Clinical Trials

The present study is a feasibility study in which we will determine if a mind-body program that we have previously developed for chronic back pain can improve the multiple somatic complaints associated with the COVID Long Haul Syndrome.

This study is to evaluate whether thiamine can increase oxygen consumption and lower lactate in patients who initially survive an in-hospital cardiac arrest. Patients who are successfully resuscitated after an in-hospital cardiac arrest and who are on mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit will be enrolled, and will get either thiamine or placebo. Their oxygen consumption and lactate will be measured at serial time points and compared between groups. The investigators' hypothesis is that thiamine will help restore the body's ability to metabolize oxygen normally (aerobic metabolism), leading to an increase in oxygen consumption and a decrease in lactate.

Traditionally, the severity of a blockage (stenosis) in a coronary artery has been determined by visual angiographic assessment of the diameter of the artery at the level of a blockage compared to a normal healthy area of the same artery. With the advent of invasive physiological testing to assess coronary blood flow, multiple clinical trials have demonstrated a clinical benefit to a physiology-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) approach. However, despite this and the potential for significant variation in the interpretation of coronary artery stenosis severity by visual angiography alone to guide PCI, invasive physiologic indices remain significantly under-utilized.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the physiologic significance of coronary lesions deemed angiographically severe by visual estimation that are planned for PCI. The investigators plan to perform blinded physiologic assessment pre and post PCI. The primary aim of the study is to determine whether a subset of lesions visually estimated as severe by angiography treated with stent placement/PCI may in fact not be physiologically significant when assessed invasively, and thus PCI could safely be deferred in these patients. A secondary aim is to evaluate physiologic assessment post PCI to detect residual ischemia that could be utilized to optimize stent placement.

Using indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography and lymphoscintigraphy with SPECT/CT imaging, the aim is to evaluate the anatomy of the lymphatic system pathway in two separate populations: healthy female volunteers and women with a history of breast cancer who did not develop lymphedema.

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study to investigate the effect of intravenous thiamine (vitamin B1) on renal function in septic shock.

The purpose of the project is to perform an RCT comparing patient satisfaction and outcome with or without the use of an expert panel. The purpose is also to create a registry to compare the effectiveness of decompression alone versus decompression with fusion for patients with degenerative grade I spondylolisthesis and symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis. Primary analysis will focus on the patients' improvement from baseline patient-reported outcome questionnaires.

In addition, the SLIP II registry aims to (i) develop an algorithm which could identify cases in which surgical experts are likely to recommend one treatment (i.e. >80% of experts recommend one form of treatment) and (ii) develop a radiology-based machine learning algorithm that would prospectively classify patients as either 'stable' or 'unstable.'

In addition to patient reported outcomes, step counts will be collected in order to determine the correlation of step count with patient-reported outcomes (ODI and EQ-5D) and the need for re-operation.

This registry portion of the study aims to prospectively collect comparative data for these patients treated with either decompression alone or decompression with fusion.

The primary objective of this study is to examine the safety and effectiveness of physician-modified endovascular grafts (PMEGs) for endovascular repair of complex aortic pathology in high-risk patients. The study is divided into three study arms based on the subject's aortic pathology: (1) Complex abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA); (2) Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm; and (3) Aortic dissection.

This is a prospective observational study, the purpose of which is to:

Characterize response of the AV conduction system to TAVR with various prostheses by recording continuous His bundle electrograms during valve placement.
Correlate preprocedure ECG features with changes in AV nodal and infranodal conduction during placement of the valve prosthesis.
Correlate changes in AV nodal and infranodal conduction during the procedure with risk of developing AV conduction block after TAVR.
Assess the contribution of stressing the conduction system by atrial pacing prior to and following TAVR to prediction of postprocedural heart block.

Assess the correlation between new onset bundle branch block, site and degree of conduction block or delay and subsequent development of high-grade or complete AV block.

The purpose of this study is to optimize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences for imaging pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and correlate MRI biomarkers with the expression of the tumor suppressor gene SMAD4 and clinical outcomes with the goal of identifying which biomarkers are predictive of treatment response or non-response. This study will test magnetic resonance techniques on FDA approved clinical MRI machines in treatment-naïve patients with biopsy-proven PDAC.

