Clinical Trials

Cutting back on sleep duration has developed into a common, highly prevalent habit in the adult population, and may lead to a major health problem. Large epidemiological studies have demonstrated that short sleep duration is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The investigators' preliminary data on the effects of experimental sleep reduction have shown elevation of blood pressure (BP) and inflammatory markers, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C reactive protein (CRP), suggesting that both may play an important role in linking sleep loss and CVD risk. With this background, the investigators hypothesize that restoring sleep homeostasis, i. e. getting adequate amounts of sleep, is an effective behavioral intervention in the treatment of elevated BP.

The investigators will test this hypothesis in subjects with BP above normal and with short habitual sleep duration, as verified by sleep logs and actigraphic recordings. Subjects will either undergo 6 weeks of mild sleep extension, in which 60 min of bedtime will be added to the habitual sleep duration, or subjects will maintain their habitual sleep duration for the following 6 weeks.

Regarding their first specific aim, the investigators expect that sleep extension across 6 weeks will lower BP, inflammatory (IL-6, CRP, cell adhesion molecules) and autonomic markers (catecholamines). In particular, the investigators expect that in subjects with mild BP elevation, i. e. with pre-hypertension, sleep extension leads to normalization of BP.

This study presents a very first approach in using sleep behavior components for the treatment of elevated BP. Therefore, the investigators' second specific aim will characterize the strength of associations between changes in sleep duration, BP, and inflammation, and they will explore factors that are predictive for these changes. In particular, adiposity, as measured by percent body fat, has frequently been shown to be related to short sleep duration and inflammatory processes, but the role of adiposity in modulating the physiological consequences of changes in sleep duration has never been addressed.

If the investigators' hypothesis is correct, sleep extension may be considered as an additional component in current lifestyle intervention programs in combating and preventing hypertension.

The researchers propose a pilot study of the effect of long-term tea intake on atherosclerosis. Thirty patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease will be recruited and randomized to a six-month period of consumption of 3 cups per day of either tea, supplied as black tea solids readily dissolved in hot or cold liquid, or water.

At baseline and after 6 months, atherosclerosis in the aorta will be assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. The primary outcomes of this pilot study will be compliance with tea intake and 2 MRI examinations. As secondary outcomes, standard and novel cardiovascular risk markers, including inflammatory, prothrombotic, fibrinolytic, vascular and metabolic factors will be measured.

If successful, this pilot study will form the basis for a larger, long-term randomized trial to determine the effect of tea consumption on progression of atherosclerosis.

The purpose of this study is to determine if antiseizure drugs affect hormone levels and sexual function in men with seizures.

To establish the safety and feasibility of having patients with epilepsy perform yoga.

The main purpose of this study is use a new type of measurement to help decide what kind of therapy would help people with a collapsing windpipe or tracheomalacia.

The purpose of this study is to learn more about infection by Clostridium difficile (also known as C. difficile). C. difficile is a common bacterium (a germ that may cause disease) that can live in the human gut. Some people have it without having any symptoms. In other people it can cause illness ranging from mild diarrhea to severe colitis (infection of the colon).

C. difficile makes toxins that damage the cells that line the colon. The study doctors want to find out how these toxins cause damage to the cells in the colon.

The objective of this Phase II study is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification in patients with breast cancer using near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence optical imaging.

Conventional radiation for 6 weeks is not well tolerated by the elderly. Shorter courses (over 3-5 weeks) of radiation have been shown to be equivalent in outcome the elderly- particularly in patients who are generally in poor performance status (KPS<70). Fractionated Cyberknife Radiosurgery can deliver equivalent doses in 5 treatments providing the same tumor control in a much shorter and tolerable schedule improving their quality of their short life.

To assess the tolerability of Cyberknife Radiosurgery for High Grade Gliomas in Elderly with poor performance status.

Secondary:

Assessment of local control rate, progression free survival, overall survival, quality of life and toxicity and steroid dependence in this population with this regime.

The purpose of this study is to determine how effective SBRT is compared to traditional radiation in treating the cancer that has spread to your spine and is causing pain. SBRT is delivered at a higher dose for a shorter period of time when compared to standard radiation therapy and the aim is to see if there will be an improvement both in pain control and your cancer It is not known whether SBRT is better or worse than current standard therapy. If you are selected to receive the experimental treatment in this research study, SBRT uses highly focused x-rays that deliver a single high dose to a specific area of the spine compared to conventional standard radiation over a period of 10 days which has been the standard proven treatment to help your condition. The investigators will also determine which treatment provides the most rapid pain relief with the least side effects. It is possible that SBRT may not be better or could be more toxic. The investigators will conduct quality of life assessments and pain scale index to assess how you are feeling once you have had the intervention.

