View clinical trials related to Muscular Diseases.
Filter by:The researcher wants to explore the genetic causes of muscle disease. The researcher is particularly interested in muscle disorders that occur in combination with diseases of bone that appear to be passed on from generation to generation. Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy will measure the concentrations of blood, water, and lipids (fats, for example) in your tissues. This device essentially measures the color of tissues in order to determine tissue physiology (its physical and chemical processes).
Statins (such as simvastatin or Zocor) are the most effective and widely prescribed medications to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the frequency of heart attacks, cardiac deaths and strokes. Unfortunately, statins can cause muscle discomfort or pain called "myalgia" in patients treated with these drugs. These symptoms often cause patients who need these medications to stop taking the drug. The cause of statin muscle pain is not known, but it is thought that a reduction of a vitamin-like substance called Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) during statin treatment may play a role. CoQ10 is a vitamin like substance and is not a drug approved and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This study will look at the effects of CoQ10 supplements on individuals who develop muscle symptoms while on simvastatin. The investigators hope to test the hypothesis that CoQ10 supplementation compared to placebo in patients with documented statin myalgia reduces the intensity of pain during statin treatment.
Statins are a class of drugs given to lower cholesterol. Although statins are considered to be generally safe, some studies show that about 10% of people on statins develop muscle-related symptoms, from fatigue (tiredness), weakness, cramping, pain and sometimes a lifethreatening muscle breakdown condition known as rhabdomyolysis. In some, these symptoms may greatly affect their daily activities. One consideration why symptoms develop in only some patients is that they may have an underlying problem in the way their muscles use fats to produce energy. In these patients, the muscles are not able to fully utilize fats and so they become tired more easily. Fat within the muscle can also affect how your body uses a hormone called insulin, which affects your blood sugar levels. The investigators are specifically interested in previous statin users and determine if the muscle symptoms are related to changes in energy and sugar use. We propose to enroll patients who have developed muscle side effects on previous statin treatment and have since discontinued statin treatment. Our aim is to compare the metabolic parameters in these patients to age and gender-matched normal individuals.
The investigators propose to evaluate the effect of bezafibrate on metabolism during exercise in 22 adult patients affected with carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPTII) or very-long chain acyl-CoA-dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiencies. This study will be an 9-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. The trial will be conducted in two centers: Institut de Myologie, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in France, and Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, in Denmark. The main criteria for assessing the potential effect of this drug will be the fat oxidation rate studied during a moderate workload on cycle ergometer, after infusion of stable isotopes (palmitate and glucose tracers).
This study will be co-ordinated by Dr Hector Chinoy, Dr Robert G Cooper (Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust / The University of Manchester) and Dr Ian N Bruce (Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/ The University of Manchester). An initial pilot study will be completed, to establish proof of concept of the study and to examine whether trends may observed of differences between cases and controls. Twenty five prevalent UK Caucasian adult IIM cases, confirmed by internationally accepted criteria, will be recruited via the Adult Onset Myositis clinic, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. Age, gender and race-matched controls will be recruited on a 'best friend' system. At the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility (WTCRF), The University of Manchester, facilities are already available for B-mode ultrasound CIMT measurement, Endo-PAT, lean body mass measurement and contrast echocardiography. Cases and controls will have their cardiovascular risk factors assessed using a standardised questionnaire and blood tests. Further tests performed will include blood pressure, electrocardiogram, lean body mass, B-mode ultrasound CIMT measurement and Endo-PAT. IIM cases will have additional blood tests and a clinical assessment to assess their disease status, and contrast echocardiography. As part of a linked study, subjects (but not controls) will also have Gd-DTPA-MRI of the heart performed.
