Inflammation Clinical Trials in Canada

Cannabis is commonly used globally. It is associated with psychiatric problems, but the effects on the cardiovascular system are unclear. In this project, the investigators plan to study the effects of cannabis on the cardiovascular system. This will be done by using a non-invasive test to measure blood vessel function and by using blood samples to measure inflammation. As a control for this project, the investigators would like to test the blood vessel function and inflammation levels of participants who do not use cannabis. This study will provide important information on the long term cardiovascular effects of cannabis. Read Less

Asthma is a common inflammatory respiratory disease affecting 11% of Canadians, but its diagnosis remains challenging, leading to delays in treatment or overtreatment. Spirometry with a reversibility test and bronchial provocation testing (BPT), considered the gold standard, are the reference diagnostic methods. However, access to BPT is limited as it is performed in hospital settings. Type 2 inflammation biomarkers, the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood eosinophils (EOS), represent a potential alternative. In addition to their prognostic and theragnostic value, these markers predict a good response to inhaled corticosteroids in individuals aged ≥ 6 years with asthma. However, their use remains restricted to pulmonologists in specialized clinics and is not recommended as a diagnostic tool in Quebec. Despite studies demonstrating their diagnostic value in specialized settings, these tests remain underexplored in primary care and insufficiently studied in children under 12 years. The objective of ou study is to evaluate the relevance and performance of FeNO and blood eosinophils in the diagnosis of asthma in children referred in primary care with non-diagnostic spirometry. Read Less

Asthma is characterised by episodic symptoms (attacks) caused by airway inflammation and decreased airflow to the lungs. It affects 10% of the Canadian population and is the most common chronic disease in childhood. Despite its burden and its potential to be life-threatening, establishing the diagnosis takes time due to difficulty in accessing specialised breathing tests. Indeed, the current diagnostic strategy relies on a breathing test (spirometry) and, if non-diagnostic, a subsequent more complicated breathing test conducted in hospitals (a bronchial provocation test). Our dependence on the latter test must be confronted to the bottleneck created by our reliance on it and the difficulty to do these tests in children. Furthermore, within the current framework, people receiving a diagnosis do not know if they have active airway inflammation - a key feature with predicts increased susceptibility to asthma attacks and treatment responsiveness. Our study's goal is to validate clinically accessible and useful diagnostic tests for peoplesuspected to have asthma. Specifically, we are interested in alternative tests that are a) achievable outside the hospital; b) useful markers of airway inflammation/risk c) can identify people at with a higher likelihood of responding to anti-inflammatory therapy. The two tests we are mainly interested in are: * Exhaled nitric oxide (measured with a portable handheld machine) * The blood eosinophil count (obtained on a general blood test) +/- Other tests which we might be able to develop within this cohort (e.g. urine tests) Read Less

The Low dose ColchicinE in pAtients with peripheral Artery DiseasE to address residual vascular Risk (LEADER-PAD) trial will evaluate if anti-inflammatory therapy with colchicine will reduce vascular events in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease. Read Less

Every 3 minutes a new case of diabetes is diagnosed in Canada, mostly type 2 diabetes (T2D) increasing the risk for heart disease. T2D and heart disease share many common risk factors such as aging, obesity and unhealthy lifestyle. Paradoxically however, while lowering blood LDL, commonly known as "bad cholesterol", is protective against heart disease, research over the past 10 years have shown that the lower is blood LDL, the higher is the chance of developing T2D. This phenomena is happening whether blood LDL is lowered by a common drug against heart disease called Statins, or by being born with certain variations in genes, some of which are very common (\~80% of people have them). To date, it is unclear why lowering blood LDL is associated with higher risk for diabetes, and whether this can be treated naturally with certain nutrients. Investigators believe that lowering blood LDL by forcing LDL entry into the body tissue through their receptors promotes T2D. This is because investigators have shown that LDL entry into human fat tissue induces fat tissue dysfunction, which would promote T2D especially in subjects with excess weight. On the other hand, investigators have shown that omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3) can directly treat the same defects induced by LDL entry into fat tissue. Omega-3 is a unique type of fat that is found mostly in fish oil. Thus the objectives of this clinical trial to be conducted in 48 subjects with normal blood LDL are to explore if: 1. Subjects with higher LDL receptors and LDL entry into fat tissue have higher risk factors for T2D compared to subjects with lower LDL receptors and LDL entry into fat tissue 2. 6-month supplementation of omega-3 from fish oil can treat subjects with higher LDL receptors and LDL entry into fat tissue reducing their risk for T2D. This study will thus explore and attempt to treat a new risk factor for T2D using an inexpensive and widely accessible nutraceutical, which would aid in preventing T2D in humans. Read Less