Liberal intravenous fluid resuscitation during open abdominal surgery may predispose the patients to multiorgan dysfunction, prolong hospital stay and increase postoperative morbidity. The main aim of the study is to assess the safety and feasibility of restricted fluid regimen in open abdominal bowel surgery.

The human immune system is usually tolerant of the millions of beneficial commensal bacteria (the microbiome), which colonize the healthy intestinal tract. In contrast, patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) may play host to an imbalanced mix of such intestinal bacteria, which initiates abnormal immune responses in susceptible individuals. The resulting inflammation that occurs in the gastrointestinal tract damages the intestinal lining, leading to symptoms (such as intractable diarrhea, pain or weight loss), heightened cancer risk, other serious complications with substantial morbidity and even death. Current therapies for IBD focus on suppressing the excessive immune response to these bacteria, but have major side effects and do not address any role of the microbiome in disease development.

The investigators hypothesize that there is heightened intraluminal generation of pro-inflammatory factors by luminal "pathogenic" bacteria, such as extracellular nucleotides and purinergic derivatives, which trigger host immune cells. This results in loss of suppressive T regulatory cells with unrestrained immune cell deviation to pathogenic T helper cells that cause inflammatory responses. The investigators' proposal is that correcting the disease-provoking microbiome would beneficially improve gut microbial diversity, alter immune responses elicited in patients by such microbial products of pathogenic bacteria, and ultimately limit and suppress disease activity.

To test the hypothesis, the investigators propose to enroll patients with active Crohn's Disease, and introduce the microbiome of healthy and unrelated individuals to patient's intestinal tract, via fecal biotherapy (FBT) with all applicable safety measures. The investigators propose to comprehensively test the effects of FBT on the host microbiome, determine microbial production of inflammatory nucleotides and derivatives, which the investigators suggest might impact the host immune response and disease activity in patients with IBD.

An observational study to gather information about people who may have certain abnormalities in skin microcirculation and muscle metabolism and to determine whether these abnormalities affect wound healing. The study also examines the association of a specific type of cell with the rate of wound healing.

The main purpose of this study is to determine feasibility and effects of tai chi and mind-body breathing in patients with COPD.

The purpose of this study is to see whether esophageal pressure (PES) measurements will allow the investigators to choose the best method of mechanical ventilation in patients with acute lung injury (ALI).

This is a pilot randomized controlled trial of feasibility and preliminary effects of a 12 week tai chi intervention vs. usual care in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The purpose of this protocol is to perform serial physiological measurements and blood testing on mechanically ventilated patients comparing conditions of eucapnia and hypercapnia in the same patient. We will be testing two hypotheses: (1) while administering inspired carbon dioxide (CO2), eucapnia achieved by high respiratory rate (EHR) significantly decreases pulmonary artery pressures compared to hypercapnia with a lower respiratory rate (HLR), and (2) that EHR decreases myocardial strain compared to HLR.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of a tai chi exercise program on functional capacity and health-related quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). This study will also examine the way tai chi influences mental, physical, and social functioning.

The purposes of this study are:

To examine molecular and biochemical changes, associated with the relaxation response (RR) that can counteract the effects of stress in healthy adults.

To compare genomic, molecular and biochemical parameters between healthy adults with a long term meditative practice and those with no experience in meditation.

Since stress is a factor in the development of many health conditions, a further understanding of the mechanisms of the RR should be developed. The project is designed to determine how the RR can improve the quality of life that has been adversely affected by stress.

CT-011 is an investigational monoclonal antibody. Monoclonal antibodies are a type of drug that are known to target specific cells (in this case, cells in the immune system) The DC RCC Vaccine is agent that tries to help the immune system to recognize and fight against cancer cells.

The purpose of this research study is to determine the safety of CT-011 alone, and in combination with the Dendritic Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (DC RCC) vaccine. The investigators are also trying to find out what effect the combination has on the disease, and on your immune system.

The objective of this study is to determine if caffeine 500 mg intravenously is efficacious when added to standard anti-emetic prophylaxis in the prevention of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients undergoing ambulatory surgery under general anesthesia.

