4 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is an emerging clinical entity defined as the presence of intestinal and/or extraintestinal symptoms induced by the ingestion or gluten and relieved by a gluten free diet (GFD) in patients without celiac disease or wheat allergy. The pathologic mechanism of the disorder is unknown, and there are no known biomarkers or associated histopathologic findings. In this prospective, randomized controlled trail, we are investigating the utility of patient reported symptom questionnaires, as well as stool gluten and urine quantification tools in patients with NCGS and healthy controls.
To investigate the use of hyperimmune bovine colostrum to reduce gluten absorption. A double-blind, cross-over study will be performed in which persons who are following a strict gluten-free diet will be challenged with oral gluten with or without the bovine colostrum.
The idea is to evaluate if the so called "Gluten Sensitivity" is a real clinical entity. Gluten sensitive (GS) persons are defined as those patients, being neither celiac or allergic to weat, who develop symptoms following gluten consumption. This will be achieved by evaluating a global symptom score in GS patients receiving gluten compared to those receiving placebo (primary end point). Symptoms to be evaluated: gastrointestinal (Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, GSRS); not-gastrointestinal (specifically built evaluation scale); VQV scale, built to evaluate quality of life. Gluten or placebo will be administered daily (10 g) for 15 days; for the 15 days before and 15 after all patients will stay on Gluten Free Diet (GFD). Besides clinical evaluation (each week for 6 weeks), intestinal permeability testing and blood sampling will be requested for the identification of possible markers (serological, gut barrier function, immunological and expression of tight junctions constitutive proteins) that may be of help to differentiate the condition of gluten sensitivity (GS) from that of Celiac Disease (CD)(secondary end point). Inclusion and exclusion criteria for patients enrolling are strictly dependant on the given "Gluten sensitivity" definition. We expect to experience a worsening of gastrointestinal and extra-gastrointestinal symptoms, from hours to days, with an increase in the overall symptom score, above the cut off, in at least 45% of GS subjects enrolled and that have received gluten compared to GS who received placebo.
This study will assess the effect of gluten on gut barrier function. Investigators at the Mayo Clinic have developed a new gut permeability test using rhamnose (sugar \& water solution), and are hoping to prove its effectiveness in a clinical setting.