Illinois Paid Clinical Trials

The long-term objective of this research is to develop an efficacious training paradigm to enhance older adults' defense mechanisms against falls and possibility reduce healthcare cost. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the direct medical cost for fall related injuries to be $30 billion annually. Slips and trips combined account for more than 50% of the outdoor falls in community-dwelling older adults. These environmental perturbations are opposing in nature, with slips mainly resulting in backward falls and trips in forward falls. This project explores perturbation training through both slip and trip exposure based on the principles of motor learning. The project design consists of a randomized controlled trial to examine the ability of the central nervous system to mitigate the interference in stability control (if any) that is induced by opposing types of perturbations. It also introduces a novel combined slip and trip perturbation training paradigm to enhance one's ability to retain and generalize the acquired fall-prevention skills to both types of falls. Slips and trips induced on an over ground walkway will be used to prepare the motor system to improve stability control and vertical limb support to resist falls. The longer-term benefits of such combined perturbation training over exclusive slip-only or trip-only perturbation training in reducing both laboratory-induced and real life falls will also be assessed. The hypothesis of this study if supported by the results will provide an evidence-supported training protocol to reduce the fall-risk among community-dwelling older adults. Read Less

Robot assisted gait training is seen as a promising intervention for improving the walking abilities of children with cerebral palsy, but research to support its effectiveness compared to best practice physical therapy is lacking. This research consists of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and a qualitative descriptive study that is linked with the RCT. The goal of the RCT is to compare: 1) a walking training program with the Lokomat® robotic device (LOK), 2) a functional physical therapy program (fPT) that includes activities to enhance balance/co-ordination/endurance and advanced motor skills conducted over 'real ground', 3) a combined Lokomat® + functional physical therapy (LOK+fPT) program, and 4) a regular maintenance therapy condition (CONT) for ambulatory children and youth with CP (aged 5- 18 years). The three intervention programs will consist of sixteen 50-minute sessions given twice weekly over 8 to 10 weeks. The primary objective of the RCT is to compare the four groups with respect to walking-related motor skills as measured by the Gross Motor Function Measure. The secondary objectives are to compare each intervention's impact on walking abilities, individualized goals, fitness, balance, physical activity levels, child's belief in ability to do physical activity, participation and quality of life. The investigators will also evaluate the extent of carryover or progress 3 months after the intervention. The qualitative part of the study will consist of interviews of children and parents after they have finished the study intervention. The information from the interviews will assist us with interpretation of the outcome results (areas of impact and amount of change) from the RCT. In particular, the interviews will 1) provide insight into their experiences with the trial interventions, 2) identify the mobility-related outcomes that are important to families and the factors that influence their preferences, and 3) explain the family values, experiences and contextual factors that influenced participation in the study. This research will provide information needed to allow clinicians and families to make informed choices about Lokomat therapy and physical therapy options in relation to their child's functional goals and abilities. Read Less

The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of a dietary supplement containing plant derived phenolics at two different dose levels in otherwise generally healthy adults with risk factors (high BMI at dyslipidemia and/or pre-diabetes) for body fat composition. The primary hypothesis is that supplementation with plant derived phenolics will decrease body fat composition compared to placebo. Read Less

Surgical treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are necessary when non-procedural approaches fail to alleviate lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) or bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). Open simple prostatectomy and laser enucleation are recommended for prostatic adenoma size greater than 80 ml. Minimally invasive approaches, such as robotic-assisted simple prostatectomy, have gained popularity due to their comparable outcomes with lower morbidity. The introduction of the da Vinci single-port (SP) robotic platform offers potential advantages, but its outcomes have not been thoroughly investigated. This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the outcomes of SP simple prostatectomy performed using the da Vinci robotic platform versus thulium laser enucleation of the prostate for the treatment of BPH and BOO. Read Less

This is a 10-year multi-center, global, observational study to further characterize the safety profile of pegvaliase, including hypersensitivity reactions, long-term safety and tolerability, and the effectiveness of the additional risk minimization measures (aRMMs) (European Union (EU) only) in subjects receiving pegvaliase for the treatment of PKU. Subjects for whom a clinical decision has been made that they will receive pegvaliase to treat their PKU within 30 days following the date of enrollment (incident-users) or have previously started treatment with pegvaliase at the date of enrollment (prevalent-users) are eligible for participation in this study. Read Less

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. Read Less

This study will examine the combination of myoelectric computer interface (MyoCI) training with targeted memory reactivation (TMR) in chronic stroke survivors. The study aims to determine whether this training-plus-sleep combination will generalize to improve arm motor function over an extended training protocol in stroke survivors. Read Less

Research has shown that adherence to evidence-based asthma guidelines leads to improved outcomes, yet critical gaps remain in the implementation of these guidelines, particularly among minority and low-income youth. Schools represent a crucial point of intervention, as demonstrated by school-based asthma programs that have addressed individual components of the guidelines with promising results. This project aims to develop, implement, and evaluate a pragmatic, multi-component asthma program that builds upon existing targeted interventions to fully implement the asthma guidelines and integrate them in school practices to foster sustainability. The investigator seeks to understand whether this type of program will improve asthma outcomes at the child and school level. Read Less

This study will test the effects of a 6-week comprehensive circadian optimization intervention Amplify-RHYTHM in patients with diabetic retinopathy. The outcomes of interest are objective and subjective sleep parameters, evening salivary cortisol and melatonin levels, and glucose parameters from continuous glucose monitoring Read Less

The overall objective of the proposed study is to enhance early detection of male factor infertility and reduce cost and morbidity associated with delayed diagnosis through development of a universal screening model based on home semen testing. The advent of inexpensive and accurate home semen testing has enabled a potential paradigm shift in the approach to male fertility evaluation. The investigator's central hypothesis is that universal home semen testing prior to attempts to conceive is easy for participants and can lead to reduced fertility-related anxiety and early detection of male factor infertility, thereby expediting evaluation and treatment for the couple while minimizing unnecessary cost and morbidity. This study is specifically designed to assess the feasibility and utility of home semen testing for couples who are beginning attempts to conceive. First, the investigator will assess participants' ability to complete the home semen testing, ease of use, and obstacles encountered in doing so. Second, the investigator will examine the impact of home semen testing in fertility-related quality of life among couples beginning attempts to conceive, as well as ability of home semen testing to increase the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility in these couples. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to implement the person-centered internet-based Health Action Process Approach to promoting physical activity in people with Multiple Sclerosis (i.e., eHAPA-MS online intervention) and assess the intervention's effectiveness and adherence. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness after using a new individualized-health e-library app named SavvyHealth among people with multiple sclerosis. Read Less