Clinical Trials

We are studying how spine movement changes with age, and when people have vertebral fractures (cracks in the bones of the spine) or hyperkyphosis (a forward stooped posture).

The main purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility and effects of a 6-month tai chi exercise program as compared to a 6-month group walking program and standard care for patients with COPD that have recently completed a pulmonary rehabilitation program.

The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a regional anesthesia technique where local anesthetic is injected into the neurovascular plane between the transversus abdominis and internal oblique muscles. The TAP block has been shown to provide postoperative analgesia following abdominal surgery.There are many methods to administer local anesthetic into the transversus abdominus plane to provide post-operative analgesia. The more prevalent method is for an anesthesia provider to inject local anesthetic into the plane using ultrasound guidance, before surgery or after the conclusion of surgery. Alternatively, a surgeon can administer the local anesthetic during the operation without additional time or expense using direct laparoscopic visualization. We propose to compare the two methods for non-inferiority, in the context of an established enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program. Non-inferiority being established by no demonstrable difference in post-operative narcotic requirements and equivalent average pain scores.

In this research study, the investigators are looking to see whether the combination of arsenic trioxide with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor is safe, and what effects it has on chronic myelogenous leukemia.

This is a pilot feasibility study investigating prenatal yoga for pregnancy related back pain.

This is a phase 1 trial of one or more administrations of Zika Virus Purified Inactivated Vaccine (ZPIV). The trial will be conducted under a placebo controlled, double-blind, randomized allocation of study product. There are four groups in the study. Each group is testing a different vaccine schedule.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of canagliflozin, a medication approved by the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, on body weight and metabolism in people with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or obese.

Canagliflozin lowers glucose levels in the blood by making the kidneys excrete, rather than absorb, glucose. Canagliflozin is also often associated with weight loss.

The study population will generally be type 2 diabetics, ages 18-75 years old, who are overweight or obese.

The purpose of the study is to test the hypothesis that the addition of routine viral load testing to the standard laboratory monitoring of HIV patients on first-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Vietnam will result in better clinical outcomes for patients.

The hypothesis of this study is that pegylated interferon would cause cognitive deficits and mood changes in hepatitis C (HCV) positive subjects.

To compare the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Coenzyme Q 10 versus placebo in patients with atypical parkinsonian syndromes corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) ).

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a non-painful, non-invasive, brain-stimulation technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with traditional physical-occupational therapy (OT) will improve motor function in patients with chronic stroke. The aim is to determine the effect of applying real (anodal and/or cathodal) - in a dual configuration - vs sham (pretend) tDCS to the motor brain regions on both hemispheres - in a dual configuration - to improve motor function in chronic stroke patients. Our research in normal subjects has shown that motor skills can be enhanced if tDCS is applied to the brain's motor region during motor learning. The effects after a single session of tDCS can last for up to 30 minutes, effects of multiple sessions (one session per day) can last for weeks. Furthermore, single sessions of tDCS applied to the motor regions in stroke patients have shown that improvements in motor functions can be seen and that effects may last for at least 30 minutes. Patients enrolled in this trial will be randomized to receive either real tDCS or sham tDCS in combination with PT-OT once a day for 5 days. Assessments will be done about 3 days and 7 days after the end of the experimental treatment by investigators who are blinded to the intervention. Patients are also blinded as to whether they are receiving real or sham tDCS. We hypothesize that real tDCS applied to the motor regions in combination with PT-OT results in a subsequent improvement in motor function of the recovering hand over sham tDCS in combination with PT-OT.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how the participant's disease (ovarian, primary peritoneal serous, fallopian tube, or papillary serous endometrial cancer) responds to additional treatment with Avastin (bevacizumab). Participants have already received Avastin as part of maintenance therapy for their cancer. Maintenance therapy is a medical therapy that is given to people to prevent a relapse. However, cancer may return after maintenance therapy. This research study hopes to determine whether additional treatment with Avastin will be effective in treating the participant's cancer.

RATIONALE: Chemotherapy uses different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies such as trastuzumab can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells.

PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of chemotherapy and peripheral stem cell transplantation followed by trastuzumab in treating women who have metastatic breast cancer.

