Clinical Trials

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.

In this pilot study, the investigators aim to assess feasibility of subject identification and data collection, including specimen processing, as well as the rate of enrollment for a future, larger study of the effect of empiric antibiotics for all patients with advanced cirrhosis admitted to the hospital without an existing indication for new antibiotic use. Specifically, the investigators will assess the incidence of infection after the time of enrollment and associated outcomes. Subjects will be randomly assigned to receive antibiotics vs placebo.

The main purpose of this study is to learn about the influence of two different behavioral interventions (lasting 8 weeks) involving sleep for lowering blood pressure, and to study the mechanisms involved. There is research evidence that healthy sleep promotes heart-health and may decrease blood pressure, and that sensitivity to insufficient or disrupted sleep may be influenced by sex. This research will compare two interventions that are each designed to improve sleep health, and will investigate sex differences in response. The project includes 3 in-hospital stays with biological measurements to evaluate the underlying mechanisms associated with the effectiveness of two different blood pressure lowering behavioral interventions.

To further understanding of the relationship between sleep and memory the investigators will address and attempt to answer three questions, (1) how memories evolve across wake and sleep, (2) how different aspects of this memory evolution are reflected both behaviorally and in the EEG signal, and (3) what stages and features of sleep affect memory evolution. Together, these studies will provide a greater breadth and depth of knowledge concerning sleep's role in memory consolidation. Such knowledge would be of practical importance for educational practices, whether in schools, on the job, or in the military, and would also provide valuable information to the fields of sleep medicine and psychiatry, where interactions between sleep disorders and cognitive functioning are of great importance.

The goal of this study to evaluate whether eliminating the use of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) for maintenance of general anesthesia reduces postoperative pulmonary complications in higher risk patients.

The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway is a well-described evidence-based protocol to optimize patient post-operative recovery. Patients undergoing cesarean hysterectomies are a unique surgical population. These procedures are most commonly performed for patients with placenta accreta spectrum or severe postpartum hemorrhage. In recent studies examining the effectiveness of the ERAS pathway, post-operative cesarean patients experienced decreased average inpatient opioid exposure without an increase in pain scores, early mobilization and nutrition targets without increases in adverse outcomes after program implementation. Post-operative hysterectomy patients with gynecologic indications experienced shorter lengths of stay and decreased opioid consumption. Additionally, patients have significantly higher satisfaction scores. The investigators suspect that this population may also benefit similarly.

This research is a pre- and post- study to assess and describe surgical outcomes and parameters surrounding patients' post-operative recovery and experience before and after the ERAS pathway is implemented at a high volume placenta accreta spectrum Center of Excellence.

Chronic pain syndromes without identified organic etiology remain a challenge for physicians. Many syndromes, including back pain, are believed to have potential underlying psychological etiology; however, the exact link remains elusive. The goal of this study is to determine if mind body therapies can help people suffering from chronic back pain. The study is a randomized, partially blinded trial examining the effectiveness of Mind Body Syndrome Therapy (MBST) in reducing disability from back pain and alleviating back pain. The investigators will secondarily investigate whether MBST can improve participant quality of life and reduce the need for pain-related hospitalization. The design of the this study consists of 3 arms with one being the intervention (MBST), one being usual care, and one being a second mind-body intervention (active control). This education program consists of a series of personal interviews and group and/or individualized lectures/sessions. Participants will also be provided reading material to study during the intervention period, and asked to continue their usual care while going through the MBST program.

This is a developmental project with two phases. The first phase will adapt an existing web-based intervention to incorporate mind-body exercises to develop a multi-modal intervention to promote physical activity in patients with COPD and HF. The second phase will pilot test this new intervention in a longitudinal study (subjects randomized to intervention or usual care).

The aim of this study is to assess the capability of a modified under bed weighing scale (contact-free unconstrained respiratory monitor, BSS) to predict postoperative pulmonary complications in high-risk surgical patients.

The study is designed to test the hypothesis that abnormal breathing measured by a modified under bed weighing scale predicts postoperative pulmonary complications within 7 days after surgery.

Despite growing evidence showing benefit (in both clinical and cost standpoints), only a small percentage of COPD patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure are managed with nocturnal ventilatory support. There is uncertainty of the value of aggressive nocturnal ventilation, especially polysomnographic estimation of therapy and home transcutaneous CO2 tracking.

The driving goal behind this project is to develop and implement a streamlined and comprehensive program for nocturnal ventilator management of patients with advanced, hypercapnic COPD.

The main purpose of this study is to look at whether meditation techniques can help reduce pain and opioid use after surgery.

The purpose of this investigation is to study if very low dose IL-2, given to liver transplant patients by subcutaneous (under the skin) injections, over a 4 week period of time, will cause an increase in the number of Treg cells in the blood.

The primary objectives of this study are to evaluate the clinical response of patients with diarrhea to crofelemer relative to placebo and evaluate the overall safety and tolerability of crofelemer in the treatment of diarrhea.

This is a quality improvement health services study in the Division of Gastroenterology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).

The purpose of this study is to analyze an institution's experience with starting a subspecialized DIEP flap program.

