Active clinical trials for "Inflammation"

This is a study of the inflammatory reaction in standard 4 port laparoscopic cholecystectomy vs Single Port Laparoscopic (SIL) cholecystectomy. It is assumed that the reduced trauma in SIL Cholecystectomy causes reduced inflammatory reaction compared to the 4 port laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether inflammatory bowel disease in children involve the respiratory tract as expressed by increased levels of the Fraction of exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) and spirometry.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) can be a serious complication. The development of therapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of this condition requires the identification of subgroup of patients with the greatest incidence of POCD. Several retrospective analyses have raised the possibility that surgery is a risk factor for the accelerated progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Moreover, there is increasing evidence that inflammatory mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Major surgery can be associated with a profound systemic inflammatory response. Consequently, it is reasonable to suggest that there is a link between major surgery and the postoperative development of AD in patients who are already at high risk for this complication, e.g. the elderly with mild cognitive impairment. In addition, there are several laboratory investigations that suggest that anesthetic agents increase amyloid peptide levels as well as enhance oligomerization of these proteins. The significance of these findings, however, is unknown. This clinical study seeks to correlate perioperative inflammatory responses, perioperative changes in amyloid-beta protein levels (markers of AD) with neurocognitive and functional outcome in the elderly who are at risk for POCD. This knowledge does not exist, but is essential in the effort to plan perioperative care that can reduce the incidence of POCD as well as improve functional recovery.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a serious health concern that affects millions of people in the United States. It is usually caused by atherosclerosis-a condition that occurs when fatty material and plaque build up on the walls of the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart, causing the arteries to narrow. As the arteries narrow, blood flow to the heart can slow down or stop, which can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, heart attack, or heart failure. Another component of CHD events involves inflammatory changes that result in structural breakdown of atherosclerotic plaques. Adding niacin to statin medications may be an effective way to block inflammation in the atherosclerotic plaques. This study will examine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images and blood samples of participants in the AIM-HIGH study who are taking niacin plus statins or statins alone to determine the effect of these medications on inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques.

The contribution of diesel exhaust (DE) to health, especially children's health, is of tremendous public health interest. DE has been associated with worsening asthma and allergies, among other important health effects. Reducing DE exposures has become a major regulatory initiative, and federal, state, and local jurisdictions are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in retrofitting diesel engines in school buses and other changes to reach this goal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent regulations require all on-road diesel vehicles to change to low emission engines and ultra-low-sulfur fuels by 2007 (US EPA '00). In spring 2003, the U.S. EPA announced a nationwide voluntary school bus retrofit initiative. In July 2003, the Washington Legislature enacted a statewide "Diesel Solutions" program that provides 25 million dollars by 2008 to retrofit school diesel buses with cleaner burning engines and fuels, making it one of the largest and most active voluntary school bus retrofit program in the country. If risk assessment estimates are accurate, these changes will have a large public health impact, especially on children who ride school buses daily. However, no studies to-date have rigorously examined school children's exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) and its health effects, nor such a significant change in vehicular pollution control. We propose to seize this opportunity of a large natural experiment taking place in the Puget Sound area and conduct a study to assess health effects from diesel bus exhaust before and after the retrofit of diesel bus fleets between 2005 and 2007. The specific aims of the study are to: Determine whether asthmatic children changing to retrofitted buses with cleaner fuels and engines have a reduction in sub-clinical and clinical asthma severity. Determine if increased levels of DE exposure lead to an increase in acute clinical and sub-clinical features of asthma in children. Quantify the levels and changes in particle and toxic gas exposures to DE in 3 groups of children commuting to school by retrofitted buses or private cars, old diesel buses to be retrofitted later, and old diesel buses through the study. Sub-aim 3: Use the time-activity information, personal exposure measurements, and on-bus monitoring data to construct an exposure model to predict individual exposures to DE for all subjects.

Parenteral iron therapy is now commonly administered to dialysis patients with the majority of patients receiving this therapy as part of the treatment for their anemia. Although intravenous iron has improved clinical response to recombinant erythropoietin, there is a concern that iron therapy may have deleterious effects in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients. Iron can damage tissues by catalyzing the conversion of hydrogen peroxide to free-radical ions that attack cellular proteins, DNA and membranes as part of oxidative stress. Numerous in vitro studies have shown tissue toxicity from iron and increased infectious potential. Oxidative stress can also lead to activation of the systemic inflammatory response with the release of a number of key cytokines and growth factors. There is now a link between inflammation, oxidative stress and acceleration of vascular disease in both patients with normal as well as reduced renal function. In a study comparing normal versus low hematocrit levels in hemodialysis patients, mortality was higher in the normal hematocrit group. The major difference between the two groups has been attributed to the fact that patients in the normal hematocrit group received significantly more iron than the patients with low hematocrit. There was a 2.4 fold greater mortality rate in patients receiving parenteral iron. The effect of parenteral iron administration on activation of the systemic inflammatory response in hemodialysis patients has not been evaluated. The purpose of this study is to measure a number of key cytokines, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in hemodialysis patients receiving iron repletion therapy as part of their standard care.

The aim of the study is to examine inflammation in the airways and in peripheral blood, in workers in a cement plant i Norway.

The purpose of this study is to determine the partitioning of exogenous lipids in the postprandial period while a study of overfeeding. The method is based on the incorporation of a stable isotopic tracer (d31_palmitic acid, d31_C16) in lipoprotein triglycerides (TG-CHYLOMICRON and TG-VLDL) and in free fatty acids (FFA).

Chronic bronchial inflammation is an important clinical feature in cystic fibrosis. Approximately 10% of patients with cystic fibrosis suffer from Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis. In addition airway inflammation in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) plays a major role in progression of CF lung disease. In patients with mild disease (Vital capacity >75%) airway inflammation is often under diagnosed. Severity of allergy against Aspergillus fumigatus will be examined using radioallergosorbent test and skin Prick-test. Subsequently, in patients with established sensitization (RAST ≥ 0.35 IU/mL) a specific bronchial provocation with Aspergillus will be performed. In addition, exhaled nitric oxide,carbon monoxide, exhaled air temperature and inflammatory cells in sputum is measured. 24 hours after bronchial allergen provocation, exhaled NO, CO, air temperature, and bronchial responsiveness is determined and a second sputum obtained. This study is designed to characterize patients with CF and sensitization against Aspergillus fumigatus in an early stage to prevent pulmonary complications of ABPA. In addition sputum cytokine profiles in CF patients with mild and moderate disease may be different in patients without and with involvement of small airway disease (SAD).

A new way of scanning narrowing in the arteries (main blood vessels) caused by fatty deposits known as plaques has been developed. Heart attacks and strokes occur when plaques become inflamed, depending on the artery affected. Currently used clinical tests can only tell us how much the vessel is blocked by the plaque and not how inflamed (i.e. dangerous) it is. This new method of scanning using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a special agent called Sinerim can identify inflamed plaques. This study will evaluate patients with plaques in their arteries in their neck at risk of strokes to see whether treatment with a cholesterol-lowering drug called atorvastatin can reduce the amount of inflammation within the artery wall within the first three months of treatment. If this effect can be measured using MRI scanning with the use of Sinerim then the results of this study will provide additional clinical validation of the use of MRI scanning combined with agents such as Sinerem®.