Clinical Research Directory

Dietary Salicylates and Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia (PE) is an important pregnancy complication and cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. The underlying etiology and pathophysiology of preeclampsia is incompletely understood but it involves dysfunctional cytotrophoblastic invasion, placental ischemia, and release of inflammatory and endothelial mediators. Placenta dysfunction in PE is related to angiogenic balance. Currently, therapeutic options for the prevention and treatment of PE are limited. It is known that the risk of PE is reduced by low-dose aspirin. Therefore, the influence of salicylates on the development of PE seems to need to be investigated. This project plans to examine the preventive effects of food sources of salicylic acid and compare their effects with aspirin. Therefore, the aim of the present study is thus answer the following questions. whether the maternal dietary intake of salicylates is related to placental angiogenesis; 2. whether naturally occurring salicylates have the same effects on preeclampsia development and placental angiogenesis as aspirin. To answer these questions we plan to carry out a human study with pregnant women. Due to the above the planned research aims to determine the association between maternal dietary intake of salicylates and placental angiogenesis and the risk of preeclampsia development. Although PE remains an incurable disease, the results of this project will enable the development of dietary recommendations for the prevention and treatment of preeclampsia. Moreover, the results of this study may be useful in lowering the cost of maternal and fetal complications from preeclampsia and the cost of their hospitalization.

Building Access to Food Through Systems and Solidarity

BASIS aims to implement a whole-of-community intervention in Brooklyn for improving diet and the social and /built environments for English-, Chinese-, Spanish-, and Bangla-speaking communities. This is achieved through five main pillars: by 1) improving food access (subsidized, culturally tailored fresh produce box program), 2) providing nutrition education, 3) conducting experiential learning (gardening workshops, cooking demonstrations, farm tours, physical activity sessions, arts-based sessions), 4) assisting with economic security (SNAP/WIC enrollment, workforce development, small business owner engagement), and 5) contributing to policy.

Personalizing Mediterranean Diet in Children.

Investigating glucose response to Mediterranean and regular diets in healthy children in order to develop specific pediatric machine-learning for predicting the personalized glucose response to food for individual children. The prediction will be based on multiple measurements, including blood tests, personal lifestyle and gut microbiome. This will allow investigators to design personalized Mediterranean machine-learning-based diets which may potentially reduce the burden of disease in adulthood as well as the burden of obesity in the pediatric age.

Video Home Visits for Dietary Counselling

This pilot study aims to develop a protocol for home video informed dietary counseling with the goal of reducing overall sodium consumption among kidney stone formers. To accomplish this the investigators will: 1)Assess which data available on video visits are most informative to convey patient sodium consumption, and 2) Administer virtual home visits with informed dietary counseling in our intervention arm and compare this to standard dietary counseling looking specifically at the outcome of 24-hour urine sodium excretion results over time. This study will benefit dramatically from the rapid growth of telehealth medical visits as a consequence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, with the ultimate goal to improve and adapt patient dietary counseling for the prevention of kidney stone disease in the new and evolving era of telehealth.

Project humAn dieTary daTa rEtuRN

This study is designed to test the effects of diet data return on human dietary patterns. The investigators' working hypothesis is that returning diet data, collected via an empirical biomarker-based assessment method, will promote participant eating behavior changes towards a more healthful diet, and that these dietary patterns may also be reflected in the structure and function of the gut microbiome and in participant health outcomes. Here, the investigators will explore this hypothesis with participants supplying stool (poop) samples that will be used to assess their diet using the investigators' DNA-biomarker based method. Participants will have their diet data returned to them, and will then supply post-intervention stool samples for dietary assessment to investigate the efficacy of diet data return in impacting subject dietary patterns and health. It is anticipated that the investigators will enroll infants, children, and adults across the age span, including infants that are currently participating in Project HOPE 1000, a longitudinal observational study of mothers and infants from pregnancy through early childhood (Pro00100000). This study represents a minimal risk to subjects; namely, the potential loss of privacy involved with study participation.

Micronutrient and Additive Modifications May Optimize Diet To Health

This is a prospective clinical intervention trial where patients with moderately active ulcerative colitis are randomized to either normal healthy diet or a diet with elimination of emulsifying agents within the E 400-group with special respect to carragenan, CMC and polysorbates. At study start and end after one month their diet, clinical characteristics and microbiota will be analysed. The hypotheses are that their disease activity measured with calprotectin and their microbiota will improve after intervention.

