Inflammatory Proteins in Familial Mediterranean Fever During Attack and Remission

October 10, 2017 updated by: Sheba Medical Center

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a genetic disease, caused by mutations in the FMF gene, entitled MEFV. The disease is characterized by painful attacks of inflammation in sites lined by serous membranes (e.g. abdominal pain caused by inflammation of the peritoneum, a serous membrane surrounding all internal organs within the abdomen). Continuous colchicine treatment prevents attacks in most patients. The pathogenesis of the disease, what leads to the attacks and how colchicine helps, are questions not yet resolved. Elucidating the role of the inflammatory proteins is an important step towards the understanding of these questions. To date only small numbers of cytokines and inflammatory proteins have been studied individually. We propose to study a large number of these proteins in the RNA and protein levels addressing the interaction between them and the effect of colchicine on their expression.

Blood samples will be drawn from consenting patients in remission, during attacks, under and without colchicine treatment. (20 patients in each category).Twenty healthy volunteers will donate control blood samples for the study. RNA will be produced from the neutrophils, and cytokines and various proteins' RNA expression will be determined. Major expressed proteins will be measured in the same samples and the results will be analyzed with regard to the activity of the disease, MEFV mutations and colchicine treatment status. The information obtained by the study may allow us to determine the sequence of events associated with FMF attack development, and perhaps take us one step further in the understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease.

Study Overview

Status

Withdrawn

Detailed Description

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a genetic disease, caused by mutations in the FMF gene, entitled MEFV. The disease is characterized by painful attacks of inflammation in sites lined by serous membranes (e.g. abdominal pain caused by inflammation of the peritoneum, a serous membrane surrounding all internal organs within the abdomen). Continuous colchicine treatment prevents attacks in most patients. The pathogenesis of the disease, what leads to the attacks and how colchicine helps, are questions not yet resolved. Elucidating the role of the inflammatory proteins is an important step towards the understanding of these questions. To date only small numbers of cytokines and inflammatory proteins have been studied individually. We propose to study a large number of these proteins in the RNA and protein levels addressing the interaction between them and the effect of colchicine on their expression.

Blood samples will be drawn from consenting patients in remission, during attacks, under and without colchicine treatment. (20 patients in each category).Twenty healthy volunteers will donate control blood samples for the study. RNA will be produced from the neutrophils, and cytokines and various proteins' RNA expression will be determined. Major expressed proteins will be measured in the same samples and the results will be analyzed with regard to the activity of the disease, MEFV mutations and colchicine treatment status. The information obtained by the study may allow us to determine the sequence of events associated with FMF attack development, and perhaps take us one step further in the understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease.

Study Type

Observational

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

      • Tel Hashomer, Israel, 52621
        • Sheba Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

FMF patients recruited at clinic on follow-up visits and FMF patients arriving at ER during attacks

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • FMF patients, agreeing with diagnostic criteria, in attack or remission, under or without colchicine treatment.
  • Age 18 or older
  • Male or female
  • all ethnic groups arriving for treatment or routine follow up appointment
  • Written Consent to participate and donate blood for protein, RNA and DNA analyses.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Younger than 18
  • Patients that use anti inflammatory medications, other than colchicine
  • Patients who in addition to FMF suffer from another acute infectious or inflammatory disease
  • Patients who in addition to FMF suffer from another chronic infectious or inflammatory or autoimmune disease.
  • Amyloidosis
  • Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Group 1
FMF patients in remission
Group 2
FMF patients during attack
Group 3
FMF patients without colchicine in remission
Group 4
FMF patients without colchicine in attack

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Anticipated)

August 1, 2008

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

August 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 7, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 7, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

May 9, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 11, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 10, 2017

Last Verified

October 1, 2017

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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