This is a prospective cohort study of older patients receiving implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. The purpose of the TRACER-ICD study is to conduct a prospective cohort investigation with the goal of 500 patients age >65 receiving new primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). Patients will be followed quarterly for 18 months with interviews, electronic record review, and remote monitoring to characterize clinical and functional trajectories following device implantation, with permission for extended electronic follow-up for up to 10 years (Aim 1). This cohort will support validation and refinement of an established model for predicting personalized outcome profiles for ICD therapies and death (Aim 2). Lastly, we will combine electronic record review with semi-structured interviews with patients and physicians to evaluate physician and patient experiences with a prototype individualized shared decision-making (SDM) tool (Aim 3).

Acute pancreatitis (AP) represents a critical health concern nationwide, with estimated 274,000 admissions annually and at a cost of 2.6 billion dollars. Current treatment strategies for AP are limited to supportive care with fluid resuscitation, analgesia, nutrition and prevention of end organ damage. Abdominal pain is often the predominant symptom in patients with AP and is treated with analgesics. As there is currently no disease-specific medical treatment to change the natural history of pancreatitis, pain control remains central to the treatment of AP. Among the analgesics, opioids have been shown to be provide safe and effective pain control in patients with AP. Current literature shows that there is no difference in the risk of pancreatitis complications or clinically serious adverse events between opioids and other analgesia options. Among hospitalized AP patients, adequate pain control often requires the use of intravenous (IV) opiates in the first 24-48 hours, which can later be transitioned to oral (PO) opioids. While there are various methods of delivering opioid medications such as IV, PO, and transdermal to name a few, IV opioids are commonly administered, either on a scheduled and/or on an as needed (PRN) basis as directed by the attending physician. In contrast to the conventional, method of physician directed IV opioid delivery, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is a form of IV opioid medication delivery in which the patient can rapidly titrate the opioid dose to manage variable levels of pain. This modality of opioid administration is often preferred by patients and has been widely used in postsurgical and obstetric patients to effectively treat their pain. PCA allows for faster intervention on pain limiting time to treatment and peak pain levels and has also been shown to decrease total opioid dose. However, there is limited evidence in published literature assessing the feasibility of using PCA to treat the pain of AP or comparing its efficacy and safety profile compared to the more traditional physician directed analgesia. One retrospective study has shown that use of PCA was surprisingly associated with longer hospital stays and higher rates of outpatient opioid use when compared to routine physician-directed analgesia (PDA), however there are no prospective trials to study this comparison. Hence, in this study, the investigators will compare the effects of using PCA among patients with AP to that of conventional PDA.

This protocol outlines a prospective study evaluating safety and clinical outcomes of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations performed on patients with cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIEDs) including pacemakers (PMs) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). This prospective study aims to improve the evidence base regarding this common clinical scenario. Specifically, the investigators aim to address whether results of MRI in PM/ICD patients affect physician decision making related to clinical management strategy and planning treatment interventions. Further, this study will evaluate whether the results of MRI in these patients affects patient outcomes related to survival and adverse events during or after MRI scanning.

The study is a randomized controlled trail with an observational arm and aims at collecting information on the prevalence of COVID 19 infection in seasoned yoga practitioners by comparing it with the prevalence of COVID-19 infection prevalence rates among age and gender matched control participants who do not practice yoga.

The study hypothesizes that yoga practice promotes protection and enhances recovery from the COVID-19 infection. To prove the hypothesis, the study investigators are collecting and comparing responses from seasoned yoga practitioners to age and gender matched controls participants (who do not practice yoga routinely) regarding their recovery from the COVID 19 infection. Based on validated questionnaires on perceived stress, anxiety, depression, well-being, mindfulness, joy disposition, and resilience in participants over the study duration, the investigators also collect information on participant's mental and emotional predispositions.

The purpose of this study is to examine how acute nutritional challenges affect levels of several proteins involved in metabolism. These proteins will be measured in blood and fat tissue.

This study will have several aims.

