California Paid Clinical Trials

With the completion of the human genome project, investigators can now explore new questions in human biology. Previously human genetics focused on highly penetrant, Mendelian traits; however, now rare and common variants can be discovered that affect "common" diseases that have multi-gene architecture with variable penetrance such as breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease. This change took place because investigators now have the tools to illuminate the whole genome at once to discover the genetic variants responsible for different disease phenotypes through statistical differences between populations. Besides disease phenotypes, health can be considered a human phenotype that can be studied. Health is not merely the absence of disease but may be viewed as a dynamic ongoing interplay between the environment and the genome to maintain homeostasis. Individuals often attempt to optimize environmental conditions according to ones genome to maximize their health. All individuals possess potentially beneficial and harmful variants depending on the environment. How this dynamic interplay occurs between the genome and environment requires understanding the boundary conditions of the genetic architecture of health and disease and then modeling the system to simulate the observed data. The aging process also affects health. Aging involves a loss of the normal coping responses to internal and external environmental stressors or signals. Investigators now have the tools to uncover from the bottom up the mechanisms involved in maintaining the ability to overcome environmental conditions that can affect health. Against this genomic breakthrough of whole genome association studies, the demographics in the United States are quickly changing. The older population (age > 65 years) in 2030 is projected to be twice as large as in 2000 representing nearly 20 percent of the total US population. The first baby boomers turn 65 in 2011 and will challenge all facets of health care in the coming decades. The demographic changes underscore the need to understand the mechanisms that promote health and disease in this cohort. Genomic discoveries will help individuals and may reduce medical costs and benefit society. In summary, the objective of this study is to obtain blood and/or saliva samples in order to help model health and disease phenotypes through population genomics. The blood and/or saliva samples may allow for participants' entire genomes to be sequenced if such comprehensive analysis becomes feasible and economical. Read Less

The objective of this trial is to assess the safety and effectiveness of the study device in subjects with degenerative mitral valve disease receiving a mitral valve repair without cardiopulmonary bypass (treatment group) when compared to subjects receiving mitral valve repair using standard surgical techniques with cardiopulmonary bypass (control group). Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of a fetoscopic surgical technique for antenatal correction of fetal myelomeningocele. Two surgical approaches will be utilized. The percutaneous approach will be offered to participants with a posterior placenta. The laparotomy/uterine exteriorization approach will be offered to participants regardless of placental location. Read Less

The MyHeart Counts Cardiovascular Health Study will utilize mobile health capabilities of smartphones and wearables to assess daily activity measures of the general population and compare these to measures of cardiovascular health risk factors and fitness. How people divide their time among exercise, sedentary behavior, and sleep all affect cardiovascular health, yet to date these have largely gone unmeasured. With the advancement of phone sensors and wearable fitness tracking devices these factors are now more straightforward to gather and measure. The use of smartphones by a large segment of the population allows for data collection on an unprecedented scale. The investigators aim to amass activity and cardiovascular health data on thousands of participants as well as provide significantly more quantitative data on type,duration, and intensity of daily activities. In the second phase of the MyHeart Counts Cardiovascular Health Study (Randomized Assessment of Physical Activity Prompts In A Large Ambulatory Population) the researchers will conduct a randomized controlled clinical trial of four different physical activity prompts (intervention) and their effect on the level of physical activity in the study population as measured by change in step count. Read Less

Surgery is currently the only potentially curative treatment modality for localized retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS). Available studies regarding oncologic outcomes are mainly retrospective in nature, and RPS are recognized as a rare disease. Therefore, prospective analysis of high quality data is a top priority. Primary Objectives of this study are: to prospectively collect standardized clinical data and radiological and pathological material from primary RPS patients treated with surgery at reference centers. patient outcome will be evaluated in terms of overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), crude cumulative incidence (CCI) of local recurrence (LR) and distant metastasis (DM). Secondary Objectives: to estimate the efficacy and safety of surgical treatment, including extended surgical approach to primary RPS; to prospectively evaluate the impact of multimodality therapy, including radiation therapy and chemotherapy; to identify clinical, radiological and pathological characteristics that may influence the oncological outcome or may be used as predictors of LR/DM/OS. These may be important biomarkers of disease; to utilize collected pathological material for research collaborations. Read Less

