Active clinical trials for "Inflammation"

Persistent low-grade inflammation and impaired fibrinolysis, are independent predictors of several chronic diseases highly prevalent in the older Veteran population including cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, and diabetes. Inflammation is likely to be a causative underlying mechanism of insulin resistance. Lifestyle changes such as weight loss and physical activity are advocated for the treatment of these chronic diseases and endpoints, and data are emerging which suggest that these treatments may be beneficial, in part, due to their anti-inflammatory effects. Identification of effective therapies that reduce chronic inflammation for Veterans is important given the widespread adverse health effects of a chronically elevated inflammatory state.

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the effect of 40 mg dose of rosuvastatin on carotid plaque inflammation measured with MRI and PET scanning, to evaluate whether these techniques are promising for future proof of principle studies. A number of patients will receive placebo as a control.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of berry consumption on indicators of cardiovascular disease risk (blood pressure, cardiovascular biomarkers, nutrigenomics).

We hypothesize that Asian Americans compared to Caucasians, will be at higher risk of developing a pro-inflammatory state that may contribute to the development of heart disease and diabetes when they change from a traditional Asian diet to a typical Western diet. These inflammatory responses will be reflected by the activation of monocytes as measured by protein kinase C (PKC), a known activator of monocytes. We also hypothesize that the changes of these inflammatory responses in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) will reflect similar changes of these markers in the plasma and monocytes. Specific aims: To compare the inflammatory responses (primarily PKC activation in monocytes), between Far-East Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans, when they change from a traditional Asian diet to a typical American diet. To correlate the biochemical changes of inflammatory responses in the plasma and monocytes with those in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF).

Raisins contain a significant amount of dietary fiber and polyphenolic compounds that represent an important substrate for microbiota fermentation which generates potentially beneficial end products, such as short-chain fatty acids. The mammalian gut contains a phylogenetically as well as functionally diverse microbiota that contributes to host physiology. To date, little is known about how increased raisin intake affects human gut microbiota composition. This research study will assess the effects of adding raisins to the diet of healthy adults on the bacteria from feces of human subjects and resulting self-reported GI symptoms as well as markers of immune function. The hypothesis is that by adding raisins to the diet this will result in changes in gut microbiota. Furthermore, the changes in microbiota will largely be beneficial, as evaluated by an increase in butyrate producers and bacteria associated with anti-inflammatory properties.

A high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal (HFHC) induces an increase in inflammation in peripheral-blood mononuclear cells in healthy subjects. A few studies have shown that orange juice, when consumed together with the high-fat meal, is able to revert the increase in inflammatory markers. The present study will assess the effect of a single HFHC meal taken with water, orange juice or an isocaloric glucose drink on protein expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy individuals. Twelve healthy, normal weight individuals consumed a HFHC meal with water, water with glucose or orange juice in a cross-over design with at least one week interval between the meals. Blood samples were collected before, 1, 3 and 5h after the meals.

In the present study, investigators test the hypothesis that a controlled mechanical pressure applied on specific sites of both fore-feet (ES) can reduce the inflammatory state and arterial blood pressure in patients with Parkinson's Disease by increasing the overall parasympathetic activity and reducing vascular sympathetic modulation.

The study plans to find out whether Celebrex may be potentially useful to decrease inflammation in fat tissues and thereby lower the production of substances such as estrogens that may increase the risk of developing breast cancer and lead to a poor outcome of the disease.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of transvenous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) on the immune response. In the human endotoxemia model, intravenously administered endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) elicits a systemic immune response with release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF α. This trial will determine if an anti-inflammatory effect can be produced by acute VNS using a minimally invasive delivery method.

Acupuncture is used extensively by patients worldwide for a variety of illnesses. While research is beginning to show effectiveness in clinical pain, the mechanisms underlying how these effects are evoked are poorly understood. Experimental models in healthy human volunteers can more closely control the variables of acupuncture needling and begin to separate out the relative contribution of specific components of needling and needle stimulation. By examining acupuncture's effects on experimental inflammatory models with well-characterized physiologic mechanisms, hypotheses can begin to be generated regarding how acupuncture produces its clinical effects. We propose to establish a model which could be used as a template to examine the individual components contributing to acupuncture's clinical effects on inflammation and pain. We hypothesize that acupuncture will have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects on a ultraviolet B induced cutaneous lesion as well as a model of heat pain testing which activates central sensitization. Twenty healthy human volunteers will participate in a crossover study with active acupuncture and sham acupuncture interventions. They will be tested for their minimal erythemal dose (MED) to ultraviolet B exposure. An experimental lesion at 3x MED will be administered on the lower leg. Background information will be collected which could affect individuals' sensitivity to pain such as anxiety and depression, as well as their expectations regarding acupuncture treatment. The following day they will return for the first experimental day. A measurement with Laser Doppler will quantify the inflammation in the ultraviolet B lesion. Heat pain testing will be performed using a computer controlled thermode both on and off the ultraviolet B lesion. On-lesion testing will be for heat pain threshold. Off-lesion testing will examine temporal summation of heat pain. Next, a licensed acupuncturist will perform either true electroacupuncture or sham electroacupuncture in the region adjacent to the ultraviolet B lesion. Participants are blinded to the intervention, as is the examiner collecting data. Afterwards, Laser Doppler and heat pain testing will be repeated. The difference between pre-acupuncture and post-acupuncture measurements will represent the acupuncture -induced analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Participants will return for another ultraviolet B exposure adjacent to the first, and will receive whichever sham or true acupuncture intervention was not performed on the first study day.