View clinical trials related to Immunology.
Filter by:Only very few studies have prospectively looked at the effect of repeated intensive plasma donation. In collaboration with the Rode Kruis Vlaanderen, we have recently found that repeated whole blood donation with a 3-month interval in between induced a drop in markers for iron status, which worsened with the number of donations. The repetition effect of the donations, whether whole blood or plasma, can be different from the effects measured after one single donation. It is therefore critical to test and document this repetitive effect to build trustable and valid guidelines concerning repetitive plasma donation.
Acute pancreatitis represents an acute inflammatory process of the pancreas, which undergoes local and systemic complications, associated with non-negligible morbidity and mortality, and significant economic and quality of life impact. Even after the recovery phase, the development and persistence of sequelae from the inflammatory/necrotic process, including exocrine and endocrine pancreatic insufficiencies, are frequent. Although well documented as consequence of other pancreatic conditions, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) after acute pancreatitis is poorly studied and probably underdiagnosed. The prevalence, diagnosis, independent risk factors and therapeutic approaches for EPI after acute pancreatitis need further investigation. Recent evidence suggests the involvement of the pancreas-intestinal axis and immunological dysfunction in several pancreatic pathologies, although their role in the development of EPI after acute pancreatitis is still scarce. Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) is the only treatment currently available in EPI, but the timing for start and duration of this therapy in acute pancreatitis remain to be established. This study have the following objectives: to determine the prevalence, clinical, analytical and nutritional biomarkers and duration of EPI after acute pancreatitis, as well as changes in gut microbiota and immunologic response, and quality of life in EPI and response to PERT after acute pancreatitis; and to determine the prevalence and biomarkers associated with endocrine pancreatic insufficiency following acute pancreatitis and the presence of gut dysbiosis and immunologic changes in acute pancreatitis according to its severity.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection remains a major public health problem, with an estimated prevalence of over 50% worldwide and 60-86% for Portugal. H. pylori is associated with significant morbidity and mortality from peptic ulcerative disease to gastric cancer, whose eradication therapy has proven to be effective in preventing these complications. Factors involved in the development of these conditions include H. pylori virulence, host genetic factors and gut microbiota. Given the increasing pattern of antibiotic resistance evidenced by this bacterium and the scarcity of available antibiotic therapy, both in Portugal and worldwide, there is not enough evidence on the best eradication strategy. Regarding the uncertainties about the potential negative impact of indiscriminate use of eradication therapy on gut microbiota, either by proton pump inhibitors or by antibiotics per se, there is an overriding need for evidence about the real impact of this therapy on oral or gut flora and possible clinical consequences in immunological, metabolic, nutritional and oncological terms. Objectives: Comparative evaluation of the efficacy of the different quadruple therapy regimens recommended for the H. pylori eradication. Comparative evaluation of the safety profile in terms of clinical, and immunological and gut microbiota impact of the different therapies for the H. pylori eradication.
The population older than 80 years will significantly increase in the near future. Older patients' cognitive and physical status is known to deteriorate after surgery, leading to a high 30-day mortality due to post-operative comorbidities. Aging and related diseases share immune-related pathomechanisms. During aging, a chronic, low-grade sterile inflammation, called inflamaging, gradually develops. This likely results from low-grade innate immune activation and a functional, epigenomic and transcriptomic reprogramming of immune cells. Based on the hypothesis that surgical trauma leads to misplaced or altered self-molecules, which exacerbate inflammation and the postoperative risk for morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. There is increasing evidence that the individual's pre-operative immunobiography determines the susceptibility to peri-operative inflammation and post-operative outcome. Current exploratory pilot study will thus perform phenotyping of patients above 80 years undergoing major surgery. Participants will be evaluated for acute and long-term outcomes, including all-cause mortality, physical and cognitive function. To assess the individual's immunobiography, participants will be characterised by inflammation biomarkers combined with immunophenotyping, functional assays, and (epi-) genomic analyses before and after surgery. The cognitive impairment will be evaluated by measuring markers of neurodegeneration and neuropsychiatric testing and relate findings to volumetric imaging using high-resolution MRI to identify brain changes associated with cognitive decline.
The exact mechanisms by which aspirin prevents the development of preeclampsia in high-risk patients are currently not fully known. Furthermore, a small proportion of high-risk patients who are on low-dose aspirin (LDA) still go on to develop preeclampsia (PE). This longitudinal observational study will assess the immune profile in participants who are taking low dose aspirin (LDA) in pregnancy. As part of routine care, patients at high risk of developing preeclampsia are treated with LDA from 16 weeks gestation. The study will be conducted at Barts Health National Health Service (NHS) Trust. The study population will comprise of 2 groups of participants: 1. Those who respond to LDA and do not develop preeclampsia (responders) 2. Participants who do not respond to LDA and develop preeclampsia (non responders) Participants will be consented at their booking appointment. Participants will be eligible if they have a singleton pregnancy and are aged over 18 years. They will have an additional blood sample taken at 12, 20, 28 and 36 weeks gestation. The blood samples will be tested to assess immune cell function, metabolism and genetics. This will identify cumulative changes in immunobiology at key time points in pregnancy.
