University of Maryland, Baltimore

This study evaluates the addition of duloxetine to aerobic exercise in the treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and depressive symptoms in adults. All participants will receive the receive the treatment protocol, which will first be evaluated in terms of feasibility and then pilot tested.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2021

open study

Obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) are rapidly growing problems. Individuals with the MetS are at risk for not only future chronic diseases, but they have a higher prevalence of neuropathy, including cardiac autonomic neuropathy, and have a higher incidence of falls. Currently there are no effective therapies to prevent or reverse the neuropathy seen in the MetS or to reduced the fall risk in this population. This research project will determine if a tailored balance exercise program will have functional benefits and result in a reduced fall risk in the growing population of patients with the MetS and neuropathy.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2017

open study

At the current time there is no effective disease modifying therapy for diabetic neuropathy (DN). The proposed study design employs a quantifiable early measure of DN, intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD), allowing for accurate assessment of actual nerve fiber density. Preclinical data supports the use of Niagen® (3-(Aminocarbonyl)-1-β-D-ribofuranosyl-pyridinium chloride - NR) as a potential therapy for diabetic neuropathy. Phase I data indicates safety in humans. This study seeks to investigate the use of Niagen® (NR) as a potential treatment for diabetic neuropathy in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance over a 6 month period. The endpoint measures in addition to the IENFD with determine changes in clinical and electrophysiological outcomes, quality of life and biochemical measures.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jan 2019

open study

The purpose of this innovative adaptive phase II trial design is to determine the optimal combination of hyperbaric oxygen treatment parameters that is most likely to demonstrate improvement in the outcome of severe TBI patients in a subsequent phase III trial.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2018

open study

Sensory and motor impairments following stroke can lead to substantial disability involving the arm and hand. The investigator hypothesized that excessive local and cross-coupled stiffness, diminished individuation and proprioceptive acuity will be present among multiple degree of freedom in the upper limb. The stiffness and spasticity will increase with time post-stroke. The objective of this study is to quantify the progression throughout the arm and hand during recovery from stroke. The investigator will measure the clinical assessment scores, and neuromechanical properties including range of motion, active and passive cross coupling, and spasticity by the IntelliArm robot.

Type: Observational

Start Date: May 2018

open study

This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of erenumab in migraine prevention in children (6 to <12 years) and adolescents (12 to <18 years) with chronic migraine. The study hypothesis is that in pediatric subjects with chronic migraine, the combined erenumab dose group has a greater reduction from baseline to week 9 through week 12 (month 3) in monthly migraine days (MMDs) when compared with placebo in the double-blind treatment phase (DBTP).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2019

open study

Falls are by far the leading cause of accidental injury and death in older adults. The Veteran population is more severely affected by falls since it is significantly older than the overall population (45% over 65 years of age vs. 13%); and Veterans would benefit substantially more from an accurate diagnosis and treatment of fall propensity. Despite its importance, much is still unknown about the manner in which balance control is compromised by age and disease. Therapeutic interventions for people who are at risk of falling have proven to be of limited utility. Engineering methods are well suited to study and evaluate balance; but have to date been applied to overly simplified scenarios that lack the complexity to probe the musculoskeletal and neurophysiological bases for balance and falls. The long term objective of this research, which began with a VA Rehabilitation Research & Development (RR&D) Career Development Award (CDA-2), is to develop improved directives and protocols for the diagnosis and treatment of balance-related posture and movement coordination problems. This proposal significantly advances engineering methods to address existing gaps in the diagnosis and treatment of balance impairments through the development of a Balanced Reach Training Protocol (BRTP). The BRTP continuously challenges subjects to perform reaching tasks at the limits of their balance for an extended period of time, and increases these limits as subjects demonstrate improved performance. The goal of this tool is to quantitatively assess and improve at-risk individuals' ability to maintain balance when disturbed by volitional movements of the body and its parts-an important class of balance disturbances integral to many activities of daily living that can precipitate falls. The BRTP focuses on performance at and just beyond the limits of balance, unlike most such tests and training protocols that do not challenge subjects in this way. The BRTP's most immediate and salient metric is the limiting boundary of standing reach; and we hypothesize that expanding this boundary, as the BRTP is designed to do, will improve balance and make individuals more resistant to falls (in the context of expected balance disturbances). Confirmation of this hypothesis could provide a new perspective on existing training protocols' modest success rates, and direction for the design of new protocols with the potential to significantly improve these rates. [Though the BRTP is a training platform, we also believe that the performance metrics and analytical results produced by it can form the basis for new diagnostic measures that more reliably and precisely quantify and explain balance performance problems; and track changes in them over time.] Such diagnostic and treatment protocols would be particularly beneficial to the VA Health Care System, as it would lead to improvements in: patient throughput, quality of care, and treatment costs. Though this proposal targets the aging Veteran population, the BRTP is a general tool that can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of balance disorders arising from conditions other than aging. These include obesity, diabetes (which often leads to lower extremity muscle degeneration and peripheral neuropathy), sarcopenia, vestibular disorders, and neurological disorders such as stroke. Veterans whose balance has been compromised by Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) (whether combat-related or not) may also benefit from the BRTP.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Nov 2021

