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Background: Proteins are essential to the health and structure of the cells that make up body tissues. Most proteins become damaged over time and are replaced with new ones. This process is called "protein turnover." Stress, disease, and aging can affect this process. Researchers want to better understand how aging affects protein turnover. Objective: To measure rates of protein turnover in healthy adults. Eligibility: Healthy people aged 20 years and older with a body mass index between 20 and 30. Design: Participants will have 6 study visits over 4 to 6 weeks. They will fast 12 hours before each visit. Participants will be screened. They will have a physical exam, with blood and urine tests and tests of their heart function. They will lie down while blood pressure cuffs are used on their arms and legs. Participants will be given bottles of heavy water to drink at home on a schedule for 21 days. Each bottle holds about 3.5 tablespoons. Heavy water is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, like normal drinking water. It is safe to drink and has been used in research for many years. Participants will have tests during study visits, including: Imaging scans of a leg. Exercise on a treadmill. Biopsies of muscle, skin, and fat: Small samples of tissue will be cut from the calf and abdomen. Resting metabolic rate: Participants will lie still and breathe into a mask for 20 minutes. Knee/grip strength: Participants will do strength tests with their legs. They will squeeze a device with their hands. D3-Creatine: Participants will take 1 pill of D3-Creatine, which occurs naturally in muscle.
Background: People with HIV take drugs to keep the amount of virus in their body low. One type of these drugs, called integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs), can cause weight gain over time. Weight gain can cause diabetes, heart disease, and other serious issues. Researchers want to understand how INSTIs cause weight changes. Objective: To see how a common INSTI, dolutegravir (DTG), affects how the body uses energy. DTG will be compared with a non-INSTI drug, tenofovir alafenamide (TAF). Eligibility: Healthy people aged 18 to 55. Design: Participants will be screened. They will have a physical exam and blood tests. They will have a nutritional assessment and tests of their heart function. Participants will have 2 inpatient stays at the clinic. Each stay will be for 11 nights, with a 3-week break between. Both DTG and TAF are gel caps swallowed once per day by mouth. Participants will take 1 drug for 8 days during each stay. Participants will have tests to see how their body uses energy: They will spend 23 continuous hours in a special room that measures how much oxygen they breathe in and how much carbon dioxide they breathe out. They will do this a total of 6 times. They will have a DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). DEXA is a kind of X-ray that measures body fat and bone density. They will lie on a table. Electrodes will be placed on their hands and feet to measure body fat and lean body mass. They will stand still on a platform for about 30 seconds. High-resolution laser cameras will scan their bodies.
Background: Scientists have long used simple measures (such as height and weight) to estimate how much a person s body uses food (calories) as energy, as commonly called the metabolic rate. But metabolism varies among people with similar body sizes. Scientists now believe the old formulas for estimating metabolic rates may not work well for all people. Researchers want to find more accurate ways to measure a person s metabolism. Objective: This natural history study will examine the relationships between metabolism, body composition, and body surface area in a wide range of people. Eligibility: Healthy children and adults aged 2 years or older. Also, people aged 2 years or older with conditions that may alter metabolism. These may include diabetes, obesity, renal disease, or cancer. Design: Participants will spend 2 days and 1 night in the hospital. They will provide a medical history and answer questions about their activity levels, the foods they eat, and their lifestyle. They will also eat a special diet. Participants will undergo many tests: They will lie in a bed with a clear hood covering their head for 30 to 45 minutes to measure the gases in their breath. They will lie on a padded table for about 15 minutes while their body is scanned. They will stand on a platform while a 3D scanner measures their body. They will have a test to measure how fast an electric signal moves through their body. They will grip an instrument to measure the strength of their hands. They will drink salty water and provide blood and urine samples. Participants may be invited to return for these 2-day visits up to 8 times per year. Return visits must be at least 2 weeks apart.
The goal of this proposal is to determine the effect of a high protein diet in which the increase in protein intake is derived from different sources (animal vs plant and protein-rich whole foods vs protein isolates) on: i) liver and muscle insulin sensitivity; ii) the metabolic response to a meal, and iii) 24-h plasma concentration profiles of glucose, glucoregulatory hormones, and protein-derived metabolites purported to cause metabolic dysfunction.