Obese people have elevated levels of the hormone leptin. Despite this, they seem to be resistant to the effects of this hormone, which usually regulates appetite and energy expenditure. This is similar to what happens with insulin levels in the obese. Furthermore, the way lipid ingestion versus lipid infusion may impact novel molecules secreted by tissues commonly affected in insulin resistant states such as liver and muscle have not yet been studied.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of oral vs. different doses of IV lipid administration on molecular parameters related to glucose and energy homeostasis using a randomized, placebo-controlled design.

Additionally, we will examine how increased free fatty acids (FFAs) my impact intracellular leptin signaling such as the STAT3 pathway.

This project is designed to test a lightweight, portable, computerized pair of glasses that will help reduce some of the cognitive deficits seen in patients who have suffered damage to their right cerebral hemisphere.

The protocol is to draw peripheral blood from healthy volunteers for in vitro studies. The aims of these in vitro studies are to determine the cellular and intracellular mechanisms by which hypertonic saline and ATP release regulate neutrophil and lymphocyte functions.

The aim of this study is to look at the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a therapeutic intervention for patients with schizophrenia. The primary outcome is improvement in negative symptoms related to schizophrenia. The investigators are focusing on negative symptoms given their greater resistance to pharmacological and other established therapies. If the investigators trial were to show beneficial effects, its clinical significance would be great.

This study will help determine if behavior modification performed in conjunction with oral Vesicare anticholinergic therapy is more effective for treating overactive bladder symptoms than oral Vesicare anticholinergic therapy alone.

Many patients with celiac disease complain of neurocognitive symptoms such as mental confusion, grogginess, difficulty with concentration and forgetfulness after exposure to gluten. However, there is little data on any possible association between impaired cognitive function and gluten intake in celiac disease. The investigators predict that patients with celiac disease, when exposed to gluten, will experience neurocognitive symptoms such as confusion, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating.

The goals of this study are to determine the prevalence of neurocognitive symptoms after exposure to gluten in patients with celiac disease and to characterize the nature of these symptoms both in terms of their duration and severity.

Live donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) is important because its outcomes for recipients are superior to those of deceased donor transplantation, and it yields significant cost savings to the healthcare system overall. Despite efforts over the past few decades to enhance understanding of the short- and long-term outcomes of living kidney donation, it is clear that investigators have more knowledge in some areas (e.g., surgical and medical complications) than in others (e.g., psychological outcomes, financial impact). While the transplant community and changes in federal regulations have brought attention to the need for more systematic study of living donor outcomes, there remains a paucity of scientifically rigorous multisite, prospective outcome studies. The long-term goal of this research program is to characterize the short- and long-term surgical, medical, functional, psychological, and financial outcomes of living kidney donation. The objective of this study is to establish a multisite prospective cohort of living kidney donors, their recipients, and a healthy comparison group. This cohort will be used to examine three primary aims: (1) to assess donor outcomes (surgical, medical, functional, psychological, financial) over a 2-year period initially, with the intention of examining these outcomes over a more extended time period in subsequent years; (2) to identify the donor, recipient, and center variables that are most predictive of donor outcomes; and (3) to identify disparities in donor outcomes and their predictors. To accomplish these aims, six kidney transplant programs, representing six states (Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, New York, Iowa, and Arizona) and with experience and expertise in caring for living donors and transplant recipients, will participate in the study. Donors, their recipients, and healthy controls will complete comprehensive assessments at baseline (pre-surgery) and at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months post-donation. This study will extend the investigators considerable preliminary work by simultaneously examining outcomes that are of importance to donors, recipients, healthcare providers, and policymakers. The rationale for this research is that, once these outcomes and their predictors are known, investigators can further develop and refine educational strategies and informed consent processes for both living donors and their intended recipients, as well as provide systematic data to inform policy discussions and clinical care practice.

The purpose of this study is to see if it makes sense to test people for celiac disease who have a first or second degree relative (parent, sibling, child, grandparent, aunt or uncle) with celiac disease. The investigators will check to see what differences there are in the health and quality of life between those who know they have celiac disease and start the gluten free diet and those who do not.