The purpose of this study is to compare early return to function in patients treated with closed reduction percutaneous pinning and open reduction internal fixation in displaced fractures of the distal radius.

Hypothesis: Wrist range of motion, grip strength and outcome at 2-3 months after injury are better in patients treated with open reduction, internal fixation (ORIF) than in patients treated with closed reduction percutaneous pinning techniques (CRPP). In addition patients treated with ORIF return to work at faster rates.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Incobotulinum Toxin A (Xeomin®) injections into the parotid and submandibular glands in patients with Parkinson's Disease/Parkinsonism and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) with troublesome sialorrhea.

Urologic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS), variably termed painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC) in females and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome in men (CP/CPPS), is a chronic, debilitating clinical syndrome presenting as severe pelvic pain with extreme urinary urgency and frequency in the absence of any known cause. The etiologic mechanisms underlying UCPPS are unknown, but recurrence, risks to siblings of affected individuals, concordance among monozygotic twins, and our own preliminary studies indicate a strong genetic contribution to the cause of UCPPS. The overall goal of this proposal is use novel approaches to understand the basis of UCPPS, to identify candidate genes containing mutations that result in UCPPS and determine how the different encoded proteins of these genes interact with one another in a common biological pathway. Ultimately, understanding how mutations in at least five different genes yield the symptoms of UCPPS should lead to improved diagnosis and possible therapies.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate respiratory symptoms and their impact in the quality of life and after treatment of the respiratory condition (tracheobronchomalacia - TBM).

The goal of this study is to determine whether Trichuris suis ova, a potential immunomodulator, is safe in adults and children allergic to peanut or tree nuts.

Patients with high grade brain tumors will be treated to test shortened course of radiation therapy with the use of precise, focused radiation with cyberknife.

This study will evaluate whether a dietary supplement, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), will improve muscle symptoms, such as muscle aches, pains, cramps, and/or weakness, which are experienced by some individuals who use statin medications.

This study will determine the effectiveness of cognitive enhancement therapy (CET) in treating cognitive abnormalities in people experiencing the early stages of schizophrenia.

This study will evaluate the effect of scribes on an academic emergency department.

The investigators intend to study the impact of patient positioning on the changes in blood pressure after spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. The investigators hypothesized that the changes in blood pressure relate to the speed with which the spinal medication rises. By slowing the rise of spinal anesthesia, the investigators believe that the incidence and severity of hypotension might be reduced.

Investigators propose to examine the effect of 12 weeks of Linagliptin, a diabetes drug, treatment on inflammation as well as vascular and mitochondrial function in diabetic patients. Investigators hypothesize that Linagliptin will reduce the proinflammatory state, improve endothelial function, increase the blood flow at the muscle microcirculation level and improve mitochondrial function. In this study, investigators will perform tests that evaluate the function of small and large blood vessels by employing ultrasound and laser doppler techniques. In addition MRI scans that evaluate the mitochondrial function of the lower extremity muscles at rest and during exercise will also be employed. Forty subjects with Type 2 diabetes will be studied for twelve weeks and half of them will be randomly assigned to receive linagliptin while the other half will receive placebo. All tests will be performed at the beginning and the end of the study.

The purpose of this research study is to determine the safety of RAD001 and the highest dose of this drug that can be given to people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer safely in combination with trastuzumab. RAD001 has been used in patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis, in recipients of solid-organ transplants, healthy volunteers and experiments with animals, and information from those other research studies suggest that this RAD001 may help to stop cancer cells from growing abnormally.

This study evaluates the omission of incentive spirometry use following bariatric surgery. Half of participants will receive an incentive spirometer while the other half will not. Oxygen saturation and pulmonary complications after surgery will be measured to examine the effectiveness of incentive spirometry.

A major focus of recent research has been the development of effective ways of sensitizing the patient's immune system to recognize the cancer as foreign. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation represents a novel way of potentially achieving this goal. There is recent evidence that non-myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation provides effective therapy for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Based on the preliminary reports from other investigators treating patient with breast and ovarian cancer, the investigators of this study would propose treating an expanded cohort of patients with any metastatic solid tumor.

