Effects of Oral Supplement Containing L-Histidine and Antioxidants on the Skin Barrier Function...
RosaceaSystemic InflammationThe purpose of this study is to evaluate how supplementation will alter the skin and the gut barrier and inflammation in those with rosacea.
DEXTENZA for the Treatment of Pain and Inflammation Following Surgical Trabeculectomy and Ahmed...
Glaucoma Following SurgeryThis is a prospective, comparative, open-label, single-center, randomized, investigator-sponsored clinical study and seeks to investigate clinical outcomes with standard of care and high dose DEXTENZA treatment compared to standard of care topical dexamethasone in patients undergoing trabeculectomy, trabeculectomy Ex-PRESS, Xen Gel stent, and Ahmed Valve surgery. Patients will be followed through 6 months. After screening a given patient for inclusion and exclusion criteria, and gaining informed consent, eyes of n=30 patients will be randomized to one of the following two groups (n=15per group) and followed from Baseline through Month 6.
Development of Non-Invasive MRI Applications for Liver Fibrosis and Inflammation
Liver FibrosisChronic liver disease is a major healthcare problem in Hong Kong and worldwide. The diagnosis of liver fibrosis and inflammation in patients with chronic liver disease has important prognostic and therapeutic implications. The current gold standard to evaluate and stage the severity of liver fibrosis and inflammation is based on liver biopsies, which are invasive and impractical for screening and monitoring the disease. The existing non-invasive methods still have significant limitations to meet the challenge. Magnetic resonance effect can be used to obtain the molecular-level information on the biochemical properties of human tissues. The investigators will develop non-invasive quantitative MRI technologies to evaluate and stage liver fibrosis and inflammation. Our approaches are based on the endogenous contrast mechanism and thus do not need to inject an MRI contrast agent. Our approaches can be implemented on a regular MRI scanner and do not need any extra hardware. To enable the technology for routine clinical use, the investigators will develop fully automated post-processing techniques for the proposed MRI acquisition approaches. The investigators will perform multi-center clinical studies in Hong Kong and mainland China to validate our imaging measurements by histopathologic results from liver biopsies on patient cohorts.
Mechanisms of Acute Inflammation Following Periodontal Treatment
InflammationPeriodontal DiseasesPeriodontitis (gum disease) is a chronic inflammatory disease linked to a imbalance of oral microbiome. The most usual treatment involves removal of sub and supra-gingival plaque and calculus otherwise known as Non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT). Ample evidence now indicates that Periodontitis and NSPT are linked to both local and systemic inflammation. This in turn also explains the association between periodontitis and a number of systemic diseases including cardiovascular diseases. Vascular endothelium (the innermost lining of blood vessels) exerts protective, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting functions. As the endothelium ages, and is exposed to the damaging effects of traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as elevated blood pressure, serum cholesterol, glucose and cigarette smoking; these protective properties appear diminished, leading to a state of endothelial dysfunction (ED). Understanding the mechanisms of ED in humans could lead to new therapeutic and/or preventive strategies of CV diseases. Sufficient evidence now suggests that periodontitis and its treatment (removal of sub and supra-gingival plaque and calculus-periodontal therapy) are linked to endothelial dysfunction. Studies have extensively characterized the time-course of a single session of non surgical periodontal treatment (IPT) associated with a one week acute inflammatory response. This substantial inflammatory response is also associated with ED assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery at 24 hrs. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) helps kill the local pathogens, thus preventing their systemic dissemination; which may ultimately reduce the systemic host inflammatory response generated.
Alcohol and Cannabis Co-Use and the Gut-Brain Axis
Cannabis UseAlcohol Use1 moreThis observational study aims to improve our understanding of how legal market cannabis use impacts acute and long-term alcohol use, the microbiota-gut-brain-axis (MGBA), and neurobehavioral alcohol use phenotypes such as impulsivity, impaired cognitive functioning, and craving, among individuals who regularly use both alcohol and cannabis. Over a period of one month, subjects will participate in this three-visit study. Blood samples will be collected to allow for the assessment of inflammatory markers and cannabinoids, a fecal sample will be collected to allow for the analysis of the gut microbiome, and participants will complete cognitive and impulsivity tasks and provide craving ratings during the course of an alcohol self-administration procedure. Subjects will also participate in two 14-day daily diary data collection periods between lab sessions. Daily diary data collection will be used to assess the effects of cannabis use on alcohol use and craving longitudinally.