The objective of this observational study is to assess the relevance of inflammometry (based on the measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood eosinophil count (BEC)) as a tool for prioritizing respiratory diagnostic tests. The study will evaluate the role of inflammometry (FeNO and BEC) in prioritizing diagnostic respiratory tests. It will include patients aged six and older with suspected asthma, referred by non-pulmonologists for diagnostic asthma testing (spirometry or methacholine challenge test) at three hospital centers: Sherbrooke University Hospital Center (CHUS), Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center (CHU Sainte-Justine), and the Montreal Children's Hospital. The hypothesis is that using inflammometry as a prioritization tool would reduce diagnostic delays for high-risk patients with elevated biomarkers. This study could help shorten wait times, relieve congestion in diagnostic testing queues, and improve the diagnostic pathway. Additionally, it would enhance the interpretation of pulmonary function test results by incorporating inflammometry findings, leading to better patient stratification. Patients referred from primary care will undergo pulmonary function testing (spirometry ± methacholine challenge) and, as part of the study: FeNO measurement using a portable device Blood test for eosinophil count Questionnaire on asthma control and quality of life, completed at the visit and at follow-ups at 4, 8, and 12 months Read Less

Avenanthramides (AVA) are di-phenolic compounds found only in oats and are of interest due to suggested bioactivities, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo. Published data suggests that polyphenols can work as modifiers of signal transduction pathways to elicit their beneficial effects. These natural compounds express anti-inflammatory activity by modulation of pro-inflammatory gene expression such as cyclo-oxygenase, lipoxygenase, nitric oxide synthases and several pivotal cytokines, mainly by acting through nuclear factor-kappa B and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling. The biomarkers of inflammation in blood, i.e., pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, as well as other inflammatory markers (i.e., high sensitivity C-reactive protein) are of particular interest. Primary Objectives: * To assess the safety and tolerability of single ascending oral doses of avenanthramide in healthy subjects. * To assess the safety and tolerability of multiple ascending oral doses of avenanthramide in healthy subjects and subjects with elevated waist circumference and low-grade inflammation. Secondary Objectives: * To determine the pharmacokinetics of avenanthramide following single ascending oral doses in healthy subjects. * To compare the pharmacokinetics of avenanthramide following single oral dose in healthy subjects under fasting and fed conditions. * To determine the pharmacokinetics of avenanthramide following multiple ascending oral doses in healthy subjects. * To determine the pharmacokinetics of avenanthramide following multiple ascending oral doses in subjects with elevated waist circumference and low-grade inflammation. Read Less

Physical activity and dairy consumption during growth and development are each known to improve peak bone mass in young adults. Peak bone mass, the maximum amount of bone a person will have in their lifetime, is typically reached in the early 20's in females and late 20's in males. However, evidence suggests that young people do not consume enough dairy to maximize their bone mass. The resulting effect in peak bone mass can be troublesome, particularly for athletes, such as volleyball players. This study aims to determine whether increased dairy consumption combined with training can have an additive effect on the physiology of young competitive athletes. Specifically, we will examine whether Greek yogurt consumption will lead to beneficial changes in bone metabolism and inflammation, in adolescent and young adult, male and female athletes, similar to those observed with whey protein supplementation. Many athletes choose exclusively protein supplementation and miss out on other nutrients vital for healthy growth and development. By examining the benefits of Greek yogurt across different athlete age groups and sexes, this work will help reshape the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours surrounding diet of young athletes. Read Less

COPAS pilot is a pilot single center double blinded randomized study to determine the effect of targeted anti-inflammation therapy using colchicine, on valvular calcification activity using imaging, i.e. aortic valvular NaF uptake. The current proposal uses a randomized design to evaluate the effect of colchicine vs. placebo on valvular calcification activity over 6 months measured using NaF PET Read Less

Septic shock is associated with substantial burden in terms of both mortality and morbidity for survivors of this illness. Pre-clinical sepsis studies suggest that mesenchymal stem (stromal) cells (MSCs) modulate inflammation, enhance pathogen clearance and tissue repair and reduce death. Our team has completed a Phase I dose escalation and safety clinical trial that evaluated MSCs in patients with septic shock. The Cellular Immunotherapy for Septic Shock Phase I (CISS) trial established that MSCs appear safe and that a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is feasible. Based on these data, the investigators have planned a phase II RCT (UC-CISS II) at several Canadian academic centres which will evaluate intermediate measures of clinical efficacy (primary outcome), as well as biomarkers, safety, clinical outcome measures, and a health economic analysis (secondary outcomes). Read Less

The present study is an investigator initiated, single-centre, prospective, proof-of-concept cohort study aiming to enroll 44 patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) ischemic stroke, involving the right (n=22) and left (n=22) MCA territories and 24 control patients with acute focal neurological symptoms but no evidence of acute brain infarct on DWI-MRI. Read Less

The goal of this single-blinded randomized, controlled trial is to assess the impact of 1-hour of active transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) vs sham taVNS on serum biomarkers of the inflammatory reflex and inflammation in individuals with spinal cord injury. The main question it aims to answer is: whether taVNS is a safe and effective anti-inflammatory intervention for individuals with SCI. Participants will perform a single 1-hour bout of the respective taVNS treatment with blood draws prior to treatment, immediately following treatment, and 24 hours following treatment. Changes in biomarkers between the active and sham taVNS conditions will be compared. Read Less