The principal endpoints of the trial will include incidence of durable engraftment, quality of hematopoietic and immune reconstitution, extent of donor chimerism, incidence and severity of acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD), and incidence of long-term disease free survival (DFS). The investigators will evaluate the tumor response of patients with stable or progressive disease post-transplant to donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI). The investigators will also study the effects of DLI on T-cell immunity in the recipients.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation may provide long-term remissions for some patients with hematological malignancies. However, allogeneic transplantation is associated with a significant risk of potentially life threatening complications due to the effects of chemotherapy and radiation on the body and the risks of serious infection. In addition, patients may develop a condition called Graft versus host disease that arises from an inflammatory reaction of the donor cells against the recipient's normal tissues. The risk of graft versus host disease is somewhat increased in patients who are receiving a transplant from an unrelated donor.

One approach to reduce the toxicity of allogeneic transplantation is a strategy call nonmyeloablative or "mini" transplants. In this approach, patients receive a lower dose of chemotherapy in an effort to limit treatment related side effects. Patients undergoing this kind of transplant remain at risk for graft versus host disease particularly if they receive a transplant from an unrelated donor. The purpose of this research study is to examine the ability of a drug called CAMPATH-1H to reduce the risk of graft versus host disease and make transplantation safer. CAMPATH-1H binds to and eliminates cells in the system such as T cells that can cause graft versus host disease (GvHD). As a result, earlier studies have shown that patients who receive CAMPATH-1H with an allogeneic transplant have a lower risk of GvHD. In the present study, we will examine the impact of treatment with CAMPATH-1H as part of an allogeneic transplant on the development of GvHD and infection. In addition, we will study the effects of CAMPATH-1H on the immune system by testing blood samples in the laboratory.

JC virus is a benign virus which infects approximately up to 90% of the normal adult population. However, it may be reactivated in people who have a decreased immune function as in HIV infection, cancer, chemotherapy, transplant recipients, or in MS patients treated with natalizumab (Tysabri). In these patients, JC virus can cause a severe brain disease called Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), for which there is no cure.

As of September 2013, 400 MS patients in the world, who have been treated with natalizumab, have developed PML. The risk of PML is approximately 5 patients in 1000 after 24 months on the drug. Researchers do not know exactly in which cells of the body the virus lives but it has been isolated from the blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and from the brains of patients with immunosuppression.

In this study, the investigators wish to determine precisely where the virus lives, and how the body prevents it from causing brain disease.

Because of the association of PML with natalizumab, the investigators would like to see if there is a difference in the amounts of virus in blood, urine, and CSF found in MS patients treated with natalizumab or those treated with different medications for MS, or those not treated at all. The investigators hope that this knowledge will allow us to find better ways of preventing the development of PML as well as treatments for patients with PML.

The investigators are studying if taking simvastatin and vitamin D together will help prevent episodic migraines. Simvastatin is an FDA approved drug that is typically used to treat high cholesterol and reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Vitamin D is a vitamin found in certain foods like some types of fish, and in nutritional supplements. This study is 9 months long. Some people who participate will receive simvastatin and vitamin D, and some people will receive a placebo. A placebo is a "sugar pill" that looks like medication but does not have any active ingredients in it.

The investigators hypothesize that taking vitamin D and simvastatin daily may reduce the number of migraines people who have episodic migraine get.

We propose a pilot study to determine the feasibility of a long-term clinical trial of alcohol intake on atherosclerosis, the first step in determining whether moderate drinking prevents cardiovascular disease and hence in understanding the full health effects of alcohol across the population. We will randomize 40 participants aged 55 and older to a six-month period of consumption of 1 glass per day of either pure alcohol (diluted to the strength of wine) or water. At baseline and after 6 months, we will measure several standard and novel cardiovascular risk markers in the blood and will perform magnetic resonance imaging to measure atherosclerosis of the aorta.

The purpose of this protocol is:

To quantify the prevalence of adherence to topical mesalamine in patients with UC

To describe the determinants of medication adherence in patients with UC prescribed topical mesalamine

The purpose of this study is to preliminarily determine whether the frequency and/or severity of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) at baseline, and then after symptom reduction with gabapentin, relates to various cardiovascular control measures.

The combination of ketaconazole and hydrocortisone is commonly used for the treatment of prostate cancer. The purpose of this study is to determine if the addition of a drug called dutasteride to this approved combination will make the combination more effective in treating prostate cancer.

