Inflammation Clinical Trials

The overall purpose of this study is to understand the role of disrupted sleep in the association of exposure to early life adversity (adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)) with vascular endothelial (dys)function. In Aim 1 (The Iowa ACEs and Sleep Cohort Study), the investigators will utilize a cross-sectional cohort design with a state-of-the-art translational approach. Participants will be recruited to objectively characterize the degree to which lower sleep quality and quantity contribute to ACEs-related endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress in young adults using: 1. rigorous at home sleep monitoring using 7-nights of wrist actigraphy and 2 nights of home-based polysomnography to objectively measure sleep quality (sleep efficiency, wakefulness after sleep onset and sleep depth), and total sleep duration, 2. in vivo assessment of endothelial function via flow-mediated dilation testing, and 3. in vitro determination of endothelial cell inflammation and oxidative stress from biopsied endothelial cells. This study to achieve this Aim. In Aim 2, approximately 70 eligible participants from Aim 1 (The Iowa ACEs and Sleep Cohort Study) will then be randomized to either a 6-week behavioral sleep intervention (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) or a wait-list control to determine the mechanistic contribution of sleep disruption to vascular dysfunction in young adults with moderate-to-high exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Following the intervention, participants will again complete: 1. rigorous at home sleep monitoring using 7-nights of wrist actigraphy and 2 nights of home-based polysomnography to objectively measure sleep quality (sleep efficiency, wakefulness after sleep onset and sleep depth), and total sleep duration, 2. in vivo assessment of endothelial function via flow-mediated dilation testing, and 3. in vitro determination of endothelial cell inflammation and oxidative stress from biopsied endothelial cells. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effect of 12 weeks of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango on glucose control, insulin resistance, lipids, inflammation, oxidation and body composition in individuals with prediabetes. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on indicators of glycemic control including fasting glucose and HgbA1c? * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on fasting blood insulin and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)? * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on lipids including LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides? * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on oxidative stress including oxidized LDL-cholesterol and 8-iso-PGF2-alpha? * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on markers of inflammation including c-reactive protein, e-selectin, ICAM, VCAM, TNF-alpha and IL-beta? * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on percent body fat, fat mass, and lean mass? Participants will be asked to: * Consume 1.5 cups of mango per day for 12 weeks, take a 4 to 8 week break, and then avoid consuming mangos for 12 weeks * Attend a prerandomization clinic prior to study * Attend three (3) clinics where blood will be drawn during weeks 0, and 12 of the first phase and last week of the second phase of the study * Attend eight (8) clinics where anthropometric measurements (height, weight, body composition) will be conducted and interaction with study clinicians will occur during weeks 0, 4, 8, 12 of each phase of the study * Complete questionnaires and surveys in person and remotely, including six (6) 24-hour dietary recalls. Researchers will compare the 12 weeks participants consume mango to the 12 weeks the participants are not consuming mango to see if there are differences in glycemic indicators, insulin resistance, lipids, inflammation, oxidation and body composition between the two time periods. Read Less

Aerobic exercise has emerged as an effective treatment to reduce sport-related concussion symptom severity, yet existing work lacks rigor regarding the precise exercise volume and intensity required to elicit therapeutic effects, how exercise can alter concussion-related pathophysiology, and whether exercise can prevent the development of secondary sequelae. Our objective is to examine if a high dose exercise program (higher volume than currently prescribed at an individualized, safe intensity level) initiated within 14 days of concussion results in faster symptom resolution, altered physiological function, or reduced secondary sequalae. Findings from this research will lead to more rigorous and precise rehabilitation guidelines and improved understanding about how exercise affects neurophysiological function among adolescents with concussion. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to use an experimental inflammatory challenge to examine whether older adults with symptoms of anxiety experience loss of pleasure or loss of motivation when they are exposed to inflammation. Loss of pleasure or loss of motivation will be evaluated using self-report questionnaires, computer tasks, and during a brain scan. Read Less

Sleep disturbance has a range of negative effects on psychosocial and biological processes important for academic and social success as well as mental and physical health among adolescents and young adults. Limited, inconsistent, and poor quality sleep lead to anxiety, depressive feelings, loneliness, and fatigue over time. These symptoms, in turn, interfere with the ability to get a good night's rest. Sleep disruption can also upregulate inflammatory processes during the years of adolescence and young adulthood in ways that can create risk for the development of chronic health conditions (e.g., diabetes, depression, cardiovascular disease) in later adulthood. Sleep, however, is also a modifiable health behavior, leading many institutions to embark upon efforts to improve the sleep of their students. The challenge is to identify programs and interventions that can simultaneously improve sleep, be delivered at scale, and be easily completed by students. UCLA has developed and validated a group-based mindfulness intervention, Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPs), that has demonstrated beneficial effects on sleep in adults and may offer a promising, scalable approach for reducing sleep disturbance and improving associated psychological and biological outcomes in college students. However, this approach requires validation in this population relative to sleep education programs, which increasingly dominate the college landscape. To address this important public health problem, the investigators propose to conduct a single site, two-arm, parallel group randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of the validated, group-based, six-week MAPs intervention vs. sleep education, an active time and attention matched control condition, for first year undergraduate students who report poor sleep at this critical transition year. The investigators are aiming to enroll approximately 240 participants. Participants will complete questionnaires, provide blood samples for immune analysis and will be provided with wrist actigraphs to wear for 7 days, in order to collect objective measurements of sleep at pre- and post-intervention visits, and at a 3-month follow-up visit. Additional follow-up assessments will take place at 6-month, and 12-month post-intervention to evaluate persistence of effects. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine if tributyrin supplementation improves metabolite concentrations, overall health biomarkers, and performance in sedentary men and women. The study would further understand the potential usage of tributyrin as a health and performance increasing supplement through improving gut and immune health, sleep, and performance as well as reduce inflammation. Participants will supplement for tributyrin for 4 weeks and complete fecal metabolite measures, cardiovascular evaluation, sleep assessment, and exercise testing as well as provide blood samples. Read Less