One aim is to examine the effect of 72 hours of fasting on fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) levels. Participants will spend 3 days and nights in the Clinical Research Center at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. Daily blood samples will be taken. Two fat samples will be taken prior to and at the end of the fast. A subset of participants will also have two MRIs, one prior to and one at the end of the fast. We will study healthy adults and obese adults with liver-biopsy-diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). THIS STUDY ARM IS CURRENTLY NOT RECRUITING

Another aim is to examine the effect of low-calorie diet on FGF-21 levels. Subjects will follow a hypocaloric diet that will be designed to achieve 3-5% weight loss. We will enroll participants with liver-biopsy-diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Participants will report weekly to the Clinical Research Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for weight measurements. Blood will be drawn before and after the weight loss. Participants will also have an MRI before and after the weight loss.

THIS ARM IS CURRENTLY NOT RECRUITING

Another aim of the study is to examine the effect of acute ingestion of glucose, fructose, and other sugars on serum FGF21 levels. Subjects in this study will be lean volunteers and individuals with metabolic syndrome.

THIS ARM IS CURRENTLY RECRUITING

The purpose of this protocol is to investigate the effect of treatment with the study drug Liraglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, on centers of the brain that control appetite and food intake.

The primary aim of this study is to examine the effect of acute ingestion of fructose on serum FGF21 levels. Subjects in this study will be lean volunteers and individuals with metabolic syndrome.

This study will examine the potential changes in the blood levels of a recently discovered metabolic regulator in response to changes in diet in healthy adults. Our hypothesis is that in healthy adults key regulatory factors involved in lipid oxidation will respond to changes in diet, particularly fasting and diet-induced ketosis.

Goal of this project is to investigate whether increases in inflammation that result from common patterns of restricting sleep on week nights and catching up on sleep over the weekend are caused by disruption in the newly discovered inflammatory resolution pathways. These pathways are crucial in the active termination of the inflammatory response, and their disruption may contribute to ongoing unresolved inflammation, which has been observed not only during periods of sleep restriction, but also after recovery sleep has been obtained. If the hypothesis is true, it is possible that increasing the body's natural production of endogenous, inflammatory resolution mediators may provide a non-behavioral strategy to limit the inflammatory consequences in those undergoing periods of sleep restriction with intermittent recovery sleep.

This study aims to identify the molecular genetic causes of the variability in development of calcific aortic valve disease in bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valves and their associated aortic dilation.

The primary aim of this study is to examine the effect of fructose ingestion on serum FGF-21 levels in humans.

The purposes of the study are:

Study Aim 1. To assess the mechanisms underlying the biological effects of short-term walnut consumption on appetite with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and assessing neurocognitive function/memory
Study Aim 2. To investigate the effects of walnut consumption (48g per day over 5 days) on appetite and satiety by analyzing molecules which regulate energy homeostasis such as adipokines, as well as resting metabolic rate which measures energy expenditure.
Study Aim 3. To investigate the effects of walnuts (48g per day over 5 days) on insulin resistance, lipids, and inflammatory markers in obesity as well as the effect of walnuts when consumed as part of a mixed meal, on glucose excursions, insulin secretion and the excretion of gut peptides and free fatty acids.

High-dose interleukin 2 (Proleukin, Novartis) (IL-2) is approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of metastatic kidney cancer and is a standard treatment of this disease. At the present time, IL-2 is the only therapy for kidney cancer that can produce a remission of disease that lasts after treatment is completed. However, most patients who receive IL-2 do not benefit and all patients experience potentially dangerous side effects.

Recent research has suggested that certain patients may respond better to IL-2 than others. The Cytokine Working Group is currently conducting a clinical trial that aims to identify and confirm this research and narrow the application of IL-2 to those patients most likely to benefit.

Fulvestrant has proven effective in the treatment of hormone receptor positive metastatic breast cancer. The dose used in studies so far has been well tolerated and may be too low for optimal effectiveness. In this study, a higher dose will be used to see whether an improved outcome will result.

Our objective is to find an effective prophylactic intervention by evaluating IV acetaminophen's impact in reducing the frequency of postoperative delirium, one of the most common and detrimental complications of cardiac surgery in older adults.

