Minneapolis, MN Paid Clinical Trials

The right ventricular (RV) systolic function is a key determinant of outcome in patients with pulmonary hypertension and elevated pulmonary vascular resistance. As the pulmonary artery pressure and vascular resistance increase (i.e. RV afterload) in these patients, so does the right ventricular contractility in an attempt to maintain cardiac output. This is response of a ventricle to its afterload is termed ventriculo-arterial (VA) coupling. However, there is a limit to this increase in contractility after which VA uncoupling occurs ultimately leading to decrease cardiac output and right ventricular failure. The accepted gold standard for measurement of VA coupling is the ratio of the end systolic ventricular elastance (Ees) to the end systolic arterial elastance (Ea) measured invasively via high fidelity conductance catheters during cardiac catheterization. In this study, the aim is to devise a non-invasive scoring system that can identify VA uncoupling in patients with elevated pulmonary vascular resistance using echocardiography, cardiac MRI, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and brain natriuretic peptide levels. The hypothesis is that a group of morphologic and functional variables obtained noninvasively can differentiate an RV with VA coupling from that with VA uncoupling. Read Less

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of using the ketogenic diet (KD) in children who sustained moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The secondary objective is a preliminary evaluation of the outcomes of children who have had the standard of care plus the KD, compared to those with standard of care alone. Outcome measures for the secondary objective will include: need for ventriculoperitoneal shunt, duration of unconsciousness, need for any type of craniotomy, duration of post-traumatic amnesia, acute hospitalization length of stay, and cognitive and motor function at 12 months after injury. If this study demonstrates feasibility and safety, the information related to outcomes will be used to inform the planning of a future, larger, randomized study of the efficacy of the KD in children and adolescents with TBI. Specifically, this information will be used to assist with sample size calculations for this future study. Read Less

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy in adults. The current standard of care for MM patients fit to undergo high dose conditioning chemotherapy is an autologous HCT (autoHCT). Allogeneic HCT (alloHCT) is the only potentially curative therapy available to patients with MM. However, the significant morbidity and mortality of this procedure historically limited its application in older patients. Thus, although potentially curative, standard risk MM patients have excellent prognoses in the era of novel therapies which reduces the overall benefit of alloHCT. However, because the outcomes for high-risk MM remain poor despite the best available standard therapies (overall survival of 24-36 months), initial data suggest that alloHCT should be explored in this subset. Read Less

This observational study will compare outcomes of a prospectively-enrolled cohort of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HCT) recipients with outcomes of a cohort of age-matched historical non-HCT controls. Patients undergoing alloHCT will receive HCT in a US transplant center and be reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) using well-established CIBMTR report forms and data collection procedures as well as a study-specific supplemental form. Data on the historical non-HCT controls will be collected at 14 US academic centers. These centers will provide data on all consecutive patients with PMF, post-ET MF, or post-PV MF referred to their institutions between 2000 and 2012. Read Less

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are genetic neurological diseases that cause imbalance, poor coordination, and speech difficulties. There are different kinds of SCA and this study will focus on types 1, 2,3, and 6 (SCA 1, SCA 2, SCA 3 , also known as Machado-Joseph disease and SCA 6). The diseases are rare, slowly progressive, cause increasingly severe neurological difficulties and are variable across and within genotypes. The purpose of this research study is to bring together a group of experts in the field of SCA for the purpose of learning more about the disease. The research questions are: 1. How does your disease progress over time? 2. What are the best ways to measure the progression? 3. Do some genes, other than the gene that is abnormal in your disease, have any effect on the way the disease behaves? This is a nationwide study and we expect that 800 patients will participate all over the USA. The participants will be in the study for an indeterminate period of time. Study visits will be done every 6 or 12 months depending on the participating site. Read Less

The LCH-IV is an international, multicenter, prospective clinical study for pediatric Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis LCH (age \< 18 years). Read Less

The purpose of the HALT Biomarkers study are to identify a panel of circulating proteins that discriminates between patients with and without Hypo-Attenuated Leaflet Thickening (HALT) and can be used to supplement the diagnosis of HALT; to characterize changes in circulating proteins after treatment of HALT with systemic anticoagulation; and to identify circulating proteins that predict the occurrence of HALT. The study population will be adult patients undergoing transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe aortic stenosis (AS) or bioprosthetic valve degeneration. Enrollment will continue until 30 patients with HALT are identified for completion of phase 1. Based on a HALT incidence rate of 10%, we anticipate enrolling 300 patients. Patients are enrolled prior to undergoing transfemoral TAVR. Blood samples, clinical data and echocardiograms will be collected at the following timepoints: baseline (pre-TAVR, T0), post-TAVR (pre-discharge, T1), 30-day follow-up (window 3-9 weeks, T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3). Cardiac 4D CT will be performed at the 30-day follow-up visit to screen for the occurrence of HALT. Patients with HALT will be treated with systemic anticoagulation for 5-6 months, at which point a follow-up CT scan and blood sample will be obtained. Control subjects will also undergo a 6-month study visit with blood sample collection. The study will be conducted within two phases. Phase 1 will serve as a derivation / discovery study in which candidate protein biomarkers of HALT will be identified. Once this is successfully completed, a second cohort will be enrolled within phase 2. Phase 2 will be performed under the auspices a future contract or amendment and will seek to cross-validate the initial study findings. Read Less

Coronary bifurcation lesions are lesions (or blockages) that occur at or near the intersection of a major coronary artery and one of the arteries' side branches. Numerous techniques and devices have been developed to treat coronary bifurcations; however, these types of lesions remain some of the most challenging, both in terms of procedural success and outcome. This study is designed as an observational, multi-center registry that will collect information on treatment strategies and outcomes of consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in coronary bifurcations among various participating centers, in order to determine the frequency of bifurcation PCI, the procedural strategies utilized, and the procedural outcomes. Read Less

Coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is often performed in patients with ischemic heart disease. The safety of PCI has improved with new devices and strategies, but complications still occur, especially during complex procedures. The objectives of this multi-center observational registry are to examine frequency of complications occuring during cardiac catheterization and PCI, examine procedural strategies utilized for complication management, and evaluate the clinical outcomes (both immediate and during follow-up.) Read Less

This study gathers information on patients at different stages of chronic pancreatitis to better understand the natural course and risk factors associated with pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis is a disease that occurs when the pancreas is inflamed (swollen and irritated) all of the time. It is important for doctors to diagnose chronic pancreatitis in the beginning stages of the disease. Over time, as chronic pancreatitis gets worse, the pancreas may stop working correctly. Since treatment options for advanced (end-stage) chronic pancreatitis are limited, patients with early-stage chronic pancreatitis or those at high risk of developing chronic pancreatitis are ideally suited for interventions to prevent the development of end-stage chronic pancreatitis and its associated complications. Information from this study may help researchers to develop lab tests for early diagnosis and prediction of disease progression, to understand disease mechanisms, and to discover genetic factors affecting susceptibility and progression. Read Less