Active clinical trials for "Syndrome"

In the present study, we examine the question "Will day-time aggression in children improve when their night-time sleep is treated with pharmacological intervention (i.e. clonidine)?" There is considerable anecdotal evidence that clonidine may provide an effective alternative to neuroleptics for treating aggression in children -- first by improving the overall quality of their sleep, and second by providing a safer and more readily tolerated medication with fewer side-effects and a greater probability of long-term compliance. This study uses a double blind placebo controlled design to gather scientific evidence that will help elucidate the mechanisms underlying this treatment effect and will help clarify the relationship between sleep disorders and aggression in children. Our results are expected to help physicians make informed treatment decisions regarding the use of clonidine to improve the quality of sleep and possibly treat problems with aggression in their pediatric patients

The Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is prevalent in the American population and is strongly associated with premature coronary disease. Lifestyle intervention, primarily exercise and dietary changes, are foundational treatment strategies for independent components of MS, but these interventions have not been thoroughly evaluated in MS. Even with very modest weight loss, in the setting of caloric restriction and exercise, marked improvement MS parameters have been noted. However, it is not known whether it is diet with weight loss or exercise that improves the metabolic derangements associated with MS. We propose a study designed to examine the relative impact of diet or exercise on the components of MS. Furthermore, it is known that psychological factors significantly impact the ability of patients to initiate and sustain lifestyle changes. We will monitor certain psychological states to evaluate their impact on the success of weight loss and sustainability of lifestyle changes throughout this study. Specific Aims: 1.) Evaluate the relative efficacy of diet with weight loss or exercise on improving the markers of metabolic syndrome. 2.) Determine of pre-existing psychological factors influence the effectiveness of diet with weight loss or exercise on the markers of metabolic syndrome. Design: Adult women (> 18 yrs) with a body-mass index (BMI)  30 kg/m2 will be assessed for MS and randomized to one of three groups (n = 34/group), Control (C), diet with weight loss alone (D), or exercise alone (E). The intervention groups will participate in supervised dietary changes designed for weight loss or exercise for 6 months. Anthropomorphic, serologic, and psychological parameters will be monitored and compared using ANOVA. Hypothesis: As indexed by the improvement in the laboratory markers of the components of metabolic syndrome, exercise alone has a more profound positive impact on Metabolic Syndrome then diet with weight loss alone.

Participants wanted for study of mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD), mevalonic aciduria, or hyperimmunoglobulinemia with periodic fever syndrome (HIDS). Patients with MKD (mevalonic aciduria or hyperimmunoglobulinemia with periodic fever syndrome (HIDS)) may be eligible for a research study conducted at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon USA. The purpose of the study is to find out more about how these diseases affect body chemistry and health. The researchers also want to find out how cholesterol in the diet affect blood cholesterol and how the body handles cholesterol. This is a short-term and long-term dietary study. The long-term goal of this research is to see if controlling dietary cholesterol can decrease any of the symptoms of the diseases. The study could involve up to 12 one-week admissions to OHSU over the course of 5 years.

Primary Objectives: This a pilot project to determine the feasibility of the preemptive CD8+ depleted T-cell donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) in: Reducing the incidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) based on standard classification of acute and chronic GVHD Improving hte disease remission rate in comparison with our previous study results. Secondary Objectives: To investigate the impact of CD8+ depleted T-cell DLI in hematopoietic chimerism, and immunologic recovery of transplant patients.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition. At least 20% of the population suffer from IBS. The symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating and difficulty with bowel motions are often disabling. Many of those affected are young and report a poor quality of life (QOL) to a degree that is similar to gut inflammatory conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Yet the impact of IBS on patients' lives is often underestimated. This is probably because unlike inflammatory bowel disease, in which the bowel is inflammed and bleeds, the bowel in IBS looks normal. Instead the problem is of abnormal functioning of the gut the cause of which is unknown. Currently therapy for IBS is limited and until recently therapy has focused on treating the symptoms to improve QOL primarily because the underlying mechanism of IBS is poorly understood. However as more processes are being implicated in IBS e.g. visceral hypersensitivity (excessive response to sensory stimuli within the gut), infection, immune activation, dysmotility and abnormal gut fermentation , the potential for new therapies looks promising. The evidence that gut bacteria play a role in inducing IBS symptoms is due to observations of an improvement of IBS symptoms with probiotic therapy (bacterial supplements) and antibiotic therapy. Patients with IBS are hypersensitive to colorectal distension compared with healthy controls. Studies carried out in our unit have shown that visceral pain thresholds in response to stress are lower in patients with IBS compared with healthy volunteers. This hypersensitivity is apparent in response to both a physical and chemical stimulus but the triggers to visceral hypersensitivity remain largely unknown. Animal models suggest roles for both host immune response and intestinal bacteria in the induction of visceral hypersensitivity. This proposal will focus on further exploration of the mechanisms underlying visceral hypersensitivity to direct future targeting of therapy. Previous independent studies showed that (a) bacteria reduce visceral hypersensitivity, (b)probiotic therapy can alter gut immune response and (c) gut sensation is affected by the type of immune cells in the gut. Our research proposal will investigate the relationship between gut bacteria, the immune system and the sensory gut nerves in order to understand how IBS symptoms are generated. This understanding will be the critical for effective future drug treatment.