The main purpose of this study is to see how cells taken from the lining of the intestine behave in the laboratory with exposure to gluten and other substances that act on the immune system. The cells lining the intestine of a person with celiac disease should be different than a person without celiac disease. The study doctors would like to see how the cells react after coming in contact with gluten and if substances that act on the immune system can prevent gluten related inflammation. Examples of these substances include steroids. The cells should produce chemicals of their own in response to the gluten. These other chemicals will be measured and the results compared between those with:

celiac disease that does not respond to a gluten-free diet (refractory celiac disease)

celiac disease which is controlled by a gluten-free diet

uncontrolled celiac disease (either newly diagnosed with celiac disease or not on a gluten-free diet

gluten-sensitivity

disorders other than celiac disease.

Although systems are in place to ensure results of tests are communicated to patients, there is currently no generalized accepted strategy to ensure that patients undergo recommended follow-up testing. When follow-up tests are recommended months to years into the future, there is a high likelihood that the test will either be delayed or not performed resulting in the potential for poor outcomes and litigation. For this reason, there is a clear need for systems to be developed which automatically trigger patient communication when the date of a recommended follow-up test is approaching. The investigators propose to design a protocol for ensuring that patients are reminded to schedule follow-up tests and that this communication is documented in the online medical record. This work will provide the foundation for the creation of systems that significantly improve patient care, and can be easily adapted for use in many clinical departments and institutions.

Aim 1. To use patient focus groups to help design a system for improving adherence to endoscopy follow up recommendations

Aim 2. To develop a prototype endoscopy follow up system and test the effectiveness of the system on a cohort of patients due for a surveillance colonoscopy.

This is a single center, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety and biochemical effects of niacinamide on metabolic parameters of the kidney in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

The purpose of this study is to learn whether a new family therapy using computer games with biofeedback might help people at clinical high risk for psychosis and their family members learn to experience less stress and have fewer mental health challenges.

Patients with a low blood count (anemia) with stable or unstable coronary artery disease consistently show worse clinical outcomes. It is unclear whether this association is confounded since anemic patients tend to be also sicker i.e. have lower ejection fractions or more comorbidities and this would be the reason for the worse outcomes rather than anemia. The coronary arteries are a unique vascular bed insofar that across the cardiac circulation oxygen extraction is close to maximal at rest. Thus increases in demand can only be met by increases in blood flow and hemoglobin concentration since oxygen extraction is maximal at rest. It is natural to assume that maximization of oxygen delivery in the setting of active coronary syndrome (ACS) is beneficial to the patient since oxygen extraction and coronary blood flow is fixed. In fact, in most intensive care units patients with ACS are transfused to a HCT of 30%. However, retrospective analysis of trial data showed at best mixed results in clinical outcome when patients with ACS were transfused and in fact in some studies showed consistently worse outcomes than non-transfused patients. Similar disappointing results have recently published in patient who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

This study is designed to determine the effect of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion on oxygen consumption, cardiac, microcirculatory and endothelial function in patients with active coronary artery disease. For this study active coronary artery disease will be defined as the patient having undergone within the past 4 days of recruitment either a myocardial infarction due to atherothrombosis (AHA type I myocardial infarction) or surgery for coronary artery bypass grafting.

In specific this study will test the hypothesis whether RBC transfusions improves cardiac and vascular function in patients with a hematocrit of less than 30% with active coronary artery disease.

Aims of this study are to determine whether RBC transfusion in patients with active coronary artery disease and anemia:

increases oxygen delivery to the peripheral tissues.

increases whole-body oxygen consumption.

decreases nitric oxide bioavailability, endothelial, microcirculatory, and myocardial function, and/or increases platelet aggregation

Abstract Diabetes behavior can be influenced by patients exploring diabetes topics that may lack scientific credibility. The question this study examines is whether a Google or Health on the Net (HON) internet search, presents websites that would incline a more or less likely recommendation to patients ? A preliminary trial suggests that referrers recommend websites based on rules that may prioritize website source over content. This study will qualitatively assess the rules that participants use in deciding which websites are more suitable than others.

Method The investigators will inject a diabetes related search term into a HON and a Google search engine. The top 5 mutually exclusive websites from each search engine will be presented to 5 people from three groups stratified across endocrinologists, informaticians and PCPs. Participants will rank the websites and then identify the rules that they applied to reach their decision.

