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Filter by:The purpose of this study is to test different methods of preparation that can be used prior to a test called an FDG PET/CT scan. FDG PET/CT scans are routinely done for evaluation of heart inflammation. Standard preparation for the scan includes a ketogenic (high fat and low carbohydrate) diet for 24 hours and overnight fasting to help suppress the amount of sugar taken up in the heart muscle. However, Investigator still do not know if this preparation is the most effective method. So the Investigator, want to investigate alternative methods for decreasing the amount of sugar uptake seen in the heart during FDG PET/CT scan, thus, investigator will have participants try up to 3 different methods of preparation prior to the FDG PET/CT scans to see which type of preparation works the best.
Our goals are to characterize the effects of maternal obesity during pregnancy on infant brain development, reveal the neurodevelopmental consequences, and identify possible mechanisms causing these effects. Our overall hypothesis is that maternal obesity during pregnancy exposes the fetus to an inflammatory environment that affects infant brain structural and functional development and consequently neurodevelopmental outcomes. To test this hypothesis, the investigators will recruit normal-weight and obese pregnant women, examine inflammatory markers associated with obese pregnancy, and correlate them with offspring's brain development evaluated using quantitative MRI methods and outcomes evaluated using neurodevelopmental tests.
Sedentary behavior has been linked to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and is particularly common in older adults with type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this observational, mixed-methods study is to better understand the relationship between prolonged sedentary behavior and cardiovascular and metabolic health in older women.
The study design is cross-sectional using a self-completion questionnaire in an English speaking multi-ethic population within Leicester and Leicestershire. The study will adopt a convenient and purposive sampling recruitment strategy across a variety of settings within Leicestershire to facilitate recruitment of a wide range of participants.
Currently, the instruments used in translational studies related to cognition have proved to be inaccurate. For this reason, the objective of this study is to evaluate whether the Bordeaux Maze Test has adequate psychometric properties and is valid for its use to compare trials tested in preclinical (animal) studies and clinical population with Down syndrome. Specifically, it is intended to study the domains of memory (relational memory) and executive functions (work memory), both relevant in the cognitive functioning of the population with Down syndrome.
In this study, we aim to develop and validate a noninvasive approach for quantifying and imaging energy metabolism, without contrast agents, on widely available clinical MRI scanners. Briefly, this technique allows specific and selective imaging of the energy metabolite phosphocreatine (PCr), in vivo and non-invasively. PCr is one of the predominant high-energy phosphates present in brain and muscle and one that is altered by common diseases. Although energy metabolism and PCr play a vital role in cellular homeostasis, there currently are no routine diagnostic tests to noninvasively quantify or map the distribution of PCr with clinically acceptable spatial resolution or/and scan time. Here, we demonstrate that the exchangeable guanidinium protons of millimolar concentration PCr can be exploited to detect it via the water signal in MRI with greatly enhanced sensitivity (molar signal) using chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI, and its concentration can be quantified using an artificial neural network (ANN). This new technique, dubbed ANNCEST, allowed us to obtain a high-resolution PCr map on human skeletal muscle within 1.5 min, on a 3T clinical MRI scanner equipped with just the standard MRI setup. To put this in a larger perspective, energy metabolism is critical for cell viability and is altered by many common acquired and inherited diseases. ANNCEST is arguably the first to use widely available MRI scanners to noninvasively image tissue energy metabolism of PCr, and thus would have appeal to a broad readership of scientists and clinicians interested in neurology, muscular dystrophies and myopathies as well as cardiology, to name a few.
Case-control studies and meta-analysis have reported that several ocular features, especially the thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and visual acuity, are related to the brain degeneration and cognitive impairment. In our study, we aim to quantitatively assess ocular features using structural and functional indicators and define its associations with brain development and intelligence in children.
During Orthodontic tooth movement, teeth are moved through alveolar bone under applied forces. The applied mechanical loading force must be transferred to the alveolar bone via periodontal ligament (PDL). This process of mechanotransduction stimulates bone remodeling during which osteoblasts produce bone on the tension side and osteoclasts resorb bone on the compression side of the PDL. Complex interactions between osteoblasts and osteoclasts involve numerous biologic molecules including cytokines and growth factors. During the tooth movement, the expression of cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, prostaglandin E2, RANKL and MMP1 in PDL will be up-regulated. The sequence of events from the mechanotransduction commanding the tightly controlled accomplishment of osteogenesis attention sides and osteoclastogenesis at compressive sides is not completely understood. The gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) is a transudate of interstitial tissues that is produced by an osmotic gradient and it is released into the crevicular crevices at a flow rate of about 3 ul/h. Orthodontic treatment is triggered by an inflammatory process and it has been hypothesized that the quantification of specific biomarkers within the GCF can be determined using Periotron. However contrasting results have been reported in the literature, which studies showing both increased or unchanged GCF volumes incident to orthodontic treatment. Given that the orthodontic treatment is triggered by a set of inflammatory cytokines that are released into the crevicular fluid during the mechanical loading, and its homeostasis is dependent on mechanical stimulation. An understanding of the biological response of crevicular fluid to mechanical loading could further advance the knowledge of orthodontic treatment. In this study, the investigators will investigate the biological response of gingival crevicular fluid before and after the initial wire placement of orthodontic treatment to determine the differentially expressed genes and proteins related to mechanotransduction.
Eligible participants will be randomized and receive either the probioic or placebo supplement to consume daily for 28-days. Three check-in visits will occur every 7 days of study participation. Participants will be expected to complete a daily study diary documenting their investigational product use/adverse events and a daily bowel habits diary documenting each bowel movement. Blood samples, stool samples, and questionnaires will be completed for study outcome analysis.
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) display a substantial increase in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Moreover, the prognosis of CVD in CKD is extremely poor. Understanding the pathophysiology of CVD in CKD might help to develop treatment strategies to reduce its morbidity and mortality. Compelling evidence suggests that the uremic milieu itself plays a critical role in the development and progression of CVD in CKD. The gut microbiota is markedly altered in CKD. Fermentation of protein and amino acids by certain gut microbiota results in the generation of different uremic toxins. p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) is among the most representative gut‐derived uremic toxins implicated in the pathogenesis of CVD in CKD. However, there remained no clear cut-off value of fasting plasma PCS for unfavorable clinical outcomes. Thus, we plan to establish an oral tyrosine challenge test (OTCT) integrated with dietary patterns, gut microbiome, and serum biochemistry to assess PCS synthesis capacity from host-diet-microbiota interactions.