University of Maryland, Baltimore

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for treating task specific focal hand dystonias (TSFD). TSFD is a type of dystonia that affects hand movements during specific tasks such as writing, playing instruments or typing, often causing involuntarily movements or cramping.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jun 2024

open study

The study will enroll 200 women newly diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy within 5 months postpartum in a randomized placebo controlled trial of bromocriptine therapy to evaluate its impact on myocardial recovery and clinical outcomes. Given that bromocriptine prevents breastfeeding, an additional 50 women with peripartum cardiomyopathy excluded from the trial due to a desire to continue breastfeeding but meeting all other entry criteria will be followed in an observational cohort.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Jul 2022

open study

Warfighter Performance Optimization in Extreme Environments remains an area of important and intense investigation, with the following goals: (1) Optimize, sustain and augment medical readiness and physiological/ psychological performance in extreme and hazardous military operational environments and (2) develop joint DoD countermeasures and guidance to sustain performance, assess physiological status, and reduce injury risk in extreme and hazardous operational environments. Successful and safe outcomes in extreme and hazardous operational environments require that warfighters maintain optimum cognitive and exercise performance during physiologic stress. Extreme environmental conditions encountered in such environments include warfighter exposure to hypoxia and hypothermia, alone or in combination. Both hypoxia and hypothermia undermine O2 delivery system homeostasis, imposing dangerous constraints upon warfighter cognitive and exercise capacity. While red blood cells (RBCs) are commonly recognized as O2 transport agents, their function as a key signaling and control node in O2 system delivery homeostasis is newly appreciated. Through O2 content-responsive modulation of RBC energetics, biomechanics, O2 affinity and control of vasoactive effectors in plasma - RBCs coordinate stabilizing responses of the lung, heart, vascular tree and autonomic nervous system - in a fashion that maintains O2 delivery system homeostasis in the setting of either reduced O2 availability (hypobaric hypoxia) or increased O2 demand (hypothermia). Human RBCs demonstrate adaptive responses to exercise, hypoxia and hypothermia - these changes are commonly appreciated as a key element enabling high altitude adaptation. However, under conditions of hypoxia and hypothermia, without prior adaptation, RBC performance is adversely impacted and limits the dynamic range of stress adaptation for O2 delivery homeostasis - therefore limiting warfighter exercise capacity and cognitive performance in extreme environments, such as during acute mountain sickness.

Type: Observational

Start Date: Dec 2023

open study

Parallel-group, prospective, randomized, controlled phase III trial of home High flow Nasal Therapy (HFNT) via myAirvo 3 plus usual COPD medical care vs. usual COPD medical care, for at least 1 year and up to two years in 642 GOLD Grade D, Stages II-IV patients with moderate to very severe COPD at risk for moderate and severe exacerbations with a prior history of severe exacerbation requiring hospitalization within the past 6 weeks.

Type: Interventional

Start Date: Feb 2022

open study