View clinical trials related to Autoimmunity.
Filter by:The present Ph.D.-study investigates the mechanisms behind the association between thyroid autoimmunity and reproductive failure.
Ocular surface disease, especially dry eye and scleritis, commonly affects patients with autoimmune diseases. Ocular surface immune cells are increased in autoimmune disease; however the full subset of immune cells activated is unknown. Recent experimental studies show that dendritic cells and T cells in the cornea are critically associated with corneal nerve innervation. Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) allows rapid non-invasive in vivo imaging of dendritic cells and corneal nerves. The investigators propose to investigate how ocular surface health, conjunctival immune cells and corneal nerve/dendritic cell morphology interact in 3 rheumatological conditions: Sjogren's syndrome (SS), Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The preliminary flow cytometric studies show that various immune cells (eg: T cells, B cells, and dendritic cells) can be quantified using minimally invasive impression membranes (Eyeprim). Clinically, the research team is experienced in measuring features of ocular surface inflammation (conjunctival redness, tear breakup times) with Oculus keratograph5M. The investigators also aim to harvest conjunctival immune cells using impression cytology and quantify specific cell types with flow cytometry. Corneal nerve morphology and dendritic cell density and distribution will be assessed using CCM; in collaboration with the group who have pioneered this technique. The investigator anticipate that alterations in corneal nerve and dendritic cell parameters will correlate with immune activation/inflammation, deterioration of tear function and increased systemic severity of the rheumatological disease. In addition, the investigators hypothesize that the lower the corneal nerve density, the higher the number of corneal dendritic cells and conjunctival inflammatory cells. Studying these relationships may allow a better mechanistic understanding of local corneal and systemic immune activation and the development of a non-invasive ophthalmic surrogate marker of dendritic cell activation and nerve fibre loss to aid earlier diagnosis, risk stratification and the development of new therapies in autoimmune patients with severe dry eye.
This study plans to learn more about Down syndrome. The investigators think there is a different level of the AIRE gene in individuals with Down syndrome. The investigators think that the AIRE gene level can provide more insight about depressed immune cell function in individuals with Down syndrome. Patients are being asked to be in this research study because the investigators want to see if their blood contains more of less of the AIRE gene.
The overall goal of this study is to evaluate the association between sodium and TH17 cells in human subjects. The subjects will have levels of TH-17 and various hormones measured on low salt diet, low salt diet with intravenous normal saline, and high salt diet.
The purposes of this study are to test whether GAD vaccination can stop the progression of newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, to describe the related immunological processes (insulitis) in pancreas and small intestines evolving the mechanism of the effect of GAD vaccination and finally try to detect viruses and virus receptors directly in the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas in patients with newly diagnosed type-1 diabetes mellitus (T1D).
This is an observational study designed to help researchers understand the genetics and pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, and to identify biomarkers for disease and disease complication prediction.