Maryland Paid Clinical Trials

Background: People with alcohol use disorder (AUD) also often have bouts of depression called major depressive episodes (MDEs). People having MDEs have been found to have low levels of a protein called PDE4B in the brain. Researchers want to find out if people with AUD also have low levels of PDE4B. This research may help lead to better treatments for AUD. Objective: To find out (1) if PDE4B levels are lower in people who are withdrawing from AUD and (2) if their PDE4B levels go up after they abstain from alcohol for 3 to 4 weeks. Eligibility: Adults aged 18 to 70 years with AUD. They must be enrolled in protocol 14-AA-0181. Design: Participants enrolled in protocol 14-AA-0181 will stay in the clinic for 3 to 4 weeks for alcohol withdrawal. During this stay, they will have some added procedures for the current study. Within the first week, participants will have a positron emission tomography (PET) scan of the brain. A needle will be used to guide a thin plastic tube (catheter) into a vein in one arm. An experimental substance called a radioactive tracer will be injected through the catheter. This tracer binds to PDE4B and makes it easier to see the protein in the brain. For the scan, participants will lie on a table that slides into a doughnut-shaped machine. Participants will have a second PET scan toward the end of their stay in the clinic. Participants may also have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain. They will lie on a bed that slides into a tube. Read Less

We are conducting a research study to learn about how individuals living in Washington, DC perceive and experience temperature. Participation in this study will include: 2 remote visits over the phone and/or computer (these will each last about1.5 to 2 hours) * During the remote visits, you will be asked to respond to a series of surveys, so that we can learn about your life, behaviors, and health 2 weeks of data collection where you will be asked to: * Wear monitoring devices * These will collect information on your location and physical activity * We will ask you to wear the monitors on a belt around your waist all day every day during these 2 weeks of data collection. * All of the monitors will be sent to you in the mail. * Leave a temperature tracker near where you sleep to measure the temperature of your environment. * Use a phone app * We will also send you questions through the phone app that will ask about your stress level, sleep duration, sleep quality, and how you feel about the current temperature. Risks of participating in this study are minimal. They include the inconvenience of wearing the monitors and the possibility of a breach of your confidentiality. We are collecting personal information about you and the location monitor will collect information about where you spend your time. We will take every precaution in order to safeguard the data that you provide, including limiting who has access to it, storing it safely, and removing the capacity to identify you individually, as much as possible. You will receive no immediate benefits from participating in this study. We hope what we learn will help us to develop policies and programs to help keep urban populations safe during increasingly warm summer temperatures. You are eligible for this study if you are 18 years of age or older, live in Washington, DC, can read and write in English, and have access to a smartphone that you can use for the 2 week data collection period.... Read Less

Background: Childhood-onset essential hypertension (COEH) is high blood pressure that develops in children and teens. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. COEH is more likely to be caused by changes in genes rather than by factors like stress or diet. Researchers want to learn more about how changes in genes relate to COEH. They hope to use that information to develop better treatments for children with high blood pressure. Objective: This natural history study will look for genes and gene changes that may lead to COEH. Eligibility: People aged 2 years and older with COEH or who had COEH when they were children. Healthy relatives of those with COEH are also needed. Design: Participants will have one clinic visit per year for up to 10 years. All participants will have a physical exam. They will provide samples of blood and urine. At their first visit, they will have a swab (like a Q-tip) rubbed between their gums and cheeks. They may agree to having a skin biopsy; a piece of skin about the size of a pencil eraser will be removed. Affected participants aged 2 to 17 years old will have additional tests: * They will have sensors placed on their skin to look at their blood vessels and see how blood is moving in their bodies. * They will lie or stand while a machine measures the amount of fat and muscle in their bodies. * They will have an ultrasound; a wand will be rubbed against their skin to take pictures of their kidneys. Other things are optional for all participants: * They may have photographs taken of their bodies. * They may have tests of their heart function. * They may have different types of imaging scans. Read Less

