Active clinical trials for "Syndrome"

RATIONALE: Studying ways to diagnose fungal infections early may help doctors plan the best treatment. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying laboratory tests to see how well they find aspergillosis early in patients at high risk of fungal infection caused by treatment for hematologic cancer or other disease.

To evaluate the autonomic cardiac function in patients with complex regional pain syndrome

Primary Objective: 1. To assess the self-reported symptoms and the plasma cytokine levels of AML/MDS patients pretransplantation and posttransplantation with allogeneic blood and marrow in order to identify changes in symptoms (or symptom clusters) and changes in cytokines that may be related to the conditioning regimen and/or to the development of GVHD during the 100 days posttransplant. Based on the current literature, both animal and human research, in this study we hypothesize that increases in TNF alpha to be associated with poor appetite, sleep disturbance and fatigue, but not with increases in pain, depression and numbness.

Andersen-Tawil Syndrome (ATS) is a rare, genetic disorder that causes episodes of muscle weakness, potentially life-threatening changes in heart rhythm, and developmental abnormalities. Disease symptoms can vary, the cause of some ATS cases remains unknown, and no specific treatment has been identified. The purpose of this multi-site study is to better characterize ATS, establish whether symptoms change over time, and determine if symptoms are related to a mutation in the KCNJ2 gene.

Biosynthesis of proteins is essential for growth and continued maintenance of the entire neuron including axons, dendrites, and synaptic terminals, and it is clearly one of the important biochemical processes underlying adaptive changes in the nervous system. Studies in experimental animals with the quantitative autoradiographic L [1 (14)C]leucine method have demonstrated a number of the physiological and pathological conditions in which changes in regional rates of cerebral protein synthesis (rCPS) occur. We have recently developed the first fully quantitative method for determining rCPS with positron emission tomography (PET). The PET method was adapted from the autoradiographic L [1 (14)C]leucine method; it uses L [1 (11)C]leucine as the PET tracer, dynamic scanning, and a kinetic modeling approach for quantification. This method was validated in nonhuman primates by comparison of PET measurements with those based on established biochemical and autoradiographic techniques. The objective of the present study is to examine the degree to which changes in rCPS in human subjects can be quantified with the L [1 (11)C]leucine PET method. We propose three studies to be carried out sequentially. In Part I we will establish the L-[1-(11)C]leucine PET method in human subjects. In Part II we will measure rCPS in normal control subjects in two states: awake and under deep sedation/general anesthesia with propofol. A difference in rCPS between these two states may indicate that we can detect activity-dependent protein synthesis with the PET method. In Part III we will study subjects with fragile X syndrome. This patient group was chosen since the affected gene in fragile X syndrome codes for a protein that is thought to be a negative regulator of message translation. Thus an effect on protein synthesis may be very close to the underlying genetic abnormality in fragile X syndrome. Regionally selective increases in rCPS have been found in studies in a mouse model of this disease. The present study will establish the sensitivity of the L [1 (11)C]leucine PET method to detect changes in rCPS in human subjects. A quantitative and sensitive method to measure rCPS with PET will augment the tools available for investigating the brain and its regional adaptive responses. Ultimately the method may have widespread applications, not only for the study of normal development and plasticity but also in clinical medicine, e.g., in the investigation of disorders of brain development, recovery from brain injury, and neurodegenerative diseases. SPECIFIC AIMS <TAB>Establish the L-[1-(11)C]leucine PET method for measurement of rCPS in human subjects. Evaluate the optimal scan time and the variability of the measurement in an individual. <TAB>Determine the effect of deep sedation with propofol on rCPS in normal human subjects. We will use the [1-(11)C]leucine PET method to evaluate lambda, i.e., the fraction of the precursor pool for protein synthesis that is derived from arterial plasma, and rCPS in the same subjects under awake and deep sedation conditions. I)<TAB>Hypothesis 1a. Deep sedation with propofol has effects on rCPS. II)<TAB>Hypothesis 1b. Deep sedation with propofol has effects on values of lambda. <TAB>Assess the sensitivity of the [1-(11)C]leucine PET method to detect differences in rCPS in subjects with fragile X syndrome. I)<TAB>Hypothesis 3a. There are regionally selective changes in rCPS in subjects with fragile X syndrome compared with age-matched healthy controls. Regions affected include hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and frontal and parietal cortex. II)<TAB>Hypothesis 3b. In centrum semiovale, cerebellum, striatum and occipital and temporal cortex rCPS are unchanged in subjects with fragile X syndrome compared with age-matched healthy controls. III)<TAB>Hypothesis 3c. Values of lambda in the brain as a whole and in the regions examined are unchanged in subjects with fragile X syndrome compared with age-matched healthy controls. IV) Hypothesis 3d. The average rate of protein synthesis in the brain as a whole is unchanged in subjects with fragile X syndrome compared with age-matched healthy controls. ...

The purpose of this study is to compare pregnancy rates and the occurrence of OHSS in PCOS patients who were treated with GnRH agonist and GnRH antagonist protocols ovarian stimulation during an IVF cycle. Our hypothesis is that the GnRH antagonist protocol reduces the occurrence and severity of OHSS compared to the GnRH agonist protocol.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is among the most common endocrine disorders in premenopausal women, affecting 7-10% of this population. This syndrome is characterized by elevated levels of testosterone and chronic anovulation, and frequently of obesity. This study is designed to test the hypothesis that there is in utero testosterone excess, altered insulin secretion, and/or intrauterine growth retardation in the female offspring of women with PCOS. The allele 8 can be used to identify the reproductive and metabolic abnormalities associated with PCOS. This study will determine whether allele 8 positive [A8(+)] female offspring have more profound changes in these parameters compared to A8(-) female offspring. Androgen and insulin levels in amniotic fluid from pregnant women with PCOS will be compared to levels in pregnant control women. Androgen and insulin levels in cord blood will also be measured. Further, gestational age and anthropomorphic measurements in offspring of women with PCOS will be assessed and compared to that in offspring of matched control women. We will test the hypothesis that androgens are elevated in infancy in the female offspring of women with PCOS. We will assess sex steroids, insulin, and c-peptide levels in infants of PCOS women and compare them to the levels in infants of control women up to 1 year of age during the minipuberty of infancy. We will determine whether any of these parameters differ in A8(+) compared to A8(-) PCOS offspring.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether application of low dose Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol can prevent the development of chronic pain in patients with acute CRPS.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder that affects about 1 in 14,000 people in the United States. As the most commonly identified genetic cause of obesity, PWS is often confused with Early-onset Morbid Obesity (EMO). Individuals with EMO show some signs of PWS, but clinically do not have PWS. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical features and genetic basis of PWS and EMO, and to determine how these conditions affect a person throughout a lifetime.

In this randomised controlled study we intended to compared intubation conditions and the continuous infusion of remifentanil (n=10) and morphine (n=10) in mechanically ventilated premature neonates (28-34wk) regarding the time to be awake and, the time until extubation after interruption of the opioid administration.