Active clinical trials for "Inflammation"

The investigators propose to correlate 1) cardiac MRI pericardial adipose volume, 2) the presence of pericardial monocytes and 3) circulating immune biomarkers in persons with and without CHD and HIV infection compared to seronegative controls with known CHD. The investigators aim to test the hypothesis that higher amounts of pericardial fat deposition and increased presence of monocytes within this adipose tissue are associated with underlying coronary artery disease in persons with HIV infection as measured by cardiac MRI.

Overweight and obesity have become an increasing problem in patients on hemodialysis. However, in virtually all observational studies in chronic kidney disease(CKD) and dialysis patients , using body mass index(BMI) as metric fat mass is associated inversely with death rate. Nevertheless, it is questionable that obesity can be considered an unequivocal protective factor in chronic diseases as increase body fat mass appears to be a potential cause of the chronic inflammation frequently present in these patients. The consequences of this inflammation are impaired nutritional status, accelerated atherosclerosis, and increased mortality. In the present study, by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) to evaluated the contributions of fat mass to outcomes in an observational cohort of hemodialysis patients. Besides, we aim to assess the relationship between body fat composition, clinical metabolic risk profiles, measures of adiposity, such as waist circumference (WC), visceral adiposity index, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), markers of inflammation and adipocytokines in these maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Background: - The immune system contains several different types of cells in the blood and other parts of the body. The body can fight infections well with the right balance of these cell types. The wrong balance of cell types may cause diseases, such as allergies or asthma. The COX-2 gene may help decide the balance of cell types that the body makes as part of the immune system. It may also play a role in certain immune system diseases. Researchers want to see how COX-2 affects the cells in the immune system. Objectives: - To study how the COX-2 gene works in the body s immune system. Eligibility: - Individuals 18 years of age and above who are part of the Environmental Polymorphisms Registry. Design: Participants will have one study visit at the National Institutes of Health. They will collect a urine sample at home on the morning of the study visit. Participants will have a physical exam and medical history. They will provide a blood sample. They will also give researchers the urine sample they collected that morning. No treatment will be provided as part of this study.

This study investigates the response of vaginal and cervical tissue after exposure to three vaginal products: hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) placebo, nonoxynol-9 (N9) and imiquimod (IMQ) cream.

The treatment of osteoarthritis, a disease that eventually affects the majority of the older population, involves the alleviation of symptoms such as pain and stiffness, and the reduction of inflammation. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study will be performed to examine the effect of topical application of Elmore Oil, a herbal remedy (containing Eucalyptus oil, Tea tree oil, Olive oil and Vanilla), which has recently been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties, on the symptoms of osteoarthritis.

High blood pressure affects nearly one third of all individuals in the United States. If left untreated, it can lead to stroke, heart failure, heart attack, kidney failure, or blindness. For many people, the exact cause of high blood pressure is unknown, but it is believed that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of the condition. The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of genetics, inflammation, and stress on the development of high blood pressure.

The Objectives of the study are to: (1)compare the inflammatory response and insulin resistance in skeletal muscles during a systemic infusion of lipid with that during a local infusion of lipid into the femoral artery. which would cause minimal or no systemic hyperlipidemia but local plasma free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations similar to those during the systemic lipid infusion, and (2) determine the inflammatory response and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle during an infusion of lipid into the femoral artery as described above after NF-KB inhibition by high dose salicylate treatment in humans.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease. We propose to study inflammatory changes in the lungs of subjects with atopic asthma of different severity in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG). It has been shown that the uptake of FDG as detected by PET scanning correlates with inflammation in animal models as well as in human disease processes such as sarcoidosis, tuberculosis and abscess formation. In addition, it has been shown that the inflammation associated with allergen challenge in patients with atopic asthma can be visualized using PET scanning with FDG. We hypothesize that the degree of FDG-uptake as a measure of inflammation correlates with the severity of asthma as determined by pulmonary function tests and clinical signs and symptoms. In addition, information about the spatial distribution of the inflammatory changes will be obtained. To compare the characteristics of the inflammation in asthma with non-asthmatic inflammation of the lung, the images obtained in asthmatic subjects will be compared with images from subjects who have inflammatory changes of the lung caused by Wegener's granulomatosis. Subjects with atopic asthma and non-atopic control subjects will be selected from the community and, if eligible for the study, undergo skin testing against common allergens and pulmonary function testing. Subjects with Wegener's granulomatosis will be selected from a large group of subjects followed with this disease at NIAID. PET scanning with FDG will be used to measure inflammation in the PET scanning facility at the Clinical Center of the NIH and the results of the scanning will be correlated with the severity of the disease. We expect that for the first time this methodology will permit an objective measure of the basic pathogenic process, the allergic inflammation, in patients with atopic asthma. Using this methodology it will be possible to study the efficacy of currently available therapies for allergic inflammation. In addition, this methodology will provide an extremely useful tool for the development of new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of asthma.

To examine markers of underlying chronic inflammation and infection as potential risk factors for future myocardial infarction (MI), stroke (CVA), and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in plasma samples collected at baseline from healthy participants in the Physicians' Health Study (PHS).

This study will collect fluid and tissue samples from the bronchi (air passages to the lungs) of patients with Wegener's granulomatosis for laboratory examination. Wegener's granulomatosis is a type of vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation) that can affect many parts of the body, including the brain, nerves, eyes, skin, sinuses, kidneys, intestinal tract, joints, heart, lungs and other sites. About 85 percent of patients have lung involvement. The lining of the bronchi (bronchial mucosa) is composed of cells that produce mucus, inflammatory cells, and inflammatory mediators (chemicals produced in response to inflammation). Analysis of these various substances may provide insight into what causes different types of lung problems in Wegener's granulomatosis. Patients between 18 and 75 years of age with Wegener's granulomatosis who require bronchoscopy to evaluate the cause of their lung problem may be eligible for this study. Participants will undergo a bronchoscopy in the hospital intensive care unit (ICU). For this procedure, the mouth and throat are numbed with lidocaine jelly and spray. If needed, a sedative is given for comfort. A small plastic tube (intravenous catheter) is placed in a vein to give medications. A pencil-thin tube is then placed through the nose or mouth into the lung airways to examine the airways carefully. At the time of the bronchoscopy, patients in this study will undergo the following additional procedures: Bronchoalveolar lavage - Saline (salt water) is injected through the bronchoscope into the air passage, acting as a rinse. A sample of the fluid is then withdrawn and examined for infection, inflammatory cells and inflammatory chemicals. (This may be done as part of the standard medical care procedure.) Bronchial lavage - This procedure is similar to bronchoalveolar lavage, but less fluid is used to rinse larger airways. Bronchial mucosal biopsies - A small wire is inserted through the bronchoscope next to the bronchial lining. Forceps at the end of the wire pinch off a small piece of tissue for withdrawal and examination. The patient's heart rhythm and rate and oxygen levels are monitored during the procedure. When the procedures are finished, the patient is monitored in the ICU until the numbing effect of the anesthetic has worn off and then moves to a regular hospital bed for overnight. Patients whose test results show an isolated infection or isolated Wegener's lung tissue involvement and who are being treated or are eligible for treatment under another NIH protocol will be followed by X-ray for improvement of their infection or other lung involvement with treatment. Patients whose infection or lung tissue involvement improves may be asked to undergo a second bronchoscopy as described above, but for research purposes only.