The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of InVEST (Individualized Vocational and Educational Support and Training) for CHR-P (clinical high risk for psychosis) to address specific role functioning difficulties associated with the CHR-P phase. Our specific goals are:

Part 1: Preliminary open trial of InVEST (n = 8) to collect preliminary feasibility and acceptability data by providing the intervention, administering assessments, and collecting focus group and self-report feedback from open trial participants. The open trial phase will help to refine recruitment approaches and to modify the treatment manual as needed.
Part 2: Preliminary randomized controlled trial of InVEST vs. Delayed InVEST (DI) to explore preliminary evidence of efficacy of InVEST vs. DI (n = 30). The investigators hope to gain understanding of the feasibility of InVEST and the study's assessment procedures, and to gain a preliminary understanding of the intervention's efficacy for functioning difficulties experienced by young people at CHR-P.

The purpose of this protocol is to perform a pilot prospective controlled clinical trial to evaluate the potential role of lung fissure completion with pleural adhesiolysis strategy (experimental intervention) in severe emphysema/COPD patients with failed bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) via the use of endobronchial valves (EBVs) therapy. In select patients, the lung fissure completion with adhesiolysis strategy will be performed by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) guided stapling along the lung fissures to reduce collateral ventilation with adhesions removal and determine whether this experimental strategy will improve outcomes after failed BLVR in patients with severe emphysema/COPD.

The purpose of this protocol is to perform a pilot prospective randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the potential role of lung fissure completion strategy (experimental intervention) in addition to endobronchial valve (EBV) placement (representing "standard-of-care") in select patients with severe COPD/emphysema and with evidence for <95% fissure completion between adjacent lung lobes. In select patients, lung fissure completion strategy will be performed by either video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS)-guided or robotic-guided stapling along the lung fissures in an attempt to reduce collateral ventilation and determine whether or not this experimental strategy will improve outcome following subsequent EBV placement. EBV placement will follow successful VATS-guided or robotic-guided fissure stapling.

The study will enroll approximately 20 patients at BIDMC, and outcomes will focus on procedure-related complications, physiological measurements (ex., FEV1 by pulmonary function testing) and clinical symptoms (i.e., questionnaires). Patient will be followed for 3-month period, receiving usual standard of care during the 3 months of follow-up. The goal of this protocol is to determine if elimination of significant collateral lung ventilation between lung lobes is possible, and whether such strategy to eliminate collateral lung ventilation between lobes improves outcomes following subsequent EBV placement (i.e. promotes atelectasis of diseased lung segments) in the management of severe COPD/emphysema in appropriate candidates. For subjects in the medical management control group, upon completion of the 3-month F/U period, they will be eligible for EBV if they choose.

The object of this non-randomized, prospective study is to assess the effectiveness of ablative fractional 2940 nm laser treatment of vulvar lichen sclerosus.

Aim 1: To assess physical and histological changes related to vulvar lichen sclerosus before and after laser treatment.

Aim 2: To evaluate participant satisfaction for laser treatment of vulvar lichen sclerosus.

The results of this study will determine whether fractional 2940 nm laser is an effective treatment option for lichen sclerosus, particularly for those participants not eligible for high-dose topical steroids or who have failed prior treatment with topical steroids.

The Take Off Pounds after Stroke (TOPS) trial is a Prospective Randomized Open-Label Blinded Endpoint (PROBE) study that will test a 12-week high protein, calorie restricted, partial meal replacement program, compared to enhanced standard care, for efficacy in achieving clinically significant weight loss without impairment of physical function patients with elevated body mass index (BMI) following a recent ischemic stroke.

The main purpose of this study is to better understand the effects of two types of treadmill exercise programs that include education and/or techniques that may be helpful for exercise among individuals with, or at risk for, metabolic syndrome.

The study is designed to investigate the impact of three nights of sleep restricted to 4 hours per night, on the processing and regulation of emotional information compared to Insomnia Disorder and control. The investigators will address and attempt to answer two questions.

(i) How do three nights of reduced sleep or a diagnosis of Insomnia Disorder affect the processing and regulation of emotional information compared to typical, undisturbed sleep? (ii) What overlapping and distinct neural mechanisms are engaged and associated with behavioral effects when attempting to process and regulate emotions in a sleep restricted state or with a clinical diagnosis of Insomnia Disorder? This study will investigate sleep's role in emotion processing and regulation. The findings will help further understanding of the role of sleep in healthy emotional functioning.