COVID-19 Health Adjustments in Nutrition, General Wellness, and Exercise

The purpose of this study is to find out whether the COVID pandemic has affected participants' current physical activity, fitness, blood pressure, sleep, and mental stress to better understand its long-term health effects. To complete this study, participants will visit the Neurovascular Physiology Laboratory (NVPL) at the Indiana University School of Public Health Bloomington two times, requiring a total commitment of about 6 hours. Visit 1 involves completing screening questionnaires, a consent document, and additional questionnaires about participant health behaviors (e.g., sleep and physical activity) and general mental and physical health. After the visit, participants will also start tracking their sleep and physical activity using wearable devices for 14 days, diet for at least 3 days, and blood pressure and urine for 24 hours. Visit 2 is a second data collection visit, where participants will return the wearable devices. The investigators will measure participants' body composition, take measures of their cardiovascular health, and participants will complete a fitness test on a stationary cycle (exercise bike). The investigators will collect a 24 hour urine sample and take a blood sample to measure participants' blood glucose, electrolytes, hydration biomarkers, and markers of inflammation, as well as to study immune cells. The investigators will take participants' blood pressure at rest and during a hand-in-cold water test, which helps assess how participants' nervous system responds to stress. A full-body scan will measure participant body composition including bone density, muscle mass, and body fat percentage. Finally, participants will complete a cycling test that gradually increases in intensity to measure cardiovascular fitness. Risks involve potential pain or bruising from blood draws, discomfort from blood pressure cuffs, stress from vigorous cycling, and psychological stress from questionnaires. There's also a slight risk of severe cardiovascular events occurring during exercise and loss of data confidentiality. Finally, the cold water test may result in a rare but noted situation where the body's nervous system overreacts to the cold stimulus, leading to a drop in blood pressure and heart rate. Participants will be monitored by trained staff during all procedures to ensure safety.

Sports Nutrition Assessment Program

The NutriEvalUA program is an observational study aiming to assess the nutritional status, body composition, hydration, physical activity, and health indicators in university athletes. The main objective is to describe and evaluate dietary habits, supplement use, physical condition, and related risk factors to improve health and sports performance in this population. The main question it aims to answer is: What is the nutritional, body composition, hydration, physical activity, and general health profile of university athletes at the University of Alicante, and which factors are associated with potential risks to their performance and well-being?

ARIADNE: A Study of Weight Loss for Diabetes Treatment and Wellbeing

The NHS has started a trial-run of a weight loss programme replacing food with 800-calorie shakes and soups for 3 months, offered to people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D) to lose weight and put their diabetes into remission. Some healthcare professionals and charities are sceptical about the programme's effect on people's mental health. They fear it may trigger people to have a negative relationship with food (disordered eating). Some studies show indirectly that these programmes are somewhat safe; however it is not known for sure if it could affect people's relationship with food for the worse. Investigators will invite 56 people with T2D and disordered eating (picked up by questionnaires they will fill in) to participate in a trial. Of these participants, 28 will get TDR and the rest will get their standard care. Investigators will then measure how their scores of disordered eating change at 1, 3, 4, 6, 12 and 24 months. Investigators also plan to analyse the recorded sessions to better understand participants' experiences using TDR and their thoughts about eating and body image. This study will help shed light on how safe this type of diet is for people with disordered eating. It may lead to screening for eating disorders if TDR becomes standard care. If concerns are unfounded, it can reassure people with type 2 diabetes and healthcare professionals.

