Clinical Research Directory

Dose-Response Impact of Glucosyl-Hesperidin (CitraPeak) on Exercise Performance, Blood Flow, Stress, Cognition, and Other Perceptual Indicators

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dose-dependent effects of glucosyl-hesperidin (CITRAPEAK) supplementation on exercise performance, recovery indicators, blood flow, cognitive function, mood, sleep, and fuel utilization in recreationally active adults.

Evaluation of Adding Nitrate Into Foods for Regulating Nitric Oxide Bioavailability in Healthy Individuals

Inorganic nitrate, found in leafy green vegetables and beetroot, can help lower blood pressure and support heart health. Early experimental work has suggested that dietary nitrate supplementation, in the form of beetroot juice or potassium nitrate capsules, can reduce blood pressure and improve endothelial function. Consequently, concentrated nitrate supplements like beetroot juice have become popular. However, these supplements can be expensive, high in sugar, and not to everyone's taste. Since more than three-quarters of adults with high blood pressure live in low- and middle-income countries, it is important to find safe, affordable ways to add nitrate to commonly eaten foods. The team at Queen Mary University of London has been developing nitrate-fortified products that may be more appealing to a wider population. With support from the food manufacturer Reading Scientific Services Ltd. (RSSL), they have successfully added nitrate to three oat-based products: cereal bar, porridge, and biscuits. This study aims to explore whether adding nitrate to commonly eaten foods can improve nitric oxide levels in the body and help lower blood pressure in healthy volunteers. Participants will receive the three nitrate-fortified food products in a randomised, crossover design. Nitrate and nitrite concentrations in biological samples, along with blood pressure, will be measured before and at multiple time points after supplementation with the nitrate-fortified products.

Nitric Oxide for Reduced Intensive Support in Cardiac Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Cardiac surgery is a procedure that is commonly performed worldwide. Despite these technological advances, cardiac surgery remains a high-risk surgery. Among post-operative complications, acute kidney injury, respiratory failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke as well as cognitive dysfunction are significant causes of mortality in patients undergoing and following cardiac surgery. Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) therapy as a selective pulmonary vasodilator in cardiac surgery has been one of the most significant pharmacological advances in managing pulmonary hemodynamics and life threatening right ventricular dysfunction and failure. In addition, newer applications show greater promise of inhaled NO as a therapy in the area of cardiac surgery associated acute kidney injury and ischemia reperfusion. However, this remarkable expectation to inhaled NO has experienced a roller-coaster ride with high hopes and nearly universal demonstration of physiological benefits but disappointing translation of these benefits to harder clinical outcomes, like mortality. Most of our understanding on the iNO field in cardiac surgery stems from small observational or single center randomized trials, which failed to ascertain strong evidence base. As a consequence, there are only week clinical practice guidelines on the field and only European expert opinion for the use of iNO in routine and more specialized cardiac surgery. There is need for a large multicenter randomized controlled study to confirm the administration of iNO as an effective weapon for the battle against life threatening complication in high risk cardiac surgical patients. In a previous meta analysis with 27 studies included, we demonstrated that inhaled nitric oxide (NO) could reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation and reducing biomarkers of organ injury and clinical signs of organ dysfunction in cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) , but had no significance in the ICU stay, hospital stay, and mortality. This may be attributed to the small sample size of the most included studies (of the 27 studies included, 20 studies with sample size less than 100) and heterogeneity in timing, dosage and duration of iNO administration. Well-designed, large-scale, multicenter clinical trials are needed to further explore the effect of iNO in improving postoperative prognosis in cardiovascular surgical patients. We are planning a large multicenter controlled randomized trial to demonstrate that inhaled nitric oxide can reduce composite outcome of death and Major Adverse Events (MAEs), including need for intensive supports due to heart failure, low cardiac output sydrome, or renal failure, respiratory failure, etc., and myocardial infarction, stroke, and sepsis at 30 days after surgery from 20% to 16% in patient undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. If the hypothesis had been proved and validated, the results of this study can provide strong evidence for guidelines to facilitate the routine use of iNO in all cardiopulmonary bypass assisted cardiac procedures with 31,800 postoperative outcomes improved per year in US and in China.

Response to Exercise and Nitric Oxide in PAD

RESIST PAD is a randomized trial of 200 PAD patients to establish: 1) whether a 12-week exercise intervention significantly increases Δ nitrite at 12-week follow-up, compared to control; 2) whether exercise "responders" have greater Δ nitrite increases compared to "non-responders"; 3) among non-responders, whether supplementing exercise with nitrate-rich beetroot juice between weeks 13-24 increases Δ nitrite and improves 6-minute walk at 24-week follow-up.

Inhaled Nitric Oxide in Severe Obesity

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effects of inhaled nitric oxide on oxygenation and lung perfusion in participants with severe obesity who have acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and are on mechanical ventilation The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. In acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, what are the effects of inhaled nitric oxide on oxygenation in participants with severe obesity compared to participants with normal body weight. 2. In acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, what are the effects of inhaled nitric oxide on lung perfusion and heart function in participants with severe obesity compared to participants with normal body weight. 3. In acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, does severe obesity impact nitric oxide signaling pathways? Participants with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure will be exposed to inhaled nitric oxide (20 ppm) while being clinically monitored.

Mechanism of Nitric Oxide on Ventilator-induced Diaphragm Dysfunction with Extracorporeal Membrane Lung Assistance

The goal of this clinical trial is to explore the effect of NO treatment on diaphragm function after mechanical ventilation with ECMO assistance. We expect to enroll a total of 80 patients who will receive mechanical ventilation and mechanical ventilation combined with ECMO treatment. Depending on the indication, they will be given NO treatment or not. In ECMO assisted mechanical ventilation + NO treatment group, the subjects will be randomly assigned to NO treatment via ventilator or membrane oxygenator. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Observing the influences and potential therapeutic effects of different NO insertion methods through ventilator or membrane oxygenator on the occurrence and development of ventilator-induced diaphragm (VIDD) dysfunction during ECMO assisted mechanical ventilation. 2. Exploring the potential key molecular mechanisms of NO treatment on the occurrence and development of VIDD after ECMO assisted mechanical ventilation.