Active clinical trials for "Atrophy"

The main goal of the GENEPARK consortium is to employ innovative haemogenomic approaches to determine gene expression profiles specific for genetic and idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. These gene expression signatures will be utilised clinically as non-invasive diagnostic tests for PD. The sensitivity of the newly developed diagnostic test will be determined by extensive validations on an independent cohort of PD patients, whereas the specificity will be assessed by testing patients with atypical parkinsonisms, including multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy and diffuse Lewy body disease. In order to test the specificity of the diagnostic set in other disorders that affect basal ganglia, Huntington's disease and dopa responsive dystonia patients will be analysed. The second objective of the proposal is to determine correlations between gene expression signatures and different stages of PD and thus provide the basis for early diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression. These changes in blood gene expression will be correlated with alterations detected by neuroimaging in the brain of PD patients. Such combinations of molecular and morphological markers of disease may ultimately facilitate the selection and monitoring of neuroprotective therapies for PD. Finally, GENEPARK aims to develop new bioinformatic software tools for selection of genomic biomarkers using microarray data. A set of established computational tools will be applied and novel methods, some of them based on mechanistic modelling of the neurodegenerative diseases, will be developed in order to study the advantages and limitations of the different methodologies. With special emphasis on the careful clinical selection of patients and sufficient power regarding patient numbers, as well as extensive quality control and validation of the data, GENEPARK aims to develop a standardised approach to development and validation of haemogenomic biomarkers of disease.

Edentulism is often associated with a negative psychosocial impact. The concept of prosthetic rehabilitation in which a prosthesis is supported by osseointegrated implants, was first introduced in the late 1960s by Brånemark et al. and offers an interesting alternative to removable prosthesis. However, for patients with a severely atrophic maxilla or mandible, cranial bone grafting of the jaw is required to increase bone width and height necessary for implant insertion. An active collaboration between the surgeons from the Oral and Maxillofacial Department and the prosthodontist from the Department of Dentistry has been established for continuous quality improvement of the concept of (immediate/delayed) implant loading in patients requiring cranial bone grafts to augment their severely atrophic jawbone. The investigators aim to develop a prospective database registering (immediate/delayed) implant loading data of all patients eligible according to the protocol. Patient demographics, surgical, dental, prosthetic and patient satisfaction parameters are collected during consecutive visits within the framework of routine practice. Development of a database registering immediate functional loading data secondary to cranial bone-grafting of a severely atrophic jaw, will provide more information about potential patient, surgical and prosthetic factors influencing long-term biological and mechanical stability, as well as patient satisfaction. Moreover, registration of those results could function as a measurement of quality of care, and could be used for sample size calculation for future large prospective trials.

To investigate the use of microperimetry and SS-OCT in assessing the natural changes of retinal sensitivity and anatomy in the perilesional zone of geographic atrophy areas in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration.

The objective of the 18-month trial is to evaluate the natural history of geographic atrophy by assessing the rate of progression of the geographic atrophic lesion over time.

This study is being done to help determine whether patients with severe sepsis (overwhelming inflammation in the body as a result of an infection) lose muscle and become weak more rapidly than patients with other severe illnesses. Weakness and muscle loss that develops after a severe illness is a serious problem. Patients who develop weakness and have a decrease in muscle size often have to stay in the hospital longer and have a higher chance of dying. At the current time, it is not clear whether certain severe illnesses are more likely to cause weakness and muscle loss. This study will be done to measure the changes in muscle size and strength as a result of each patient's illness

Background: - Spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA 1) causes severe muscle weakness and problems with eating and breathing. The symptoms begin in infancy, and children affected with SMA 1 often die in early childhood. Researchers want to collect information on how SMA symptoms progress in first two years. Objectives: - To study how the symptoms of SMA 1 progress in infants and children. Eligibility: - Infants and children with SMA 1 born on or after January 1, 2007. Design: Researchers will review the child s medical records and talk with parents by telephone. For children who are under 2 years of age, the researchers will review the child s medical records and speak with you on telephone every 2-4 months. Phone calls with parents will take about 10 minutes and will involve questions about symptoms of SMA 1. Children will be followed until age 2.- Researchers are also interested in looking at medical records of children who are no longer alive or who are more than 2 years of age. Parents or children do not have to come to the NIH. They will provide consent to view these records, and information over the telephone. - No treatment or care will be provided as part of this study.

This study seeks to better characterize relationships between visual function and the progression (worsening) of geographic atrophy (GA) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study is also intended to generate new information on the relationship between genetics and GA progression. This is a global, prospective, multicenter, epidemiologic study enrolling participants with GA secondary to AMD. The study visits are scheduled to occur every 6 months. The anticipated duration of the study is up to 48 months. There is a planned interim analysis around the 2-year time window for the study.

This study seeks to better characterize relationships between visual function and the progression (worsening) of geographic atrophy (GA) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study also will generate new information on the relationship between genetics and GA progression. This is a global, prospective, multicenter, epidemiologic study enrolling 200 participants with GA secondary to AMD. The study visits are scheduled to occur every 6 months. The anticipated duration of the study is up to 60 months.

Following injury or surgery to a limb, it is often immobilised to allow tissue healing. Short periods of disuse cause loss of muscle size and strength and impaired mechanical properties of tendons, which leads to reduced function. Strategies to combat these deconditioning adaptations include neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), however at present its effectiveness is limited. Recent research suggests that the effects of NMES can be augmented with blood flow restriction (BFR). At present, the effect of combining these two techniques on muscle function during limb immobilisation is unknown. Furthermore, the impact of BFR training during retraining following immobilisation is unknown.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder that cause as other neurodegenerative diseases profound declines in functioning and thus, require caregiving for assistance with daily living. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of a multimodal intervention as proposed by the NYU Caregiver Counseling and Support Intervention (NYUCI) on the quality of life of patients and their caregivers.