Maryland Paid Clinical Trials

Upper extremity allotransplantation is a new procedure which is becoming more common in the United States. Ongoing data collection for research purposes is vital to the long-term assessment as to the safety of the procedure and accompanying immunosuppression protocol, as well as quantifying patient outcomes and changes in quality of life. For these reasons, The Johns Hopkins Hand/Arm Transplantation Team is interested in enrolling transplanted patients in a follow-up protocol to continue collecting informative data to further the field of vascularized composite allotransplantation. Read Less

Background: Millions of people each year sustain injuries, have tumors surgically removed, or are born with defects that require complex reconstructive surgeries to repair. In the case of hand, forearm, or arm amputation, prostheses only provide less than optimal motor function and no sensory feedback. However, hand and arm transplantation is a means to restore the appearance, anatomy, and function of a native hand. Although over 70 hand transplants have been performed to date and good functional results have been achieved, widespread clinical use has been limited due to adverse effects of life-long and high-dose immunosuppression needed to prevent graft rejection. Risks include infection, cancer, and metabolic problems, all of which can greatly affect recipients' quality of life, make the procedure riskier, and jeopardize the potential benefits of hand transplantation. Study Design: This non-randomized, Phase II clinical trial will document the use of a new immunomodulatory protocol (aka - Pittsburgh Protocol, Starzl Protocol) for establishing hand transplantation as a safe and effective reconstructive treatment for upper extremity amputations by minimizing maintenance immunosuppression therapy in unilateral and bilateral hand/forearm transplant patients. This protocol combines lymphocyte depletion with donor bone marrow cell infusion and has enabled graft survival using low doses of a single immunosuppressive drug followed by weaning of treatment. Initially designed for living-related solid organ donation, this regimen has been adapted for use with grafts donated by deceased donors. The investigators propose to perform 30 human hand transplants employing this novel protocol. Specific Aims: 1) To establish hand transplantation as a safe and effective reconstructive strategy for the treatment of upper extremity amputations; 2) To reduce the risk of rejection and enable allograft survival while minimizing the requirement for long-term high dose multi-drug immunosuppression. Significance of Research: Hand transplantation could help upper extremity amputees recover functionality, self-esteem, and the capability to reintegrate into family and social life as "whole" individuals. The protocol offers the potential for minimizing the morbidity of maintenance immunosuppression, thereby beneficially shifting the risk/benefit ratio of this life-enhancing procedure and enabling widespread clinical application of hand transplantation. Read Less

This project includes two projects. One is looking for new genes that cause Charcot Marie Tooth disease (CMT). The other is looking for genes that do not cause CMT, but may modify the symptoms a person has. Read Less

This is an observational longitudinal study to determine the natural history and genotype-phenotype correlations of disease causing mutations in Charcot Marie Tooth disease (CMT) type 1B (CMT1B), 2A (CMT2A), 4A (CMT4A), and 4C (CMT4C). The investigators will also be determine the capability of the newly developed CMT Pediatric Scale (CMT Peds scale) and the Minimal Dataset to measure impairment and perform longitudinal measurements in patients with multiple forms of CMT over a five year window Read Less

The primary objective of CONVERGE PAS is to evaluate clinical outcomes (peri-procedural and long-term) in a cohort of patients treated during commercial use of the EPi-Sense® Guided Coagulation System or EPi-Sense ST™ Coagulation System to treat symptomatic long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who are refractory or intolerant to at least one Class I and/or III AAD. Read Less

Many health-relevant decisions involve intertemporal (now vs. later) tradeoffs. Extensive literature indicates that many negative health and financial consequences suffered in mid-life are linked to adversity and disadvantage during early developmental periods of life. Individuals who continue to engage in these types of unhealthy behaviors despite awareness of the health consequences are exhibiting an inability to delay gratification. Delay discounting (DD) is quantified in human studies by determining the rate at which an individual discounts a delayed reward, while executive function (EF) is defined as the set of cognitive processes that are responsible for helping individuals manage life tasks and achieve goals. This research will attempt to reduce DD via EF training in a population of mid-life individuals with risk factors established during early-life disadvantage. Read Less

To assess: * efficacy of APL-101 as monotherapy for the treatment of NSCLC harboring MET Exon 14 skipping mutations, NSCLC harboring MET amplification, solid tumors harboring MET amplification, solid tumors harboring MET fusion, primary CNS tumors harboring MET alterations, solid tumors harboring wild-type MET with overexpression of HGF and MET * efficacy of APL-101 as an add-on therapy to EGFR inhibitor for the treatment of NSCLC harboring EGFR activating mutations and developed acquired resistance with MET amplification and disease progression after documented CR or PR with 1st line EGFR inhibitors (EGFR-I) Read Less

The overall objectives of this BETRNet Research Center (RC) are: 1. to conduct a rigorous, integrated spectrum of transdisciplinary human research in Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (ECA) 2. to increase the biological understanding of key observations made by our clinical researchers; 3. to translate knowledge derived from genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptome research to solving clinical dilemmas in detection, prognosis, prevention, and therapy of BE in order to prevent EAC and improve the outcomes of EAC; 4. to foster a transdisciplinary and translation research culture and to effectively expand and enhance scientific research focused on BE and EAC; 5. to evaluate research and transdisciplinary programs and to continuously improve research, productivity and enhance translational implementation. These objectives build and synergize on existing multi-institutional collaborative networks and the considerable clinical, basic science, and translational expertise available at our institutions, focusing on improving the outcomes of patients with BE and EAC. The overarching organization framework for this RC proposal is 1) to focus laboratory research on understanding the genetic susceptibility, genomic and epigenetic changes that influence the development of BE and EAC; and 2) to then translate laboratorydiscoveries into clinical applications for effective detection, molecular risk stratification, and prevention of progression from BE to EAC. Read Less

Coronary vascular dysfunction is one of the "final common pathways" for the impact of multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The investigators will conduct a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study in individuals with the metabolic syndrome and baseline coronary vascular dysfunction to evaluate the impact of vericiguat, a stimulator of soluble guanylyl cyclase, on coronary vascular function using non-invasive cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Read Less

The investigators will perform radionuclide PET scans in subjects with infectious diseases to assess whether radio-labeled PABA (11C-PABA) is effective for infection imaging. Tomographic imaging can be used to evaluate disease processes deep within the body, noninvasively and relatively rapidly. The goal is to see if this imaging technique can help differentiate infections from non-infectious processes and also provide information on the causative bacterial class. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to establish autoregulation of retinal blood flow in arterioles and capillaries as a biomarker for early primary open angle glaucoma. Read Less

A phase 2 study with the primary objective of testing treatment compliance of Upfront Intensity Modulated Proton Beam Therapy (IMPT) and Concurrent Chemotherapy (UPPROACH) for Post-operative Treatment in Loco-regionally Advanced Endometrial Cancer is non-inferior to the historic compliance rate of the chemoradiation arm of GOG 258 study Read Less