Clinical Research Directory

Activation and Function of Eosinophils in Conditions With Blood or Tissue Eosinophilia

This study will investigate how, why and under what conditions eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) become activated and will examine their function in immune reactions. Eosinophil counts often rise in response to allergies, asthma, and parasitic worm infections. They can also go up in uncommon autoimmune conditions and, rarely, in association with tumors. Elevated levels of these cells is called eosinophilia. Usually, eosinophilia causes no apparent symptoms, but in rare cases there may be local swelling and itching, allergic lung problems, heart disease or nerve damage caused by the release of toxic substances in these cells into body tissues. Patients 1 to 100 years of age with eosinophil counts greater than 750/ml or an abnormal accumulation of eosinophils in the skin or body tissues may be eligible for this study. All participants will have a thorough medical history, physical examination and blood tests. Depending on the person's age and symptoms, other diagnostic tests may be done, including specialized studies of the eye, lungs, skin, bone marrow, nerves or heart. This is not a treatment study, and no experimental treatments will be offered. Patients who require treatment will receive standard medical care. Certain other procedures may be requested solely for research purposes. All participants will be asked to donate extra blood for laboratory studies investigating how immune cells and other immune substances in the blood act to stimulate a rise in eosinophils. In addition, some participants may undergo one or more of the following: * Annual Follow-up evaluations - Physical examinations and blood tests to evaluate changes in the patient's condition and eosinophil counts over time. * Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration will be recommended during the initial evaluation, and in certain patients at other times when it is important to look directly at the newly developing cells in the bone marrow. For this procedure an area of skin and bone is anesthetized with xylocaine (an anesthetic similar to that used by dentists), and a very sharp needle is used to sample the bone marrow for evaluation. Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration can have side effects of pain and/or bleeding into the skin and soft tissues at the site of the procedure. Rarely the area at the biopsy site can become infected, and is treated with antibiotics. * Genetic testing: Some of the blood drawn from you as part of this study will be used for genetic tests. Genetic tests can help researchers study how health or illness is passed on to you by your parents or from you to your children. Any genetic information collected or discovered about you or your family will be confidential. * Leukapheresis (only patients 18 years and older) to collect large numbers of certain cells - In this procedure, whole blood is collected through a needle placed in an arm vein. The blood circulates through a machine that separates it into its components. The white cells are then removed and the rest of the blood is returned to the body, either through the same needle used to draw the blood or through a second needle placed in the other arm.

Effects of Inhaled Epinephrine on Systemic Allergic Reactions During Allergy Testing, Immunotherapy or Oral Challenges

The goal of this exploratory study is to evaluate the effects of inhaled epinephrine in subjects, who may not be eligible for the GHL-101 trial, and who are experiencing systemic allergic reaction (SAR) that occur following allergy testing, subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), oral challenges (with food and/or drug) or oral immunotherapy (OIT).

Intraosseous vs Infiltration Anesthesia in Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) Children

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of intraosseous and infiltration anesthesia techniques administered using a computer-assisted anesthesia device (SleeperOne® 5; Dental HiTec, France) during restorative treatments of permanent first molars affected by Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) in children. Clinical effectiveness will be evaluated based on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), behavioral pain response, pulse rate , salivary chromogranin A levels, and the need for additional anesthesia.

Neural Correlates of Sensory Phenomena in Tourette Syndrome

The most pervasive sensory manifestation of TS is sensory over-responsivity (SOR). SOR is defined as excessive behavioral response to commonplace environmental stimuli. SOR is an integral but poorly understood facet of the TS phenotype, one intertwined with core elements of the disorder and worse QOL. This proposal seeks to clarify the mechanistic bases of SOR in TS. Adults with with TS will be recruited 1) to complete a standardized clinical symptom assessment battery and 2) to undergo electroencephalogram (EEG), autonomic, and audio-visual monitoring during tactile and auditory stimuli paradigms, as well as at rest.

Application of Child Life Services in Pediatric Skin Prick Test

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether child life services can enhance the experiences of children and caregivers during skin prick testing. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Can child life services alleviate children's pain and enhance procedural compliance? 2. Can child life services reduce caregivers' anxiety and improve their satisfaction? Researchers will compare children who receive child life services with those who receive standard care to determine whether the intervention can optimize procedural experience and overall satisfaction. Participants will receive either child life services or standard care during the skin prick test.

