Clinical trials

Approximately 50% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) use a wheelchair within 30 years of the initial diagnosis. Wheelchair use in MS is often associated with fatigue as a consequence of muscle weakness. Indeed, fatigue, a prevalent consequence of MS, often becomes debilitating and exhausts energetic resources when carrying-out tasks of daily life and/or interacting with the community, as these require ambulatory mobility. This experience of excessive fatigue has its roots in muscle weakness and results in reliance on a wheelchair for mobility, and the dependency on a wheelchair may further reduce muscular strength, particularly of the lower extremities. We propose that wheelchair users with MS can increase muscular strength through a personalized exercise rehabilitation, and this in turn will improve ambulatory performance and possibly reduce fatigue. To date, no research has examined the effects of this specific exercise rehabilitation program (GH method) on physical function and other disease-related outcomes in persons with MS who use wheelchairs as a primary mobility device.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect, mediators and predictors of treatment response of acupuncture in treating the psychoneurological symptom cluster (pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance) among breast cancer survivors.

The goal of this study is to find out if the antihistamine, clemastine, can make the white matter in the brain better in older adults with depression. The study will also determine whether this improvement can make antidepressant treatment work better, reduce depressive symptoms, and improve memory and thinking.

People with type 1 diabetes are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease (CVD). Short and irregular sleep have been associated with cardiovascular risk in this population. Improving sleep regularity has been associated with improved glycemic markers however mechanisms by which improving sleep regularity improves metabolic and cardiovascular health is not known. The investigators propose to conduct a mechanistic study using a sleep stability manipulation. This proposal will advance the understanding of mechanisms by which improving sleep regularity influences glycemic control and cardiovascular risk in T1D.

This multi-site feasibility clinical trial aims to assess the feasibility of implementing a 1-month app-based meditation program with youth in 4 heterogeneous juvenile legal systems across Oregon and New York. The primary question it is designed to answer is: Will youth adequately adhere to the 1-month meditation app across sites? Secondary feasibility outcomes pertain to recruitment, randomization, retention, and survey completion.

The study is a Phase II clinical trial. Patients will receive intensity-modulated total marrow irradiation (TMI) at a dose of 9 Gray (Gy) with standard myeloablative fludarabine intravenous (IV) and targeted busulfan (FluBu4) conditioning prior to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis will include Cyclophosphamide on Day +3 and +4, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil.

Patients with pancreatic cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy often experience functional decline, treatment interruptions, and clinical deterioration, and these risks may be amplified when frailty is present.

This is a post-marketing single arm, phase IV trial in which patients with high-risk early-stage HR+HER2- breast cancer will receive adjuvant abemaciclib in combination with endocrine therapy (ET) After study intervention, participants will remain on combination abemaciclib + ET at the discretion of their treating providers

To determine the effect of low dose azacitidine therapy on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in primary tumors from patients with high-risk early stage breast cancer, paired t-tests will be first used to compare TIL count in pre- and post-treatment specimens.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if ischemic conditioning and neuromuscular electrical stimulation improves muscle strength and walking behavior in those with limb loss. The main questions this trial aims to answer are: Does neuromuscular electrical stimulation improve muscle strength and gait behavior in people who have a leg amputation? Does neuromuscular electrical stimulation boost the effects of ischemic conditioning on muscle strength and gait behavior in people who have a leg amputation? Researchers will compare the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation to ischemic conditioning to see if there are any significant differences between the impacts of each intervention. Also, researchers will use both interventions together to see if the interventions can boost each other's positive impacts on walking and function in people with leg amputation. Participants will: * Do ischemic conditioning OR neuromuscular electrical stimulation OR both interventions at home every other day for 2 weeks * Visit the laboratory before and after completing interventions for the tests * Visit the laboratory one week after the post intervention visit for follow-up tests

This study is open to women who have early-stage breast cancer and are on aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy, and who have hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). HSDD is a persistent lack of physical desire for sex and a lack of sexual activity, or even sexual thoughts or fantasies, that causes you distress. The researchers want to determine if sexual functioning, as measured by responses on a sexual functioning questionnaire, is improved by adding Bupropion Extended Release (XL) to the AI treatment regimen. Bupropion XL is an FDA-approved medication for the treatment of major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and nicotine dependence. It has been studied in HSDD in pre- and post-menopausal healthy women, and has been demonstrated to be effective, but it has not been thoroughly studied in women with early-stage breast cancer on AI therapy.