Background: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare, inherited cancer syndrome. FA causes a range of physical issues. Children with FA may have abnormal features; these may include a small head and eyes and issues with their internal organs. Young adults have a much higher risk of cancer. To screen for these cancers, people with FA may need to pursue many visits with different doctors. This constant need for cancer screening may cause anxiety for people with FA. Objective: To learn more about anxiety related to cancer screenings in people with FA. Eligibility: Adults aged 18 years and older with FA. They must also be enrolled in FACSS. FACSS is a study that screens people with FA for cancer every year. Design: All data gathered for this study will occur during routine FACSS visits. No other visits are needed. An observer will be in the room during participants FACSS visits. The observer and participant will have a polite introduction. After that, the observer will not interact with participants in any way. The observer will note details about the participants, such as: * Body language. * Worries about screening. * Comments that suggest anxiety or depression. * Clinical environment, such as d(SqrRoot)(Copyright)cor and temperature. * Accessibility issues. These can include lights and noises as well as ease of traveling around the clinic center. * Evidence of social support, such as engaging in the FA community. * Challenges they ve had in FACSS. * Their motivation to participate in FACSS. * Relationship dynamics among clinic staff, participants, and their care partners. Data will also be collected from FACSS visit notes dating back to December 2024 and from participants medical records. Read Less

Background: Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a rare disorder of the immune system caused by a mutation in the FAS gene. In ALPS, the body stores too many germ-fighting cells called lymphocytes. This can lead to an enlarged spleen and lymph nodes. Current treatments for ALPS can have many adverse effects. Better treatments for ALPS are needed. Objective: To test a study drug (soquelitinib) in people with ALPS. Eligibility: People aged 16 years and older with ALPS. Design: Participants will have 8 clinic visits and 6 remote visits within 1 year. Participants will be screened. They will have a physical exam with blood and urine tests. Some may have tests of their lung function. Soquelitinib is a tablet taken by mouth twice a day. Participants will record their doses and any symptoms on a paper or online form. Blood tests and other procedures will be repeated during study visits. Three visits will include imaging scans. Participants will lie on a table that slides through a doughnut-shaped machine while X-rays capture pictures of the inside of their body. Some participants may be able to remain in the study for a second year. Read Less

Background: About 1.5 million adults in the US enter alcohol or substance use treatment programs each year. Unfortunately, more than half of patients do not finish their program. For those who start treatment, about 70% return to substance use within weeks or months after starting treatment. To discover why patients drop out of treatment and return to substance use - and what can be done about it - researchers need to learn more about people who use drugs and alcohol. Objective: To create a data repository by gathering survey and smartphone data from adults who use drugs and alcohol in order to conduct future research. Eligibility: Adults who have used drugs or alcohol in the past and have a Android smartphone. The researchers will recruit targeted demographics at different times throughout the duration of the study period. Design: Data will be collected for up to 6 months. All research activities will be online. Participants will download a smartphone app called TTRU-Curtis AWARE and keep it active on their phone. The app will run in the background and collect participant data, including: screen unlocks, duration of time the screen is on; apps used; words typed (except passwords); duration and time of phone calls; estimated location (exact location is not collected); and movement, such as how many steps are taken in a day. All personally identifying information is automatically removed before the data is stored (including phone numbers, names, or locations described in messages). Each day, participants will receive a text with a link to a survey. They will answer questions about their mood, behavior, and substance use from the day before. This survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete. Every 30 days, participants will complete a longer survey. They will answer questions about their personal relationships, risky behaviors, mood, substance use, and feelings. They can skip any questions they do not feel comfortable answering. These surveys should take about 30 minutes to complete. Participants may opt to allow researchers to access their social media posts. Read Less

This correlative study aims to understand the pharmacodynamic effects and clonal dynamics in response to epcoritamab by obtaining and analyzing lymph node, bone marrow, and blood samples from subjects enrolled in GCT3013-03 trial sponsored by Genmab at NIH. Samples will be collected before and at multiple time points during treatment with epcoritamab. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) investigators are experienced in testing samples treated with bsAb2,3 including epcoritamab in an ongoing pre-clinical collaboration with Genmab. Addressing the objectives of this correlative study will advance the science and clinical application of epcoritamab specifically as well as T-cell engaging bsAb in general as an emerging class of immunotherapy for cancer. The study is enrolling by invitation only. Read Less

Background: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a disease that causes scarring in parts of the kidneys that filter waste. This can lead to protein loss in the urine, which can worsen kidney function. The kidneys may fail over time, and dialysis or a kidney transplant may be needed. Other treatments for this disease do not always work and often have adverse effects. Better treatments for FSGS are needed. Objective: To test a study drug (ManNAc) in people with FSGS. Eligibility: People aged 18 years and older with FSGS. Design: Participants will have 6 to 7 clinic visits over 14 weeks. Two of the visits will require overnight stays for 2 or 3 nights. ManNAc is a white powder that comes in a sachet. It is dissolved in water and taken twice a day by mouth. Participants will take their first dose at the clinic. They will learn how to store ManNAc and prepare each dose. They will record their doses in a diary. They will also write down any adverse effects or troubles they have using the drug at home. During clinic visits, participants will have physical exams with blood and urine tests. They will complete questionnaires about their health, sleep habits, and fatigue symptoms. During overnight visits, participants will also have 24-hour urine collection. A study team member will call participants 1 week after the first dose to check on their health. Follow-up phone calls will then be every 2 weeks after each clinic visit. Participants may meet with a dietitian to discuss nutrition while taking the ManNAc. Participants may choose to have genetic tests. Read Less

