29 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation/HCT involves receiving healthy blood-forming cells (stem cells) from a donor to replace the diseased or damaged cells in participants' bone marrow. The researchers think giving participants treatment with fludarabine and dexamethasone, drugs that lower the activity of the body's immune system (immune suppression), before standard conditioning therapy and HCT may help prevent serious side effects, including graft failure and GvHD. In this study, depending on how participants' body responds to the fludarabine and dexamethasone, the study doctor may decide participants should receive another drug, called cyclophosphamide, instead of fludarabine. In addition, depending on the results of participants' routine blood tests, participants may receive the drugs bortezomib and rituximab, which also help with immune suppression.
The overall goal of this study is to determine novel mechanisms for ultraviolet light (UV)-induced suppression of the immune system in human subjects and to improve understanding of UV-induced skin carcinogenesis.
This is a pilot study that investigates the efficacy and safety of budesonide as an immune suppressing agent for liver transplant recipients in the early post-transplant period. The primary end-point is rates of acute cellular rejection within first 24 weeks post-liver transplant. Secondary end points include rates of new onset diabetes after transplant and safety of budesonide. The study is structured as a prospective clinical trial. After receiving 4 days of intravenous corticosteroids on liver transplant post-operative days 0 through 3, subjects will be started on standard immunosuppression plus enteric coated budesonide (study drug) in place of standard immune suppression plus prednisone (standard of care). Study drug will be tapered over 12 weeks in accordance with the existing standard of care immune suppression protocol. Subjects will be followed in outpatient transplant clinic for 24 weeks. The purpose of the study is to conduct a pilot study to generate rates and effect size that can be used in a subsequent equivalent trial. A total of 20 subjects will be enrolled to receive the standard immunosuppression plus budesonide and their outcomes will be compared to 20 controls receiving standard immunosuppression plus prednisone (standard of care). The use of controls is to generate rate and variability that can be compared with the rate obtained from patients that receive study drug by examining the 95% confidence band.
The purpose of this study is to examine a new approach to preventing a serious problem after transplant called graft vs. host disease (abbreviated as GVHD). This is a 3 arm sequential phase I/II, study of Pacritinib with Sirolimus and Tacrolimus (PAC/SIR/TAC) for the prevention of acute GVHD after matched related and unrelated allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT).
ASSIST I was the first randomized trial in patients with scleroderma to not just slow disease progression but rather actually reverse it. It is the first treatment to have ever demonstrated reversal of lung disease in scleroderma with improvement in FVC, total lung capacity (TLC), high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), and QOL. We now, therefore, purpose to compare the ASSIST I conditioning regimen of cyclophosphamide and rATG to a less intense regimen of rATG/cyclophosphamide/Fludarabine. In the new regimen the cyclophosphamide dose is decreased to 120mg/kg (60mg/kg/day x 2) compared to 200mg/kg (50mg/kg/day) in the standard regimen. The lower dose of cyclophosphamide will be less cardiotoxic. This study will determine if the less cardiotoxic regimen will be safer than the standard regimen and as effective as the standard regimen.
Patients in the ICU are already predisposed to nosocomial infections, which are both costly and potentially life threatening, and it appears that the immune paralysis of sepsis may put these patients at greater risk for secondary infections, though this has not been proven conclusively. One measure of this sepsis-induced immune suppression is monocyte deactivation. The investigators hypothesize that, as a cornerstone of the monocytic innate immune response to infection, the inflammasome is critical to monocyte function during sepsis.
The goal of this study is to clarify the degree of immune suppression in infants requiring therapy and to create guidelines for evaluation and prevention of infection in infants on oral steroids for hemangiomas.