This is a single-center, randomized, open-label clinical trial designed to evaluate the impact of low-dose olanzapine on weight loss, appetite, and nutritional outcomes in patients with gastric cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Eligible patients will be randomized to receive olanzapine 2.5 mg orally once daily (QD) in addition to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy, beginning prior to initiation of chemotherapy and continuing until surgical resection. Patients will otherwise receive standard-of-care (SOC) oncologic treatment, with no alterations to chemotherapy regimens or surgical management. The study is designed to prospectively assess whether olanzapine improves appetite, mitigates weight loss, and enhances nutritional status and quality of life (QoL) during neoadjuvant therapy. This study will be conducted at the University of Illinois Cancer Center (UICC) as a single-site investigator-initiated trial, with an anticipated accrual of 26 participants over 2 years.

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the effects of home-based cross-education on lower limb neuroplasticity in severe stroke. The main questions the investigators aim to answer are: * What are the effects of home-based cross-education on lower limb neuroplasticity? * What are the effects of home-based cross-education on lower limb function? * Is home-based cross-education feasible to administer and accepted by participants? Participants will take part in ten home-based, remotely supervised sessions, during which participants will either perform unilateral skill and strength training of the unaffected lower limb (Tele-Cross Education or Tele-CE) or cognitive training and unilateral movements of the unaffected lower limb (Tele-control). Each participant will experience measures of brain and spinal activity and motor function testing before and after both sessions (Tele-CE and Tele-control). Each participant will also be asked to fill out a feedback questionnaire to assess acceptability after intervention sessions (Tele-CE and Tele-control).

This study elucidates the effects of the intravenous (IV) lidocaine infusion on the biology of pancreatic circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from patients undergoing robotic pancreatectomy for all types of pancreatic cancer. A prospective randomized controlled double blinded trial design will be used for the proposed study.

This is a single-arm feasibility trial in which patients with histologically confirmed plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) with or without HIV, who have achieved a Complete Response or Partial Response after definitive frontline chemotherapy, will receive Elranatamab (Elra) consolidation.

The aims of this study are to (1) assess the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of the ROCKS intervention among patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers through a randomized controlled trial in a cancer center setting; (2) evaluate the preliminary efficacy of ROCKS, as compared to usual care, on changes in completion of advance directives; and (3) explore the dyadic effects of resilience on self-efficacy, optimism, dyadic communication and coping, anxiety, and depression using an actor-partner interdependence model.

The investigators propose a Stage-I randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a remotely-delivered, 16-week social-cognitive theory-based behavioral intervention focusing on combined exercise (aerobic and resistance) training for yielding increases in device-measured physical activity and improvements in cognitive function, symptoms, and quality of life (QOL), and social-cognitive theory (SCT) outcomes among physically inactive persons with Parkinson's disease (PD). Participants (N=50) will be randomly assigned into exercise training (combined aerobic and resistance exercise) condition or active control (flexibility and stretching) condition. The 16-week intervention will be delivered and monitored remotely within a participant\'s home/community and supported by Zoom-based chats guided by SCT via a behavioral coach. Participants will receive training materials (e.g., prescriptive manual and exercise equipment), one-on-one coaching, action-planning via calendars, self-monitoring via logs, and SCT-based newsletters. The investigators hypothesize that the home-based exercise intervention will yield improvements in cognitive, symptomatic, and QOL outcomes.

