View clinical trials related to Immunosenescence.
Filter by:Background: The virus SARS-CoV-2 has spread rapidly throughout the world. Seniors are at high risk of severe COVID-19 when infected. Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a vaccine against tuberculosis, with protective non-specific effects against other infections; significant reductions in morbidity and mortality have been reported, and a plausible immunological mechanism has been identified: "trained innate immunity". The investigators hypothesize that BCG vaccination can reduce the risk of COVID-19 and other infections among senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: Primary objective: To reduce senior citizens' risk of acute infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary objectives: To reduce senior citizens' risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. To reduce senior citizens' risk of self-reported respiratory illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study design: A placebo-controlled randomized trial. Study population: 1900 seniors 65 years of age or above. Intervention: Participants will be randomized 1:1 to intradermal administration of a standard dose of BCG vaccine or placebo (saline). Outcomes: Primary outcome: "Acute infection" identified either by a doctor, antibiotics use, hospitalization, or death due to infection. Secondary outcomes: Verified SARS-CoV-2 infection and self-reported respiratory illness. With an expected incidence of "acute infection" of 20%, the trial can show a 25% risk reduction in the the intervention group versus the placebo group by including a total of 1900 individuals, 950 individuals in each group. Risk for participants and impact: Based on previous experience and randomized controlled trials in adult and elderly individuals, the risks of BCG vaccination are considered low. If BCG can reduce the risk of acute infection in seniors by 25% it has tremendous public health importance, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and overall.
Rationale: The immune system in the ageing population becomes compromised with age (termed "Immunosenescence"). Therefore, elderly people have a decreased ability to respond to infection and vaccination. Furthermore, many of the health issues associated with ageing are linked to inflammation ("Inflammaging"). It has been suggested that this compromised immune function is in part due to reduced Toll-like receptor (TLR) function, which is part of the innate immune system. Milk and dairy based products have been shown to have beneficial effects on inflammation and immunity. This effect may be mediated via support of the innate immune response and promotes TLR7 signaling in in vitro assays (unpublished observation). Also prebiotics have been suggested to influence markers of innate immune function. Furthermore, TLR function has been suggested to be correlated to vitamin D status. Therefore, in the current pilot study, the potential of milk protein, prebiotics and vitamin D to support innate immune function in elderly will be investigated. Objective: Aim of the current study is to evaluate the effect of milk protein on the innate immune response in elderly in a pilot study. Furthermore, support of this effect by prebiotics and Vitamin D will be studied. Study design: The study will be a double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study. Study population: Healthy female elderly subjects of 65-85 years of age. Intervention: Period 1: Milk protein or placebo. Period 2: Milk protein + prebiotics or placebo. Period 3: Milk protein + prebiotics + Vitamin D or placebo.
The ability of older adults to improve their muscle strength through exercise training appears related to how well their immune system functions. Thus, a nutritional supplement which improves immune function could theoretically boost strength gained for older adults from exercise. The purpose of this pilot study is to determine if a nutritional supplement has any effect on immune function. Veterans (age 60-80 yrs, N=12) be randomized in a double-blind placebo-controlled fashion to consume supplement or placebo for four weeks. After two weeks of consumption, subjects will be treated with a vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. Blood will be drawn from each subject before and after vaccination to determine the effects of the supplement on immune response to vaccination. Additionally, subjects will undergo blood draw and muscle biopsy before and after two weeks of supplementation to determine the effects of supplementation on other measures of immune function (e.g. cytokine and growth factor levels). This is an important issue due to the serious health consequences associated with muscle loss in older adults and the need for improved strategies for rehabilitation.
The aim of the study is to estimate the effect size of a 5-week consumption period of different dietary non-digestible polysaccharides (NPS) on antibody response to influenza vaccination and cellular immunity of healthy volunteers (aged ≥ 50) for clarifying whether these NPS may enable enhancement of immune defence and to estimate the sample size for a confirmative trial. Furthermore the effects on faecal microbiota and its metabolites will be investigated.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of prebiotic B-GOS on the immune function, metabolism and gut microbiota of elderly people
This is an ancillary study to a randomized controlled trial of high dose vitamin D in older long-term care residents (NCT01102374). In this study, a subset of trial subjects will receive the zoster vaccine and the investigators will determine the immunological response to the vaccine in this older, frail population, as well as the association between vitamin D and immunological outcomes.