The objective of this study is to evaluate the procedural and clinical outcomes of patients with bicuspid aortic valve stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Read Less

To determine the impact of unrestricted postoperative activity on intermediate- and long-term continence outcomes of mid-urethral sling surgery in women with stress urinary incontinence. To assess the natural return to baseline activity level when patients are unrestricted following mid-urethral sling surgery with or without concomitant anterior or posterior pelvic organ prolapse repair. Read Less

With the goal of providing improved treatment to patients with overactive bladder symptoms (OAB), the investigators seek to apply the new technology of time-resolved (cine) MRI combined with urodynamics (UDS) to understand the exact effect of intravesical botulinum toxin on bladder physiology. The investigators will specifically aim to assess the physiological mechanism by which intravesical botulinum alleviates urgency and urge incontinence symptoms in women with OAB refractory to medical therapy. Read Less

The purpose of this randomized control trial study is to determine if intraoperative bladder instillation of fluid decreases the time to discharge after having an outpatient mid-urethral sling procedure, and to measure the cost savings of this decrease in hospital stay. Charges will be broken down between recovery room charges and discharge area, as recovery room charges are significantly higher. The investigators suspect that a shorter time in the recovery room will translate into fewer charges. Read Less

The purpose of this study is twofold. First, is to determine whether vancomycin is effective in the early treatment of Biliary Atresia (BA) and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), and if so, by what mechanism. Secondly, to characterize human intestinal microbial communities and their interactions with the host. Read Less

This study is an investigation of the neurologic, immunologic, and rheumatologic markers of Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS). PANS is a condition characterized by the abrupt, dramatic onset of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or eating restriction accompanied by equally abrupt and severe co-morbid neuropsychiatric symptoms, which include anxiety, emotional lability, depression, irritability, aggression, oppositionality, deterioration in school performance, behavioral (developmental) regression, sensory amplification, movement abnormalities, sleep disturbance, and urinary frequency. PANS is thought to be caused by infection, inflammation, or alternate triggers that is associated with a brain response that leads to these symptoms. The purpose of this study is to examine specific neurologic, immunologic, rheumatologic, and genomic, components in children with the acute-onset of psychiatric symptoms. This research may begin to uncover a much larger story of autoimmune processes that are involved in psychiatric disorders of childhood. By better understanding the etiologic components of psychiatric phenomenon, future treatments may be better targeted to underlying causes. Read Less

To identify demographic, clinical, genetic, immunologic and/or microbial (i.e., fecal stream characterization) risk factors that influence the likelihood of development of the HAEC phenotype in children who carry the diagnosis of HD. The newly formed HAEC Collaborative Research Group (HCRG) will utilize the 4 participating centers in the current consortia and recruit additional centers to enroll children diagnosed with Hirschsprung disease. 1a: To recruit 200 patients with Hirschsprung disease without HAEC. 1b: To recruit 200 patients with Hirschsprung disease and HAEC using standardized diagnostic criteria by collaborating with participating members of the HAEC Collaborative Research Group[1]. 1c: To collect clinical and demographic information from well-characterized HD patients both with and without HAEC. 1d: To collect samples blood for DNA for genome wide association study (GWAS) by high throughput SNP technology and mutational analysis of known HSCR genes. 1e: To collect serum samples at the time of recruitment in a subset cohort (n=50 HD only, n=50 HD + HAEC) for serological immune markers known for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including ANCA, ASCA, OMPC, I2, and CBir1 and any newly identified markers. 1f: To collect and store fresh fecal specimens for future evaluation by molecular methodologies to determine relative proportions of enteric microflora in a subset cohort (n=50 HD only, n=50 HD + HAEC) of children (<18 years). 1g: To establish a Centralized Data Coordinating Center for data collection, data quality and detailed data analyses (CSMC) and tissue bank (CSMC) to facilitate specimen analysis for this study. The HAEC risk factor identification will be completed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Genetic association will be studied for each SNP in the GWAS together with all other potential risk factors. Further analysis will be carried out to evaluate multiple SNPs/genes simultaneously. Read Less