This experiment will test the safety and effectiveness of a treatment for melanoma in which certain lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) are taken from the patient, grown in the laboratory, and returned after the patient's immune system has been weakened with immune-suppressing drugs. Some patients will also receive interleukin-2 (IL-2), a drug that may enhance the activity of the re-infused lymphocytes. Patients with metastatic melanoma (melanoma whose tumor has spread) who have been treated unsuccessfully with gp100 vaccination may participate in this study. They will undergo apheresis or a tumor biopsy, or both, to collect lymphocytes. In apheresis, whole blood is drawn through a needle in the arm. A machine separates the blood components and removes the white cells. The rest of the blood is returned to the donor through a needle in the other arm. A biopsy is a surgical procedure to remove a small piece of tumor tissue. Several weeks before the lymphocytes are collected, patients will receive injections of growth colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) every day for five days. This drug stimulates white cell production, permitting as many cells as possible to be obtained during collection. The lymphocytes will then be grown in larger numbers in the laboratory. Seven days before the cells are re-infused, the patient is admitted to the hospital and a catheter (small tube) is placed in a large vein in the chest or neck. Two drugs, cyclophosphamide and fludarabine, are given through the tube. These drugs suppress the immune system so that it will not interfere with the work of the reinfused lymphocytes. The lymphocytes are then injected through the catheter over a 30-minute period. After the infusion, patients who receive IL-2 will be given the drug in a high dose over a 15-minute period every eight hours for up to five days. Patients whose condition does not permit high-dose IL-2, such as those with a heart condition or lung problem, may receive a low-dose regimen, with the drug given as a shot under the skin of the thigh or abdomen for five days followed by a 2-day break, continuing for a total of six weeks. These patients receive a higher dose the first week and then half that dose the next five weeks. Blood and tissue samples will be taken before and during the study to evaluate the size of the tumor and assess treatment. If, 3-5 weeks after therapy is completed, the patient's tumor has stabilized or shrunk, the entire treatment, except for chemotherapy, may be repeated two more times.
This study will determine if ingesting a beet-based supplement with nitrates for 2 weeks moderates exercise-induced inflammation.
We will conduct a two-group randomized controlled trial to examine the eMocha DOT intervention with pediatric HT recipients.In this population, medication nonadherence remains a primary cause of late acute rejection (LAR) episodes, increased number of hospitalizations, graft failure, and patient mortality. Herein, we propose an innovative approach to promote medication adherence and improve patient and graft outcomes.
Vigorous exercise can stress the body. Consuming special types of diet supplements may help the body recover better from exercise. This includes a bright red supplement called astaxanthin that is found in certain algae and causes the pink-red color in salmon. Astaxanthin is an antioxidant and may protect cells from damage and improve the way the immune system functions. The main purpose of this study is to determine if 4 weeks of consuming astaxanthin improves recovery from 2.25 hours of intensive running on a treadmill. This study will also measure whether or not astaxanthin supplementation improves skin health
This is a randomized, crossover clinical trial with 25 male and female cyclists. Study participants will ingest polyphenol-rich cranberry juice or placebo juice for 4 weeks under double-blinded procedures, and then crossover to the opposite supplement. The primary objective of this study is to examine the efficacy of 4-weeks ingestion of cranberry juice in moderating exercise-induced inflammation, immune dysfunction, and muscle damage. Outcome measures will include global proteiomics, oxylipins, and cytokines.
The purpose of this study will be to examine the effects of Oceanix supplementation on isometric mid-thigh pull force kinetics and salivary immunoglobulin A (indice of immune function) following a one-week intense resistance training protocol. The study will be carried out in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel manner. Subjects will be stratified into quartiles based on peak force achieved in the isometric mid-thigh pull assessment during screen and prior to baseline testing. Subjects from each quartile will be randomly divided by into treatment and or placebo conditions. Following randomization, subjects will be baseline tested on isometric mid-thigh pull and salivary immunoglobulin A. Following baseline testing, subject will be given their respective supplement conditions and will be instructed to consume one serving (25mg) a day for 21 consecutive days. For days 1 through 14 subjects will be asked to refrain from resistance training. Subjects will undergo a five day intense resistance training protocol will on day 15 to day 19. Subjects will complete follow-up testing in a manner identical to baseline on day 20 and 21 (24- and 48-hours post completion of the training protocol).