open study

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of M281 in participants with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2019

open study

This is a proposal to develop a Balanced Reach Training Protocol (BRTP) to evaluate and train dynamic standing balance. The BRTP is based upon the Balanced Reach Test (BRT) that the investigators previously developed and validated. In the BRT subjects stand and point to a target disk moving unpredictably across a large projection screen in front of them without stepping. Body movements undertaken to track the disk are integral to many daily activities and represent an important class of "expected" balance disturbances that can precipitate falls. The BRTP employs engineering and psychophysical methods, and exploits advances in real time computing in a novel and innovative way to more effectively evaluate and train balance function. The BRTP presents a challenging reaching/tracking task that subjects perform at their limit of balance. The BRTP is an objective, quantitative test that can evaluate balance function without floor or ceiling effects, and train balance across the spectrum of aging, disease, and injury.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Nov 2021

open study

The objective of this study is to investigate the hypothesis that delivery at 35 0/7- 35 6/7 weeks in stable patients with gastroschisis is superior to observation and expectant management with a goal of delivery at 38 0/7 - 38 6/7 weeks. To test this hypothesis, we will complete a randomized, prospective, multi-institutional trial across NAFTNet-affiliated institutions. Patients may be enrolled in the study any time prior to 33 weeks, but will be randomized at 33 weeks to delivery at 35 weeks or observation with a goal of 38 weeks. The primary composite outcome will include stillbirth, neonatal death prior to discharge, respiratory morbidity, and need for parenteral nutrition at 30 days.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2018

open study

Carotid revascularization for primary prevention of stroke (CREST-2) is two independent multicenter, randomized controlled trials of carotid revascularization and intensive medical management versus medical management alone in patients with asymptomatic high-grade carotid stenosis. One trial will randomize patients in a 1:1 ratio to endarterectomy versus no endarterectomy and another will randomize patients in a 1:1 ratio to carotid stenting with embolic protection versus no stenting. Medical management will be uniform for all randomized treatment groups and will be centrally directed.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2014

open study

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common pediatric malignancy, with the peak incidences occurring in children two to five years of age. Children with ALL received neurotoxic chemotherapy agents for two to three years that causes decreased distal muscle strength and poor timing of muscle activation. After completion of medical treatment, ALL childhood cancer survivors (ALL CCS) are more likely to have an inactive lifestyle, resulting in life-long gross motor proficiency differences compared to their peers. ALL CCS typically do not utilize physical therapists' expertise after medical treatment has been completed. There are limited physical therapy (PT) intervention studies for ALL CCS.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2018

open study

The purpose of this phase 2 multi-site trial is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of adding Gene Mediated Cytotoxic Immunotherapy (GMCI™) to standard of care in patients with stage III/IV NSCLC that are not responding to a first line immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). GMCI kills tumor cells and creates an immune stimulatory environment in the tumor. Killing tumor cells in an immune stimulatory environment induces the body's immune system to detect and destroy cancer cells. Patients will receive two courses of GMCI with aglatimagene besadenovec injected into an accessible involved tumor site followed by 14 days of oral valacyclovir. Patients will continue with standard of care ICI, plus chemotherapy if indicated. The hypothesis is that the combination of GMCI and ICI may improve the response rate and overall clinical long-term benefit for NSCLC patients.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2020

open study

Severe and refractory pain after acute injury is a known-risk factor for chronic opioid use disorder. In this study, the investigators will use Virtual Reality (VR) immersion as a non-pharmacological adjunct to treat pain associated with acute traumatic injuries, including traumatic brain injury. The investigators hypothesize that VR therapy will decrease pain and reduce opioid use in patients with acute traumatic injuries, including TBI.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Sep 2020

open study

This is a Phase 3 trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 30 mg/kg intravenous (IV) infusions of pamrevlumab administered every 3 weeks as compared to placebo in subjects with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2019

open study

The objectives of this pilot study are to evaluate the feasibility and safety of intramyocardial injection of autologous c-kit+ cells during the Stage II BDCPA operation and to observe effects on clinical outcome including right ventricular myocardial function, severity of tricuspid regurgitation, incidence of serious adverse events, re-hospitalizations, changes in health status, the need for transplantation, or mortality.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Oct 2019

open study

This is a Phase 1, open-label study that will evaluate the safety and tolerability of FT-7051 and determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) as well as pharmacokinetics (PK), preliminary anti-tumor activity, and pharmacodynamics (PD) of FT-7051 in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have progressed despite prior therapy and had been treated with at least one potent anti-androgen therapy. The starting dose, 25 mg once daily (QD), of FT-7051 administered discontinuously (21 days on/7 days off) in 28-day cycles.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2020

open study

This is a prospective, multi-center, observational study. Subjects will have TruGraf® and TRAC™ testing at study enrollment and thereafter every 3 months. In addition subjects will have TRAC™ testing at any time there is a clinical suspicion of acute rejection. Data collection for the primary objective extends over a 2-year period.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Sep 2020

open study

This is a phase 2a study evaluating the safety and tolerability of multiple ascending doses of GFB-887 in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and treatment-resistant minimal change disease (TR-MCD).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2020