This is a single-arm phase II trial evaluating the combination of avastin and temsirolimus in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer (RCC) including both histologically confirmed clear cell (cc) or non-clear cell (ncc) subtypes. Patients must have experienced disease progression or intolerable toxicity with a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) (e.g. sorafenib, sunitinib, pazopanib). Only 2 prior VEGF therapies are allowed. The purpose of this research study is to evaluate efficacy of the combination against an historical control. Temsirolimus has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. Avastin has been approved by the FDA for other types of cancers but not renal cell carcinoma.

The purpose of this protocol is to develop and test aerosol furosemide, as a treatment that has the potential to significantly improve symptom management and enhance the quality of care for patients with intractable dyspnea.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as yttrium Y 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan and rituximab, can locate cancer cells and either kill them or deliver radioactive cancer-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Combining yttrium Y 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan with rituximab may kill more cancer cells.

PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining yttrium Y 90 Ibritumomab tiuxetan with rituximab in treating patients who have relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Animal studies show that the breakdown of blood results in iron accumulation in the brain after brain hemorrhage (ICH); and that iron plays a role in brain injury in ICH patients. Deferoxamine (DFO) has been extensively used in clinical practice for more than 30 years to remove excessive iron from the body, and has been shown to provide some benefit in animal studies of ICH. Therefore, we plan to undertake this study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of treatment with DFO in patients with ICH, and to determine the maximal tolerated dose to be used in future studies to determine if treatment with DFO can improve the outcome of patients with ICH.

Our main objectives are: 1) to evaluate the safety and tolerability of varying doses of DFO, by determining the treatment related adverse events, in patients with ICH; and 2) to determine the maximal tolerated dose to be adopted in subsequent studies to test the efficacy of DFO in improving outcome after ICH.

We hypothesize that DFO is well-tolerated and has minimal serious adverse effects in patients with ICH; and that treatment with DFO will improve patients' outcome. The results can potentially bring into account new means to improve the outcome of patients with ICH. ICH is a frequent cause of disability and death. A successful study demonstrating the efficacy of iron-modifying therapy would be of considerable public health significance.

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of thiamine therapy on oxygen consumption in critically-ill patients. The investigators will evaluate this by measuring VO2 before and after thiamine administration in patients admitted to the ICU and requiring mechanical ventilation.

This study is designed as a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind analysis of atorvastatin 80 mg versus placebo administered on average 4 hours prior to percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] (at least 2 hours) in patients presenting with unstable angina. Only patients with negative cardiac biomarkers, measured on 2 separate occasions a few hours apart will be eligible for inclusion. Furthermore, patients already on high-dose statin therapy; patients taking any statin within 24 hours prior to the PCI; and patients with contraindications to statins will be excluded from the study. The primary endpoint is a quantitative troponin level at 18-24 hours after PCI. At an enrollment of a total of 150 patients (75 per group), the study is powered to detect a 30% difference in troponin level. Secondary endpoints include elevation of creatine kinase (CK) and CK-MB above the upper limit of normal, change in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels from baseline and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) myocardial perfusion grade. All patients will be started on statin therapy the day after the procedure, as deemed appropriate by their treating physicians.

This study will evaluate the potential to decrease the use of IV anesthesia drugs in patients undergoing pleuroscopy administering lidocane standardly applied to the skin in combination with atomized lidocaine applied into the pleural cavity.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether or not cerebral atrophy scores obtained from a brain MRI can correlate with Cognitive Test results. These results hope to demonstrate a link between cerebral ischemic/degenerative changes shown on the MRI and cognition functions results.

Research studies have shown a strong association between cancer and blood clots in the veins (also known as deep vein thrombosis). These blood clots can flow to the lungs (pulmonary embolism) which in severe cases may be life threatening. The purpose of this research study is to see if enoxaparin is effective in preventing blood clots in the veins in participants who have cancer of the pancreas, colorectal, non-small cell lung, ovary, or gastric and also have high levels of tissue factor bearing microparticles in their blood (TFMP). TFMP are small particles that are generated from different types of blood cells in the body. In people who have cancer, TFMP are thought to be generated from cancer cells and may represent a risk factor for deep vein thrombosis. Enoxaparin has been used to prevent formation of blood clots in patients after abdominal or orthopedic surgery and in patients who suffer from a severe medical illness. Based on these studies, we are investigating to see if it prevents thrombosis in people with certain types of cancer.

The main purpose of this study is to see if transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be used to help study brain function in healthy people and in those with neurological diseases like essential tremor. This portion of the study is being done to establish the optimal methods for stimulating the brain to measure its responses.