With the great economic costs and traditionally poor outcomes among chronic temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder (TMJMD) patients, it has become important to treat patients in the acute state, in order to prevent these more chronic disability problems. This has been the goal of two past funded grant projects. Results of the initial project isolated risk factors that successfully predicted the development of chronicity with a 91% accuracy rate. A statistical algorithm was developed which was used in the second project to screen out "high-risk" patients. These patients were then randomly assigned an early intervention or non-intervention group. One-year follow-up evaluations documented the treatment efficacy and cost effectiveness of early intervention. These results have major implications for effective early intervention and significant health care cost savings for this prevalent pain and disability problem. For the present proposed project, we plan to implement this treatment program in order to evaluate its effectiveness in more community-based dental practices. This is in response to NIH's request for the implementation of evidence-based treatment approaches, developed in controlled clinical settings, to the "real world" of diverse practices in the community. Acute TMJMD patients will be recruited from two community-based clinics. Based upon our "risk" screening algorithm, high-risk patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups (n=225/group): an early biobehavioral intervention or an attention-control group. It is hypothesized that the attention control "high-risk" patients will display more chronic TMJMD problems, relative to the "high-risk" early intervention patients, at one- and two-year follow-ups. A number of biopsychosocial measures will be evaluated, including chewing performance, the RDC/TMD, self-reported pain and stress, etc. Such a multi-level, multi-systems approach has not been applied to better understand the biopsychosocial underpinnings of TMJMD. Results from this component of the project will greatly aid in stimulating future research leading to the better understanding of TMJMD, as well as better tailoring of prescribed treatment regimens.
ICU-acquired weakness represents a common and often devastating disease process which affects greater than 50% of critically ill patients. This pathogenesis of this acquired disease is multifactorial and results in variable severity, ranging from mild, transient to severe, permanent dysfunction of peripheral nerves in additional to muscle. In affected patients, weakness may persist for months to years after the acute phase of their illness, and has been implicated as a major contributor to decreased functional status and quality of life. Muscle ultrasound has been validated for assessment of muscle size as well as diagnosis of myopathic and neuropathic changes in patients with other known neuromuscular diseases. The use of muscle ultrasound or other imaging modalities for diagnosis or monitoring of ICU-acquired weakness has not been studied, although a single study using muscle ultrasound has shown significant change in muscle size in ICU patients receiving high dose corticosteroids and a prolonged course of paralytic agents. The investigators plan to use multiple modalities to examine skeletal muscle catabolism, function, and structure in patients during critical illness and recovery. The investigators will combine physical exam, hand grip dynamometry, electrophysiologic studies, serum biomarkers, muscle biopsies, and muscle ultrasound to assess a group of critically ill patients during their hospital stay. The investigators will obtain additional data, including neuropsychiatric assessments, severity of illness scores, administration of potentially harmful medications, and pertinent daily laboratory data. This study will last approximately 12 months.
The proposed study will focus on possible effects of statins on muscle strength and why they become tired more easily, quality of life, and measurements to understand why muscles are not able to fully utilize fats. The investigators are specifically interested in statin users and the impact of muscle symptoms on daily activities and quality of life. This study hypothesize that patients with likely statin-associated myopathy have a metabolic dysregulation in fuel utilization such that compared to patients continuing statins, those on placebo will show: 1. improved INQoL and SF-36 scores (primary end point) 2. alleviation of muscle symptoms, 3. increased utilization of fatty acids as a fuel source reflected by the metabolic test results 4. decreased IMCL 5. improved insulin sensitivity.
The primary aim of the project is to apply the non-invasive stimulated muscle force assessment system to i) intensive care unit patients and ii) patients with primary myopathy or subclinic myopathy (e.g., Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Myotonia, MH). The investigators will use this new methodology of force assessment to phenotype patients weakness during their illnesses (depict typical force pattern) and monitor recovery periods, or disease progression, respectively. This new system will be evaluated until the year 2018. The investigators will determine variables of isometric skeletal muscle force. These systems should serve as force monitoring tools and help to guide therapies.
Statins are a group of medications that are used to lower cholesterol levels. Although serious side effects are rare, some people taking statins experience muscle pain or weakness. This study will evaluate the number of people who experience mild muscle complaints and will determine the effect of statins on skeletal muscle strength, endurance, and aerobic exercise performance.