Evidence-based medicine depends on distinguishing between pharmacological effects and placebo effects in randomized controlled trials (RCT). This proposal seeks to rigorously investigate fundamental questions concerning pharmacological effects, placebo effects and their interactions. Relief of symptoms of acute migraine will be the test condition for this scientific experiment because of migraine's evident clinical significance and the possibility of using participants as their own control during sequential acute migraine attacks. Our overall goal is to elucidate how the pharmacological effects of 100 mg rizatriptan (an FDA-proven effective medication for acute migraine) and the effects of placebo treatment can be modified by varied knowledge and/or expectation ("contextual") conditions. Such knowledge has the possibility to suggest potentially more efficient methodologies to test new medications that can be used to augment and enhance the apparatus of the RCT.

General Aim: To elucidate and clarify what is a pharmacological effect and what is a placebo effect, how such effects vary in different knowledge/expectations contexts, and mutually constitute one another and interact.

General Hypothesis: The measured pharmacological effect of an effective medication (rizatriptan) and the measured effect of placebo treatment are determined significantly by different knowledge/expectations contexts.

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the efficacy and toxic effects of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I (rhIGF-I) on carbohydrate tolerance, insulin action, insulin secretion, hyperandrogenism, and hyperlipidemia in patients with severe insulin resistance who have failed other therapies.

II. Determine the dose and time response of rhIGF-I on carbohydrate homeostasis and secondary abnormalities in this patient population.

III. Determine the effect of rhIGF-I on insulin clearance, the regulation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1, the regulation of sex hormone binding globulin, and hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis in this patient population.

The researches aim to study the effects of DHA (component of fish oil) on patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). Our hypothesis is that DHA might reverse the problems associated with PSC.

This study is testing whether the addition of a noninvasive form of brain stimulation called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) when combined with meditation helps decrease the abdominal pain in patients with chronic pancreatitis. The device involved in this study, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is investigational. This means that the study device is still being tested in research studies and is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA].

This study will look at the safety and efficacy of treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who have not yet received systemic chemotherapy. Previous local treatment of hepatic lesions is permitted The treatment will use a combination of three FDA approved chemotherapy drugs, Gemcitabine, Cisplatin and Sorafenib. Sorafenib is FDA approved for the treatment of hepatocellular cancer, gemcitabine and cisplatin are not approved for the treatment of hepatocellular cancer.

Trials evaluating new therapies for stopping or slowing the progression of ALS depend critically upon the use of outcome measures to assess whether a potential treatment is effective. The more effective an outcome measure, the fewer patients need to be enrolled and the shorter the trial. Many outcome measures have been used over the years, including strength assessments, breathing tests, functional status surveys, and nerve testing, but all are far from ideal. A new method, called electrical impedance myography (EIM) appears to be especially promising in that it provides very consistent data from one testing session to the next, is sensitive to the muscle deterioration that occurs in ALS, and is entirely painless and non-invasive. In this study, investigators from multiple institutions plan to compare several different outcome measures, including EIM, in approximately 120 ALS patients, with each patient being followed for a period of one year. All of these measures will be compared to one another and an assessment of their ability to detect disease progression made. Our goal will be to determine whether EIM can serve as a valuable new outcome measure, ultimately leading to substantially faster, more effective ALS trials requiring fewer patients.

Delirium (acute confusion) is a highly prevalent condition among hospitalized elders with substantial morbidity within the hospital and beyond. Particular patient populations are at high risk for poor outcomes after an episode of delirium. Patients with hip and other long bone fractures are at increased risk of developing delirium (acute confusion) which impedes functional recovery. This is a pilot study to test the tolerability and efficacy of donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor medication used commonly in persons with dementia, for the prevention of new or worsening delirium in aged hip and other long-bone fracture patients. Additional purposes involve gathering a small amount of patients' serum to better understand the pathophysiology of delirium in this population.

The purposes of this pilot study are to determine: 1) the safety and tolerability a cholinesterase inhibitor medication) in aged hip and long bone fracture patients, 2) To obtain estimates of subject accrual and preliminary estimates of effect size on the development of new delirium symptoms to allow for planning of a larger, definitive trial, 3) To better understand the underlying causes of delirium by examining whether a measure of blood anticholinergic activity relates to the incidence and persistence of delirium symptoms, and 4) To explore the interaction between anticholinergic activity, donepezil therapy, and delirium symptoms.

The Shock Tool study is designed to improve the clinical evaluation for differentiating shock in the emergency department. The goal of this study is to evaluate and improve the accuracy of physicians differentiating causes of shock.

The purpose of the research study is to investigate the effect of a brain stimulation technique called Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS) in improving swallowing functions in subjects who develop dysphagia after a unilateral hemispheric infarction.