The Nutramax test article is a nutritional supplement that contains several ingredients shown to potentially provide benefit to patients suffering from a painful and sometimes debilitating condition of the knee called "osteoarthritis." This is a pilot study that is intended to determine whether results from a proprietary testing panel conducted on blood and urine samples will correlate with data from physical examination and validated surveys that measure participants' quality of life and physical capabilities.
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a significant source of morbidity, especially in patients over the age of 40 and is associated with more than $90 billion in US health care costs annually. While a myriad of clinical interventions are available, the mainstays of OA therapy are the NSAIDs, a class of compounds with well documented side effects including death; the risks of which increase with patient age and chronic use. Assessing the effectiveness of OA treatment modalities is often complicated by a high placebo effect, making purely clinical assessment of outcomes difficult. It is therefore desirable to develop an objective assessment tool for both the diagnosis/staging of knee OA and patient response to interventional therapies. Participants in this study will receive a formulation of the nutraceutical (test article). They will be asked to take 3 pills at once per day for 40-44 days. There will be either 4 or 5 study visits. If participants have been using certain medications or dietary supplements, they will be asked to return one week from the initial screening, making a total of 5 visits in the study. If they have not been using key medications or dietary supplements, then study activities will begin on the day of the initial screening and they will only have 4 study visits. Participants will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires about their health, and have their blood drawn (15 mls or about 3 teaspoons), and provide a urine sample at 4 visits. In addition, at the first visit, we will collect information from participants' medical record and they will have a physical exam.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
9
A Proprietary Blend
University of Missouri, Missouri Orthopaedic Institute
Columbia, Missouri, United States
Serum Biomarkers
Blood will be assessed using a proprietary panel of biomarkers of inflammation. Blood and urine were collected, processed, and analyzed using a proprietary panel of biomarkers using the Luminex system as previously described (Garner, et al; Roller, et al). In addition, serum hsCRP was analyzed.
Time frame: 42 days
Urine Biomarkers
Urine will be assessed using a proprietary panel of biomarkers of inflammation.
Time frame: 42 days
Patient Reported Quality of Life Via SF-36 (36-Item Short Form Health Survey) Improvement
The Short Form (36) Health Survey is a 36-item, patient-reported survey of patient health. The SF-36 is a measure of health status. The SF-36 consists of eight scaled scores, which are the weighted sums of the questions in their section. Each scale is directly transformed into a 0-100 scale on the assumption that each question carries equal weight. The lower the score the more disability. The higher the score the less disability i.e., a score of zero is equivalent to maximum disability and a score of 100 is equivalent to no disability. To calculate the scores it is necessary to purchase special software. Mean+-SD among of improvement is reported.
Time frame: 42 days
Patient Reported Opinions (About Their Knee) Via KOOS (Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score)
Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). A normalized score (100 indicating no symptoms and 0 indicating extreme symptoms) is calculated for each subscale.
Time frame: 42 days
Patient Reported Survey to Assess: Pain, Stiffness, and Physical Function in Patients With Hip and/or Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) Via WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index)
The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC). A lower score indicates less severe symptoms, a higher score indicates more severe symptoms. The range of scores as is follows: 0-20 for Pain, 0-8 for Stiffness, and 0-68 for Function.
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Time frame: 42 days
Patient Reported Survey to Assess Symptoms and Function in Daily Living Via IKDC (International Knee Documentation Committee) Subject Exam
International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC). Each subscale is scored from 0-100, with 100 being no limitation with activities of daily living or sports activities and the absence of symptoms.
Time frame: 42 days