This research study is a Phase II clinical trial. Phase II clinical trials test the effectiveness of an investigational drug, which is cisplatin in this trial, to learn how well it works in treating a specific cancer. "Investigational" means that cisplatin is still being studied for use in this setting and that research doctors are trying to find out more about it-in this case, how effective cisplatin is for treating breast cancer in BRCA mutation carriers. It also means that the FDA has not yet approved cisplatin for your type of cancer. Cisplatin has been approved by the FDA for treatment of other cancers.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug that has been shown to be active in the treatment of women with breast cancer and a BRCA mutation. In this study, we are comparing cisplatin to the standard chemotherapy, doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide ("AC") that you might receive if you did not participate in this study.

Investigators will evaluate the efficacy of postoperative oral suvorexant treatment on nighttime wakefulness after persistent sleep onset (WASO) among adult cardiac surgical patients recovering in the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU). The study include patients ≥ 60 years old undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), with or without valve surgery (aortic or mitral). Patients will receive either oral suvorexant or placebo for 7 nights starting the night after extubation. The primary hypothesis is that suvorexant compared with placebo decreases WASO, as measured by a specialized electroencephalogram (EEG), the SedLine monitor, during the first night in the cardiac ICU. Investigators will also assess total sleep time (TST), time to sleep onset (TSO), and postoperative delirium and delirium-free days.

The main purpose of this study is to find the long-term effects of daily administration of 40 IU of intranasal insulin (INI) as compared to placebo (sterile saline) on cognition and memory in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), and non-diabetic controls over 24 weeks with a follow-up period for 24 weeks. Four groups will be tested: DM group treated with INI; DM group treated with placebo; control group treated with INI and the control group treated with placebo. The INI or placebo will be delivered into the nose. The investigators are interested to see whether INI can improve memory and cognition and blood flow in the brain in the type 2 DM group as compared to placebo and to the non-diabetic group over a long-term period.

The proposed trial is entitled "Pilot study of Motivational Interviewing for Loved Ones (MILO)." The study population is parents and concerned significant others (PCSO) of individuals experiencing recent (past five years) onset of a psychotic disorder (hereafter referred to as individuals with psychosis, "IP") who are not currently engaged with, or at risk for disengagement from, treatment. MILO is a brief and structured intervention that teaches motivational interviewing communication strategies. The initial aim (phase 1) of this pilot study is to evaluate feasibility of the intervention. The secondary aims are to evaluate the effectiveness of MILO for (1) enhancing the engagement of IP with evidence-based treatments and (2) reducing distress among PCSO. I hypothesize that the intervention will be superior to control condition for both enhancing IP engagement with mental health services and reducing PCSO distress.

The goal of this study is to examine the effect of chronic and acute hyperglycemia in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) on brain glutamate levels using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and associations of brain glutamate with symptoms of depression.

A multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, double-blind, Phase 1/2a clinical study to investigate the safety, tolerability, immunogenicity and exploratory efficacy of a vaccine regimen consisting of an Ad26.Mos4.HIV prime and a boost with Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA)-BN-HIV in combination with broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAb) PGT121, PGDM1400, and VRC07-523LS in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected study participants on suppressive anti-retroviral therapy (ART).

CyberKnife Based Radiosurgery is a way to deliver large doses of radiation very accurately to a tumor. The ability of this technology to minimize radiation dose to organs adjacent to the target tumor allows a high dose to be delivered to the tumor, thus potentially increasing the efficacy of radiation treatment. Currently, radiosurgery is commonly used for brain metastases, Stage I lung cancer, spine tumors, and localized prostate cancer. The purpose of this protocol is to evaluate the role of Radiosurgery for the treatment of clinically localized primary renal cell carcinoma.

Peripheral inflammation and microvascular dysfunction are central to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SZ). Retinal imaging allows for the accurate quantitative assessment of the condition of retinal microvessels, and early studies implicate microvascular dysfunction in SZ, but the specific pathophysiological mechanisms underlying greater length, density, capillary network and diameter are not yet entirely understood. Anti-inflammatory drug trials in SZ suggest that Early Course Schizophrenia (ECS) individuals with elevated peripheral inflammation show the greatest benefit to adjunctive anti inflammatory treatments. Also, there is a growing interest in the use of Sodium Nitroprusside (SNP) in SZ but further studies are needed as results are inconsistent. This study will determine the effectiveness of SNP on psychosis symptoms, cognition, and retinal measures in symptomatic ECS.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness and adverse effects of 3,4-diaminopyridine for the treatment of the Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS) and Congenital Myasthenic Syndromes (CMS).

