Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Clinical Trials

Most autoimmune diseases are thought to develop as a result of chronic immune activation and dysregulation after selected environmental exposures in genetically susceptible individuals. Based on prior studies suggesting roles for noninfectious and infectious agents in the development of myositis, as well as the known clinical, epidemiologic and genetic differences ...

The objective is to define the signaling pathways activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and other selected innate immunity stimuli, and the downstream inflammatory functional consequences, in human leukocytes in vitro. Adult (greater than or equal to 18 - 65 years old), nonpregnant, healthy volunteers will have 320 ml of whole blood ...

This study will evaluate subjects with adult- and childhood-onset myositis to learn more about their cause and the immune system changes and medical problems associated with them. Myositis is an inflammatory muscle disease that can damage muscles and other organs, resulting in significant disability. Children or adults with polymyositis or ...

This is a multi-center randomized study of three doses of radiation (assigned 1:1:1) delivered by the TheraSight(TM) Brachytherapy System in participants with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to wet (exudative) AMD. Each participant receives a single dose of radiation delivered by one-time only brachytherapy. Participants are followed for three years after ...

STUDY DESIGN: This in vivo and in vitro observational gene association study will investigate the functional relevance of SNPs in the NR3C1 gene in selected populations. A subgroup of the EPR will be genotyped to identify novel SNPs in the NR3C1 gene. The most promising SNPs for functional relevance in ...

Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) is a reversible form of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) that can be triggered by stressors such as exercise, nutritional deficits, and psychological stress. Dysfunction of the hypothalamic component of the reproductive axis plays a key role in functional HA and is manifest by an altered pattern of ...

Bisphenol A (BPA) is utilized primarily in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, which are widely used in the fabrication of baby bottles and food can linings. Consequently, human exposures to BPA are widespread. However, there is still uncertainty about the extent and nature of these exposures. This ...

This is a cross-sectional, controlled study designed to investigate whether Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-beta) mediates increased asthmatic epithelial susceptibility to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection by examining responses to RSV infection in epithelial cells cultured from asthmatic and non-asthmatic participants. Non-smoking healthy adults and mild asthmatics, aged 18-60 years old, ...

This study will be a prospective, longitudinal, observational, single-center, exploratory, natural history study to collect samples and data that will enable prospective explorations of the interaction between environmental exposures and disease progression over time in moderate-severe atopic asthmatics with persistent disease, and facilitate the formation of mechanistic hypotheses. Environmental and ...

The key initiating factors for reproductive development remain among the great mysteries of pediatric and reproductive endocrinology. The onset of puberty is initiated by pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus. GnRH secretion is fully active during the neonatal period, quiescent throughout most of childhood, and is reactivated ...