Take the Reins: The Effects of Nutrient Timing on Cancer-related Fatigue

Cancer-related fatigue affects at least 30-90% of patients with cancer, depending on the type of cancer and their treatment(s) (e.g., chemotherapy, radiation). It is not relieved by sleep or rest, and it sometimes can persist for years after a person's cancer was treated. The fatigue can be so bad that people cannot return to work, hobbies, family roles, or other daily activities, thereby greatly reducing quality of life. The causes of this fatigue are unknown, and we currently do not have anything that can reliably prevent or cure the fatigue. However, there are recent data suggesting that circadian rhythm, or a person's internal body clock, may be disrupted by the cancer experience and contribute to fatigue. Food intake is an external cue that can entrain circadian rhythm. We recently showed that cancer survivors are willing and able to eat all their food within a 10-hour eating window-a practice called time-restricted eating. Herein, we are testing time-restricted eating against a control group (matched for time-, attention, and expectancy) to see if time-restricted eating can indeed alleviate cancer-related fatigue. All participants will be asked to use the myCircadianClock smartphone app to log their food intake and weekly body weight measurements. The participants assigned to the time-restricted eating group will be asked to eat all their food in a 10-hour window during the day. People can choose their start time based on their schedule and preferences, but we ask that the window is the same for the whole study (e.g., 7am-5pm,9:30am-7:30pm). Black coffee and unsweetened tea are allowed before the eating window, and water and medicines are allowed at all times. The participants in the control group will meet with a nutritionist to discuss the American Cancer Society nutrition guidelines in cancer survivorship; they will not be restricted to when they can eat. Participants in both groups will give us valuable information regarding how diet is related to the experience of fatigue. The purpose of this study is to test the effects of a 12-week TRE intervention vs. an unrestricted eating pattern on fatigue, the sustainability of the program at 24 weeks, and the effects of TRE on circadian rhythm and sugar metabolism.

iSIPsmarter: A Pilot RCT to Evaluate a Web-based Behavioral Intervention to Reduce Sugary Beverages Among Black Adults

The proposed pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) will enroll 24 Black adults. The overall goal is to examine the preliminary efficacy of iSIPsmarter in a 2 group \[iSIPsmarter vs. static Patient Education (PE) website\] by 4 assessment (Pre, 3-, 6- and 18-month follow-up) design. The generated pilot data will allow us to better understand efficacy and engagement outcomes among Black participants. We anticipate trends that iSIPsmarter will be more efficacious at reducing SSB consumption than a PE website at post assessment.

Psychosocial, Environmental, and Chronic Disease Trends in Puerto Rico

The overall goal is to identify trends and longitudinal associations in psychosocial, food-related, and cardiometabolic risk factors that can guide public health priorities and future research needs aimed at reducing cardiovascular-related disparities in Puerto Rico. To this end, investigators will establish 'PROSPECT: Puerto Rico Observational Study of Psychosocial, Environmental, and Chronic disease Trends', an island-wide, longitudinal population cohort of 2,000 adults (30-75 years) in PR recruited with a community-wide sampling strategy, and assessed in a network of several partner clinics across the island. The study will collect comprehensive data on multiple psychosocial, dietary, and food-related factors, CVD biological markers, and medical record data, with follow-up at 2-years, and will assess variations by urban-rural area and by timing before-after Maria.

Nutrition Apps in Occupational Healthcare (Pilot Study of the FOODNUTRI Project)

The aim of this study is to investigate (1) the user experiences and usability of the nutrition apps (the Finnish Nutrition Navigator and the Finnish Nutrition Path) in occupational health care from the perspective of both professionals and customers, (2) the impact on diet, eating behavior, perceived well-being (perceived state of health, quality of life, work and functional ability) and anthropometric indicators compared to treatment as usual, and (3) cost-effectiveness of using the nutrition apps.

Personalized Responses to Dietary Composition Trial 3

The PREDICT 3 study will build on previous research in over 2,000 individuals to further refine machine learning models that predict individual responses to foods, with the aim of advancing precision nutrition science and individualized dietary advice. The study incorporates both standardized and controlled dietary intervention, for the purpose of testing postprandial responses to specific mixed meals, in addition to a free-living period with a dietary record for measuring responses to a large variety of meals consumed in a realistic context, where the role of external factors (e.g. exercise, sleep, time of day) on postprandial responses may be determined. For the first time this PREDICT study is built on top of a commercial product which will allow access to a much larger group of participants who are already collecting large amounts of data through digital and biochemical devices that can contribute to science.