To compare two evidence-based treatments, Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET) and Social Skills Training (SST) that have been shown in meta-analyses and in our own research to be effective to improve community functioning. The investigators will test the impact of CET and SST on community functioning, with special attention to their relative effectiveness for patients differing in baseline cognitive skills and age. The research uses a cluster design in which different mental health service centers are randomized to one of the two treatments.

The purpose of this study is to test a novel diagnostic immunoassay of platelet function and compare it to the current gold standard platelet function assay by testing the response to aspirin and clopidogrel in a group of healthy volunteers and severely obese individuals and comparing the accuracy of the two tests. The secondary goals will be to evaluate the pharmacodynamic parameters of the antiplatelet agents across the two testing modalities and refine the cutoffs used for the novel assay.

This is an unblinded pilot study to investigate the technical feasibility of using an electrical impedance tomography device for noninvasive pulmonary function monitoring in ALS patients. The study will enroll patients with ALS in one cohort and healthy volunteers in a second cohort that will both undergo EIT imaging with the investigational device prior to and while performing a standard PFT procedure.

The mortality burden of trauma in the United States is substantial, and is currently the leading cause of death in warfare and in civilians below age 45. Infection and sepsis are leading causes of morbidity and death in early survivors. Pneumonia (PNA) occurs in 17-36% of ventilated trauma patients; far more than non-trauma patients. The long held dogmatic notion of a mechanical predisposition to development of pneumonia in trauma has lacked robust support. However, there is evidence of the innate immune response to injury plays a major role in increasing susceptibility to infection.

This application is for support of a Focused Program Award addressing the role that "danger signaling" due to "danger associated molecular patterns" (or DAMPs) derived from somatic tissue injuries play in altering innate immune signaling in the lung in ways that predisposes to PNA. This innate immune response plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of lung inflammation. The organization of the Focused Program Award is into six Projects with collaborators from the Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Anesthesiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; the Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Departments of Biology and Biological Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The human subjects interaction portion of this project is covered in the Human Subjects & Samples Project of the Award, although the information and tissues obtained from this Project will be shared with the other Projects, and the activities planned for those Projects are outlined in this application.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether administration of a pectoral nerve blocks (Pecs I and II) with 0.25% bupivacaine are more effective as compared to placebo to provide analgesia for cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) placement in cardiac electrophysiology lab

The SATURN trial aims to determine whether continuation vs. discontinuation of statin drugs after spontaneous lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the best strategy; and whether the decision to continue/discontinue statins should be influenced by an individual's Apolipoprotein-E (APOE) genotype.

An MRI ancillary study (SATURN MRI), in a subset of SATURN participants , will evaluate the effects of continuation vs. discontinuation of statin drugs on hemorrhagic and ischemic MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease, and whether the presence/burden of hemorrhagic markers (i.e. cerebral microbleeds and/or cortical superficial siderosis) on baseline MRI influences the risk of ICH recurrence on/off statin therapy.

This study is evaluating the use of two painless, non-invasive technologies in the assessment of muscle health over time in both healthy volunteers and patients who have diseases that affect the nervous system.

This study is utilizing ultrasound measurement to measure neuromuscular disease status in adult patients. The hypothesis is the by quantifying ultrasound data, it is possible that ultrasound can be utilized as a tool to determine if a disease is responding to therapy or progressing.

Hemispatial neglect is a disorder where the patient has difficulty attending to objects and information in the left side of space, which occurs following strokes to the right side of the brain. This project is designed to help us understand how optokinetic stimulation treats the symptoms of hemispatial neglect.

The purpose of this protocol is to compare standard of care lung protective ventilation settings with an automated ventilator setting, called Adaptive Support Ventilation (ASV), in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This study will compare measurements (i.e. tidal volumes, driving pressure, respiratory rate (RR), compliance, peak airway pressures, plateau pressures, PEEP) with each ventilator technique, and will measure esophageal pressures to compare transpulmonary and respiratory system mechanics.