
Interest of 18F-FDG Positron Emission Tomography in the Management of Fevers and Inflammatory Syndromes...
InflammationPatients aged 75 and over represent a heterogeneous population with fragile subjects who have a higher risk of poor tolerance to many tests and especially who have a risk of major functional loss in the event of hospitalization. It is therefore necessary to adapt our prescriptions and not to impose on these patients an examination that is unnecessary. Or on the contrary, not to do without, out of ignorance, a minimally invasive examination that could be useful to these patients. In this study, the investigators wish to evaluate the interest of the Pet-Scan in the therapeutic management of these elderly patients

The Role of the Immune and Inflammatory Systems in Hypertension
HypertensionInflammation1 moreTo define the cytokine and cellular immune signature of primary hypertension. Cross sectional clinical/laboratory study.

Involvement of the Translation Initiation Factors in Resolution of Inflammation in the Elderly Population...
Infection in the ElderlyAging cause specific changes in the immune system. Processes like "immunoessence" and "inflammaging" offend the functioning of the immune cells and expose the elderly patient to infections that can lead to morbidity and death. Protein translation regulation offers a strategic advantage to the immune cells, because it enables rapid activation or termination of synthesis of specific proteins, required for inflammation or its resolution. Translation initiation depends on recruitment of eukaryotic initiation factor "eIF4F" complex. The aim of the current study is to investigate the involvement of the translation initiation factors (eIF4E and eIF4G) in the process of recovery from acute infection in elderly patient admitted to the internal department with an acute infection.

Adenosylmethionine Metabolism in Human Inflammation
ArthritisChronic InflammationThe investigators propose to conduct a translational study on the regulation of S-adenosylmethionine synthesis and cellular methylation reactions during chronic inflammation. Development of in vitro cell models may reveal the regulatory mechanisms by which specific inflammatory mediators cause metabolic changes and alter DNA methylation status. Metabolic and pharmacological studies in the in vivo models will enable us to better understand the regulation of inter-organ homeostasis of S-adenosyl methionine and help identify tissue specific biomarkers for methylation and epigenetic modifications in different stage of chronic inflammation. The clinical study in human subjects will help distinguish the impacts of autoimmune rheumatic disease, degenerated joint disease, or specific medication use on significant clinical and biochemical markers in folate and vitamin B6 metabolic pathways.The Investigators hope the present study can identify specific clinical markers for potential epigenetic changes in patients suffering from chronic inflammation, which will contribute to better clinical management of these diseases in humans.

Syndecan 1 as Biomarker for Inflammation
ColitisThe aim of the study is to evaluate the soluble biomarker syndecan-1 (sSdc1) taken from venous blood of patients with infectious intestinal diseases such as Clostridium difficile-associated colitis, bacterial colitis, Norovirus enteritis and Crohn´s disease or ulcerative colitis. The level of sSdc1 will be compared with disease activity in patients with active inflammation and with disease in remission. Secondary objectives were the assessment of correlation of the above-mentioned factors with the CRP value. Subjects will be volunteers. Blood will be taken as part of the routine clinical work-up after the written agreement blood and sSdc1-level will be assessed using a human-specific sSdc1 ELISA assay. In addition, the subjects are asked to answer a short questionnaire. The study is designed as a prospective, comparative cohort study.

PET/CT for the Quantification of Atherosclerotic Plaque Inflammation
Coronary Artery DiseaseAcute Coronary SyndromeThis is a single-centre prospective trial with 140 patients employing [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) and advance motion correction and image fusion algorithms to create motion frozen displays and quantify FDG-uptake and thus inflammatory activity in atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary tree. Four groups of patients, two with stable coronary artery disease and two with acute coronary syndrome will be compared and the results of FDG PET/CT will be correlated to results of invasive coronary angiography, intravascular ultrasound / virtual histology, patient risk profile and serum markers of inflammation. The investigators hypothesize that increased FDG accumulation in atherosclerotic plaques shows a positive correlation with inflammatory activity in coronary plaques and markers of plaque vulnerability as well as the risk profile of the patients and serum markers of inflammation. The investigators furthermore hypothesize that FDG PET/CT is able to detect high risk patients and provide an important means for risk stratification and optimization of patient management.

The Endoscopic Assesment of Intestinal Grafts
Transplant; IntestineTransplant; Complication5 moreThe study validates prospectively a new endoscopic scoring system (Gothenburg Intestinal Transplant Endoscopy Score, GITES) designed to summarize and stratify the abnormal ileal endoscopic findings after intestinal transplantation. GITES is a five-tier, four grade score which asseses mucosal friability, mucosal erythema and mucosal injury (ulcerations) as well as villous changes according to severity. These features (i.e., endoscopic descriptors) are also grouped from mild to very severe in the same sequence as observed during the progression of several pathologic conditions encountered after intestinal transplantation (acute rejection, infectious enteritis).

Validation of the Analysis Methodology Behind the Use of Quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT to Assess Lung...
Lung InflammationSarcoidosisThe purpose of this study is to validate the method of analysing Positron Emission Tomography (PET) images to assess lung inflammation. Development of novel therapeutic drugs requires a biomarker which is sensitive to the underlying disease and can respond to therapeutic interventions. PET is a potential imaging biomarker which can target molecular and cellular processes. There is currently no standardised method of analysing PET lung data and a lack of validation for the existing techniques. This study is divided in to two parts. Part A aims to determine the best method to perform 18F-FDG PET/CT lung analysis and how it correlates with cell counts from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples taken from participants with active pulmonary sarcoidosis. Part B will compare imaging data from healthy volunteers who have either undergone a Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge (whereby the lung is temporarily inflamed) or saline equivalent to determine whether lung inflammation can be detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT. No medications will be given and patients will not be asked to stop or change existing medication.

Influence of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Modifiable Vascular Risk Factors on Carotid...
AtherosclerosisStroke1 moreIschemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Atherosclerosis, responsible for the 20% of ischemic strokes, is characterized by lipid accumulation in the artery wall that leads to chronic inflammation, cell proliferation and ultimately to vessel stenosis. One of the main features related to plaque progression and vulnerability is inflammation. Positron emission tomography with 18-fluorodeoxyglucos (18-FDG PET) allows an accurate quantification of plaque inflammation and it has been proved its usefulness in predicting early stroke recurrences. The investigators aim to test how modifiable vascular risk factors influence plaque inflammation assessed by 18-FDG PET. In addition, investigators will assess the association of this inflammation and circulating endothelial progenitor cells

Study Inflammation During a 100 Miles
Inflammatory ResponseTo study per and post effort variations of inflammatory biological markers during a 100 miles