open study

Background: While the intensive care of patients with life-threatening brain illnesses has advanced tremendously, a large number of therapies are still without proper scientific support. This can be partly explained by the fact that mechanisms of initial brain injury are still not well understood. Why additional neurological injury occurs during a patient's stay in the NeuroCritical Care Unit (NCCU) despite current best, evidence-based clinical practices, is also not well understood. However, over the past decade, better tools have become available to measure and monitor the impact of our clinical care on the rapidly changing physiology and chemistry of the injured brain. Some of these tools are CT, MRI, ultrasound, and catheter-based technology measuring blood flow and metabolism. These tools have enabled earlier detection of injury and complications and newer therapeutic strategies. Purpose: Examine disease pathways common to all brain injuries seen in the University of Maryland's 22-bed NCCU. Life-threatening neurological illnesses cared for in the NCCU include massive stroke, bleeding in and around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage), brain tumors, difficult to control seizures, neurologic infections, nerve and muscle diseases (such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barre Syndrome), and spinal cord disorders among others. Many NCCU patients are comatose or paralyzed and may suffer injuries in other parts of the body as well. This effort will require the creation of a robust clinical database for the capture of data including patient characteristics (age, sex), clinical characteristics, medical treatments, surgical interventions, physiological data (such as vital signs, cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure, cerebral oximetry, etc), laboratory data, and standard-of-care diagnostic studies such as electroencephalography (EEG), ultrasound, CT, MRI, and angiograms. Similar databases exist at other major centers for neurocritical care and have been instrumental to the identification of characteristics both predictive of and associated with outcomes of patients long after their stay in the NCCU. In addition, the samples collected will be included in the University of Maryland Medicine (UMM) Biorepository which is a shared resource to enable biomedical research by University of Maryland faculty.

Type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Start Date: Sep 2014

open study

The purpose of this study is to determine whether treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with positive airway pressure starting shortly after acute ischemic stroke or high risk TIA (1) reduces recurrent stroke, acute coronary syndrome, and all-cause mortality 6 months after the event, and (2) improves stroke outcomes at 3 months in patients who experienced an ischemic stroke.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2019

open study

The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate Transdermal Continuous Oxygen Therapy (TCOT) as an adjunct to surgical wound healing in subjects undergoing vascular surgery for lower extremity arterial occlusive disease. It is the intention of this study to administer oxygen using the TCOT approach to the surgical sites of subjects undergoing the surgery and to monitor the healing of the incision as well as infection rate. The hypothesis is that oxygen delivered transdermally to the surgical site in a continuous manner for up to 28 days will accelerate the healing process and reduce the infection rate compared to the Standard of Care.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Mar 2019

open study

(1) To determine how the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI), fluoxetine (Prozac), an antidepressant often used to treat depression, stimulates the participant's body's ability to defend against low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). (2) To learn how a hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), stimulates the participant's body's ability to defend itself from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). DHEA is a hormone produced naturally in the human body. However, it can be manufactured and is sold as an over-the-counter dietary supplement. The dose the investigators are giving in this study is higher than the usual recommended dosage taken as a supplement for certain medical conditions. (3) To study combined effects of fluoxetine and DHEA during low blood glucose. In the present study, the investigators will measure the participant's body's responses to hypoglycemia when given fluoxetine or DHEA or fluoxetine and DHEA or a placebo (a pill with no fluoxetine or DHEA). Approximately 64 individuals with type 1 diabetes will take part in this study.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Dec 2017

open study

This first time in human study is intended for men and women between 18 and 75 years of age who have advanced liver cancer which has grown or returned after being treated or another AFP expressing tumor. Those who did not tolerate or refused other therapies may also participate. The purpose of this study is to test the safety of genetically changed T cells that target alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and find out what effects, if any, they have in subjects with liver cancer or other AFP expressing tumor types. This study is for subjects who have a blood test positive for appropriate HLA-A*02 P Group and have adequate AFP protein in blood or tumor, and whose noncancerous liver tissue has very little AFP protein (Liver only). The study will take the subject's T cells, which are a natural type of immune cell in the blood, and send them to a laboratory to be modified. The changed T cells used in this study will be the subject's own T cells that have been genetically changed with the aim of attacking and destroying cancer cells. The manufacturing of T cells takes about 1 month to complete. The T cells will be given back to the subject through an intravenous infusion after 3 days of chemotherapy. The study will evaluate three different cell dose levels in order to find out the target cell dose. Once the target cell dose is determined, additional subjects will be enrolled to further test the safety and effects at this cell dose. Subjects will be hospitalized for at least 1 week after receiving their T cells back and then seen frequently by the Study Physician for the next 6 months. After that, subjects will be seen every three months. If subjects have disease progression or withdraw from the study, they will then be entered into a long-term follow up for safety monitoring. In long-term follow up, subjects will be seen every 6 months by their Study Physician for the first 5 years after the T cell infusion and annually for the next 10 years.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: May 2017

open study

This study is a prospective multi-center trial designed to determine the safety profile and efficacy of modest (33ºC) intravascular hypothermia following acute cervical (C1 to C8) Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Aug 2017

open study