Association of Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy and Chronic Placental Inflammation
Cholestasis of PregnancyThis observational prospective study will help to determine if an immune process similar to allograft rejection is responsible for the occurrence of an intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). If so, it would suggest the potential benefit of immunomodulatory therapeutics.
LUS to Assess Lung Injury After Lung Resection
Lung NeoplasmAdult ALL9 moreThe purpose of the study is to assess whether lung ultrasound is able to detect lung injury after lung resection surgery.
Pleiotropic Role of TRPV1 in Psoriasis Inflammation
Inflammation; SkinPsoriasisWidely expressed in the sensory nerve endings of the skin, Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is a receptor that plays an important role in the perception of pain and pruritus but also in skin inflammation, primarily by inducing the local release of several neuropeptides. Although the mechanisms by which TRPV1-sensitizing inflammatory mediators in damaged skin have received considerable attention, the role of TRPV1 in psoriasis has so far been little explored. However, two studies have reported that ablation of sensory nerves expressing TRPV1 reduced psoriasiform skin inflammation, demonstrating the neuronal contribution to inflammation in psoriasis. However, the expression of TRPV1 is not limited to neurons alone. TRPV1 is also expressed by epidermal keratinocytes and skin microvessels. For example, in 2018, transcriptomic analysis of psoriatic patient skins (by definition devoid of neuron nuclei) revealed that TRPV1 expression was increased in the skin of psoriatic patients suffering from itching (pruritus). Regarding human keratinocytes, it is recognized that the activation of TRPV1 present on their surface induces the release of pro-inflammatory factors such as cyclooxygenase-2. In addition, the investigators have demonstrated that TRPV1 has a pivotal role in the keratinocyte production of inflammatory mediators, which is mediated by the protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2). However, the role of vascular TRPV1 in inflammation is not described. The investigators hypothesize that in addition to neuronal TRPV1, non-neuronal TRPV1 receptors of non-neuronal cells (keratinocytes and endothelial cells) may be involved in the vicious circle of the inflammatory process characteristic of psoriasis. Putting TRPV1 at the center of the deregulation of the homeostatic balance including epithelial, neuronal and vascular inflammation in psoriasis is totally innovative.
Pilot Study to Validate ex Vivo Expression of Specific Biomarkers of Human Resolutive Macrophages...
InflammationHuman resolutive macrophages are essential immune cells in the resolution of inflammation. This particular type of macrophages remains poorly known and currently there are no biomarkers to identify them in vivo. Within UMR1098-RIGHT, specific biomarkers (secreted molecules and membrane receptors) of human resolutive macrophages (healthy volunteers) have been identified in vitro, but their existence in vivo remains an outstanding issue. An exploratory study (lack of data from the literature) will validate the ex vivo expression of these markers in samples of patients whose inflammation is not, or little, supported by the available therapies (NSAIDs, biotherapies, corticosteroids).
Investigation of Inflammation Using [C-11]-CS1P1
Alzheimer DiseaseThere is a compelling need for a noninvasive imaging approach to measure S1P1 in both preclinical models of diseases and humans. PET measures of S1P1 expression is critical for elucidating the pathophysiological roles of S1P1 in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. The relevance of S1P1 in clinical disease has become readily apparent with the FDA approval of the S1P1 modulator FTY720 (fingolimod) for treating relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS). MS is a chronic autoimmune, inflammatory disease caused by lymphocytic infiltration that leads to demyelinating neurodegenerative disease. The primary objective of the initial IND study is to determine the safety of the [11C]-CS1P1 for PET imaging of S1P1 expression. The investigators will first complete whole-body PET dosimetry studies in healthy adult normal volunteers to calculate the actual radiation dose of each human organ and determine the allowable dose for a human subject when receiving a single dose for a PET scan. Second, complete imaging of the brain and lymph nodes of the neck in a wide range of ages of healthy adult normal control participants, both male and females to characterize [11C]-CS1P1 uptake in the brain and radiolabeled metabolite will be completed. Finally, a comparison of the normal control participants to patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) will be completed.