Healthy Paid Clinical Trials in Maryland

Background: - Researchers at the National Institutes of Health give many tests of hearing and balance. These tests can help detect problems that affect hearing or balance. It is important to know exactly how healthy people perform on each of these tests. This information will indicate when a test result is normal and when a test result shows a problem. Researchers also want to determine the best methods for each test. Objectives: - To test different types of hearing and balance tests, and collect information on normal values for each test. Eligibility: - Healthy volunteers between 5 and 70 years of age. Design: This study will require a single visit to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. It will include both screening tests and study tests of hearing and balance. Sometimes, a second visit may be required if a test is designed to measure the same thing on 2 different days. Each visit will last between 2 and 5 hours, depending on the number of tests scheduled per visit. Participants will have a physical exam and medical history. They will also have basic tests to check for normal hearing and balance. Participants may have different hearing tests, including the following: Auditory Evoked Potentials to study how the ears and brain handle sound information. Auditory Processing Tests to study how a person processes complex sounds like speech in background noise. Tests of middle ear and inner ear function. Participants may have different balance and inner ear tests, including the following: Balance test on a tilting platform. Different tests to measure how well the eyes, ears, and brain work together to help maintain balance. Treatment will not be needed as part of this study. Read Less

Background: Proteins are essential to the health and structure of the cells that make up body tissues. Most proteins become damaged over time and are replaced with new ones. This process is called "protein turnover." Stress, disease, and aging can affect this process. Researchers want to better understand how aging affects protein turnover. Objective: To measure rates of protein turnover in healthy adults. Eligibility: Healthy people aged 20 years and older with a body mass index between 20 and 30. Design: Participants will have 6 study visits over 4 to 6 weeks. They will fast 12 hours before each visit. Participants will be screened. They will have a physical exam, with blood and urine tests and tests of their heart function. They will lie down while blood pressure cuffs are used on their arms and legs. Participants will be given bottles of heavy water to drink at home on a schedule for 21 days. Each bottle holds about 3.5 tablespoons. Heavy water is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, like normal drinking water. It is safe to drink and has been used in research for many years. Participants will have tests during study visits, including: Imaging scans of a leg. Exercise on a treadmill. Biopsies of muscle, skin, and fat: Small samples of tissue will be cut from the calf and abdomen. Resting metabolic rate: Participants will lie still and breathe into a mask for 20 minutes. Knee/grip strength: Participants will do strength tests with their legs. They will squeeze a device with their hands. D3-Creatine: Participants will take 1 pill of D3-Creatine, which occurs naturally in muscle. Read Less

Background: As people age, the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin begin to release less of this hormone, and levels of blood glucose (sugar) rise. This can lead to illnesses such as diabetes. Urolithin A (UA) is a natural nutritional supplement that may improve how the body controls blood glucose. Objective: To learn if UA improves levels of insulin and other hormones that help control blood glucose. Eligibility: People aged 55 years and older with a body mass index of 27 or higher. Design: Participants will have 6 clinic visits over 8 weeks. Participants will be screened. They will have a physical exam with blood and urine tests and a test of their heart function. UA gelcaps are taken by mouth every morning at home. Half of participants will take UA. The other half will take a placebo. The placebo looks like the study drug but does not contain any medicine. Participants will not know which they are taking. Participants will have tests during the study including: Oral glucose tolerance: Participants will drink a sweet liquid. Blood will be drawn at intervals over the next 3 hours. Continuous glucose monitor: A sensor with a needle that goes just under the skin will be placed on the upper arm. Participants will wear this sensor throughout the study. Exercise. Participants will walk on a treadmill while their heart rate, hearth rhythm, and blood pressure are monitored. They will walk in a hallway at normal and fast paces. Imaging scans of the thigh; scans of the brain are optional.... Read Less

Background: There are no good treatments for people considering suicide. Researchers want to study suicide with questions, blood tests, brain imaging, and sleep studies. They hope to better understand suicide, so they can help suicidal people. Objective: To understand what happens in the brain when someone has thought about or attempted suicide. Eligibility: Group 1: Adults ages 18 70 who have thought about or attempted suicide recently Group 2: Adults ages 18 70 who have thought about or attempted suicide in the past Group 3: Adults ages 18 70 who have depression or anxiety, but have never thought about suicide Group 4: Healthy volunteers the same ages. Design: Participants will be screened in another protocol. Adults who have recently thought about or attempted suicide must be referred by a doctor. They may do up to 3 phases of this study. Groups 2, 3 and 4 will do only Phase 1 and will not get ketamine. Phase 1: 1 week in hospital. Participants will have: Physical exam. Questions about thoughts and feelings. Thinking and memory tests and simple tasks. Blood and urine tests. Two MRI scans. Participants will lie on a table that slides into a metal cylinder that takes pictures. They will have a coil over their head and earplugs and do a computer task. Sleep test. Disks and bands will be placed on the body to monitor it during sleep. Magnetic detectors on their head while they perform tasks. A wrist monitor for activity and sleep. Lumbar puncture (optional). A needle will collect fluid from the back. Shock experiments (optional). Participants will observe pictures and sounds and feel a small shock on the hand. Phase 2: 4 days in hospital. A thin plastic tube will be placed in each arm, one for blood draws, the other to get the drug ketamine once. Participants will repeat most of the Phase 1 tests. Phase 3: up to 4 more ketamine doses over 2 weeks. Participants will have follow-up calls or visits at 6 months and then maybe yearly for 5 years. ... Read Less