Background Somatostatin and octreotide LAR (long-acting analogue) exert a number of inhibitory effects: on gut hormones, but also on gastro-intestinal secretion and motility. Somatostatin analogues are effective in preventing symptoms and signs of both early and late dumping as demonstrated previously. However, octreotide LAR causes gastrointestinal side effects and the injection solution is difficult to prepare. Recently, a new somatostatin analogue with a prolonged release formulation, Lanreotide autogel (L-autogel), has become available. It is a viscous aqueous gel, composed solely of water and lanreotide. Deep subcutaneous administration may lead to increased treatment acceptance compared with intramuscular depot preparations. It is more easy to prepare and is though to cause less local side effects and technical problems than octreotide LAR. Recent studies have been done to measure the efficacy and safety of L-autogel in acromegalic treated previously with octreotide LAR. These studies showed that L-autogel is effective and well-tolerated in these patients, with equivalent or better disease control and less gastrointestinal adverse events. Until now, there is no data available on the effectivety of L-autogel in patients with a dumping syndrome. Therefore, this study aims to establish the effectiveness and tolerability of L-autogel in patients with a dumping syndrome, previously treated with octreotide LAR.

Probiotics are friendly bacteria normally present in food products like yogurt whereas irritable bowel syndrome is a longstanding functional disorder characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits either diarrhea or constipation dominant without a definitive etiology. Study Hypothesis:Does probiotics(Saccharomyces boulardii improves daily bowel symptoms and quality of life in patients with diarrhea dominant irritable bowel syndrome?

ABSTRACT/EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND, SIGNIFICANCE & RATIONALE: Between 10-20% of the more than 6000 cases of spinal cord injury seen annually in the North America have the clinical pattern of traumatic central cord syndrome (TCCS). These patients are usually older, most likely have sustained a fall, and have incomplete spinal cord injury characterized by dysesthetic and weak upper extremities. CT scan of the cervical spine in patients with TCCS often shows disc/osteophytes complex superimposed on degenerative or congenital spinal stenosis and MRI reveals signal changes at one or multiple skeletal segments. A minority of these patients suffer from fracture/subluxations, however, this group of patients are younger and have been involved in a more dynamic trauma. Since 1951, when Schneider et al reported this syndrome, controversy has dominated its surgical management. The current "Guidelines for the Management of Acute Cervical Spine and Spinal Cord Injuries" recommendations are only at the level of options, since prospective outcome data are unavailable. HYPOTHESIS: in acute traumatic central cord syndrome, surgical decompression of the spinal cord within five days will result in more rapid motor recovery, than decompression 6 weeks following injury. To test this hypothesis, we will pursue the following specific aims: SPECIFIC AIM I: To compare American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Motor Scores after three months post injury in patients with central cord syndrome operated on within five days of injury to a similar group of patients operated on 6 weeks following injury. SPECIFIC AIM II: To compare functional outcome, health related quality of life and posttraumatic syrinx size in patients with traumatic central cord syndrome operated on within five days to a similar group of patients operated on 6 weeks following injury. DESIGN: Single center prospective randomized study. PROCEDURE: In a two-year period thirty patients with traumatic central cord syndrome and cord compression (15 patients in each group) will be randomized to undergo surgical decompression either within the first five days or at 6 weeks following spinal cord injury. ASIA motor, functional recovery and health related quality of life between the two groups will be compared at admission, discharge from rehab facility 3 months and 12 months after surgery.

Men with metabolic syndrome often have lower than normal testosterone levels and low testosterone levels have been suggested to predispose for development of type2 diabetes. The aim of the study is to evaluate if normalisation of serum testosterone levels in men with metabolic syndrome (Abdominal obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and pre-diabetes or overt type diabetes)improves sensitivity to insulin and improves the signs of the metabolic syndrome

An abdominal distribution of fat is associated with the greatest heart disease risk, because commonly, several risk factors of metabolic origin cluster in these individuals. When this occurs the condition is called the 'metabolic syndrome'. Increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system resulting in enhanced release of the stress hormone 'noradrenaline', may be one mechanism by which adverse cardiovascular and metabolic sequela of the metabolic syndrome might be mediated. Impaired insulin action may be one factor contributing to increased noradrenaline release. The aim of this Study is to determine whether treatment with a drug called pioglitazone which is known to improve insulin action, results in reduced sympathetic nervous system activity and stress hormone release when compared to treatment with a dummy drug (placebo).