This is a prospective, non-randomized, non-blinded observational study. The overarching goal is to discover new disease-associated genes in children, while establishing a specific focus on disorders where molecular characterization is most likely to lead to novel therapies. This study will merge detailed phenotypic characterization of patients presenting to the Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism Division in the Department of Pediatrics/Children's Medical Center at Dallas and collaborating clinics with Next-Generation sequencing techniques to identify disease-producing mutations. The primary objective of the study is to identify novel pathogenic mutations in children with rare Mendelian disorders. A secondary objective of the study is to establish normative ranges of a large number of metabolites from healthy newborns and older children.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a dietary supplement can affect gene expression and serum protein markers in healthy volunteers. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does the supplement affect gene expression and protein markers as measured in blood? 2. How does daily ingestion of the supplement affect anthropometric measurements, including body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, and heart rate? 3. How does daily ingestion of the supplement affect subjective health parameters? 4. Is ingesting the supplement daily safe, as measured by laboratory tests and adverse events? The supplement is made with oleoylethanolamide (OEA), ginger extract, and lavender essential oil. Participants will: * Take one supplement capsule in the morning and one in the evening every day for 12 weeks * Attend three study visits in which they provide blood and urine samples, and undergo anthropometric measurements * Complete surveys and subjective health assessments
The Non-Invasive Biomarkers for Metabolic Liver Disease (NIMBLE) study is a comprehensive, multi-year collaborative effort to standardize, validate and advance the regulatory qualification of blood- and imaging-based biomarkers to diagnose and stage Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), previously known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). MASH is characterized by liver inflammation accompanied by simultaneous fat accumulation in the liver.
The objective of this study is to pilot a multifaceted, optimized intervention for metabolic syndrome (MetS) in emergency department patients to establish feasibility. Participants (n=20) will be randomized to intervention or control (usual care). The composite intervention will include an educational video outlining the adverse effects of MetS and the benefit of walking, a written exercise prescription with a defined goal of walking 150 minutes per week, a Fitbit accelerometer device, resources for healthy eating practices, periodic text message reminders, and an urgent referral to primary care and our health system's Healthy Me clinic for follow-up visit. Investigators hypothesize that this approach will change patient understanding and motivation to increase physical activity and healthy eating habits.
DOVE-MET-COME-100 is a single site prescreening survey study designed to identify adults who may be eligible for future industry-sponsored clinical trials. A physician will oversee the informed consent process, after which participants will be surveyed on demographics, medical history, current health conditions and symptoms. The study team may also collect basic health information, including vital signs, urine drug tests, blood samples and pregnancy tests (if applicable). A physician will review each participant's medical history in a one-on-one interview to assess potential fit for upcoming trials. If needed, the doctor may contact the participant's current doctors or pharmacies to gather more information for eligibility review.
The study aims to study healthy men aged 18-40 to explore how different beverages affect hunger, blood sugar, insulin, and a hormone called GLP-1, which helps regulate appetite and blood sugar. The tested beverages include two prebiotic sodas (Olipop and Poppi), Diet Coke, and Coca-Cola Classic. What's the study about? It aims to understand how these drinks influence how full participants feel and how the body handles sugar and hormones compared to each other. This could help us learn more about how prebiotic drinks, which may support gut health, compare to regular sugary or diet sodas. What will participants do? Participants will visit our lab at TCU (Rickel Building, rooms 256/259) four times over four weeks, with each visit lasting about 2-2.5 hours. Participants will need to fast for 8-12 hours before each visit. Here's what happens: * First visit involves participants' consent, measurement of height and weight, and performing a finger-stick test to check blood sugar and HbA1C. Participants will also fill out questionnaires about health, diet, and beverage preferences. * Visits 2-4: In visit 2, a DEXA scan will be performed to assess body composition. In visits 2-4, participants will drink one of the four beverages (in a random order, served in an unlabeled black container to prevent drink identification). Other variables measured at these time points include blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin, and GLP-1. Participants will also complete questionnaires about hunger and how the drink tastes. Each visit is spaced out by a week, and the total time commitment is about 10.5 hours. The study is expected to complete participant recruitment by December 10, 2025. Who can join? Ten healthy men aged 18-40 who don't have diabetes, heart disease, kidney or liver issues, or other specific health conditions. Participants shouldn't smoke, vape, or have certain dietary habits like intermittent fasting. Participants will be screened to confirm eligibility. What are the risks? The risks are low but include discomfort from blood draws or the IV catheter, a small chance of infection, and minimal radiation exposure from the DEXA scan (similar to everyday background radiation). There's also a small risk of a data breach, but participant information will be secured with password-protected systems and use ID numbers instead of names. What do participants get? Participants will receive a DEXA scan, baseline blood sugar, and HbA1C tests. If participants have abnormal results (like high blood sugar), doctor visits would be recommended. There are no direct benefits to participants, but participation could help develop better dietary recommendations in the future. How is privacy protected? Data will be stored securely on password-protected computers and in locked lab facilities, following HIPAA rules. Blood samples will be frozen for up to 10 years for possible future research (with participants' consent) and labeled with an ID number, not participants' names. How to join? Participants will be recruited through flyers, emails, social media, and TCU classes. If interested, participants will complete an online screening form or scan a QR code on our flyer. If eligible, participants will be contacted to confirm details and explain the study further. If participants have questions or want to join, contact Dr. Elisa Marroquin at e.marroquin@tcu.edu or Matthew Loritz at m.loritz@tcu.edu. Participation is voluntary, and participants can withdraw at any time, though data will be kept for analysis.