Measures for Bioaerosol Reduction in the Salmon Industry

Workers in the salmon industry are at risk of developing allergies and respiratory diseases, including asthma, due to occupational exposure to bioaerosols, i.e. biological agents such as allergens, enzymes and endotoxins, in their work environment. The overall objective of this intervention trial is to identify effective and feasible control measures (interventions) that reduce exposure to these bioaerosols. The project comprises nine salmon processing factories in northern, central and western Norway. The factories are allocated to either one of the two intervention arms or the control group. In all factories, an assessment of exposure to bioaerosols will be performed. In addition, employees will be invited to undergo a health examination and fill out a self-administered questionnaire including information on demographics, work tasks, health and health promoting factors. The intervention trial is part of a broader study that comprises several substudies including the identification of clinically relevant allergens, investigation of exposure-response relationship between the exposure to individual bioactive agents in bioaerosols and investigations of prevalence of airway symptoms, altered lung function, skin symptoms or immunological responses indicating hypersensitivity. Finally the project includes the identification of health promoting factors that are present in the salmon processing industry. The project is an interdisciplinary multi-center study that places great emphasis on a close dialogue between the researchers and industry in all phases of the project.

Pediatric Arm of DZL All Age Asthma Cohort

Despite its common occurrence, still little is known about pathomechanisms determining different wheeze and asthma trajectories and phenotypes in children, and those beginning in adulthood. Therefore, deciphering underlying determinants for different childhood and adult asthma phenotypes is urgently needed to develop personalized treatment approaches targeting distinct underlying mechanisms. Thereby, secondary prevention early in the disease process can also be achieved. The decoding of such mechanisms and their translation to the individual patient is the aim of the Disease Area Asthma Allergy of the 'German Centre for Lung Research' (DZL).

Assessment of Er:YAG Laser for the Control of Hypersensitivity During Tooth Whitening With Hydrogen Peroxide

Introduction: Tooth whitening is an aesthetic procedure with rapid results that improves the self-esteem and self-image of patients. However, one of the side effects is dentinal hypersensitivity. The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of Er:YAG laser administered prior to bleaching with 35% hydrogen peroxide hypersensitivity. Methods: The maxillary arch of participants 18 to 45 years of age will be treated using the split-mouth method. Grupo experimental: Hypersensitivity prevention protocol with Er:YAG laser followed by bleaching with 35% hydrogen peroxide; control group: hypersensitivity prevention protocol with neutral sodium fluoride for four minutes followed by bleaching with 35% hydrogen peroxide. Er:YAG laser (2940 nm) will be used with the following parameters: 0.15 W, 10 mJ, 15 Hz and SP mode (pulse duration: 300 µs), TIP: Cylindrical Quartz 1000/4, using the H14 handpiece (H14 for LightWalker AT; Fotona dd, Ljubljana, Slovenia). Each tooth (central incisor, lateral incisor and canine) will be irradiated twice for 10 s in an unfocused scanning motion in the cervical region at a working distance of 1 cm. The absolute risk and intensity of dentinal hypersensitivity during treatment will be assessed using the visual analogue scale. The change in color will be determined using an intraoral spectrophotometer in contact with the tooth. Assessments will be conducted before and after preventive treatment, immediately after treatment as well as 48 hours and one week after treatment. Different statistical tests will be used, with the significance level set at 5% (p ≤ 0.05).

A Clinical Trial to Compare Lasotronix Alone or in Combination With CPP-ACP to Treat DH

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is defined as sharp pain of a shorter duration arise from exposed dentin in response to several chemicals and thermal or tactile stimuli that cannot be ascribed to other dental defects". DH has a prevalence rate ranging from 1.3% to 92.1%, commonly affecting old ages. The use of laser has opened new dimensions in the treatment of DH. To the author's knowledge, not much research work has been conducted using LASOTRONIX as a treatment modality with CPP-ACP. Therefore, this research aims to determine the effectiveness of Casein phospho peptide paste (CPP-ACP) used alone or combined with a diode laser (LASOTRONIX).

Composite Repair Using Silane Coupling Agent

Evaluation the influence of the use of silane coupling agent application as a separate step versus application of silane or acid resistance silane containing adhesives on the clinical performance of repaired posterior resin composite restorations according to Modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria over one year.