5 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
This clinical trial aims to investigate how exposure to Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), a type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), affects the immune response to the standard tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine. The study focuses on participants from a community with known prior PFNA exposure through contaminated drinking water. The main question it aims to answer is: * Does exposure to PFNA weaken the body's initial immune response, leading to lower levels of protective antibodies after vaccination? Participants will: * Receive Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) booster vaccination * Visit the study office 7 times over a 30-day period * Have blood and saliva collected at each study visit
The clinical presentation of the ongoing coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic in pregnant women is unique with more asymptomatic infection, higher morbidity when symptomatic, yet without a difference in mortality rate. This is strikingly different from the high mortality observed during the past influenza A pandemics. Though both influenza A virus (IAV) and SARS-CoV-2 are single-stranded RNA viruses, the exquisite vulnerability of pregnant women to influenza A but not COVID-19 remains a mystery. Our objective, therefore, is to determine the mechanisms that predispose pregnant women to severe influenza A but confer protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection by examining the viral entry factors and innate immune response mechanisms in the nasal epithelium of pregnant vs. non-pregnant age-matched women.
Background: - Innate immunity is the process by which white blood cells and other parts of the immune system sense and respond to potential infections by causing an inflammation. Researchers are interested in studying how the body responds to certain environmental factors, and whether the body s response can contribute to chronic illnesses or diseases such as asthma and certain types of cancers. Objectives: - To examine how specific genes and proteins in blood cells respond to environmental exposures. Eligibility: - Healthy volunteers between 18 and 45 years of age. Design: * The study will involve one visit of 45 to 60 minutes. * Participants will be screened with a brief physical examination and finger stick to determine if they are eligible to donate blood for the study, and will complete a questionnaire about any medications or other drugs (e.g., cigarettes) they may be taking. * Participants will provide a blood sample for research purposes.
This study investigates the response of vaginal and cervical tissue after exposure to three vaginal products: hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) placebo, nonoxynol-9 (N9) and imiquimod (IMQ) cream.
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).