Clinical Research Directory

Effect of infLuenza vaccInation After Myocardial INfArction on Cardiac inflammaTory responsE

The goal of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial is to investigate the immunological effects of influenza vaccination outside of the influenza season on arterial inflammation in patients with a recent acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The primary objective is to compare the effects of influenza vaccination to those of a placebo in reducing post-myocardial infarction coronary inflammation as measured by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). The main questions it aims to answer are: Does influenza vaccination reduce arterial inflammation as measured by CCTA at week 8 after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in comparison to baseline? Does influenza vaccination modulate systemic inflammation as measured by blood biomarkers and in-vitro challenge tests at week 8 after PCI in comparison to baseline? Researchers will compare the effects of influenza vaccination with those of a placebo.

Pistachio Consumption on Inflammatory Markers and Lean Body Mass

Pistachio nuts (Pistacia vera L.) are a nutrient- and energy-dense food, and are a significant source of 15 different micronutrients. In addition to an excellent micronutrient profile, pistachios are a good source of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (linoleic acid, oleic acid, and plant sterols). Pistachios have the lowest amount of total fat, and the highest protein, fiber, and phytosterol content compared to other nuts. They possess a high antioxidant content. Specifically, pistachios have high amounts of lutein, zeaxanthin, and phenolic compounds (e.g., anthocyanins, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins). These aforementioned compounds are known for their anti-inflammatory effects. Pistachios also have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and all-cause mortality. The purpose of this study will be to determine the effects of consuming 1.5 ounces of pistachios per day compared to consuming no pistachios per day on inflammatory markers (creatine kinase, C-reactive protein, cortisol, Interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase concentrations) and lean body mass in women and men, 40 to 60 years of age, who have been recreationally active for at least six months (exercising three to five days per week). It is hypothesized that pistachio consumption will significantly lower inflammatory response and significantly increase lean body mass. This will be a randomized study where participants will first complete a two-week baseline run-in period during which they will consume their typical diet. Following this, participants will be randomized to one of two groups for six months: consuming 1.5 ounces of pistachios per day or a control group (consuming no pistachios). Those consuming pistachios will be in addition to their usual diet. The overall goal of this study is to evaluate the effects of pistachio consumption on inflammatory markers and lean body mass in women and men, 40 to 60 years of age, who exercise three to five days per week. This study could provide a simple, healthy way for recreationally active individuals to decrease inflammation and improve body composition.

Examining the Role of Female Endogenous Sex Hormones in Eccentric Exercise

The fluctuating concentrations of female sex hormones, namely estrogen and progesterone may have an effect on the ability of the tissue to withstand challenging exercise conditions, such as eccentric exercise. These sex hormones have also been purported to influence the perceived difficulty of exercise. This study aims to uncover how the different estrogen and progesterone concentrations present throughout the menstrual cycle effect perceived readiness to perform, perceptions of difficulty, and different recovery metrics.

Association Between Body Composition and Pain in Spinal Cord Injury

The purposes of the study are to quantify and compare relationships among acute changes in inflammatory markers and evoked pain sensitivity after a high-fat meal (HFM) challenge, compared to a moderate-fat meal challenge, and explore the influence of body composition on these responses, in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury

Endotoxin Exposure to Examine the Role of Inflammation in Alcohol Use

The study design consists of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of low dose endotoxin. Individuals with current AUD (n=32) and matched controls without AUD (n=32) will be randomly assigned to receive a single intravenous (I.V.) infusion of either low dose endotoxin (0.8 ng/kg of body weight) or placebo (same volume of 0.9% saline solution) to determine the acute and protracted role of inflammation in alcohol use.

Cerebral and Anti-inflammatory Response Through Exercise - Mechanisms In Depressive Disorders

The goal of this clinical trial is to study how physical exercise works when applied to patients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The main questions it aims to answer are: * What are the antiinflammatory and oxidative stress and neural mechanisms involved in the antidepressant effects of exercise? * How effective is a physical exercise program in MDD patients in real-life conditions? The experimental group will receive an exercise intervention as an add-on to their usual treatment (antidepressant treatment prescribed by the attending specialist). Researchers will compare to a control group, which will only receive standard treatment (antidepressant treatment prescribed by the attending specialist) and will be instructed to not change their usual physical activity. The aim is to see if a physical exercise intervention would induce a significant improvement in depressive symptoms and which mechanisms are responsible for this result.

