View clinical trials related to Autoimmune Diseases.
Filter by:The objective of the proposed study is to assess the role of smoking and complex gene-smoking interactions in two understudied Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)groups.
The purpose of this research study is to test the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of Topical AmphiMatrix with Nitroglycerin (MQX0503) to relieve Raynaud's symptoms and increase blood flow to the fingers.
This study involves research to investigate how estrogen affects women of childbearing age and its correlation to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. The findings from this study might help determine how body cells, called T Cells, react to estrogen. The study will seek to determine if cells from women with Lupus, react differently from cells in persons without Lupus. We will attempt to identify genetic factors that determine the effects of estrogen on Lupus cells.
It is difficult to predict how a women with an autoimmune disease will do during pregnancy. Some women will improve, others will worsen. Some pregnancies progress normally and others become very complicated. The Duke Autoimmunity in Pregnancy (DAP) Registry will enroll women with autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and Sjogren's syndrome who wish to become, or already are, pregnant. We will follow these women throughout pregnancy to better understand how their autoimmune disease affects their pregnancy, and vice versa.
This study was designed to evaluate the incidence of both, inherited and adquired thrombophilia, and thyroid autoinmunity in unknown infertility (UI), implantation failure (IF) and recurrent miscarriage (RM). To focus on these particular disorders and to rule out another potential confounding variables, 4 particular groups of women were created. Only young women (< 38 years old), patients whose previous preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) cycles displayed an acceptable rate of aneploidies, and women without organic uterine abnormality, autoimmune disease or endocrine disorder were included in the study.
The purpose of this research study is to test the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of Topical AmphiMatrix with Nitroglycerin (MQX-503) to relieve Raynaud's symptoms and increase blood flow to the fingers.
The Purpose of this study is to determine the response to two different strengths of a topical gel containing nitroglycerin in patients with Raynaud's disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease with a large economic impact due to the long lasting disabling nature of the disease. Furthermore, diagnosis of the disease is difficult and only a scheme with different symptoms is used to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, often only by probability. Due to the fact that effective disease modifying pharmacological treatment is available and should be started early in established cases of RA, in combination with the adverse effect potential of these substances (e.g. methotrexate), a fast reliable diagnostic tool to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis would be highly appreciated by the medical community and the patients. Furthermore, for invasive treatments (surgery, puncture), an imaging method to display the activity pattern in different joints would be a major advantage. For the evaluation of the effectiveness of pharmacological therapy in rheumatoid arthritis, up to now, radiological measurements of the destruction process of the joints are used. This method has the disadvantage that it is time consuming insofar as changes in the radiological images must occur. It allows only an evaluation if the joints are destructed (which should be excluded by the new therapy regimen). Again, a quantifiable method for the determination of the effects of new therapeutic approaches would be highly appreciated.
Over the past few years, growing evidences revealed that clearance of apoptotic cells by phagocytosis can result in powerful anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. In vivo, apoptotic cells are cleared rapidly by neighboring cells, macrophages and related scavengers. Defective clearance of apoptotic cells has been linked closely to autoimmunity and persistent inflammatory disease. Several phagocytic receptors, bridging molecules produced by phagocytes and 'eat-me' signals on apoptotic cells are coordinately involved in mediating clearance of apoptotic cells. Complement receptors (CR3, CR4), collection, CD14, CD36 (Class B scavenger receptor), class A scavenger receptor, asialoprotein receptor, Mer receptor kinase were reported to recognize apoptotic cells. The best characterized system for clearance of apoptotic cells is the recognition of phosphatidylserine (PS) on apoptotic cells by phosphatidylserine receptor (PSR). Milk fat globule- epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) is an opsonin that bridges phagocytes (by interacting with α vβ3, αvβ5 integrins via RGD motif) and apoptotic cells (by binding PS through Factor V/VIII-C domain). Activated macrophages produce and secret MFG-E8. MFG-E8 is a critical component in PSR-mediated phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. The dominant negative mutant MFG-E8, D89E, that carried a mutated RGD motif inhibited phagocytosis of apoptotic cells in vitro. Injection of D89E into wild type mice induced autoantibodies and IgG deposition on glomeruli. Macrophages from MFG-E8 deficiency (MFG-E8-/-) mice were impaired in engulfment of apoptotic cells, which can be restored by adding recombinant MFG-E8. The female MFG-E8-/- mice spontaneously produced high titer of autoantibodies and developed lupus-like glomerulonephritis at the age of week 40. Defective clearance of apoptotic cells is closely related to development of autoimmunity. In the past 4 years, a growing number of molecules were recognized as receptors for the PS exposed on the apoptotic cells. These molecules were capable of mediating phagocytic clearance, rendering anti-inflammatory cytokines in the phagocytes, and modulating T cell responses. The specific aim of this proposal is to study genetic polymorphism in MFG-E8, PSR and other factors implicated in phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells among Taiwanese. By comparing the polymorphism between patients with autoimmune disease (SLE or RA) and healthy control subjects, we will investigate if genetic variations among individuals of genes encoding proteins involved in clearance of apoptotic cells contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic autoimmune diseases SLE and RA.
Treatment with the immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) may result in gastrointestinal (GI) complications in some patients. This study will 1) determine the proportion of patients with autoimmune diseases who are experiencing any GI complaints under MMF-based immunosuppressive treatment and 2) assess if a switch from MMF to enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) results in improved GI and/or health-related quality of life outcomes.