The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of two different exercise training regimens for managing depression and improving other health indicators among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). The project will enroll persons with MS and major depressive disorder (MDD) between 18 and 64 years of age. The investigators will enroll a total of 146 participants. This is a Phase-II trial that compares the efficacy of an exercise training program (POWER-MS) compared with a stretching program (FLEX-MS) for immediate and sustained reductions in the severity of depression among persons with MS who have MDD.

The purpose of this randomized study will be to determine whether topical probiotic sinus irrigations are more effective compared to saline sinus irrigation controls in the treatment of active CRS in patients who have had prior sinus surgery based on subjective and objective outcome measures.

The aim of this study is to describe the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in the form of functional electrical stimulation (FES) applied to different lower limb muscles on reactive balance and gait performance in stroke participants. Methods: Twenty individuals with chronic stroke will be asked to perform an experimental protocol that includes a postural disturbance in the form of a slip- or trip-like perturbation and a standardized walking test in both laboratory and outdoor environments with and without FES applied to different lower limb muscles of the paretic leg. FES will be applied using an advanced software that is able to synchronize muscle activation with the time of perturbation onset and according to the phases of gait. This project design aims to examine whether a specific pattern of lower limb muscle stimulation could improve the kinematic and behavioral responses during reactive balance following slip- and trip-like perturbations. Additionally, the project aims to see if the kinematic and spatio-temporal gait parameters can be modified during a standardized walking test under different sensory and environmental conditions.

Paralytic lagophthalmos can be difficult to treat and manage. It has a host of causes and effects, one of which (for the latter) is exposure keratopathy. Untreated, this can lead to corneal ulceration, inflammation, and potentially blindness. Despite a variety of attempts at treating this complex condition, none have satisfactorily reduced complications ranging from ease of use to aesthetics. With improvement in magnetic technology, however, that may change. Barmettler et al (2014) have demonstrated preliminary success of externally affixed magnets in closing both model and patient eyelids. As such, we hypothesize that magnetic devices can be used to treat corneal exposure by controlling eyelid position.

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is an inherited red blood disorder. The kidneys are among the most commonly affected organ systems in SCA. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved empagliflozin as a treatment to reduce the decline of kidney function in those with kidney disease. The proposed research study aims to determine whether empagliflozin can prevent the progression of kidney dysfunction in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) who are at high risk of developing advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The use of custom-created apps, neuropsychological testing, and clinical assessments will be evaluated as tools for determining the appropriateness of PACU discharge to home.

Achieving functional ambulation post stroke continues to be a challenge for stroke survivors, clinicians, and researchers. In the effort to enhance outcomes of motor training, cortical priming using brain stimulation has emerged as a promising adjuvant to conventional rehabilitation. This project focuses on the development of a long term gait rehabilitation protocol using brain stimulation to improve walking outcomes in people with stroke. The project will also aim to understand the neural mechanisms that are associated with response to the intervention.

Too many young children, particularly those living in poverty, present for dental surgery under anesthesia - an expensive, potentially dangerous, short-term fix that often results in recurring oral health disease and subsequent surgeries. Dr. Helen Lee, an anesthesiologist, and Dr. Joanna Buscemi, a clinical health psychologist, recognized that to decrease need for surgeries, caregivers need resources and support to build their skills and knowledge around managing their child's oral health. After 5 years of relationship-building, publishing preliminary qualitative work, and building a team with the appropriate skills and knowledge, investigators developed a grant application to develop and test a parenting intervention for caregivers of preschool- aged children presenting for dental surgery. With support from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the team created the PROTECT intervention with a focus on providing caregivers with parenting and behavioral tools to help improve tooth brushing and lower added sugar intake while simultaneously addressing social determinants of health that make behavior change more difficult. Community health workers will engage with caregivers for 6 months following the child's surgery to deliver PROTECT and support parents in behavioral change. A surgical event is a unique opportunity to change behaviors in systemically oppressed families that have manifested a need for behavior change. This intervention will meet caregivers needs at a critical time when risk disease recurrence intersects with a desire to change. This work has the potential to not only improve oral health of entire households but may also have a concomitant effect on parallel diseases, such as pediatric obesity.