Foods Within a Meal and Food Liking Study

For weight loss to occur, energy intake needs to be reduced to incur an energy deficit. One dietary strategy that may facilitate weight loss is consuming a diet low in dietary energy density (ED). It is hypothesized that a diet low in ED, which can be achieved by a high intake of low-ED foods, low intake of high-ED foods, or a combination of the two, will allow a greater amount of volume of food to be consumed relative to energy consumed, which can assist with reducing energy intake. To understand how best to lower the ED of the diet, it is important to understand the relationship between low-ED and high-ED foods. Behavioral economics is a framework that provides a foundation to understand that eating behaviors can be substitutes for each other. Substitute eating behaviors are two behaviors that change in the opposite direction of each other (i.e. one behavior increases as the other behavior decreases). If low-ED and high-ED foods are substitutes for each other, in situations in which low-ED food intake increases, high-ED food should automatically decrease, and vice versa. If they are not substitutes, when low-ED food intake increases, high-ED food intake should remain unchanged, and when high-ED food intake decreases, low-ED food intake should remain unchanged. When low-Ed and high-ED foods are not substitutes for each other, purposeful change in intake for both low- and high-ED foods need to occur to best lower dietary ED. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate if low-ED foods and high-ED foods substitute for each other. Healthy weight adults will be served a meal over 4 sessions, with each meal containing 5 different food items. The foods in the meal will vary in ED: low-ED = 0 to 1.0 kcal/kg; medium-ED = 1.1 to 2.9 kcal/kg; high-ED = \> 3.0 kcal/g. For the 4 sessions, the meals will include: 1) 3 low-ED foods, 0 medium-ED foods, 2 high-ED foods; 2) 3 low-ED foods, 1 medium-ED food, 1 high-ED food; 3) 1 low-ED food, 2-medium ED foods, 2 high-ED foods; and 4) 1 low-ED food, 3 medium-ED foods, and 1 high-ED food.

Maternal Control of the Child's Feeding, Child's Eating Behavior and Early Childhood Caries in Preschoolers

Dental caries in children is considered one of the most prevalent oral diseases of this age group, leading to significant manifestations presenting as pain, interference with feeding, higher risk of developing dental caries in both, primary and permanent dentition. Dietary practices, along with the presence of bacteria in the oral cavity have been shown to be inextricably linked to the presence of dental caries. The latest evidence has demonstrated that certain types of eating behavioral traits in children could influence the development of dental caries.

Walnuts and Colon Health

The purpose of this research study is to examine whether adding walnuts to your diet can have a beneficial effect on the gut bacteria population, inflammatory markers in the blood, and the tissue that lines the inside of the colon.

Rheumatology Diet Study

This study aims to collect information on rheumatology patients' dietary habits, autoimmune disease activity, dietary changes, disease symptom improvements, and perceptions on their dietary habits and how it affects their autoimmune disease. The main objective is to see if rheumatology patients change their dietary habits after their diagnosis of an autoimmune disease and if it subjectively improved their disease symptoms. It will also look at rheumatology patients' expectations for their rheumatologist when it comes to dietary advice and what resources they used to choose their new dietary habits. The study also seeks to measure the interest that rheumatology patients have in pursuing dietary changes as a means of controlling the symptoms of their autoimmune disease. It is expected that patients who changed their eating habits to healthier diets such as a Mediterranean diet would report less severe autoimmune disease symptoms. There are limited dietary recommendations for the management of many rheumatological diseases, so this study seeks to assess rheumatology patients' willingness to try dietary modifications, what improvements they had, and why they decide to make these changes in light of limited information.

The QUebec Adipose and Lifestyle InvesTigation in Youth (QUALITY) Cohort

The QUebec Adipose and Lifestyle InvesTigation in Youth (QUALITY) Cohort study is a unique and comprehensive longitudinal study of 630 Caucasian children and their parents that was designed to investigate the natural history and determinants of childhood obesity and its cardiometabolic consequences.

