Active clinical trials for "Wounds and Injuries"

Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) is a laboratory model used to study hemorrhage in humans. The investigators hypothesize that the physiologic changes that occur with application of LBNP mimic those observed in bleeding and hemodynamically unstable trauma patients, and that LBNP is a truly valid model of human hemorrhage.

Surgical trauma triggers a massive inflammatory response. Over time, both the innate and adaptive branches of the immune system are affected by surgical trauma. The purpose of this study is to use a single cell flow cytometry approach to characterize the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the inflammatory response to surgical trauma.

This study aims to investigate the predictive value of novel biomarkers and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for early detection of abdominal end-organ (kidney and intestinum) hypoperfusion and ischemia in patients undergoing endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for aortic aneurysm or dissection. In this context, patients will be monitored for renal biomarkers (TIMP-2, IGFBP7) and intestinal biomarkers (plasmatic intestinal fatty acid binding protein (i-FABP)) and local tissue perfusion will be assessed using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS). The ultimate goal of this study is an early identification of patients developing one or both of these complications, which may facilitate a timely intervention to improve outcome.

The purpose of this study was to pursue statistical analysis on a series of molecular laboratory results obtained from chronic wounds. It elucidated diversity, quantification, and other aspects of microbial diversity in chronic wounds.

Drug re-administration or rechallenge should be avoided after drug-induced liver injury (DILI) to avoid recurrent and fatal injury. Rechallenge outcomes vary considerably by drug and patient subjects. In order to better predict these outcomes, the objective of this analysis is to assess clinical outcomes of positive drug rechallenge following possible drug-induced liver injury. Electronic medical records from Kaiser Permanente California (KPSC), a managed care organization, will be utilized to identify patients who experience possible drug-induced liver injury following exposure to medications associated with hepatotoxicity, and who are then rechallenged with the medication.

After spinal cord injury, patients develop a spastic syndrome that is characterized by hyperactive reflexes, increased muscle tone, clonus and involuntary muscle spasms. The neuronal mechanisms behind the development of spasticity remain largely unknown, though animal experiments have shown that changes occur both at the level of the motoneuron and sensory neurons. This project aims to examine the changes that occur in the modulation of sensory afferent transmission after spinal cord injury, and how these changes can contribute to the triggering and initiation of muscle spasms after chronic spinal cord injury in humans. It is known that after spinal cord injury, the majority of descending sources of monoamines, such as serotonin (5HT), are abolished. Animal experiments have shown that 5HT receptors on sensory neurons in the spinal cord are responsible for inhibiting sensory transmission. As a result, after spinal cord injury these receptors are no longer activated below an injury, resulting in the production of large, long excitatory responses in the motoneuron when sensory are activated. This large sensory activation of the motoneuron can, in turn, activate a long response in the motoneuron to produce an involuntary muscle spasm. The aim of our study is to determine whether, similar to animal experiments, the 5HT1 receptors are responsible for sensory inhibition in spinal cord injured subjects, and whether activating these receptors (through the 5HT1 agonist Zolmitriptan) will restore the normal inhibition of sensory transmission that is lost after injury, thereby resulting in a decrease in the initiation of involuntary muscle spasms.

Acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery is a major complication after cardiac surgery and has been reported to be associated with adverse outcome. There have been many studies reporting risk factor of acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery, but the influence of perioperative variables related to anesthesia and perioperative medication has not been evaluated fully. The investigators attempt to evaluate the influence of perioperative clinical variables including preoperative medication, preoperative albumin level, uric acid concentration, anesthesia technique, use of hydroxyethyl starch, blood glucose level, intraoperative medication, perioperative cardiac function (systolic and diastolic function) and hemodynamic variables during surgery on the incidence of acute kidney injury after coronary artery bypass graft.

The aims of this study explore the relationships between cerebral vasospasm, apolipoprotein-E (apo-E) genotype, physiologic symptoms, and neurocognitive outcomes that may either intensify or ameliorate secondary injury, for children with a traumatic brain injury. Exploring the apo-E genotype will help us know if injury response is altered in certain children and will aid in developing interventional approaches.

The medical literature does not provide sufficient information or recommendation regarding the optimal time to remove the staples and the bandage after a cesarean section. The goal of this study is to compare 5 groups of patients: staple removal on POD 4 and dressing removal on Post Operative Day (POD)1 staple removal on POD 4 and dressing removal on Post Operative Day (POD)4 staple removal on POD 7 and dressing removal on Post Operative Day (POD)1 staple removal on POD 7 and dressing removal on Post Operative Day (POD)7 staple removal on POD 4 and dressing removal on Post Operative Day (POD)7 Since there is no definite protocol for staple and dressing removal, we will adapt the above protocol each for a 3-4 month period of time. Patients will be contacted to either return for a follow up visit or to answer a telephone survey.

This study will examine resting dopamine function as well as dopamine response in the brain as it interacts with medicines normally prescribed to subacute Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients.