan a contrast material called gadolinium is injected through the catheter. Gadolinium brightens the image of the blood vessels. The procedure lasts up to 2 hours.
The effectiveness of local anesthetics is reduced if inflammation is present, making it difficult to control pain during such procedures as root canals and wisdom teeth removal. This set of studies will assess the effectiveness of the opioid (synthetic narcotic) fentanyl in enhancing the local anesthetic lidocaine (delivered with epinephrine) when used on inflamed molar teeth. In the first study, a topical anesthetic patch or a placebo will be placed on the gum tissues next to four or five lower posterior teeth. The patch will removed at either 5, 10, or 15 minutes. An electronic test that sends a light electronic impulse into the tooth, lip sensitivity testing ("Is your lip numb?"), and discomfort reports will be started immediately after removal of the patch and repeated every 5 minutes for 30 minutes. An oral surgeon will then remove the patient's wisdom teeth (tooth). In the second and third studies, a topical anesthetic will be placed on the gum tissue. An electronic test that sends a light electronic impulse into the tooth, lip sensitivity testing ("Is your lip numb?"), and discomfort reports will be started and done several times throughout the test. Then two small openings, one on each side of the tooth, will be drilled into the bony tissues surrounding the tooth. A narcotic drug fentanyl or a placebo drug will be delivered through these openings, allowing placement of the drug next to the nerves that are difficult to numb. Lidocaine, along with a small amount of epinephrine, will be delivered. An oral surgeon will then remove the patient's wisdom teeth or tooth (study 2) or do a root canal (study 3). In the fourth study, a topical anesthetic will be placed on the gum tissue. Then two small openings, one on each side of the tooth, will be drilled into the bony tissues surrounding the tooth. A narcotic drug fentanyl or a placebo drug will be delivered through these openings. Lidocaine, along with a small amount of epinephrine, will be delivered at one of three rates (15 patients for each rate). Blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate will be taken before the topical anesthetic patch is applied, 2 minutes after, and every 5 minutes for the next 45 minutes. Blood samples will be taken 6 times over the course of 60 minutes. When testing is complete, an oral surgeon will remove the wisdom teeth (tooth). One month later, blood samples will be taken using a different drug delivery method in order to compare results.
This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a sustained-release cyclosporin implant to treat uveitis, a sight-threatening eye inflammation caused by an immune system abnormality. Previous studies in humans have shown that, taken by mouth, the drug cyclosporin is effective in treating chronic uveitis. Uveitis may require long-term treatment with potent immune-suppressing drugs, such as cyclosporin, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, azathioprine or steroids. Taken systemically (by mouth or injection), however, these drugs can do serious damage to the kidneys, liver or lungs, and can raise blood pressure and lower blood cell counts. Because of this, some patients cannot or will not use these medicines. This small pilot study will evaluate the safety, and to some extent effectiveness, of cyclosporin delivered directly into the eye, to try to prevent harmful side effects. In animal studies, sustained-release cyclosporin implants did not cause the severe side effects seen with systemic use of the drug. Some animals developed opacity of the lens and slowed retinal responses, both of which reversed when the drug was stopped. Earlier animal studies of cyclosporin injected directly into the eye reduced inflammation that had been produced experimentally. Patients with uveitis who have active inflammation and poor vision are eligible to participate in this study. Patients will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. One group will receive a 1-mg implant that releases 0.8 micrograms of drug each day; the second group will receive a 2-mg implant that delivers 1.4 micrograms of drug a day. Before surgery, patients will have a medical history, basic physical examination, and complete eye examination, including special tests called electroretinogram and fluorescein angiography. An electroretinogram measures the electrical responses generated in the retina in the back of the eye. Fluorescein angiography uses a special camera to photograph the retina, showing the condition of the blood vessels in the eye. The surgical procedure to place the implant takes about 1.5 hours and may be done under either local or general anesthesia. Patients will stay in the hospital overnight. After discharge from the hospital, they will return for follow-up visits 1 and 2 weeks after surgery, then once a month for 6 months, and then every 3 months until the implant is depleted of drug or removed. During these follow-up visits, eye examinations will be repeated to evaluate the effects of the implant on the eye. Repeat blood tests will measure the amount of cyclosporin in the blood and the drug's effect on the kidneys. When the implant runs out of drug (between 2 and 3 years), it may be removed or left in place.