Exogenous and Endogenous Risk Factors for Early-onset Colorectal Cancer

An increase in early-onset colorectal cancers (eoCRC), defined as a CRC before 50 years, is confirmed globally. CRC pathogenesis has been associated with several risk factors (family history, germline pathogenic variants, obesity, alcohol, physical activity, red meat, and a Western diet). Design: an international, multicenter, retrospective case-control study of prospectively enrolled patients; low-risk intervention study as it will perform a fecal occult blood test Endpoint: predictive power of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQFFQ) developed for eoCRC. Cases: Patients with a recent diagnosis of eoCRC (within 2 years from enrollment). Controls: matched by age (matching range ± 5 years) and sex. Healthy volunteers will be mainly enrolled among workers within the participating hospital center. The enrolled healthy volunteers will perform a fecal occult blood test. Variables of interest: age, sex, ethnicity, BMI at the time of eoCRC diagnosis and at 18 years old, country, tobacco smoking at the time of eoCRC diagnosis and at 18 years old, sitting time, TV-viewing time, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), waist circumference (cm), home blood pressure levels (mmHg), fasting blood glucose (mg/dl), regular consumption of aspirin/NSAID, calcium and folate supplements, oral contraceptive agents, post-menopausal hormones and years of consumptions, if the filled questionnaire reflects diet for the last 5-10 years before. Cases only: date of eoCRC diagnosis, symptoms at diagnosis, eoCRC localization, eoCRC stage, histological diagnosis, type of surgery, and date (if performed), chemotherapy and radiotherapy (if performed), vital status and duration of follow-up, family history of CRC and other cancers (uterus, ovary, stomach, small intestine, urinary tract/bladder/kidney, bile ducts, brain, pancreas, skin tumors), type of germline pathogenetic variant (if performed). Before the case-control study, three non-consecutive 24-hour Dietary Recalls (24hDRs) will validate the SQFFQ. The SQFFQ will be administered to the validation study group during three non-consecutive calls, including one non-weekday (30-minute 24-h-recall computer-aided personal interview). Primary Objective To measure the relative risk of specific dietary and lifestyle factors (smoking habit, alcohol intake, physical activity) for early-onset colorectal cancer in countries where eoCRC incidence is increasing versus stable/decreasing

Polish Infants and Toddler Nutritional Study

A cross-sectional study representative of the Polish population of children aged 5 months to 6 years conducted in the cross-sectional study model, the main objective of which is to assess the nutritional value of the diet of children aged from 5 months to 6 years with regard to the basic macronutrients: protein (P), fat (F), carbohydrates (C). The study will include: dietary interviews, which will include the Food Frequency Questionnaire questionnaire (FFQ) and a 3-day food diary, as well as anthropometric measurements. The study will involve 1,000 children who will be selected by a random draw based on government database. The survey will be conducted by trained field interviewers - training will be provided by a dietician and an anthropologist. The study also included validation of the FFQ questionnaire.

Mediterranean Diet and Weight Loss: Targeting the Bile Acid/Gut Microbiome Axis to Reduce Colorectal Cancer

A Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet), a largely plant-based dietary pattern, is relevant to CRC prevention and microbial production of anti-cancer metabolites in observational studies. A MedDiet can shift BA metabolism as shown in primates and when combined with calorie restriction, shows superior adherence and weight control in humans, given its palatability. To date, no studies have tested in an RCT the effects of a MedDiet alone (MedA), WL through lifestyle intervention (WL-A) or a calorie-restricted MedDiet for WL (WL-Med) on the BA-gut microbiome axis and its relevance to CRC prevention among AAs. A multidisciplinary team combining expertise in psychology, nutrition, microbiology, molecular cell biology, computational biology, medicine and biostatistics, proposes to conduct a four-arm RCT in which 232 obese AAs, 45-75 years old complete one of the following 6-month interventions: Med-A, weight stable; WL-A, calorie restriction with no diet pattern change; WLMed; or Control. The investigators will use samples and data collected at baseline, mid-study (month-3) and post-intervention to compare the effects of the interventions on 1) Concentration and composition of circulating and fecal BAs; 2) Gut microbiota and metabolic function; and 3) Gene expression profiles of exfoliated intestinal epithelial cells.

Buffering Capacity of Matcha Green Tea on Salivary PH After an Acidic Attack

This study is conducted to evaluate the buffering capacity of hot matcha brew in comparison with cold matcha brew and water on salivary pH after an acidic attack using a digital pH meter. Research Question: Will matcha green tea beverage have similar salivary buffering effect as water after an acidic challenge on dental interns? Steps in short 1. Recruitment of the patients and clinical examination with medical and dental history taking. 2. Informed consent taking for the eligible participants to participate in the study. 3. A volume of 2 mL saliva samples will be collected before the commencement of acidic attack, baseline (T0). 4. After the acidic attack, saliva will be collected again by spitting method and their pH value will be measured (T1). 5. After 5 minutes of the acidic attack, participants will be instructed to swish either hot matcha tea, cold matcha tea, or water then swallow, and saliva samples will be collected (T2). 6. Then saliva will be collected after 10 (T3), 20 (T4), 30 (T5), and 40 (T6) minutes.

Technology-enabled Anticipatory Guidance and Peer Support in Empowering Parents to Prevent Early Childhood Caries

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a significant clinical and public health challenge that the world and the Singapore population are facing. This study seeks to test the effectiveness of technology-enabled anticipatory guidance and peer support in empowering parents to establish proper childcare practices and prevent ECC.