Specific aim: To determine whether optokinetic stimulation can improve gait abnormalities.

Hypothesis: Optokinetic stimulation stimulates the vestibular system and can improve vestibular induced gait disorders.

This study aims to assess the impact of Isha Kriya, a freely available guided meditation, on mental health - specifically anxiety and depression.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

The objective of this project is to define the effectiveness and therefore the role of NIR vein finders in adult patients with difficult peripheral venous access. The specific objective of the proposed randomized controlled trial is to test the clinical success rate of placing peripheral venous catheters in 'difficult' access patients using traditional peripheral venous catheter placement compared to two established methods utilizing NIR vein imaging. The investigators hypothesize that the capability to successfully place lasting peripheral venous catheters is increased with the adjunct of the imaging technology, reducing the number of failed needle sticks, reducing the number of peripheral venous catheters placed throughout a patient's hospital stay, and reducing the need for more invasive catheters such as PICC lines.

A prospective registry evaluating the efficacy of EC-IC bypass in a subgroup of patients, specifically, patients with carotid occlusion and symptoms refractory to medical therapy and evidence for poor cerebrovascular reserve as evaluated by physiological testing (e.g. Diamox Challenge SPECT Scan). This subgroup includes:

Hospitalized unstable patient with crescendo or postural TIA's

Patients with multiple TIA's, limb-shaking TIA's, and/or cognitive decline despite medical therapy.

The purpose of this study is to better understand specific stress-management practices on mood, sleep, and physiology. Participants will be assigned to one of three interventions (they all active interventions - none are a "wait-list"). Each intervention asks participants to engage in a daily practice of 20 minutes per day for 8 weeks. Questionnaires and measures of heart rate and blood pressure will be collected at the start and end of the 8 weeks, including a virtual laboratory visit.

Treatment with paclitaxel-based endovascular devices (PED) has become a common treatment option for patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) involving the femoral-popliteal artery. However, an aggregate level meta-analysis identified an association between the use of PED and increased all-cause mortality at both two and five-year follow-up intervals, though there are significant limitations of these analyses. Exploration of real-world data has been suggested as a means to further investigate the safety of PED. The current study explores the association of PED and mortality in real-world data using U.S. commercial claims from the FAIR Health data warehouse.

This is a pilot feasibility study of a group-based, mind body intervention for managing stress and fear of recurrence and promoting resiliency among adult cancer survivors.

To assess effect of local anesthetic into the preperitoneal space during laparoscopic hernia repair on post-operative pain.

The primary objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the NICO BrainPath™ hematoma evacuation system for patients between the ages of 18 and 80 years old with an intracerebral hematoma. Effectiveness will be defined as the ability to achieve either 70% reduction of intracranial hematoma or to achieve <15 ml residual hematoma volume following surgery.

Additionally, the study aims to compare the mortality and complication rate of patients who undergo minimally invasive, navigation guided endoport based evacuation of intracerebral hematoma with NICO BrainPath™ System as compared to non-operative, supportive standard of care.

The study is a prospective, non-randomized cohort study. 50 patients will be enrolled in Group A (NICO BrainPath™ system) and 50 patients will be matched retrospectively of similar diagnosis, undergoing standard of care from Epic). 50 patients will undergo minimally invasive, navigation guided endport based evacuation of intracerebral hematoma with NICO BrainPath™ System. The patient population receiving non-operative supportive care will be matched to the surgical patients based on age, gender, and location of hemorrhage.

This is a randomized double blinded trial to determine if a small dose of dexmedetomidine can prevent and relieve nausea and shivering, two of the more common complaints after cesarean delivery.

The investigators hypothesize that teaching ultrasound sonoanatomy to identify the L3-L4 interspace will improve resident's long term skill to correctly identify the interspace as compared to palpation alone.

The objective of this project is to define the effectiveness and therefore the role of NIR vein finders in adult patients with difficult peripheral venous access. The specific objective of the proposed randomized controlled trial is to test the clinical success rate of placing peripheral venous catheters in 'difficult' access patients using traditional peripheral venous catheter placement compared to two established methods utilizing NIR vein imaging. The investigators hypothesize that the capability to successfully place lasting peripheral venous catheters is increased with the adjunct of the imaging technology, reducing the number of failed needle sticks, reducing the number of peripheral venous catheters placed throughout a patient's hospital stay, and reducing the need for more invasive catheters such as PICC lines.

The use of neuromuscular blocking agents during surgery is associated with postoperative respiratory complications and increased risk of readmission to the hospital following ambulatory surgery. Understanding the clinical behavior of providers is essential in devising and assessing quality improvement projects since it is primarily individuals who determine the utilization of neuromuscular blocking drugs and reversal agents, not institutions. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to determine the variability between individual anesthesia providers (attending physician, resident, nurse anesthetists) in the use of neuromuscular blocking drugs and reversal agents, using advanced statistical methods to adjust for differences in patient and procedure case mix. The investigators hypothesize that variance between individual anesthesia providers in the use of neuromuscular blocking drugs and reversal agents differs depending on provider type.