The PURPOSE of this study is to investigate the combined influence of 2-weeks blueberry ingestion and banana ingestion (during exercise) on performance and in mitigating metabolic perturbation, immune dysfunction, and increase in inflammation following a 75-km cycling time trial. We hypothesize that the combination of 2-weeks ingestion of blueberries (versus placebo) and acute ingestion of bananas (versus water alone) during 75-km cycling will: 1. Enhance performance. 2. Attenuate the magnitude of metabolic perturbation due to exercise (using a targeted panel of metabolites) which may be associated with increased plasma levels of beneficial gut-derived phenolics. 3. Attenuate post-exercise inflammation (as measured with cytokines, muscle damage markers, regulatory lipid mediators, ex-vivo monocyte cell cultures, and targeted immune proteins including S100A8 and S100A12). 4. Counter post-exercise downturns in innate immune function (natural killer cell lytic activity), and viral defense (using an ex-vivo cell culture with Hela cells).
This first-in-human, Phase 1 clinical trial will test the feasibility of the manufacturing and the safety of the administration of CD4\^LVFOXP3 in up to 30 evaluable human participants with IPEX and evaluate the impact of the CD4\^LVFOXP3 infusion on the disease.
The purpose of this trial is to study the safety and effectiveness of a drug called Bortezomib for the treatment of low blood cell counts after bone marrow transplant.
Background: - Tremelimumab is a cancer treatment drug that helps the immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells. Researchers want to see if it can be used to treat advanced liver cancer. The drug will be given with one of two types of treatment for liver cancer. The first type, transarterial catheter chemoembolization (TACE), injects chemotherapy drugs into the tumor through the main blood vessel that is feeding it. That blood vessel is then closed off to help keep the drugs in the tumor longer. The second type, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), uses a heated probe to destroy the tumor tissue. Researchers want to study how safe and effective these treatments are with the study drug. Objectives: - To test the safety and effectiveness of Tremelimumab with TACE or RFA for advanced liver cancer. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age who have advanced liver cancer that has not responded to other treatments.
Background: * Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) from bone marrow biopsies can be used to treat disorders that cause inflammation and immune system diseases. BMSC have been used to treat graft versus host disease (GVHD), a complication that can develop after stem cell transplants. BMSC have also been used to treat other post-transplant complications, like marrow failure or tissue injury. * The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed a procedure for collecting and preserving BMSC from volunteer donors. These donors have passed tests to ensure that their cells are healthy enough to be used for treatment. Researchers want to use the collected cells to treat people with GVHD, marrow failure, or tissue injury following stem cell transplants. Objectives: - To test the safety and effectiveness of NIH-collected BMSC to treat complications from stem cell transplants. Eligibility: * Individuals between 18 and 75 years of age who have complications from stem cell transplants. * Complications are acute GVHD, poor bone marrow function, or tissue or organ damage. Design: * Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. They will also have imaging studies and blood tests. * Participants will provide blood, skin, and bone marrow samples before the BMSC treatment. Additional samples, including tissue samples, will be collected after the start of treatment. * Participants will have up to three BMSC infusions. There will be a week between each infusion. Participants will be monitored closely during each infusion. Any side effects will be treated. * Treatment will be monitored with frequent blood tests and physical exams. * After the end of the infusions, participants will have regular followup visits for up to 2 years.
This study will test the safety and effectiveness of hydroxyurea, an anti-cancer drug, given together with the anti-HIV drugs didanosine, stavudine and efavirenz for treating children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Some studies have found that hydroxyurea may help certain anti-HIV drugs to work better and that the virus does not become resistant to it, as it does other drugs. This study will also examine how hydroxyurea affects the body's immune system and virus levels. Patients 3 through 21 years old with HIV infection may be eligible for this 52-week study. They will be screened for eligibility with a thorough physical examination, including chest X-ray, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram, head CT scan, eye examination and blood tests. All patients in the study will take didanosine twice a day, stavudine twice a day and efavirenz once a day. All patients will also take hydroxyurea twice a day, but some will take a low dose of the drug, while others will take a high dose. Within each of these two groups (high and low dose) some patients will start taking hydroxyurea the same day they begin the anti-HIV drugs; others will not start hydroxyurea until after they have taken the anti-HIV drugs for 5 weeks. Patients will have a physical examination every 3 weeks until week 12, then every 4 weeks until week 24, and then every 8 weeks until the end of the study. Blood tests to measure virus levels will be done every other day for the first 7 days and periodically after that. For the first 8 weeks after starting hydroxyurea, blood tests will be done weekly. An eye examination, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, and CT scans of the head will be done about every 6 months.
Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a condition in which the bone marrow is underdeveloped. DBA is considered a congenital disease, meaning patients are born with it. In DBA there is a lack of cells that give rise to red blood cells. The other elements produced in the bone marrow, such as white blood cells and platelets, are normal. Standard treatments used for this disorder such as steroids and bone marrow transplants are associated with failure, relapse, side-effects, increased morbidity, and even death. Two drugs, antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporin have been used to treat DBA, but have only provided occasional responses. No study has ever combined these two drugs for the treatment of DBA. This study is designed to explore the combined use of ATG and cyclosporine as a rational approach to the treatment of DBA.
Ventricular tachycardia (VT, a potentially fatal condition where the ventricle of the heart beats rapidly) superimposed on non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM, a disease of heart with broad etiologies except coronary artery disease). This disease has been associated with inflammation in the heart. The purpose of this study is to assess the benefit of immunosuppressive therapy to suppress the VT, improve heart function, avoid invasive intervention and hospitalization. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging shows inflammation in the heart. After enrollment, baseline tests (including physical exams, blood tests, genetic test, electrocardiography, echocardiography) will be done. Next, will be an 8-week medication regimen which contains either immunosuppressive drugs or standard GDMT without immunosuppressant medication. Some of the examinations will be repeated during the study to evaluate the treatment response and monitor any adverse events.
Alemtuzumab is a man-made antibody used to treat certain blood disorders. Tacrolimus is a drug used to decrease immune system activity in people who have received organ transplants so that the new organ will not be rejected. This study will determine whether treatment with alemtuzumab and tacrolimus is effective in preventing organ rejection and maintaining the recipient's health after liver transplantation in patients with end-stage liver disease, and whether gradual tapering of tacrolimus treatment is safe for these patients.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether sitagliptin (Januvia is the brand name for sitagliptin) reduces inflammation and immune activation markers in HIV-infected men and women when compared to a placebo (inactive medication like a dummy pill). The study evaluated whether taking 100 mg of sitagliptin by mouth daily for 16 weeks is safe and effective for HIV-infected persons on antiretroviral therapy (ART) who do not have diabetes. Sitagliptin is a medication that is used to treat people with diabetes (high blood sugar) but also may reduce inflammation in the body.
This phase II study was done in HIV-infected participants on antiretroviral therapy to evaluate the effects of isotretinoin (a drug that is approved for use in the treatment of severe acne) on the immune system. The immune system helps the body fight infections. When the immune system is not working well, one may be at greater risk for diseases that are common in aging, like heart disease, weaker bones, and kidney disease.
Despite viral suppression, antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not restore CD4+ T-cell counts in some subjects. The purpose of this study is to assess whether adding maraviroc (MVC) to a suppressive ART will result in a significant CD4+ T-cell count increase over 24 weeks in subjects with suboptimal CD4+ T-cell recovery despite sustained virologic suppression.
