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Protein-energy MalnutritionNCT00069134

Study of Antioxidants and Oxidants in Malnourished Children

A study testing sulfur amino acids in people with Protein-energy Malnutrition and Kwashiorkor, run by Baylor College of Medicine at 1 site in Jamaica.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

It is believed that the organs of severely malnourished children malfunction because harmful compounds called oxidants injure the tissues in these organs. In a healthy person oxidants are made harmless because another compound called glutathione neutralizes them. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 6 to 18 months
Conditions the study is for
Protein-energy Malnutrition, Kwashiorkor, Marasmus
What is being tested?
sulfur amino acids
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
86 participants
Where
1 siteJamaica
Study dates
Jun 2003to Jan 2016
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 6 to 18 months
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child
  • Infants and toddlers, 6-18 months of age
  • Suffering from severe protein-energy malnutrition, kwashiorkor and marasmic-kwashiorkor

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Jamaica1 site
  • Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, University of the West Indies

    Kingston, Saint Andrew Parish, Kingston-7

Other trials in Jamaica

About this study

Official title: Glutathione Homeostasis and Oxidant Damage in Kwashiorkor

It is believed that the organs of severely malnourished children malfunction because harmful compounds called oxidants injure the tissues in these organs. In a healthy person oxidants are made harmless because another compound called glutathione neutralizes them. Glutathione is made from three amino acids that we get from the protein we eat in our food. We found that malnourished children were not making enough glutathione because they lacked one of these amino acids called cysteine. In this study we determine why malnourished children do not have sufficient cysteine, and we will feed malnourished children a whey-based diet which is rich in cysteine during their treatment to determine whether they will make more glutathione. This in turn may make their organs recover faster. These findings will let us know whether malnourished children can recover faster if they are given more cysteine during the early phase of treatment.

Being tested
sulfur amino acids
Keywords
glutathione kinetics, oxidant damage, anti-oxidant capacity, oxidative stress, cysteine kinetics, severe childhood malnutrition
Medical subject headings
Protein-Energy Malnutrition, Kwashiorkor

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • sulfur amino acidsDietary supplement

    Sixteen (16) children with edematous SCU will be randomly assigned to either a supplement of SAA or an isonitrogenous amount of alanine

Study groups in NCT00069134
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Sulfur Amino AcidsExperimental12 children with edematous severe malnutrition will be assigned to receive 0.65 mmol/kg/d of sulfur amino acids. Supplements will be added to the children's daily diets.
Receives: Dietary Supplement: sulfur amino acids
AlaninePlacebo comparator12 children with edematous severe malnutrition are assigned to receive 0.65 mmol/kg/d of alanine as placebo. Supplements will be added to the children's daily diets.
Receives: Dietary Supplement: sulfur amino acids

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. small intestine, skin function and red blood cell gluathione synthesis

    The effect of dietary supplementation with either a mixture of SAAs or alanine (controls) on:

    1. buccal tissue protein synthesis, small intestine structure, integrity and function (i.e. mixed mucosal and mucins protein synthesis rate, mucosal GSH synthesis and concentration, villous height and area and crypt depth, intestinal absorptive capacity and degree of mucosal leakiness, and synthesis of the starch digestive enzymes sucrase-isomaltase and maltase-glucoamylase, plus in vivo starch digestion and absorption) in groups of age- and gender-matched children with edematous SCU in the severely malnourished state.
    2. skin protein synthesis rate, rate of closure of skin lesions
    3. Red blood cell glutathione synthesis rate and cysteine production

    Measured: after intervention

  2. immune capacity

    synthesis rate of selected acute phase proteins

    Measured: after intervention

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted17 Sep 2003 (estimated)
  2. Study startJun 2003
  3. Primary completionJan 2016
  4. Study completionJan 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
86 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00069134
Sponsor's protocol ID
GLUTH - dk56689
Other IDs
R01DK056689
Status last verified
Jul 2017
First submitted
15 Sep 2003
Last updated
1 Aug 2017
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Badaloo A, Hsu JW, Taylor-Bryan C, Green C, Reid M, Forrester T, Jahoor F. Dietary cysteine is used more efficiently by children with severe acute malnutrition with edema compared with those without edema. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Jan;95(1):84-90. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.111.024323. Epub 2011 Dec 14.

    PubMed 22170355

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing sulfur amino acids in people with Protein-energy Malnutrition and Kwashiorkor, run by Baylor College of Medicine at 1 site in Jamaica.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Aug 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Jamaica. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

small intestine, skin function and red blood cell gluathione synthesis (time frame: after intervention). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00069134, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Aug 2017.

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