Active clinical trials for "Atrophy"

The goal of this observational study is to to establish profiles of clinical progression in patients affected by the different types of SMA (type I, II and III) treated with the currently approved drugs using a structured battery of clinical tests. Another goal of the study is to assess the progression of the disease in patients identified through neonatal screening.

This study intends to analyze the characteristics between peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and peripapillary area in high myopia with or without glaucoma

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by loss of motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and leading to muscle atrophy. SMA has an autosomal recessive inheritance and affects 1 in 6000 infants with a carrier frequency of 1 in 40. In most cases, it is caused by homozygous gene deletion or gene conversion of the SMN1 gene (0+0 genotype) on 5q11-q13. This genomic region has been duplicated and inverted during evolution. Thus the SMN1 gene has a very homologous copy, called SMN2. Genetic counseling aim at detecting carriers with only one copy of the SMN1 gene (0+1 genotype). SMA carrier testing relies on total copy number quantification of the SMN1 copies by quantitative PCR methods. Nevertheless, cis-duplication of the SMN1 gene on one allele and deletion on the second allele (2+0 genotype) can lead to a misinterpretation as molecular methods show 2 copies of the SMN1 gene and cannot detect the carrier status. The aim of the study is the characterization of a biomarker specific of the cis-duplication of the SMN1 gene in order to allow the detection of this 2+0 genotype which constitutes a trap for genetic counseling. We will use molecular combing to identify a genomic morse code (GMC) composed of a combination of probes specific of a structural motif on the cis-duplication chromosome. The characterization of this GMC is based on the comparison of two sample groups: The test group, with a maximum of 137 individuals carrying 3 copies of the SMN1 gene (suggesting a cis-duplication on one allele) The control-1 group, with a maximum of 137 individuals carrying 2 copies of the SMN1 gene A pilot study performed on 24 samples in the two groups is needed to define the exact sample number necessary for statistical analysis of the study. When the GMC will be characterized, its specificity will be evaluated by testing two sample groups: The test group, with 37 individuals carrying 3 copies of the SMN1 gene The control-2 group, with 37 individuals carrying 3 copies of the SMN2 gene Molecular combing needs long DNA fibers and usual methods for DNA extraction are not appropriate. This project requires new blood samples for specific DNA extraction. If this project is successful, during a second project, this GMC will be converted into a simple and cheap PCR-based method. We will then evaluate the sensitivity of this method on our sample collection, notably on individuals with the 2+0 genotype defined by familial genotyping.

11 healthy men used the HEPHAISTOS unloading orthosis in an ambulatory 8 week intervention study. It greatly reduces calf muscle forces without reducing ground reaction forces.

It is well known that periods of weight training lead to increases in skeletal muscle size and strength. In contrast, periods of inactivity such as bed rest or immobilization result in losses of skeletal muscle size and strength. However, individuals experience variable magnitudes of muscle size change in response to changes in mechanical tension, such that certain individuals experience large changes in muscle mass whereas others do not. What is not currently known, and will be the primary goal of the present investigation, is to determine whether individuals who gain the most muscle mass with exercise training also lose the most muscle when they are immobilized. The investigators hypothesize that individuals who gain the most muscle with training will also lose the most with immobilization.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether massage can attenuate the loss of muscle mass in humans after a short period of disuse.

To evaluate the effectiveness of low molecular weight hyaluronic acid oral tablets for the treatment of atrophic vaginitis.

This is a French national trial, conducted using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised design involving 15 centers and 88 patients of both sexes. The primary objective of the trial is to evaluate the effect of a selective inhibitor of serotonin reuptake, the Fluoxétine, at a higher dose (40 mg/day) than usually recommended for depressed patients, after three months in patients suffering from an atypical Parkinson's disease called Multiple System Atrophy, compared to the placebo effect. Secondary objectives of the trial are the evaluation of the effects of Fluoxétine after six weeks at the dose of 20 mg/day, after six months at the dose of 40mg/day, and assess the effects on mortality, quality of life, autonomic disorders, particularly orthostatic hypotension, mood and others symptoms such as sleep, apathy, pain and fatigue.

The prevalence of chronic respiratory failure (CRF) is increasing worldwide and will become the 3rd cause of death by 2020. At the stage of the disease requiring ventilatory assistance, this relates to 50,000 patients in France, life expectancy is very limited, and quality of life is poor. CRF led to a reduction in muscle mass, which is found in 35 and 55% of patients, in some to a profound cachexia. A reduced fat free mass (FFM) is a factor associated with a poor tolerance to exercise and an halved survival. The exact causes and mechanisms leading to cachexia are not yet established. Recently, a chronic inflammatory condition has been quoted as a putative cause. This chronic inflammation would involve the molecular mechanisms leading to poor regulation of the balance of synthesis / protein degradation in muscle. A decrease in plasma and muscle amino acids was found among patients with a low FFM.. In addition, a decrease of plasma levels of some anabolic hormones, GH and androgens or IGF-1 has been found that could explain a lack of protein synthesis. It is now well established that respiratory rehabilitation, including a program of exercise reconditioning, increases tolerance to exercise and improve the quality of life. Besides the classical type of endurance exercises stimulating the cardio-respiratory system, it is suggested to add resistance exercises. Several studies have reported the benefit of this strategy but the link with intracellular molecular pathways has not been described; moreover, it is unknown whether the existence of an initial muscular atrophy influences the gain in muscle strength/mass.

In this proposed pilot study, 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing will be used in the analysis of bacterial communities (microbiomes) in postmenopausal women with vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) before and after eight weeks of vaginal estrogen use. The investigators plan to characterize the composition and dynamics of the microbiomes of the vagina, bladder, and rectum for quantitative and qualitative changes in the distribution of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) before and after eight weeks of local vaginal estrogen therapy. Although the vagina, bladder, and gut microbiomes have been increasingly independently studied, less is known about the interactions of the bacterial communities among the three environments as well as the dynamic relationship with menopausal status and vaginal estrogen therapy and the investigators seek to elucidate these relationships further.