Arthritis Clinical Trials

This study will explore the causes of rheumatic diseases and why many of them affect certain minority communities more severely. Rheumatic diseases may cause joint pain, stiffness or swelling. Some can involve bones, muscles, tendons or ligaments. Some cause abnormalities of the immune system the body s defense against disease. Some rheumatic diseases are painful or deforming and some can be life threatening. Information obtained from this study will be used to learn about the disparities in rheumatic disease in the minority community and to design further, more targeted, research studies to address this issue. Patients with known or suspected rheumatic disease 18 years of age or older may be eligible for this study. Candidates will undergo a medical history and physical examination to confirm the diagnosis of rheumatic disease and determine what is needed for evaluation and treatment. Participants will receive standard medical care for rheumatic disease and arthritis. No experimental treatments, medications or procedures will be included in this study. Procedures may include routine blood tests for blood chemistries, cell counts, and antibodies commonly found in patients with rheumatic disease; a urine test for proteins and cells; and X-rays and other imaging tests to check for abnormalities in the lungs or other organs. All medical information will be kept confidential. Patients who are found to be eligible for other current NIH research studies will be offered an opportunity to participate in these studies. Read Less

Background: - Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of bone and joint disorders that may cause back and joint pain and stiffness. In some cases, SpA can lead to abnormal bone growth affecting the joints and spine. Some patients have SpA without ever developing these growths, while others develop them after only a few years. Researchers are interested in studying people with SpA and their relatives to determine which people are more likely to develop more severe conditions. Objectives: - To identify symptoms and medical tests that can help determine whether a person with SpA is at risk for developing more severe forms of the disease. Eligibility: * Individuals of any age who have been diagnosed with SpA. * Healthy volunteer relatives (at least 6 years of age) of the individuals with SpA. Design: * Participants will be screened with medical records and family medical histories, and will be invited to the clinical center for the study. * Participants with SpA will have a physical exam and medical history, including a study of joint movement, blood and urine tests, and questionnaires about pain and quality of life. * Participants with SpA will have imaging studies, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Other samples such as skin tissue and bone marrow may also be collected for study. * Healthy volunteers will provide a blood sample and cheek cell samples. * No treatment will be provided, although treatment options will be discussed. Read Less

Background: Inflammatory conditions can cause symptoms like fevers, arthritis, and rash. Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is one of these conditions. So is adult-onset Still s disease (AOSD). Their causes are unknown. Researchers want to learn more about these conditions. This includes genetic changes and environmental factors. Objective: To study sJIA and AOSD in children and adults over time. Eligibility: People with known or suspected sJIA, AOSD, or similar inflammatory condition Design: Participants will be screened with a phone call. Participants will have 1 visit. It may be outpatient or they may be admitted to the clinic. The visit may last up to 5 days. Participants will have: * Medical history * Physical exam * Musculoskeletal exam * Questions about overall health and quality of life, disease activity, functional status, and cognitive ability. Participants may also have: * Pictures taken of their skin, joints, or spine * Blood, urine, and stool tests * Scans or X-rays of joints with arthritis * Chest X-ray * Heart tests * Skin biopsy. The skin will be numbed. The top layers of a small area will be scraped off. Participants who have a joint aspiration may provide a fluid sample. The joint will be prepared, then fluid is removed by needle. A corticosteroid may be injected. Participants who have a bone marrow biopsy may provide sample cells. Participants may be seen by NIH specialists. Members of the participant s family and healthy volunteers may give blood or saliva samples for genetic testing. Participants may repeat some study tests every 6 months. Read Less

The purpose of the study is to see examine the effects of 3 different levels of physical activity (45 minutes/week, 90 minutes/week, or 150 minutes/week) on arthritis symptoms. Read Less

An open label, prospective, two-arm, multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing SakuraBead genicular artery embolization (GAE) with a control (corticosteroid injection). Read Less

To understand the severity and nature of participants experiences during irAEs following immune checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. Read Less

The need for exploration of more definitive and cost effective non-arthroplasty treatments of osteoarthritis (OA) has been demonstrated by the orthopedic and health economic research. Embolotherapy of neovessels associated with OA joints has been shown to be promising in patients with knee OA. There is a need for level one evidence drawn from randomized clinical trials to prove the safety, feasibility and efficacy of knee embolotherapy compared to standard of care. This randomized pilot study will assign 10 patients with mild-moderate OA to undergo geniculate artery embolization plus standard of care (defined in this study as: physical therapy and oral anti-inflammatory medications, with a maximum of 1 joint injection at the time of enrollment) and 10 patients to receive only medical standard of care (also having had a maximum of 1 joint injection prior to enrollment). The goal of this pilot study is to obtain preliminary estimates of safety and efficacy of embolotherapy to provide sustained symptom control and modify disease progression in patients with mild to moderate knee OA. Read Less

