Healthy Clinical Trials in Columbus, OH

The proposed research is a feasibility pilot trial designed to optimize the remote collection dried blood spots (DBS) from a finger stick and the analysis of fatty acid from the DBS and to optimize the analysis of mitochondria activity (or energy metabolism) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or white blood cell samples. Participants in this study will provide a blood sample from venous blood draw and finger sticks. One finger stick collection will be completed remotely using a DBS kit that is sent through the mail while the other finger stick collection will be completed at the research site. These samples will be use to optimize the method for measuring fatty acids and mitochondria function as well as measure other lipids, insulin, glucose and markers of inflammation using established protocols. Demographic, dietary, sleep, and physical activity information will be measured using questionnaires, while height and weight will be measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). Read Less

This study will compare the algae oil fortified soymilk to a commercial algae oil capsule containing the same base oil with the goal of demonstrating equivalent or greater accumulation of EPA and DHA in blood lipid pools. Read Less

The investigators are studying a new rehabilitation treatment for individuals trying to recover walking after spinal cord injury (SCI). The investigators will test conditions in the blood and spinal fluid to determine the best time to start this new training program. This will include checking for certain features called biomarkers by testing participants' spinal fluid and blood and compare these features to individuals without SCI. These features will help investigators determine when to start the new training program, either right away or waiting for 3 months. The new training program uses walking downhill on a slight slope on a treadmill while muscles that are not working normally are stimulated to contract using low levels of electricity. Adding this stimulation will allow people to practice walking and other skills even though full muscle control has not recovered. This new program will be in addition to any other rehabilitation therapy and will not replace standard rehabilitation. The hope is to see if downhill training with muscle stimulation, when delivered at the most ideal time, will improve trunk and leg movement, walking, and overall function. This recovery of movement and function will be compared to people with SCI receiving standard rehabilitation alone. Certain regions of the brain and spinal cord will also be studied using MRI scans to determine if these are affected by the training and compare to individuals without SCI. The total length of the study for SCI participants will be up to 16 weeks if in the standard of care group and up to 33 weeks if in the trained group. Healthy control participants will be involved for 1-2 visits. Read Less

Every participant will receive Metaxalone in two (2) stages, one week after the other. A single dose of each Metaxalone dose will be taken one (1) time after a high fat meal which must be eaten within 30 minutes. Every participant will be given written tests to measure drowsiness, reaction time and thinking process and will also be asked to take walking tests to assess fall risk. Participation in this study will last approximately 2-4 weeks. Read Less

Lower attainment of cardiovascular health (CVH), indicated by the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7; physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, smoking, glycemia) and Life's Essential 8 (LE8; LS7+sleep) metrics, is a major contributor to Black men having the shortest life-expectancy of any non-indigenous race/sex group. Unfortunately, a paucity of literature exists on interventions aimed at improving CVH among Black men. The team of clinician scientists and community partners co-developed a community-based lifestyle intervention titled Black Impact: a 24-week intervention for Black men with less-than-ideal CVH (\<4 LS7 metrics in the ideal range) with 45 minutes of weekly physical activity, 45 minutes of weekly health education, and engagement with a health coach, group fitness trainer, and community health worker. Single-arm pilot testing of the intervention (n=74) revealed high feasibility, acceptability, and retention and a 0.93 (95% confidence interval: 0.40, 1.46, p\<0.001) point increase in LS7 score at 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes included improvements in psychosocial stress (i.e., perceived stress, depressive symptoms), patient activation, and social needs. Thus, robustly powered clinical trials are needed to determine the efficacy of Black Impact and to evaluate the underlying interpersonal and molecular pathways by which Black Impact improves psychosocial stress and CVH. Thus, the investigators propose a randomized, wait-list controlled trial of Black Impact. This novel, community-based intervention to provide a scalable model to improve CVH and psychosocial stress at the population level and evaluate the biological underpinnings by which the intervention mitigates cardiovascular disease risk. The proposed study aligns with American Heart Association's commitment to addressing CVH equity through innovative, multi-modal solutions. Read Less