Following the publication of two case studies that reported behavioral benefit in ASD patients treated with omalizumab, the investigators will conduct a pilot trial to test the proof-of-concept efficacy of omalizumab in ASD patients with comorbid atopic disease. Investigators will evaluate behavioral improvement using three questionnaires. Investigators will also perform fMRI on all subjects and obtain serum samples for quantification of immunological biomarkers. If the trial is conclusive, the investigators will conduct a larger-scale, randomized-controlled trial to further understand the pathology of allergy in this subpopulation of ASD patients and the efficacy of this intervention.

Interstitial Lung Abnormalities (ILA) have been previously defined as nondependent changes affecting more than 5% of any lung zone on computed tomography (CT) scans of the lung. Several studies suggest that the prevalence of ILA in participants in non-pulmonary research studies ranges anywhere from 7-9%. Work over the last decade has shown that, despite previous characterization as an asymptomatic research finding, ILA has significant clinical and biological consequences. These include reduced exercise capacity, functional limitations, decreased lung volumes, increased mortality, and in some cases histopathology similar to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). ILA have been detected in lung cancer screening cohorts, where the prevalence of ILA is estimated to be between (10%-20%) to those noted in other research cohorts. Given that a significant proportion of those will have progression, CT lung cancer screening (CTLS) cohorts represent an ideal catchment population for future research and clinical trials. Lahey Hospital and Medical Center was one of the earliest clinical centers to develop a CTLS program in the country. Investigators propose to qualitatively characterize ILA in a large clinical CTLS population.

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of an automatic polyp detection software (henceforth referred to as the research software) as a support system during colonoscopy; a procedure during which a physician uses a colonoscope or scope, to look inside a patient's rectum and colon. The scope is a flexible tube with a camera-to see the lining of the colon. The research software is used to aid in the detection of polyps (abnormal tissue growths in the wall of the colon and adenomas (pre-cancerous growths) during colonoscopy.

The research software used in this study was programmed by a company in Shanghai, which develops artificial intelligence software for computer aided diagnostics.

The research software was developed using a large repository (database or databases) of polyp images where expert colonoscopists outlined polyps and suspicious lesions. The software was subsequently developed and validated using several databases of images and video to operate in near real-time or within minutes of photographing the tissue. It is intended to point out polyps and suspicious lesions on a separate screen that stands behind the primary monitor during colonoscopy. It is not expected to change the colonoscopy procedure in any way, and the physician will make the final determination on whether or not to biopsy or remove any lesion in the colon wall.

The research software will not record any video data during the colonoscopy procedure. In the future, this software may help gastroenterologists detect precancerous areas and decrease the incidence of colon cancer in the United States.

The proposed study is a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to test the efficacy of an oral Lactobacillus product dissolved in sterile saline and instilled into the urinary bladder in an attempt to colonize the urinary bladder as well as prevent UTIs.

The main purpose of this study is to determine the effects of controlling the heart rate of patients with septic shock using an intravenous medication called esmolol.

The investigators are conducting a study that will investigate the possible mechanisms of weight loss associated with exenatide treatment and the metabolic characteristics of high responders (i.e. subjects who achieve greater than 5% weight loss) to exenatide treatment. The investigators will also examine the magnitude and duration of weight loss among a cohort of high responders over 52 weeks of treatment, and at 3 and 6 months following treatment.

Hypothesis:

The mechanisms of weight loss with exenatide are not fully understood, and weight loss responses to exenatide are highly variable, possibly reflecting distinct metabolic parameters. By identifying and following a group of obese women who lose greater than 5% body weight after short-term exenatide treatment, the investigators can gain insights into the possible mechanisms of weight loss and assess long-term weight loss with this pharmacotherapeutic intervention.

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate non-invasive markers of celiac disease activity in subjects that are on a gluten-free diet, in remission from celiac disease who undergo gluten challenge.

The secondary aims of this protocol are to identify novel mediators important in the pathophysiology of celiac disease and to evaluate changes in metabolism with gluten exposure.

This study aims to implement an intervention based on multiple, individualized multifocal tACS stimulation sessions based on individual PET and MRI information in patients with amyloid-positive PET with the hope that this leads to microglia activation and decrease in cerebral amyloid and tau depositions in human patients with AD.

The purpose of this protocol is to conduct a pilot study to investigate whether pancreatic enzyme supplementation will improve symptoms in individuals with celiac disease who suffer persistent symptoms despite a gluten free diet. This protocol specifically aims to:

Evaluate the efficacy of pancreatic enzyme supplementation for reduction of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with celiac disease on a gluten free diet.

Assess the ability of fecal elastase levels to predict response to pancreatic enzyme supplementation in patients with celiac disease on a gluten free diet.

The goal of this study is to assess the utility of a data visualization tool for providers' understanding patients' past microbiological culture sensitivities. Providers that are ordering antibiotics for patients with previous culture data in the medical record will be asked to answer questions regarding past sensitivity results. They will be randomized to either using the visualization tool before answering the questions or using the standard medical record tools. They will then be surveyed about their decision-making, knowledge, and the usefulness of the tool.