Healthy Clinical Trials in Columbia, MO

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by accumulation of clumps (also called plaques) and bundles of fibers (also called tangles) in the brain, for which there is currently no cure. Sirolimus is an FDA-approved medication which may improve the blood flow to the brain. Part I: This study is designed to see if sirolimus treatment improves MRI blood flow to the brain in individuals with and without a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease. Part I of this study is complete and no longer enrolling participants. Part II: Ongoing research will expand the genetic predisposition cohort and further explore the drug's impact on the lung perfusion via hyperpolarized xenon-129 gas MRI and the brain-vascular connection. Only subjects who are APOE4 carriers will be enrolled in Part II. Hyperpolarized xenon-129 gas MRI is a non-invasive technique in which a subject inhales a bolus of hyperpolarized xenon-129 gas which can be directly imaged by the MRI as it physiologically distributes itself throughout the lung interior and within tissue and red blood cells. It thus allows for direct imaging and quantification of regional lung function: ventilation, gas-exchange, and perfusion. The relationship between pulmonary vascular function and brain perfusion is largely unstudied. We hope to investigate the relationship between pulmonary vascular function and cerebral blood flow by quantifying both lung and brain perfusion before and after the administration of Sirolimus. Read Less

The goal of this study is to evaluate the role of transcription factor EB (TFEB) in adipose (fat) tissue macrophages (ATM) in regulating adipose tissue and systemic metabolic function in obesity. The investigators will assess the differences in ATM lipid metabolism in people with metabolically abnormal obesity and lean individuals. Both groups will have: * screening visit * imaging (body composition testing - dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans, magnetic resonance imaging \[MRI\] and magnetic resonance spectroscopy \[MRS\] scans) * Overnight visit with intravenous infusion (IV), muscle, and fat tissue biopsies Participants with obesity will complete meetings with study team members for a weight loss intervention to achieve a 10% body weight loss. Read Less

The goal of this study is to evaluate the role of transcription factor EB (TFEB) in adipose (fat) tissue macrophages (ATM) in regulating adipose tissue and systemic metabolic function in obesity. The investigators will assess the differences in ATM lipid metabolism in people with metabolically abnormal obesity and lean individuals. Both groups will have: * screening visit * imaging (body composition testing - dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans, magnetic resonance imaging \[MRI\] and magnetic resonance spectroscopy \[MRS\] scans) * Overnight visit with intravenous infusion (IV), muscle, and fat tissue biopsies Read Less

The purpose of the research study is to better understand how beta-cells (cells in the pancreas that make insulin and help regulate blood sugar) respond to growth hormone in people with a personal history of gestational diabetes (high blood sugar in pregnancy) at the University of Missouri. The aim of the study is to advance understanding of how growth hormone affects beta-cells and risk factors for developing gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Read Less

The purpose of the research study is to better understand how beta-cells (cells in the pancreas that make insulin and help regulate blood sugar) respond to growth hormone in people with a family history of type 2 diabetes at the University of Missouri. Our aim is to advance understanding of how growth hormone affects beta-cells and risk factors for developing gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Read Less

The purpose of this project is to examine key mechanisms contributing to sex-differences in hypoxic vasodilation and the impact of obesity, with particular emphasis on the sympathetic nervous system. Read Less