View clinical trials related to Lung Diseases.
Filter by:Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a destructive lung disease typically affecting women of childbearing age. Currently, there is no effective therapy for the disease and the prognosis is poor. This study is designed to determine the disease processes involved at the level of cells and molecules, in order to develop more effective therapy. Researchers intend to identify the proteins and genes that contribute to the process of lung destruction in affected individuals. ...
Alpha 1-antitrypsin-deficient individuals develop severe destructive lung disease much earlier and their lung function declines faster than the general population of individuals with chronic obstructive lung disease. This study is designed to better understand the pathogenesis of lung destruction in alpha 1-antitrypsin deficient individuals and to characterize the pathobiology of early lung destruction. To accomplish this we intend to use bronchoalveolar lavage to determine and quantify the factors that initiate and sustain lung inflammation in alpha 1-antitrypsin deficient individuals with lung function above a force expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) of greater than 50% of predicted.
Bacterial infections can progress to a life-threatening illness called septic shock, characterized by low blood pressure and vital organ damage. The syndrome is thought to be caused by parts of the bacteria and by the body s own immune response to the infection. A major bacterial product that interacts with the immune defenses is called endotoxin. This study will examine the body s response to endotoxin in the lungs or bloodstream. When endotoxin is given in small amounts to humans, even though it is not an infection, it triggers a set of responses that are typical of what one would see with a true bacterial infection. This allows us to study the earliest changes in molecules and cells that are involved in some bacterial infections. This type of model is safe and has been used in humans for many years to understand the body s responses during infections. Normal volunteers 18 to 45 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates will have a history and physical examination, blood and urine tests, electrocardiogram (EKG) and chest X-ray. In addition, volunteers 40 to 45 years old will have an exercise stress test to screen for asymptomatic coronary artery disease. Participants will undergo one or more of the following procedures: Bronchoscopy, Bronchoalveolar Lavage, Bronchial Brushings, and Endobronchial Mucosal Biopsies: These techniques for examining lung function are used routinely in patient care and clinical research. The mouth and nasal and lung airways are numbed with an anesthetic. A bronchoscope (pencil-thin flexible tube) is then passed through the nose into the large airways of the lung. Cells and secretions from the airways are rinsed with salt water (bronchoalveolar lavage) and a flexible brush the size of a pencil tip is passed through the bronchoscope to scrape cells lining the airways. Lastly, pieces of tissue (the size of the ball of a ballpoint pen) lining the airways are removed for examination under the microscope. Intravenous Endotoxin: A small dose of endotoxin is injected into a vein. Blood samples are drawn at regular intervals for 8 hours after the injection and again after 1, 2, 3, 7 and 14 days to analyze the body s immune response to the bacteria in the blood. Instilled Endotoxin in the Lungs: A small amount (2 teaspoons) of salt water is squirted through a bronchoscope into a lobe of one lung, and then salt water containing a small dose of endotoxin is squirted into the other lung. Bronchial lavage, brushing, and biopsy (see above) are then done to study the response of the lung to the endotoxin. In addition, air is withdrawn through the bronchoscope to study air components from the lung that was instilled with salt water or endotoxin. Nitric Oxide Therapy: Endotoxin is instilled in a lung (see above) and then nitric oxide a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas mixed with room air in a concentration of 40 parts per million, is given through a cushioned mask placed over the mouth and nose. (Some participants will be given the nitric oxide mixture and others will breathe only room air through the mask to test the effects of the nitric oxide on the lung inflammation.) The mask will be worn continuously for 6 hours and removed before repeat bronchoscopy with lavage, brushing and biopsy. Some of the above procedures require placement of a catheter (thin plastic tube) in a wrist artery to monitor blood pressure from heartbeat to heartbeat and to collect blood samples. First, the skin is numbed with an anesthetic (lidocaine). A needle is then inserted into the artery, the catheter is slipped over the needle into the vessel, and the needle is removed.
Chronic lung diseases are disorders associated with abnormalities in any of the structures involved in the process of breathing and bringing oxygen into the lungs and blood. This includes abnormalities in the airways, lungs, blood vessels in and around the lungs, and the tissue covering the lungs (pleura). The purpose of this research study is to evaluate patients referred to the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in order to; 1. Develop a better understanding of the causes and disease processes involved in disorders of the lungs 2. Identify patients eligible to participate in other P-CCMB research studies
The purpose of this study is to evaluate current and novel therapies and management strategies for children with asthma. The emphasis is on clinical trials that help identify optimal therapy for children with different asthma phenotypes, genotypes, and ethnic backgrounds and children at different developmental stages.
To conduct feasibility studies on the use of retinoids in the treatment of emphysema. Specific objectives are to identify optimal patient populations, retinoids, doses, dosing schedules, routes of administration, and outcome measures preparatory to conducting a larger, controlled, clinical trial on the efficacy of retinoid therapy in the management of emphysema.
To evaluate the long term efficacy, morbidity and mortality associated with medical therapy with lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) as compared to medical therapy alone and to define patient selection criteria. The trial, conducted in conjunction with a patient registry, is supported by the NHLBI, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
To determine the effects of cyclophosphamide compared with prednisone, dapsone, or high-dose intermittent 'pulse' therapy with methylprednisolone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Also, to evaluate the use of intermittent, short-term, high-dose intravenous corticosteroids in patients with sarcoidosis. There were actually four separate clinical trials.
The purposes of this study are to assess rapidly innovative treatment methods in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as well as those at risk of developing ARDS and to create a network of interactive Critical Care Treatment Groups (CCTGs) to establish and maintain the required infrastructure to perform multiple therapeutic trials that may involve investigational drugs, approved agents not currently used for treatment of ARDS, or treatments currently used but whose efficacy has not been well documented.
To conduct a collaborative program of research on asthma and pregnancy consisting of two studies: the Asthma in Pregnancy Study (APS) was an observational study to evaluate relationships between asthma severity and treatment programs and perinatal outcome, and the Asthma Therapy in Pregnancy Trial (ATPT) was a randomized clinical trial of inhaled beclomethasone versus theophylline in the treatment of moderate asthma during pregnancy. Both studies were conducted in the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit (MFMU) Network, an ongoing group of participating obstetric centers supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Studies were co-funded by the NHLBI.