The investigator will study the origin of fungal translocation in HIV, its relationship to the mycobiome, and its relationship to lung function and inflammation. Supported by the preliminary data and published studies, this project is based on the premise that circulating BDG derived from microbial translocation stimulates inflammation and worsens lung function in PWH. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant public health problem with few therapies that modify disease trajectory. COPD is a leading cause of mortality in the United States associated with increased morbidity and healthcare costs. Long-acting bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids are mainstays of therapy that control symptoms and reduce acute exacerbation frequency, but do not have a significant impact on mortality or lung function trajectory. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's COPD National Action Plan focuses on the critical need for research to characterize COPD risk factors and disease mechanisms in order to improve the understanding of causes and progression of disease. The ultimate goal is to provide precision therapy to appropriate patient subgroups to preserve health or arrest disease progression. Microbial organisms in the gut may have a profound effect on lung disease. The role of the gut-lung axis, defined as the cross-talk between gut microbiota and the lungs, in the pathogenesis of chronic respiratory diseases is emerging as an area of interest. Perturbations of gut microbiota characterized by low microbial diversity and changes in microbiota abundance are linked to childhood asthma risk, airflow obstruction in adult asthma, and severe lung dysfunction in cystic fibrosis. Studies in animals show that both a high fiber diet that modulates gut microbiota and an abundance of beneficial bacterial strains attenuate inflammation, emphysema, and COPD development in response to cigarette smoke exposure in murine models. In humans, recent investigations show differences in the gut microbial communities between COPD patients and healthy individuals as well as shifts in the gut microbiome with acute exacerbations of COPD. Read Less

HIV infection, as well as exposure to opioids (including heroin), are associated with systemic immune activation including increased microbial translocation from the gut. The overall objective of this study is to define the impact of long-term mu-opiate receptor stimulation or blockage with medication for opiate use disorder (i.e, methadone, buprenorphine/naloxone, or extended-release naltrexone) on the kinetics and extent of immune reconstitution on HIV-1 infected people who inject opiate and initiating antiretroviral therapy. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine if adding dietary fiber, such as inulin, to a diet that does not have enough fiber would raise the levels of potentially beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium, in the gut. There is evidence to suggest that these microbes can affect gut health and immune response, including to vaccines. The investigators will examine how inulin in the diet (compared to the maltodextrin control) (1) causes changes in the composition and function of the gut microbes, (2) reduces gut inflammation and gut leakiness caused by the vaccine, (3) increases immune response to vaccination, and (4) changes the expression of important adhesion molecules on the surface of white blood cells. Intestinal and whole-body responses will be measured in all participants. Read Less

This study applies a hypothesis-driven approach to examine the effects of chronic marijuana use on HIV-associated inflammation and its subsequent impacts on central nervous system function, with the goal of identifying the mechanisms through which cannabinoids modulate neurological disorders and other comorbidities in persons with HIV. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate cardiometabolic and inflammatory parameters in kidney transplant recipients after transitioning to a plant-based diet (PBD). The main aims of the study are as follows: To test the feasibility of transiting renal allograft recipients who are > 3 months post-transplant to a PBD To study the effect of a PBD on cardiometabolic parameters in kidney transplant recipients To assess the effect of a PBD on peripheral blood Th17/Treg ratio and systemic inflammation in kidney transplant recipients Participants will be asked to: Complete a 2-week investigator-designed PBD transition program Follow a PBD for a minimum of 16 weeks Consent for blood draws, urine samples, and fecal samples along with physical exams Complete intermittent food frequency questionnaires and quality of life questionnaires Periodically meet with investigators and other study participants Researchers will compare baseline measurements with future measurements for each participant. Read Less

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) leads to higher mortality rates and strains healthcare systems due to increased costs. It causes leg pain during walking due to reduced blood flow. Nitric oxide (NO) deficiency contributes to vascular issues in PAD, with few effective treatments available. Passive calf muscle stretching boosts NO levels, vascular health, and walking ability in PAD patients. However, the inflammatory processes underlying these improvements are unclear. This study aims to track inflammatory markers and cardiovascular changes during 12 weeks of passive stretching. Additionally, combining stretching with dietary nitrate could further enhance walking capacity by reducing reactive oxygen species. The study will monitor inflammation, vascular function, and oxidative capacity to understand the effects on functional ability in PAD patients. This research is crucial for improving physical function and addressing exercise intolerance in PAD. Read Less