Tranexamic Acid in Traumatic Brain Injury

In this study, our aim is to investigate the role of tranexamic acid for modulating the inflammation in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Effects of Intraoperative Warming Methods on Hematologic Inflammatory Indices in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Perioperative hypothermia is a frequent and preventable complication that may cause adverse outcomes such as increased blood loss, impaired coagulation, and delayed recovery. Various active warming techniques are used to maintain normothermia during anesthesia; however, their comparative effects on systemic inflammatory responses remain unclear. This randomized controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the effects of different intraoperative warming methods on hematologic inflammatory indices - including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) - in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia. A total of eligible adult patients will be randomly assigned into four groups according to the intraoperative warming method applied: Control Group: No active warming applied. Forced-Air Warming (FAW) Group: Warming blanket system used throughout surgery. Fluid Warming (FW) Group: Intravenous fluids warmed to maintain normothermia. Combined Warming (FAW + FW) Group: Both forced-air and fluid warming applied simultaneously. Core body temperature and perioperative data will be recorded. Venous blood samples will be obtained preoperatively and 24 hours postoperatively to calculate inflammatory indices. The primary objective is to determine whether active intraoperative warming techniques modulate postoperative inflammatory markers compared to no warming. Secondary outcomes include intraoperative temperature trends, recovery times, and the incidence of hypothermia-related complications. The results are expected to identify the most effective warming strategy to minimize inflammation and optimize postoperative recovery in laparoscopic procedures.

Effect of Colchicine on Perioperative Anti-inflammatory Organ Injury in Cardiac Surgery

All patients will be completed collection of demographic data, clinical data, and be observed for inflammatory organ damage, oxygenation index or SpO2/ FIO2, WBC, NEU, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, interleukin-8 (IL-1β/6/8), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), myoglobin (Myo), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), neutrophil elastase (NE), myeloperoxidase (MPO), APACHE II score, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), total bilirubin, Murray lung injury score, serum creatinine, eGFR, mechanical ventilation time, ICU length of stay, drug-related gastrointestinal reactions, and 30-day and 90-day all-cause mortality, among other indicators.

Immune Response During the Conservative and Minimal Invasive Treatment of Pain Caused by Lumbar Disc Herniation

Bulging of the intervertebral disc in the lumbar part of the spine is one of the most common degenerative changes of the spine in the elderly population, which causes various symptoms such as radicular pain. Possible mechanisms of radicular pain are mechanical compression of the intervertebral disc on the nerve and sterile local inflammation caused by proinflammatory factors. Depending on the degree of diagnosis, if conservative treatment is not successful, then treatment is focused on minimally invasive methods such as epidural steroid injection (ESI). The achieved neural blockade is believed to alter or interrupt nociceptive input, reflex mechanisms induced by afferent fibers, self-sustaining neuronal activity, and central neuronal activity. On the other hand, corticosteroids reduce inflammation by inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediators and causing a reversible local anesthetic effect. The aim of the research is to measure the concentrations of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and metallopeptidases in the serum before physical therapy, i.e. ESI, and two weeks and three months after the start of said therapies, then to examine the clinical status, intensity of pain and limitations of movement associated with pain in all three time points in order to determine the treatment outcomes after the mentioned therapies and examine the possible association of cytokine concentrations with the treatment outcomes and, last but not least, to determine the degree of the patient's psychophysical condition and quality of life before the mentioned therapies, two weeks and three months after the start of the therapies in order to examined possible associations with treatment outcomes and changes in cytokine and metallopeptidases concentrations.

Investigating Age-dependent Effects of Egg Intake on HDL and Immune Profiles

The goal of this intervention study is to determine whether consumption of different fractions of chicken eggs, including egg whites, egg yolks, and whole eggs, confer different changes in markers of HDL function and T cell profiles in younger vs. older men and women. The study will address the following objectives: * Objective 1: Determine if daily consumption of egg fractions differentially alter HDL profiles across age groups. * Objective 2: Determine if daily consumption of egg fractions differentially alter immune cell profiles across age groups. Participants will be asked to consume egg whites, egg yolks, and whole eggs on a daily basis for 4-weeks each, and avoid eating eggs for a total of 8 weeks at different points in the study. Participants will additionally be provided guidance on following a generally healthy diet, and will be asked to complete surveys about dietary intake and physical activity, as well as provide blood samples throughout the course of the study. Researchers will compare whether daily consumption of egg whites, egg yolks, and whole eggs differentially alter markers of HDL function and T cell profiles in younger vs. older adults.

