9 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Obesity is an independent risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC) although the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. Dietary nutrients play a key role in both the prevention and promotion of CRC. While iron is an essential nutrient, excess iron is associated with carcinogenesis. Unlike the systemic compartment, the intestinal lumen lacks an efficient system to regulate iron. In conditions when dietary iron malabsorption and intestinal inflammation co-exist, greater luminal iron is associated with increased intestinal inflammation and a shift in the gut microbiota to more pro-inflammatory strains. However, treatments designed to reduce luminal, including diet restriction and chelation, are associated with lower intestinal inflammation and the colonization of protective gut microbes. Obesity is associated with inflammation-induced, hepcidin-mediated, iron metabolism dysfunction characterized by iron deficiency and dietary iron malabsorption. Obesity is also linked to intestinal inflammation. Currently, there is a fundamental gap in understanding how altered iron metabolism impacts CRC risk in obesity. The investigator's objective is to conduct a crossover controlled feeding trial of: 1) a "Typical American" diet with "high" heme/non-heme iron", 2) a "Typical American" diet with "low" iron, and 3) a Mediterranean diet with "high" non heme iron and examine effects on colonic and systemic inflammation and the gut microbiome.
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.
A study will be conducted to determine if there is any cognitive benefit in elderly patients having open versus minimally invasive colon cancer surgery.
The research project addresses the following hypotheses (A) the normal balance of beneficial and detrimental commensal intestinal bacteria is deranged in IBS, with selective alterations in clinically defined patient subsets i.e., diarrhea predominant IBS (D-IBS) and post-infectious IBS (PI-IBS); (B) these changes in intestinal microflora are associated with sub-clinical mucosal inflammation and activation of the mucosal immune system; and (C) activation of the mucosal immune system leads to alterations in gastrointestinal (GI) functions (i.e., motility and sensation) and functional symptoms.
This study, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and Penn State University, will examine how a diet high in legumes (dried beans) influences risk factors for colon cancer and polyps. Many scientists believe that colon and rectal cancers develop from polyps (tumors of the lining of the large bowel). This study will test whether a high-legume diet can reduce levels of certain factors (blood insulin, blood glucose, and markers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein) that at elevated levels are known to increase the risk of colorectal polyps and colon cancer. Healthy men between 35 and 75 years of age may be eligible for this study, conducted at Penn State University in University Park, Pennsylvania. Candidates are screened with blood tests and measurements of height, weight, and blood pressure. All candidates must have had a colonoscopy within 2 years of entering the study. They may or may not have had adenomas and may or may not be insulin-resistant. Candidates must not have cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, or other serious medical condition, and they must have no history of colorectal cancer, polyp removal, bowel surgery, polyposis syndrome, or inflammatory bowel disease. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: * Caloric requirement testing: The subject's resting metabolic rate is measured while fasting and in the early morning at rest to determine daily calorie requirement before beginning the study diet. A special clear plastic hood is placed over the subject's head while his breathing is measured. He can communicate with the technician at all times during the 30-minute test. * Study diet: Subjects follow two required 4-week diets with a 3-week break in between, followed by an optional third 4-week diet. Subjects eat a healthy American diet for both of the required 4-week diet periods; about 1-1/2 cups of cooked legumes, such as pinto, baked, and navy beans are added to one of the two required diets. For the third (optional) diet period, subjects are given the same 1-1/2 cups of legumes, but are allowed to lose weight. Participants are given packages with all of the food they are to consume during the three diet periods. They may add up to five caffeine-containing beverages per day and up to two alcoholic drinks per week. They must eat all of the food they are given and only the food they are given. Subjects are expected to maintain a constant body weight during the two 4-week required diets, and their caloric intake may be increased or decreased as needed to maintain their screening weight. * Weight measurements: Subjects are weighed regularly at the clinic. * Blood samples: Subjects have blood samples drawn at the mid-point of each of the two required 4-week diets and at the beginning and end of each of the three 4-week diets. * Urine and stool samples: Urine and stool samples are collected at the beginning and end of the two required 4-week diets.
This is a longitudinal, observational study that aims to identify the microbial and human molecular triggers of IBD flares via stool, saliva, and blood metatranscriptomes, whole blood proteome, and collected clinical metadata. This study is direct to participant and will not utilize clinical sites.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of long-term treatment with brodalumab in adults with Crohn's disease.
The gut may be a portal of entry for agents that cause or contribute to the causes of Parkinson's disease (PD). The investigators are studying changes in the normal population of gut flora and in intestinal permeability and their associations with early PD.
The purpose of this study is to see if Epanova™ is able to maintain the symptomatic remission in subjects with Crohn's Disease who are responding to steroid induction therapy. Patient safety and quality of life will also be monitored throughout the study.