Inflammation Clinical Trials

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

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 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

This study's investigators previously demonstrated the potential utility of non-invasive carotid ultrasonography to calculate carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) and stiffness (as measured by the three parameters, carotid cross-sectional distensibility [cCSD], carotid cross-sectional compliance [cCSC], and carotid incremental elastic modulus [cIEM]) in people with mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS). Investigators also studied arterial gene expression in animal models of MPS, and identified upregulation of a number of markers potentially tied to atherosclerosis and inflammation. These include the atherosclerotic marker known as Clusterin (CLU), Cathepsin S, Elastin, and the inflammatory cytokines interleukin 1-α, interleukin 1-β, interleukin 2, and interleukin 6. Other studies have identified elevation in circulating tumor necrosis factor-α correlating with pain and physical disability in certain mucopolysaccharidoses. Since these studies are cross sectional, and not longitudinal, this study aims to annually measure these previously studied biomarkers (carotid measurements, circulating cytokines, cathepsin S, elastin, and CLU) in a large cohort of MPS patients. This study is a 3-year, prospective, anonymized, longitudinal assessment of cardiovascular structure, function, and circulating biomarkers in patients with mucopolysaccharidoses. Read Less

The proposed study will investigate the utility of a single-session emotion regulation training to reduce CVD risk among young adults diagnosed with MDD living in Southern MS. Using an single-arm, non-randomized design, young adults aged 18-29 will undergo a single-session emotion regulation skills training. Before and immediately after the skills training session, participants will supply several biological metrics tied to CVD risk: resting HRV, inflammation (measured via c-reactive protein [CRP]), and blood pressure. Participants will provide the same biological metrics at a one-week follow-up visit to assess short-term sustained gains following the single-session intervention and complete a 7-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of their daily emotion regulation skills use and depressive symptoms between these two visits. 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

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 study purpose is to investigate the hypothesis that in adults with SAH, early neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and high protein supplementation (HPRO) will improve muscle mass, metabolic and inflammatory biomarker profiles, compared to SAH controls receiving standard of care interventions for nutrition and mobilization. The investigators will accomplish this by studying the effects of a high protein (HPRO) nutritional treatment as well as NMES intervention have upon muscle wasting and motor strength acutely after SAH. This will be addressed in a prospective trial of SAH patients receiving HRPO with NMES as compared to age and severity-matched SAH patients undergoing standard of care interventions for nutrition and mobilization. Additionally, the study will investigate the impact HPRO and NMES interventions have upon inflammatory cytokines and markers of energy balance. Results of this study will establish evidence for precision nutrition plus early exercise to mitigate the catabolic and inflammatory state produced by SAH to improve muscle, metabolic, and health recovery outcomes. Read Less

Obesity is pro-inflammatory, impairs metabolism, and physically limiting. Specifically, muscle in obese persons does not synthesize proteins normally. This further increases metabolic and physical dysfunction. As such, obesity programs should not only focus on weight loss, but muscle metabolic health. Dairy nutrients have anti-inflammatory and anabolic properties, but mostly evaluated in isolation and/or pre-clinical designs. Also, it is unknown if the circulating benefits extend to the muscle. We hypothesize that dairy full-fat milk will improve these obesity characteristics. 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

Dietary incorporation of pulse crops may be an effective way to lower unhealthy elevations in serum bile acids. These elevations play a direct role in promoting obesity-related diseases estimated to be present in about one third of the US adult population, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes. The overarching hypothesis for this study is that pulse consumption increases bile acid secretion and excretion, which will decrease toxicity linked to excess accumulation of bile in the liver, improve metabolism, and lower resulting levels of bile acids in the serum. In direct alignment with the USDA-AFRI Food, Safety, Nutrition, and Health priority to address obesity and related chronic disease with increased fruit and vegetable consumption and also with the American Pulse Association call to investigate the impact of regular pulse consumption on human physical well- being, the long-term research goal of this study is to establish effective and practical therapeutic strategies utilizing dietary incorporation of pulse crops to prevent or reverse obesity driven diseases. The specific objectives in this proposal are to: determine the impact of acute lentil ingestion on serum postprandial bile acid responses and composition in a human cohort with obesity, and determine the impact of daily lentil consumption for 12 weeks on serum fasting and postprandial bile acid concentrations and composition in an overweight or obese cohort with elevated postprandial triglycerides. This proposal is being submitted in response to the American Pulse Association commodity board sponsored topic of investigating the impact pulse crop consumption on health. Read Less

The overall goal of this study is to investigate the effects of stress and glucose intake at the molecular level including gene expression, protein and functional analysis of immune cells in real time. Aim 1- Characterizing the immune response after acute stress and glucose consumption Aim 2- Temporal mapping of the modulation of immune cell function via meditation Aim 3-Influence of meditative practice on lupus patients Aim 4-Influence of meditative practice on healthy subjects Current Clinicaltrials.gov record, will be focused on Aim-3 only. Aim-3 will test whether meditation alters neutrophil function and inflammation in patients with lupus. Study team will investigate whether patient neutrophils have altered NET formation, phagocytosis, ROS signaling and migration after ABMP. Innate immune function via analysis of monocytes by flow cytometry will also be analyzed. Other immune cell responses including CD8 T cells will also be investigated. Read Less