Walnuts include many potentially beneficial micronutrients and phytochemicals, in this study we propose to examine the effects of walnuts independent of macronutrient content. The purpose of this proposal is to study in depth the short-term effects of walnut consumption in men and women with the metabolic syndrome.

Study Aim 1: To investigate the effects of walnuts (48gms per day over 3 days) on insulin resistance in subjects with the metabolic syndrome.

Study Aim 2: To investigate the effects of 48gms per day of walnuts over 3 days on lipids and inflammatory markers.

Study Aim 3: To assess the possible mechanisms of the biological effects of short-term walnut consumption through assessment of adipokines, resting metabolic rate, gene expression in white blood cells and 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.

Patients who undergo PET-CT scans to look for cancer are given an intravenous contrast (FDG) that is taken-up by active cells such as cancer cells. This contrast can then be seen in the body using the PET-CT scanner. However, cells in the colon also take up the FDG, and can produce "false positive" signals from the colon. Our hypothesis is that much of this signal comes from bacteria that are present in high concentrations in the colon. If this is the case, using an antibiotic to suppress the activity of bacteria may improve the ability of PET-CT to distinguish abnormal cells from normal cells in the colon.

The investigators hypothesize that PSC in children is associated with mutations and functional changes of the cystic fibrosis (CF) gene.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is effective in the treatment of periodontitis in adults.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Others, such as yttrium Y 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan, find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Giving rituximab together with yttrium Y 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan may kill more cancer cells.

PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving rituximab together with yttrium Y 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan works in treating patients with indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The purpose of this study is to test the safety of an investigational Dendritic Cell/Tumor Fusion vaccine given with IL-12 for patients with breast cancer.

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from a person's tumor cells and white blood cells may help the body build an effective immune response to kill tumor cells. Interleukin-12 may stimulate the white blood cells to kill tumor cells. Giving vaccine therapy together with interleukin-12 may kill more tumor cells.

PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of interleukin-12 when given together with vaccine therapy and to see how well they work in treating women with stage IV breast cancer.

The purpose of this study is to test whether a supervised mixed aerobic and strength training (MAST) program is effective in improving overall physical fitness and blood flow in the brain and lowering risk factors of coronary artery disease (CAD) in women with metabolic syndrome.

This study will examine the effectiveness of the FibroScan device in differentiating fibrosis in patients with hepatitis B and C. The FibroScan measures liver stiffness and will be correlated to the liver biopsy to see if it can diagnose the stage of liver disease. Patients who are scheduled to have a liver biopsy will also have a fibroscan and the stiffness will be correlated with the biopsy stage.

The purpose of this research study is to help us to better understand how leptin regulates blood sugar levels. Leptin is a recently discovered hormone, which is made in fat cells. Leptin is secreted by fat and acts as a signal to the brain to decrease appetite and influences how the body regulates blood sugar levels. A synthetic form of leptin (A-100), an investigational drug and has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will be administered to participants in this study. The expected duration of your participation is 3 study visits, which will be spread over 3-4 weeks.

This study involves having fat and muscle biopsies after receiving leptin under local anesthesia in the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC), surgical unit, and/or Endocrinology exam room at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The researchers aim to study the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on chronic visceral pain in patients with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis.

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of thiamine therapy on oxygen consumption (VO2) in critically-ill patients. We will evaluate this by measuring VO2 before and after thiamine or placebo administration in patients admitted to the ICU and requiring mechanical ventilation. A secondary aim is to evaluate the effect of thiamine vs. placebo on the metabolic profile of the patients.

The purpose of the study is to target inflammation to reduce progression of noncalcified plaque in the coronary arteries using omega-3 fatty acid supplementation compared to standard of care.

This study will look at the effect of exenatide, a drug which has been approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, on body weight, appetite and energy expenditure among moderately obese women without diabetes.

The study is 35 weeks long and includes 19 outpatient visits. Participants will receive exenatide for 16 weeks and placebo for 16 weeks with a 3 week rest period in between. Neither participants nor investigators will know whether exenatide or placebo is being administered. Participants will be started randomly on either exenatide or placebo.

Our hypothesis is that treatment with exenatide will curb appetite and lead to weight loss and may lead to changes in energy expenditure.