Study Objective The purpose of this clinical study is to evaluate if biophoton therapy, delivered by Tesla BioHealing® Biophoton Generators (Biophotonizer), can alleviate chronic severe pain. Study Design This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled intervention clinical study to assess the effectiveness of biophoton therapy in managing chronic severe pain. Approximately 102 patients with chronic severe arthritis pain will participate in the study. Study Randomization The biostatistician will prepare a randomization schedule including a series of subject numbers. A subject number will be randomly assigned to each study participant, which will assign them to either the control group or the treatment group. Other than the Informed Consent Form (ICF), all study information will be recorded by using the subject number. The Principal Investigator, study physicians, study nurse, data-entry specialists, and biostatisticians, as well as the participants (and caregivers), will be blinded about who received which product during the first two weeks of study participation. Study Enrollment Each potentially qualified patient will review the Informed Consent Form online (e-ICF) and Enrollment Criteria online (e-Criteria) first, then discuss the e-ICF and e-Criteria with the study team medical professional via telephone during the scheduled time. Each qualified patient will sign the e-ICF and send it to the Study Coordinator. The Study Coordinator will assign the qualified patient a randomized subject number, then the patient will become a study participant. Study Procedure We expect that the participant will stay in this clinical treatment for 12 weeks, or 12 weeks if the participants are randomly placed in a placebo group. The 12 weeks of participation are double-blinded to record the placebo effects, as each set of the study device is labelled with a unique code for use by only one participant. The change of the placebo device to the treatment device will be performed by the study device management team staff, who will not inform the study participant or study research staff who are involved in study data collection. Each participant assigned to the Control Group will be treated with the 4 placebo devices on the bed. Each participant assigned to the Treatment Group will receive 4 Biophoton generator devices and placed on the bed on each side of the body. Each participant will use the Treatment or Control device for at least 8 hours every night for the 12 weeks during sleep. During the day, participants are welcome to bring the study devices and place them near the bodies during the daytime. At the end of the initial 12 weeks, study participants randomized to the Placebo group will be advised whether they will use the Open-Labeled product to treat them for 4 to 12 weeks. Only the visual analog scale of the pain data will be collected after the switch. Each participant will be guided by study team staff to perform the following tests on their assigned testing days: a visual analog scale, brief pain inventory, pain disability index, the standard SF-36 questionnaires (SF-36) for measuring life quality, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, a Patient Global Impression of Change, a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and inflammatory markers that provide objective evidence of inflammation. Investigational Product and Mode of Administration Tesla BioHealing Biophotonizer is an over-the-counter (OTC) medical device, and it can be used by anyone who wants to increase blood circulation and reduce bodily pains. For this study, the active or inactive Biophotonizer will be labeled with a code. The participant and/or caregiver cannot know if the devices are active or inactive. When the participant places the devices close to the body, she/he may or may not receive life force energy. The participant will record changes in quality of life and complete the standard study questionnaires at baseline and the end of each 2-week interval. Comparator and Mode of Administration Clinical measurements will be conducted by medical professionals. The same shape, size, and weight of the device without generating biophotons is to be labeled with a random code and used as a comparator. The comparator device will be placed close to the body during sleep during the entire study period. The participant will record the life quality changes and answer the standard study questionnaires. Clinical measurements will be conducted by medical professionals. Study Duration Estimated date of the first patient enrolled: November 15, 2024. The estimated date of the last patient completed: November 15, 2025. Participants in the Treatment Group and Control Group will actively participate in the study for 12 or 24 weeks. Each Participant will answer the standard study questionnaires several times, respectively, at the baseline, at the end of each 2-week interval after starting the study treatment. Read Less

The goal of this study is to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a group telehealth exercise program for Veterans with lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: This is a randomized pilot trial where Veterans (n=50) receive a group telehealth exercise program (3 months), followed by an exercise maintenance phase (6 months) that includes either text messaging alone or text messaging plus group telehealth exercise booster sessions. The primary outcomes for this study are feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. Feasibility will be assessed through number and source of referrals, recruitment, and retention. Acceptability will be assessed through surveys and interviews for participants and providers addressing reasons for participation, satisfaction, perceived appropriateness, and overall experience containing Likert scales and both yes/no and open-ended questions. Exploratory outcomes, assessed at multiple time points during the course of the study, will measure changes in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and changes in performance measure and physical activity assessed remotely through individual telehealth sessions. Data will be collected at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 9-month follow-up. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to assess the ability of long-duration low intensity therapeutic ultrasound (LITUS) to alleviate knee Osteoarthritis pain over a 24-week period. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the analgesic effect of LITUS in subjects suffering from knee Osteoarthritis pain. Secondary objectives are to assess the ability of LITUS to improve joint function. Read Less

Lyme arthritis resolves with appropriate antimicrobial treatment in a majority of patients, but 10-20% of patients develop antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis with prolonged arthritis symptoms and treatment courses. Excessive up-regulation of the inflammatory process has been shown in patients with antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis. The over-expressed pro-inflammatory cell mediators are downstream of NSAID inhibition, which would suggest initial inflammatory inhibition may be beneficial in these patients. While NSAIDs are known to reduce pro-inflammatory cell mediators early in the course of inflammation, research has shown that there are other cytokines that play a role in the healing after inflammation that are also inhibited by NSAIDs, and that NSAID use can delay healing. It is not known if scheduled NSAID therapy will reduce, increase, or have no effect on the occurrence of refractory Lyme arthritis cases. The hypothesis of the study is that prescribing scheduled NSAIDs at the time of diagnosis of Lyme arthritis can prevent the development of the excessive inflammatory phase and decrease the number of patients with antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis, or at least decrease the duration of persistent Lyme arthritis symptoms. The pilot study design randomizes patients to scheduled NSAIDs, scheduled acetaminophen, or scheduled NSAIDs x 1 week than acetaminophen. Primary outcomes are duration of arthritis symptoms, number of refractory cases, side effects and compliance. Read Less

The purpose of this trial is to investigate the efficacy and safety of dapansutrile (OLT1177®) tablets in subjects with an acute gout flare. Read Less