This study will examine the effects of increases in HIV blood levels on the immune system. A better understanding of how HIV alters the immune response may lead to development of effective immune-based therapies against the virus. Patients 18 years of age or older with HIV-1 infection who have been receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may be eligible for this study. In order to study the effect of increased levels of virus on the immune system, therapy will be stopped in these patients temporarily. Therefore, only patients who have an appropriate level of understanding of the potential benefits of therapy and the risks of stopping treatment will be considered for enrollment. Pregnant women may not participate and women of childbearing potential must agree not to become pregnant during the study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, physical exam, blood and urine tests and possibly a chest X-ray and electrocardiogram. Upon entering the study, participants will have blood tests to measure the amount of virus in the blood, CD4+ T cell counts, side effects of the medications, and how the patient s immune system responds to HIV in the test tube. White cells will be collected through leukapheresis. In this procedure, a needle is placed in an arm vein and blood flows from the vein through a tube (catheter) into a cell separator machine, where the white cells are separated from the rest of the blood by a spinning process. Some of the white cells are collected by the machine, and the rest of the blood is returned to the body through a second needle placed in the other arm. Patients will then have a physical examination and blood tests every 1 to 2 weeks and will be managed according to their viral load and CD4 cell counts as follows: Viral Load * If viral blood levels remain less than 5000 copies per milliliter, no medical intervention is planned. * If viral blood levels rise to 5,000 copies per ml or higher, patients will undergo a second leukapheresis and re-start antiretroviral therapy. They will be monitored at least monthly until viral load returns to pre-study levels. CD4 Count * If the CD4 count rises or remains at pre-study levels, no intervention is planned. * If the CD4 count decreases by 10 to 25 percent of pre-study levels, the counts will be monitored every 2 weeks at least 3 times and then monthly. * If the CD4 count decreases by 25 percent or more of pre-study values, antiretroviral therapy will be re-started and counts will be monitored until they return to pre-study levels. If viral and CD4 levels do not return to pre-study levels promptly, patients will continue to be monitored and will be advised about possible treatment changes. Alternatively, patients whose viral and CD4 levels are similar to or better than pre-study values may be offered laboratory testing every 3 months for at least 1 year if there is a scientific reason to continue studying the patient s immune system. Patients may be asked to undergo additional leukapheresis in the future, or another interruption of therapy in the future if it is felt safe to do so.
The purpose of this study is to determine if treatment with pegylated interferon alpha 2b (peg-IFN-α2b) will reduce the amount of integrated HIV DNA in peripheral blood cells and tissues of individuals with chronic HIV infection receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART). A reduction and/or clearance of the latent viral reservoir (i.e.: virus that remains dormant in HIV-infected subjects receiving suppressive treatment ) is considered essential for HIV eradication. By measuring the changes in integrated proviral HIV DNA, which is considered a surrogate measure of the latent reservoir, the investigators will establish if peg-IFN-α2b treatment should be considered as a component of future viral eradication strategies.
Raltegravir not only has a unique mechanism of action, but may also have other unique effects on suppression of viral replication, viral reservoir, and immune reconstitution in blood and other important compartments. This may in part be due to the pharmacokinetics of Raltegravir in blood and gut tissue. Efavirenz will be the comparator antiretroviral drug in this study, with both drugs being used as part of a three-drug regimen with tenofovir and emtricitabine. The primary objectives are to determine differences in the effects of 2 anti-retroviral regimens, Raltegravir + Truvada versus Atripla, with respect to: 1. Viral load in plasma, genital tract (vaginal secretions), and gut (by in situ hybridization). 2. Latent viral reservoir (pro-viral DNA) in the peripheral blood and genital tract. 3. Immune effects (CD4/CD8 immunophenotypes) in gut and PBMCs and plasma cytokine profiles. The secondary objective is to determine the pharmacokinetics of Raltegravir in blood and gut tissue; relative tissue/compartment penetration compared to Efavirenz.
The objective of the study is to compare two different doses of Peg-INF-α-2A (90 or 180 ug/wk) for their ability to maintain viral control when initiated 5 weeks before ART (antiretroviral therapy) interruption in HIV positive, ART-suppressed subjects (viral load \<50 copies/ml) as determined by observing the percentages of viral load measurements \<400 copies/ml between the two arms over a 24-week period, corresponding to the Pegasys monotherapy period (exclusive of dual ART/Pegasys 5-week period). Primary analysis will be an "intent to treat" analysis and will address the hypothesis that two different doses of Peg-INF-α-2A (90 and 180 ug/week) will be similarly effective at inhibiting viral replication.