Clinical Trials and Studies

What Is a Clinical Study?

A clinical study involves research using human volunteers (also called participants) that is intended to add to medical knowledge. There are two main types of clinical studies: clinical trials and observational studies.

 

Clinical Trials

In a clinical trial (also called an interventional study), participants receive specific interventions according to the research plan or protocol created by the investigators. These interventions may be medical products, such as drugs or devices; procedures; or changes to participants' behavior, for example, diet. Clinical trials may compare a new medical approach to a standard one that is already available or to a placebo that contains no active ingredients or to no intervention. Some clinical trials compare interventions that are already available to each other. When a new product or approach is being studied, it is not usually known whether it will be helpful, harmful, or no different than available alternatives (including no intervention). The investigators try to determine the safety and efficacy of the intervention by measuring certain outcomes in the participants.

 

 

Detox Sciences Clinical Studies

Our partner, Quicksilver Scientific’s Tri-Test is the only clinical testing suite that measures both the exposures and excretion abilities for each of the two main forms of mercury we are exposed to. The QS Tri-Test utilizes mercury speciation analysis, a patented advanced technology that separates methyl mercury from inorganic mercury and measures each directly. This technique provides unprecedented information for the healthcare practitioner to assess the patient’s difficulties with each form of mercury and plan a successful detoxification strategy.

 

The Analytical Suite and Results Reporting

The full analytical suite includes three tests:

1. mercury speciation analysis of patient’s blood

2. mercury speciation analysis of patient’s urine, and

3. total mercury analysis of patient’s hair. Mercury speciation analysis shows 2 forms of mercury:

1) Inorganic mercury (HgII) in blood usually reflects a dental amalgam exposure and its main excretion route is urine. The urine:blood ratio gives an index of excretion efficiency for inorganic mercury.

2) Methylmercury (MeHg) reflects seafood consumption, though some is made in the gut from swallowed amalgam-based mercury. Excretion of methylmercury is reflected in the hair. The hair:blood ratio gives an index of excretion efficiency of methyl mercury.