Active clinical trials for "Inflammation"

Despite decades of research, the mortality in acute lung injury remains very high and treatment options are very limited. Given these facts, the best treatment modality may be in prevention of this lethal syndrome. Historically, imaging has played a crucial role in understanding ALI. The appearance of chest radiography is one of the consensus criteria in defining ALI, and commuted tomography (CT) scans further advanced the understanding of the pathoanatomy of ALI. While valuable, these imaging modalities are nonspecific and do not incorporate functional cellular physiology. PET imaging measures concentrations of radioisotopes in the body. By embedding in, but not altering molecules, the natural fate of these tracers can be studied with PET imaging. Advances in the understanding of ALI include blood flow distribution, as well as the response to alveolar recruitment maneuvers and prone positioning. Not all patients who are receiving mechanical ventilation develop ALI. Inflammation in the lungs is known to play a key early role in the development and progression of ALI. Secondary to inflammation, the lungs develop edema and do not exchange oxygen as well. This early inflammation is in part driven by a specific type of immune cell called the neutrophil. These cells seem to travel and become sequestered in the lung- they are "recruited" to the lung during this inflammatory stage. When there, these neutrophils release inflammatory substances which are integral in the development of ALI. Neutrophils use primarily glucose as a fuel source. The radio isotope [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)is a glucose analog and therefore taken up/ingested by the neutrophils as a part of their normal metabolism. Because of this fact, positron emission tomography (PET) using the radio isotope [18F]FDG is a highly sensitive marker to look at the recruitment of neutrophils to the lung, therefore quantifying the degree of pulmonary inflammation prior to the development of ALI. The investigators seek to examine the relationship of pulmonary inflammation in patients at risk for ALI, but without clinical evidence of the syndrome. The investigators seek to enroll ten patients in a pilot trial.

Patients are routinely given steroid eye drops following cataract surgery. This study will compare 2 approved drops:Loteprednol Etabonate versus Prednisolone Acetate Eye drops used following cataract surgery. Patients will be randomly assigned to one drop or the other, and evaluated for inflammation and intraocular pressure as part of the comparison. The study Doctor will be masked as to which drop the patient receives to avoid bias.

Health outcome studies should examine food patterns, because foods are consumed together and nutrients are metabolized jointly. To examine associations between food patterns and markers of systemic and vascular inflammation at baseline, in a population-based cohort in Malmö, Sweden, and after 13 years of follow-up food pattern associations with CVD incidence.

The current study will investigate chronic hemodialysis patients who were treated in our unit with pomegranate juice intake for 1 year - compared to a control group. Markers will be taken 3 months after cessation of pomegranate juice intake, for inflammation and oxidative stress and Hb A1c.

The purpose of this study is to find out if diabetes damages the blood vessels of adolescents with good diabetes control compared to adolescents with less optimal control.

The aim of this cross-sectional study is to determine the correlation of coronary artery calcification as measured by electron-beam computerized tomography and coronary flow reserve measured by trans-thoracic Doppler echocardiography in hemodialysis patients. The investigators also assessed the carotid artery parameters by measuring intima media thickness that can accurately describe the process of arterial wall changes due to atherosclerosis. Possible association of coronary flow reserve with inflammation and arterial calcification in hemodialysis patients was also evaluated.

The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the use of herbal medicine among Dominicans in New York City and the Dominican Republic.

This study aimed to link lifestyle factors (Mediterranean diet adherence, stress, sleep quality, physical activity) to caries and apical periodontitis in 149 university-based individuals. Data included clinical and radiographic assessments and lifestyle questionnaires. Statistical tests and logistic regression were employed to analyze the relationships between these factors and oral health conditions.

Cardiac surgery saves lives when patients suffer from cardiac disease. Local inflammation is important for tissue repair and wound healing after such an operation. Inflammation starts already when the patient is treated in the intensive care unit. When inflammatory proteins (cytokines) are released into the circulation, they cause also a systemic inflammation, which alerts the immune system of the body and activates defence mechanisms (=adaptive response). In some patients, systemic inflammation is out of control thereby causing organ dysfunctions, shock, and in the most severe cases even death (=maladaptive response). The aim of this study is to investigate the early phase of inflammation after the operation. Repeated blood samples will be taken of patients undergoing cardiac surgery to describe the patterns and dynamics of inflammation proteins. A better understanding of these mechanisms will potentially lead to improved treatment of patients after cardiac surgery.

This study intends to assess the role of inflammation in insulin resistant conditions (i.e., obesity and pre-diabetes) and the subsequent development of disease, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), in the adolescent population.