Background: We are involved in testing new behavioral science methods and measures for future research projects. In the course of these evaluations, we will also test research questions related to parents psychological experiences and how these relate to the responses they have when they encounter different types of communication about child health. We are testing multiple research questions in the course of this research. Objective: - To learn about technologies and approaches to use in future research studies. Eligibility: - Parents (fathers and mothers) of children between the ages of 3-7. Design: As part of the main study, participants will do four tasks: Task 1: Before participants arrive for an in-person visit, they will answer questions online about themselves, their child, and their thoughts and opinions related to health. Task 2: At the in-person visit, participants will watch a short scene from a movie and answer some questions Task 3: At the in-person visit, participants will read information about a child health topic and answer questions Task 4: At the in-person visit, participants will use a virtual reality-based buffet restaurant simulation to make hypothetical food choices for their child... Read Less

The purpose of this protocol is to allow for the careful screening of patients and healthy volunteers for participation in research protocols in the Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Lab (ETPB) at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and for the collection of natural history data. In addition the protocol will allow clinicians to gain more experience in the use of a variety of polysomnographic and high-density EEG recordings. Subjects in this protocol will undergo an evaluation which may include: a psychiatric interview; a diagnostic interview; rating scales; a medical history; a physical exam; brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); electroencephalography (EEG); electrocardiography (EKG), magnetoencephalography (MEG); blood, saliva and urine laboratory evaluation; and a request for medical records. Subjects may also be asked to complete questionnaires about attitudes towards research and motivation for research participation. The data collected may also be linked with data from other mood and anxiety disorder protocols (e.g., brain imaging, DNA, psychophysiology tests, treatment studies, etc) for the purposes of better understanding the diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment response of patients with mood disorders. Parents of minors will be interviewed. Upon conclusion of the screening process, subjects will either be offered participation in a research protocol and will sign the appropriate informed consent, or will be considered not appropriate for participation in research and will be referred back into the community. The current protocol thus serves as an entry point for individuals with mood or anxiety disorders or healthy volunteers to enter NIMH IRB approved ETPB protocols. Read Less

Background: - Changes in how a person s body burns energy or calories can affect their weight over time. The lowest level of energy the body needs to function is called basal metabolic rate. In the cold, we burn extra energy, even before we start to shiver. This is called non-shivering thermogenesis and it occurs in different types of tissue such as muscle and fat. Researchers want to learn more about this type of energy burning and how it is regulated. They hope this will help treat obesity in the future. Objectives: Sub-study 1: to better understand how non-shivering thermogenesis works. Sub-study 2: to measure the effects of anti-obesity drugs on basal metabolic rate. Sub-study 3: to better understand the effects of mirabegron, a beta-3 adrenergic receptor agonist, on brown fat activity. Eligibility: - Healthy, lean adult males ages 18 to 35. Design: Participants will be screened with medical history, physical exam, blood test, and EKG. For sub-studies 1 and 2: Participants will receive one X-ray scan. Each day, all participants will: <TAB>- Have height and weight measured, and have urine collected. Spend 4 hours in a temperature-controlled room with furniture, toilet area, phone, and computer. They will wear small non-invasive devices to monitor activity, heart rate, temperature, and shivering. <TAB>- Walk for 30 minutes. -For sub-study 3: Participants will receive one DXA scan and up to 4 PET/CT scans and 4 MRIs Each stay, all participants will: <TAB>- Have height and weight measured, and have urine collected. Spend 6 hours in a temperature-controlled room with furniture, toilet area, phone, and computer. They will wear small non-invasive devices to monitor activity, heart rate, temperature, and shivering. Participants will be compensated for their time and participation at the end of the study Read Less

Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is form of non-invasive brain stimulation. It is approved to treat depression. TMS may help decrease drug craving. It is important to understand how TMS affects the brain. Such a better understanding would help to design ways to treat drug addiction. Objectives: To learn how TMS affects the brain when it stimulates an area in the front of the brain. Also, to see how the stimulation affects the area stimulated and other connected areas. Eligibility: Healthy, right-handed adults ages 18 60 who are non-drug users. Design: Participants will be screened under protocol 06-DA-N415. Participants will have at least 3 visits. The first visit will last about 3 hours. All other visits will last up to 6 hours. Participants cannot use drugs or alcohol at least 24 hours before a visit. They cannot have more than half a cup of a caffeinated drink at least 12 hours before a visit. Each visit will include a brief medical history update, urine test for drugs and pregnancy (if female), a breath test for alcohol and smoking, and questionnaires. Participants will have a TMS orientation visit. A wire coil will be placed on the head. An electrical current will pass through the coil to create a magnetic pulse that stimulates the brain. The other visits will include 2 sessions of TMS-MRI. Participants will lie on a table that slides into a cylinder. The TMS coil and the MRI coil will be placed over the head. Pictures will be taken of the brain with and without stimulation. Participants will complete a questionnaire about how they feel before and after each TMS session and in a follow-up call 2 3 weeks after their last session. ... Read Less

This study will describe the phenotype (physical and behavioral traits) of overweight and obese people. It will characterize the hormones, metabolism, food preferences, fitness and physical activity levels, sleep patterns and thought processes in people with and without weight problems. Genetic material will be collected for studies of the internal codes that influence body weight. People over 18 years of age from all weight categories (lean, overweight, obese) who are reasonably healthy may be eligible for this study. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: Physical exam, electrocardiogram, blood and urine tests, instructions for recording food intake for 7 days Metabolic studies for menstruating women. Resting metabolic rate to study how many calories the body burns at rest. Mixed meal test to measure hormones such as insulin that regulate blood sugar. Glucose tolerance test to determine how sensitive the body is to insulin. 24-hour energy expenditure to measure the amount of oxygen breathed in and the amount of carbon dioxide breathed out. Repeat 24-hour energy expenditure. Diurnal blood sampling and temperature assessment to study the body s internal clock. Air-displacement plethysmography (Bod Pod) to measure body composition. Dual energy x-ray absortiometry (DEXA) to measure body fat and bone density. Repeat Bod Pod and DEXA. Anthropometric measurements and bioelectrical impedance to measure height, weight, and circumferences, skinfold thickness, fluid status and percentage body fat. Bromide dilution to measure the amount of water not in cells in the body. Doubly labeled water to measure the amount of calories burned in a 7-day period. 24-hour diet reports. Endothelial reactivity to measure how the blood vessels stretch or dilate for assessing cardiovascular health. Treadmill or bicycle exercise capacity test. Physical activity monitor. Unicorder to detect any breathing difficulties that may interfere with sleep. Fat and muscle biopsy to look for variations in gene expression in fat tissue and muscle. Neurocognitive testing to check memory, decision-making, hand-eye coordination, and reasoning. Evaluation of mood problems and assess personality type. Evaluation to assess the quantity and quality of pain experienced. Taste testing to determine the response to bitter, salty, sweet and sour substances. Occupational therapy evaluation to explore the subject s adaptations, if any, for performing personal, social or professional activities; the subject s views on his or her weight, body size and shape, and strategies to control weight. Read Less

This study will assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics (PK) of AZD0292 following intravenous (IV) administration of single ascending doses to healthy adult participants. Read Less

This protocol is a screening and natural history protocol, which allows for evaluation of patients and families where neurological conditions are present for enrollment into other studies and will also be used to screen healthy volunteers to create a pool of potential future HV matches for HMCS protocols. Through diagnostic evaluations, data will be collected for research use in this study. ... Read Less

Background: - Gum disease is a condition in which the tissue around the tooth root becomes swollen and infected. This condition can cause tooth loss if it is not treated. Who gets gum disease and how bad it will be depends on (1) the different bacteria in the mouth and (2) how the immune system of an individual handles these bacteria. Researchers want to look at the oral bacteria and genetic immune problems of different people to learn how these affect gum disease and other conditions of the mouth. Objectives: - To study how immune system problems may lead to problems in the mouth, including gum disease. Eligibility: Children and adults at least 7 years of age who have genetic problems with their immune system. Healthy adults that have periodontal disease Health adults that do not have periodontal disease Design: This study will involve a screening visit and a study visit. Participants will be screened with a medical history, blood work and a full oral and dental exam, including dental x-rays and photos. The study visit will involve collection of blood, urine, and other samples, including saliva, plaque, and gum swabs. Any abnormal tissue will sampled for a biopsy. Additional oral and dental exams will be performed. Participants will also answer questions about any current medical or dental problems. Read Less