Immunoinflammatory Regulation of Esketamine in Septic Patients

Studies have shown that excessive systemic inflammatory response and concomitant immunosuppression are the main cause of early death in patients with sepsis. Therefore, it is very important to reduce excessive inflammation and improve immunosuppression in the acute phase of sepsis. Clinical studies have shown that esketamine combined with propofol for sedation has been proven to be safe and effective for septic patients in the ICU due to its cardiovascular stability. Previous studies have demonstrated that esketamine has anti-inflammatory effects against depression and surgical stress. Our preliminary experimental studies have found that esketamine had strong anti-inflammatory effects in the acute phase of sepsis. However, it is not clear whether esketamine could reduce excessive inflammation and improve immunosuppression in septic patients primarily sedated with a continuous infusion of propofol. This intervention study is to investigate whether three consecutive days of intravenous esketamine infusions via infusion pump (0.07 mg/kg/h) could reduce excessive inflammation and improve immunosuppression in septic patients requiring mechanical ventilation in the ICU under sedation primarily with propofol.

Effect of Tinzaparin on Inflammatory Biomarkers During the Acute Phase of Deep Vein Thrombosis

Anticoagulants influence either coagulation, inflammation and inflammatory processes in deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Acute DVT cause an inflammatory response that may persist for a long period of time. There is a need to describe patterns of change in serum biomarker levels after acute DVT, and explore the association between trajectory biological patterns and clinical evolution in the era of various anticoagulants in the acute phase of treatment in order to be able to further avoid recurrence and late sequelae. It appears that direct oral anticoagulants and heparin alter inflammatory markers in different ways. It is therefore important to study the evolution of markers according to the different treatments used and secondarily to compare them with each other. Tinzaparin is used in the long term in patients with DVT, it is necessary to measure the evolution of inflammatory markers and then in another study to compare with the other molecules.

Pulses Consumption and Its Role in Managing Systemic Inflammation, Insulin Sensitivity and Gut Microbiome in Human

Objective 1: Characterize indices of systemic inflammation and gut microbiota composition and function after chronic (12 weeks) intake of pulses compared to control diet in human OW/OB-IR participants. Objective 2: Characterize dietary- and microbial-derived metabolite pools after regular intake of pulses (12 weeks) in human participants with OW/OB-IR compared to control diet. Objective 3: Characterize cognitive functioning after chronic (12 weeks) intake of pulses compared to control diet in human OW/OB-IR participants.

Menthol, Inflammation, and Nicotine Transition Study

This study will focus on examining the potential impact of menthol flavoring in cigarettes on biomarkers of systemic inflammation as a subclinical indicator of cardiovascular disease risk.

Hop Compounds on the Immune System in Overweight People

The aim of the present study is to determine the effect of Iso-alpha Acids and Xanthohumol from hops on the immune response in overweight participants.

Hop Compounds on the Immune System (VH)

The aim of the present study is to determine the effect of Iso-alpha-Acids and Xanthohumol from hops on the immune response of healthy participants over a timeframe of 6 hours.

Effects of Brazil Nut Supplementation in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease Undergoing Conservative Treatment

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of Brazil nut supplementation on inflammation, oxidative stress and intestinal microbiota in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing conservative treatment.

Sleep and Inflammatory Resolution Pathway

Goal of this project is to investigate whether increases in inflammation that result from common patterns of restricting sleep on week nights and catching up on sleep over the weekend are caused by disruption in the newly discovered inflammatory resolution pathways. These pathways are crucial in the active termination of the inflammatory response, and their disruption may contribute to ongoing unresolved inflammation, which has been observed not only during periods of sleep restriction, but also after recovery sleep has been obtained. If the hypothesis is true, it is possible that increasing the body's natural production of endogenous, inflammatory resolution mediators may provide a non-behavioral strategy to limit the inflammatory consequences in those undergoing periods of sleep restriction with intermittent recovery sleep.

