Consider This

Attention San Francisco and surrounding area readers. Here's an opportunity to participate in a Sjogren's Syndrome study:

Stanford & UCSF researchers need adult volunteers over the age of 18 who have been diagnosed with Sjögren’s Syndrome!

The purpose of the research: We are studying how having low amounts of saliva impacts oral microbial communities, predisposing individuals with Sjögren’s Syndrome to oral disease, such as an increase in dental cavities and other oral infections. Ultimately, we are interested in developing novel, ecologically-based therapeutics that target the altered microbial communities present in individuals with reduced salivary flow due to Sjögren’s Syndrome, medication usage, and radiation therapy.

What will we do with the samples we collect? We will extract genomic DNA from each of the samples we collect. We will perform DNA sequencing to identify the composition and relative abundance of the bacteria present in each of the samples. In addition to sequencing the DNA of bacteria, we will use mass spectrometry to identify small molecules that are produced by the bacteria present in a select subset of samples. We will perform statistical tests to evaluate the spatial and temporal variation of bacterial communities within individuals and among individuals sampled in this experiment.

What would be my time commitment? Participants are asked to attend a dental screening examination that will last approximately 2.5 hours and a sample collection appointment that will last approximately 2.5 hours. The maximum time commitment is expected to be 5 hours.

Exclusion criteria: Individuals should not have taken oral, systemic antibiotics or antifungals during the six months prior to enrollment. Individuals should not have diabetes mellitus, HIV, acid reflux, or asthma. Individuals should not have other medical conditions such as hypothyroidism or hypertension that are not well controlled (i.e., treatment is intermittent or treatment was initiated less than three months ago). Individuals with a past history of drug abuse or of eating disorders will also be excluded.

What are the costs of participation? There will be no costs to volunteers for participating in this research study. We will provide volunteers with a parking sticker to cover the cost of parking in the Millbery Union Parking Garage for the duration of each clinical sample collection appointment.

What are the benefits to participants? Participants will receive a no-cost dental examination, a maximum of $40, and the satisfaction of helping advance our understanding of the microbial ecosystem that defines human health!

Where can I get more information? For additional information, please contact the study coordinator, Danielle Drury by email at Danielle.drury@ucsf.edu or by phone at (415) 794-5539.

Funding
This not-for-profit research project is funded by a National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research grant (R01-DE23113-001) to Dr. David Relman.

For general information about participant rights, contact 1-(866)-680-2906.

This study's specifics can be found on the hyposalivation.org website, here. 
This post edited on 9/19/2014