On-line hemodiafiltration (HDF) clears more azotaemic toxins compared to high-flux hemodialysis (HD). The response to vaccination is impaired in dialysis patients. We aimed to study the immune responses to influenza vaccine in dialysis patients treated by HDF vs. HD.
Pilot study representing a proof of concept regarding the potential for immune system enhancement with psychotherapy, resulting in improved immunological response at lumpectomy or mastectomy in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) is a heterogeneous group of diseases regarding clinical presentation, disease course and treatment response. Pathogenesis is complex and multifactorial, based on interactions between genetic and environmental factors, gut microbiota and the immune system, leading to intestinal inflammation. As the immune reaction itself causes the intestinal damage, differences in components of this immune mediated inflammatory reaction between IBD patients might explain the heterogeneity in response to different therapy strategies. Identifying immune components that are associated to disease activity and prognosis would enable a more personalized treatment.
Recent advances in neonatal intensive care have dramatically increased the survival rate of extremely premature infants but the number of survivors with severe morbidity and lifelong neurodevelopmental impairment remains high. Perinatal white matter injury is the predominant form of brain injury in premature infants, often leading to adverse neurodevelopmental outcome. Intrauterine and neonatal infection and inflammation have been identified as major risk factors of neonatal brain injury. The fragile gut microbiome of premature infants seems to play an important role in health and disease as distortions of the microbiome occur prior to sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis. Furthermore, the close link of the gut microbiome to neurological and psychiatric diseases in animal models suggests that the microbiome may influence brain maturation and development in preterm infants. Recent studies have underlined the importance of regulatory T cells as well as γδ T cells in brain injury, which can be directly influenced by the gut microbiome. It is therefore likely that an underdeveloped or distorted gut microbiome affects host immune response and may be a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disabilities in extremely premature infants who are already challenged by the unphysiologic early extrauterine environment after premature birth which affects maturation of the gut microbiome and immune system as well as neurophysiological maturation alike. Therefore, the overarching aim of the PreMiBraIn study is to elucidate the role of the gut-immune-brain axis on neonatal brain injury and its impact on long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of extremely premature infants. The study cohort will consist of a total of 60 extremely premature infants with a gestational age < 28 weeks and birth weight < 1000 grams. The investigators seek to characterize the orchestrated dynamics of the maturation of the gut microbiome and the subsequent impact on maturation of innate and adaptive immune mechanisms as well as neurophysiological maturation and neurodevelopmental outcome. Furthermore, the investigators will assess the value of the microbiome as a prognostic indicator for neonatal brain injury as well as short- and long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of extremely premature infants. This goal will be achieved by state-of-the-art techniques using 16s rRNA gene sequencing of the gut microbiome, holistic analysis of T cell biology using flow cytometry, whole transcriptome analysis and proteomics as well as neurophysiological measurements (amplitude-integrated EEG, near-infrared spectroscopy, visual evoked potentials) and cranial MRI of extremely premature infants. Short- and long-term neurological outcome will be investigated using Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Third Edition at one and two years corrected age, and Kaufmann-Assessment Battery for Children at five years of age. The investigators expect to find microbiome signatures that are predictive for later neurodevelopmental disabilities which may then be used for early screening and intervention and may suggest personalized therapeutic options. The prospects of precision medicine targeting the gut-immune-brain axis in extremely premature infants hold the opportunity to improve the overall outcome of these high-risk patients.
In metastasized of locally advanced breast cancer patients, local problems often occur like skin metastases, ulcerations or lymph node metastases. These problems are related to a worse quality of life, while overall survival is generally in the order of months to years. Treatment of these lesions is challenging, especially after failure of first or second line systemic therapy. Local treatments, like radiation, are able to give short-term palliation, but the effect is often disappointing in the long run. Therefore, the search for new therapeutic strategies like the combination of local and systemic treatments is emerging. Recent investigations clearly show that radiation is capable of inducing a systemic anti-tumor response. Both in mouse models and in patients, it was reported that irradiating one metastasis can slow down the growth of other non-irradiated metastases. This effect is called the "abscopal effect" and is immune-mediated. There are also several chemotherapeutics that are capable of influencing the immune response like cyclophosphamide. Cyclophosphamide is a known inducer of immunogenic cell death, which leads to the activation of dendritic cells and thus the presentation of antigens. In this pilot study the investigators wish to identify the immunological effects of combined treatment with radiation and cyclophosphamide in breast cancer patients. Five patients with metastasized breast carcinoma will be treated with the combined treatment and the immunological effects will be monitored using repeat blood draws and biopsies. These effects will be correlated to the clinical response.