Severe COVID-19 Infection in Children Presenting to EDs in Israel and England

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer at its peak, the threat still lingers. Engaging in prospective surveillance studies will enable us to monitor the disease and prepare for any potential resurgence. COVID-19 surveillance studies are essential tools for policymakers to make informed decisions, allocate resources, and develop strategies to control the spread of the virus and protect public health. The objective of this surveillance study is to prospectively assess in-hospital severe morbidity related to COVID-19 infection in children who present to the Pediatric Emergency Department (ED). A prospective multicenter study will be conducted across eight EDs in Israel and five EDs in the United Kingdom. The study population will include children aged 16 years or younger with a severe acute COVID-19 infection. Confirmation of acute COVID-19 infection will be based on polymerase chain reaction nasopharyngeal swab testing. The study will also include patients diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), as defined by the CDC.

Social Experiences and Demographic Factors in the Regulation of Immune Cells

Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases are a health burden for approximately seven percent of the population of Western nations. Preliminary data suggest variations in ethnic identity and/or geography influence discrimination experiences and inflammatory response trends. This study investigates how geography, ethnicity, and laboratory manipulation of discrimination experiences affect immune cell function and genomic regulation. Flow cytometry and immune cell stimulation will test monocytes collected from peripheral blood for functional effects. Next-generation transcriptomics and epigenomics will assess genomic and epigenetic mechanisms. The hypothesis is that geography, self-identified race, and ethnicity, interacting with laboratory discrimination conditions during the virtual ballgame Cyberball™, significantly affect immune cell function through genomic and epigenetic mechanisms, with perceived discrimination as a moderating factor on the immune outcomes. The transdisciplinary nature of the proposed study aims to provide valuable insights into differential susceptibility to immune-mediated inflammatory diseases across diverse populations. Uncovering these insights will better inform population-relevant interventions for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

Daoist Zhanzhuang and Human Flourishing

This project investigates the impact of Daoist Zhanzhuang (sometimes spelled as Chan Chuang) on human flourishing, and explores the physiological, psychological, and spiritual mechanisms. This study will be a two-arm randomized controlled trial, with mixed-methods and repeated-measures assessment of outcome variables. The two arms will include an active control condition (i.e., sham wall squat) and the Daoist Zhanzhuang condition. Outcome variables will include physiological measures of heart rate variability and inflammatory biomarkers, psychological scales of human flourishing variables, phenomenological interviews of mystical experiences, and daily ecological momentary assessment of human flourishing and mysticism. Randomly assigned into two conditions, 120 participants will complete a three-week intensive practice phase with 9 in-person sessions, followed by a nine-week self-guided practice phase with 4 in-person check-in sessions, and 3 follow-up practice and assessment sessions. Complete assessment (physiological measures, psychological scales, and phenomenological interviews) will be administered at five time points: T1 at about two weeks before the intervention, T2 at the end of the three-week intensive practice, T3 at the end of the 3-month intervention, T4 at the 6-month follow-up, and T5 at the 12-month follow-up. In addition, daily ecological momentary assessment of flourishing variables and practice-induced experiences will be administered daily after the practice for the entire 3-month intervention period.

KetoNiFast: Cyclic Enteral Daytime Feeding With Ketogenic Nighttime Fasting

A physiological human nutrition includes circadian feeding and nighttime fasting during sleep. There is increasing evidence, that this natural fasting episode over nighttime majorly contributes to repair processes of the human body. So far, intensive care patients are normally enterally fed continuously, so that there is no circadian nutrition and no nighttime fasting. An enteral nutrition for 12 hours followed by a fasting period of 12 hours supported by exogenous ketone salts potentially improves the reconstitution of ICU patients compared to ICU patients who are continuously enterally fed.

Cellular Immunity, Neuroendocrine, and Inflammatory Factors for Clinical Prognosis in Acute Coronary Syndrome

In acute coronary syndrome (ACS), there is an increase in cortisol levels, as an expression of the stress response, and C-reactive protein, as an expression of the inflammatory response, which are in turn associated with changes in the components of cellular immunity, and ultimately are predictors of clinical events. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that, within the frame of reference of ACS, beyond the thrombotic phenomenon that leads to ischemia and myocardial necrosis, there is an activation of an inflammatory and stress response, evidenced by an elevation of CRP and cortisol, respectively, and sequentially modifications in the components of cellular immunity in peripheral blood that convey prognostic value during hospitalization and after discharge. A prospective, observational, analytical, unicentric study of consecutive patients with ACS, with telephone follow-up to 6 months, will be carried out. For 2 years, all eligible patients admitted with a diagnosis of ACS to the Coronary Care Unit of the Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín in Buenos Aires will be registered consecutively.