Active clinical trials for "Inflammation"

Hypotheses: In the acute phase of early illness, tissue oxygen saturation and vascular occlusion test (VOT) are important adjuncts in differentiating severe critical illness requiring ICU admission from patients benefiting from less aggressive therapies (non-ICU admission). An early feature of severe sepsis is abnormal microcirculatory vasoreactivity. Microvascular reactivity can be measured by means of vascular occlusion test (VOT) using non-invasive near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure tissue Oxygen saturation (StO2). Microvascular reactivity is significantly deranged in patients with early severe sepsis and is quantifiably different from non-septic critically ill patients. Other measures of microcirculatory perfusion ie. sublingual orthogonal polarization spectral (OPS) video microscopy, are abnormal and will directionally correlate with VOT and StO2 in severe sepsis In severely septic patients response to therapy can be assessed by VOT and StO2 monitoring and will correlate with prognosis. A management protocol incorporating VOT and StO2 monitoring in addition to conventional hemodynamic and biochemical parameters as a guide to therapy will result in improved outcomes in severely septic patients. This project will investigate the use of a non-invasive near infrared light (NIR) device in conjunction with brief arm compression to measure the microcirculation in critically ill patients. It is know that in patients with overwhelming infections, their blood vessels do not respond normally and the NIR device can help measure how abnormal their blood vessels are. This type of testing is non-invasive and can be performed repeatedly without harm to the patient and may provide an earlier way to determine whether they have overwhelming sepsis and also may help to optimize the treatments they receive and better tailor their treatments to the degree of blood vessel abnormalities that are found. If our hypotheses are correct, this simple non-invasive test could provide a very rapid means of assessing patients that could be done more safely and quickly than some of the current methods. This would have an important effect to enhance patient safety and improve outcomes in such critically ill patients.

A common starting dose of glucosamine and chondroitin will reduce inflammation as reflected by a reduction in serum C-reactive protein.

This study aims to assess the effect of acute inflammation on arterial stiffness and microcirculation. Patients with severe sepsis will be compared with age-, sex- and cardiovascular risk factors-matched controls. The primary outcome is the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity. The other outcome measures are: systemic hemodynamics (systolic, diastolic, mean and pulse blood pressures, heart rate, cardiac output, left ventricular ejection fraction, systemic vascular resistances), central hemodynamics (aortic systolic, diastolic, mean and pulse pressures, and augmentation index), thenar tissue oxygen saturation, biological makers of inflammation (plasma fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, matrix metalloproteinases -2, -9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1), and plasma catecholamine concentrations (epinephrine, norepinephrine).

Insulin resistance is one of the main mechanisms involved in metabolic diseases. inflammation has been implicated in its pathogenesis, due to innate immunity activation by free fatty acids, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and lactate. Free fatty acids, LPS and lactate activate innate immunity in squelettal muscle and adipose tissue via Toll-like receptor 2/4, NFkB, IRF3 (Interferon Responsive Factor 3) and cytokines secretion (TNFa, IFN g, IL1b, IL6), chemokines secretion (MCP1) and leukotrienes (LTB4). Feed back mechanisms involved in TLR signaling pathways as RLI (ribonuclease L inhibitor)/ABCE1, have never been studied in inflammation due to obesity. RLI inhibits an endoribonuclease, RNase L, which has been recently implicated in TLR signaling The purpose of this study is to analyse the role of RLI and RNase L in TLR regulation, and its potential implication in the link between obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance in adipose tissue and squeletal muscle in humans.

Studies have shown that people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a higher rate of heart disease than people that do not have RA. we believe this is caused by the inflammation produced by RA.

This study is a longitudinal single-center pilot study designed to describe changes in lung function and levels of noninvasive biomarkers of airway inflammation in children ages 6-18 years over two months following hospitalization for an acute exacerbation of asthma. Forty children ages 6-18 years with asthma who are admitted to Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center (GCRC) for an asthma exacerbation will be enrolled and complete an initial study visit prior to hospital discharge. Children with asthma will be recruited from the inpatient medical unit. During their initial visit subjects will undergo a clinical assessment and perform spirometry to measure lung function. In addition, exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) concentration will be measured and a sample of exhaled breath condensate (eBC) will be collected during 20 minutes of tidal breathing. Breath condensate will be analyzed to determine the concentration of cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLT), an important mediator of airway inflammation in asthma. Subjects with asthma will return to the GCRC pediatric satellite at Seattle Children's Hospital for follow-up study visits at 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks following hospital discharge. During follow-up visits subjects will complete a questionnaire regarding symptoms and medication use since the most recent study visit, will perform spirometry, and have eNO concentration measured and breath condensate collected for CysLT analysis. The aims of this observational study are to: Assess the association of levels of exhaled nitric oxide and cysteinyl leukotrienes in breath condensate with measures of airflow obstruction (FEV1) and asthma symptoms during, and at one, two, and four weeks following hospital discharge for asthma exacerbation. Compare levels of exhaled nitric oxide and cysteinyl leukotrienes in breath condensate from children ages 6-18 years hospitalized for status asthmaticus to levels from age-matched healthy control subjects without asthma.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the kinetics of endogenous albumin is altered by the generalized inflammation caused by major abdominal surgery.

The purpose of this research study is to gain understanding of the basic responses of the lung to inflammation and specifically if a certain medication can reduce the inflammation alone or in combination with another. Inflammation is the way our bodies react to irritation or injury, and involves red, warm, and often painful swelling of the affected tissue. "Acute lung injury" involves inflammation that is not specific to one area of the lung and is caused by any one of several conditions: infection, trauma, breathing toxic substances, etc. When lung injury is severe, not enough oxygen can get into the body; this can lead to the need for mechanical support of breathing (mechanical ventilation), problems with brain, heart or other organ function, and in some cases, death.

Obesity has been recognized as a risk factors for developing asthma. In a cohort of 5384 children aged 15-17, we aim to: To investigate the association of asthma prevalence at age 15-17 with body mass index (BMI) at age 15-17 and BMI at age 11-12 years Part II To investigate the association of BMI in adolescence and BMI at age 11-12 years with: Prevalence of allergic sensitization Lung function Levels of airway inflammation at age 16-18 years Severity of asthma Secondly, to assess diet and physical activity involvement as effect modifiers in these possible associations.

Polyneuropathy is a complication of diabetes mellitus which leads to decreased sensation in arms and legs. This in turn can lead to the development of (infected) foot ulcers. Charcot's disease can also be a consequence of polyneuropathy. Patients with Charcot's disease suddenly develop a red, warm and swollen foot, like an infection. Charcot's disease leads to foot fractures. After these fractures have healed, the shape of the foot can be dramatically altered. This altered shape of the foot increases the risk of developing foot ulcers. Nerves are important in regulating the inflammatory response. This study aims to investigate whether the inflammatory response is different in patients with polyneuropathy with and without a history of Charcot's disease.