A multi-center, prospective, observer-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of PPECM augmented standard of care versus standard of care alone in the management of hard-to-heal diabetic foot ulcers. Read Less

Background: Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. It is also a leading cause of disability. More than 70% of people who survive strokes have mental impairment or dementia. Medical factors, such as the severity of the stroke, affect whether a person will have mental impairment afterward. But social factors, such as education and ethnicity, seem to play a role as well. Researchers want to learn more about how social and lifestyle factors affect a person s chances of maintaining mental functions after a stroke. Objective: To better understand how social and lifestyle factors affect the risk of mental impairment after a stroke. Eligibility: People aged 18 years and older who had a stroke and a brain scan while they were enrolled in NIH Study 01N0007 (Natural History of Stroke Study). Design: Participants will have 1 study visit, by telephone. The call will last about 45 minutes. Participants will talk about their health since their stroke. They will answer questions about themselves. Topics will include: * Their race * Education * Ethnicity * Employment * Marital status * Residence address * Recent health history * Medical insurance They will have tests of their memory, attention, and language skills. They will repeat numbers and words forward and backward. Researchers will look at the data and imaging scans collected during participant s enrollment in NIH Study 01N0007. This data will include: * The hospital that first saw the participant at the time of their stroke. * The type of imaging that was first used then. * The primary diagnosis at admission. * Other medical details. Read Less

Background: SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. Some people who recover from COVID-19 have symptoms that last long after the active infection ends. This is called long COVID. Sometimes, long COVID can affect the nerves and cause problems with sleep, thinking, the senses, and movement. Researchers want to find out whether people with long COVID have retained inactive remnants of SARS-CoV-2 in their bodies. Objective: To collect tissue samples to see if people with long COVID have remnants of SARS-CoV-2 in their bodies. Eligibility: People 18 years or older who have recovered from COVID-19, both with and without neurologic symptoms. Design: Participants will have 2 to 4 inpatient or outpatient visits over 4 months. Each visit will last 4 to 5 days. Participants will be screened to make sure it is safe to collect tissue samples from their body. They will have a physical and dental exam. They will have imaging scans and a test of their heart function. They will complete questionnaires about their health. They will give blood, urine, saliva, and stool samples. Their sense of taste and smell will be tested. Tissue samples will be taken from the digestive tract, lungs, colon, skin, muscle, lymph nodes, nasal passages, and mouth. Participants may be numbed or sedated for some of the procedures. Swabs will be used to collect cells from inside the mouth and nose. Participants will undergo lumbar puncture. A thin needle will be inserted into their lower back to draw out a sample of the fluid around their spinal cord. Participants will have follow-up phone calls after each clinic visit. Read Less

Background: People with substance use disorder (SUD) often have changes in brain function that can make it difficult to control drug-seeking behavior. These changes may heighten the urge to use drugs or lessen the desire to seek nondrug-related rewards. Researchers want to know how a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may cause changes in brain activity that may help people with SUD. Objective: To test TMS in healthy volunteers. Eligibility: Healthy people aged 18 to 45 years who are right-handed. Design: Participants can volunteer for up to 5 different experiments. Each experiment requires 2 to 8 clinic visits. Each visit will last 3 to 7 hours. Some visits will include TMS. A coil will be placed on the participant s head. A brief electrical current will pass through the coil to create a magnetic field. Participants may feel a tapping or pulling sensation on the skin under the coil. They may feel a twitch in their face, neck, arm, or leg muscles. Participants may be asked to tense certain muscles during TMS. Some visits will include functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. Participants will lie on a bed that slides into a large tube. They will perform tasks on a computer inside the tube. The fMRI will show which parts of the brain are used during each task. Participants will perform tasks on a computer. Some tasks may be done at a desk as well as during TMS and fMRI. Participants may look at images, listen to sounds, smell odors, or taste flavored liquids. Their vital signs may be monitored and their eye movements may be tracked during tasks. Read Less