Diabetes clinical trials at UC Davis

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes and diabetic macular edema (DME) is one of the most common causes of vision loss in diabetes. The purpose of this study is to determine if early intervention with micropulse laser treatment in eyes with good visual acuity (20/32 or better) will improve or stabilize vision loss due to the complications of diabetic macular edema.

Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary manipulation that involves restricting food intake to 6-12 h/day with no energy intake the rest of the day. In rodents, TRE improves metabolic function without caloric restriction, potentially by activating nutrient sensing mechanisms and effects on circadian oscillations. However, an understanding of the effect of TRE on cardiometabolic health in people is not clear and few studies have evaluated this issue. Accordingly, the investigators propose to conduct a randomized controlled trial in people with obesity and prediabetes to determine the effect of 9 h TRE for 12 weeks, without a change in body weight, on key metabolic outcomes that are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD): 1) multi-organ insulin sensitivity; 2) 24 h metabolic homeostasis and diurnal rhythm; and 3) adipose tissue and skeletal muscle biology. The proposed studies will elucidate the cardiometabolic implications of TRE in people with obesity and prediabetes.

The investigators want to study the impact CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) has on patients glycemic control as determined by time in range (TIR 70-180 mg/dL) in the Diabetic Kidney Transplant population.

This pilot study is to determine whether it would be safe and feasible to inject CD34+ stem cells from bone marrow into the eye as treatment for patients who are irreversibly blind from various retinal conditions.

This is a multicenter, randomized 2-arm clinical trial of two lifestyle interventions varying in intensity and format, in 400 older African American and non-Hispanic whites at increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia in the East San Francisco Bay Area. The trial will include two lifestyle interventions that differ in intensity and format: 1. Aerobic Exercise (AEx) Intervention that involves aerobic activities with in-class walking workouts and tutorials and carried out at the East Oakland Sports Center (EOSC) and Tice Creek Fitness Center (TICE). 2. Dietary counseling to support adherence to the Mediterranean-Diet Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet to encourage increased consumption of berries, green leafy and other vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, poultry, beans and olive oil, and to reduce consumption of fried/fast foods, red meat, whole fat cheese, sweets, butter and trans-fat margarines.

Randomized controlled trial of a curriculum intervention teaching patients to eat a whole-food plant-based dietary pattern versus standard of care in kidney transplant recipients within the first few months of transplant

Skeletal muscle dysfunction (sarcopenia) is an under-recognized target organ complication of CKD with substantial adverse clinical consequences of disability, hospitalization, and death. Sarcopenia in this proposal is defined by impaired metabolism and physical function associated with decreased skeletal muscle mass or function. Skeletal muscle tissue relies on mitochondria to efficiently utilize oxygen to generate ATP. Impaired mitochondrial energetics is a central mechanism of sarcopenia in CKD. The investigators propose a series of studies designed to shed light on the pathophysiology of sarcopenia in persons with CKD not treated with dialysis. Investigators will conduct a randomized-controlled intervention trial of combined resistance training and aerobic exercise vs. health education to assess changes in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function, metabolism and physical function. Investigators hypothesize that exercise improves mitochondrial function and physical function in persons with CKD. If successful, these experiments will identify novel pathophysiologic mechanisms for CKD-associated sarcopenia. The proposed study will provide useful insight into benefits associated with exercise among patients with CKD and investigate mechanisms associated with improved metabolism, muscle function and physical function in population.