Healthy Clinical Trials in Philadelphia, PA

This research study is being done to learn more about inflammation in the brain using Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) imaging in people with Alzheimer's Disease/Mild Cognitive Impairment or healthy controls. If the subject agrees to be in this study, she/ he will have a PET/CT scan using the investigational radiotracer [18F]NOS. A subject with a specific genetic polymorphism may also agree to be in the sub-study in which she/he will have another PET/CT scan using the investigational tracer [11C]PBR28 for comparison with the FNOS [18F]NOS scan. For subjects who agree to this sub-study they may undergo the brain PET/CT scan with [11C]PBR28 either on the same day as the [18F]NOS PET/CT or on another day. The subject may have a screening visit before the PET/CT scan visit if the investigator needs to confirm the subject is able to be in the study. A blood sample will be taken before the scans. Additional blood samples will be taken during the PET scans. Subjects must also agree to have an MRI scan for this research study if she/he has not had a recent scan that the study doctor decides can be used for this study. Read Less

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a procedure that uses a special type of machine to take pictures of the inside of the body after a radioactive drug is administered. The radioactive drug that is used for this study may be an FDA approved imaging drug or may be used as an investigational imaging drug as part of another study for which participants are taking part. PET using various radiotracers is useful for the diagnosis of various diseases, including cancer, brain diseases, infection, and heart or lung disease. The purpose of this study is to test a research PET machine called the PennPET Explorer long-axial field-of-view scanner. This research PET machine can image a larger section of the body than the current clinical PET scanners, allowing most of the body to be imaged at one time. This scanner is still an investigational device and is being tested in this study to collect more information about how best to use this type of whole body scanner. Read Less

The purpose of this research is to measure the extent of lung inflammation between different groups of participants using a radioactive tracer called [18F]NOS. A radioactive tracer is a type of imaging drug that is labeled with a radioactive tag and injected into the body. Read Less

This is a Phase 1, open-label, single center, dose escalation study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of mAb AZD5396 and mAb AZD8076 following delivery of optimized dMAb AZD5396 and dMAb AZD8076 with Hylenex® Recombinant, administered by intramuscular injection (IM) followed immediately by electroporation (EP) using the CELLECTRA® 2000 with Side Port needle device, in a 2-dose regimen (Days 0 and 3) or a 4-dose regimen (Days 0, 3, 28 and 31) in healthy adults. The hypothesis is that the administration of dMAb AZD5396 and dMAb AZD8076 will be safe and associated with expression of mAb AZD5396 and mAb AZD8076 in serum. Read Less

High food motivation among children is trait-like and increases risks of unhealthy dietary intake and obesity. Scientific knowledge of how parenting can best support healthy eating habits and growth among children who are predisposed to overeating is surprisingly limited. This investigation will identify supportive food parenting approaches for obesity prevention that address the needs of highly food motivated children. Read Less

Healthy adult subjects will participate in two sessions. The first session will involve measurements of brain activity using simultaneous recordings with electroencephalography (EEG) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). During brain activity measurement, participants will perform cognitive tasks assessing attention. The second will involve fMRI-based neurofeedback during simultaneous EEG-fMRI recording. Participants will receive real-time visual feedback of signals measured from specific parts of their brain and will try to control that activity. Read Less

This study will enroll up to 60 adults (including 30 females and 30 males) in three cohorts of up to 20 subjects each. In all three groups, [11C]carfentanil whole-body PET imaging will be used to examine the central nervous system (CNS) and broader systemic opioid binding in an initial scan session. In the two groups not receiving standard of care medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) the effects on [11C]carfentanil binding potential of the blockade of opioid binding by the non-selective opioid antagonist naloxone administered parenterally in a second scan session will also be examined. If two scans are completed they can be done on the same day or on different days. Read Less

The purpose of this research is to measure alterations in anxiety and brain activity associated with the use of an approved health device called Transauricular Vagal Nerve Stimulation (TaVNS) in distressed persons who work in a health care and distressed healthcare workers in the the Philadelphia, PA region. The Investigators will be using functional magnetic resonance imaging (or fMRI) to measure changes in each subject's brain function during the use of VNS. This study is designed to allow researchers to understand the changes in cerebral (brain) activity that occur when a subject uses VNS. Thus, the primary goal of the proposed study is to evaluate the ability of the TaVNS system to reduce distress and change neurophysiology among health care providers. The Investigators, hypothesize that using the TaVNS device will help reduce distress in individuals. In order to understand the mechanisms of change that occur while using the VNS study, the Investigators have added a substudy of participants who do not experience high levels of distress to evaluate the effects of the functional changes that may occur in the brain while using the TaVNS device. In addition to the primary aims of the overalll study to assess distress in workers while enrolled in a TaVNS program, a subgroup of 50 subjects will undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while using the VNS device to assess the changes in the brain including neurophysiological effects of TaVNS. The goal of this substudy is to observe the changes in the brain while using the TaVNS earbuds in the MRI to increase our understanding of the mechanisms and processing involved while using TaVNS. In this substudy, which is amendment version 3.0, the investigators have increased the number of persons to include 50 subjects who will use the device in the MRI to evaluate the neural processes and cerebral blood flow while using TaVNS. Read Less

The goal of this study is to test the Organizational Partnerships for Healthy Living (OPAHL) intervention through a feasibility and acceptability trial. OPAHL is an innovative, multilevel intervention package intended for health care organizations serving people living with HIV (PLWH). It was developed through a prior study (grant #: R21 MH115820) using intervention mapping methodology and community-scientific collaborative boards. OPAHL consists of: 1) training (7/8hours) for all MLP staff (clinical, social and behavioral services, and legal) on HIV continuum of care, health harming legal risks and needs, and MLP structure and operations to ensure that an integrated and collaborative environment is established from the earliest stages of the program; 2) case management training on the legal continuum of care; 3) embedding of legal expertise within regularized case management team meetings; 4) co-location of legal services in health care agencies through MLP inter-organizational partnership within 3 months; and 5) organizationally tailored implementation of best-practice communication and information-sharing protocols among providers within MLP, anchored in patient autonomy and choice. The specific aims of this study are: 1) to refine the OPAHL intervention prototype for implementation with PLWH with detectable viral loads and 2) to test the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects sizes of OPAHL. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, the study will also explore MLP opportunities that respond at the intersection of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 prevention and treatment. Read Less

This is an observational study exploring the performance of a novel point-of-care diagnostic testing platform designed to quantitate the presence of liver function biomarkers such as bilirubin. Blood samples will be collected from participants to further development and validation of the testing platform to support FDA review. The diagnostic device is intended to provide rapid in-office test results using a finger stick of blood, a reaction test device, and a smartphone app. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to test different methods of preparation that can be used prior to a test called an FDG PET/CT scan. FDG PET/CT scans are routinely done for evaluation of heart inflammation. Standard preparation for the scan includes a ketogenic (high fat and low carbohydrate) diet for 24 hours and overnight fasting to help suppress the amount of sugar taken up in the heart muscle. However, Investigator still do not know if this preparation is the most effective method. So the Investigator, want to investigate alternative methods for decreasing the amount of sugar uptake seen in the heart during FDG PET/CT scan, thus, investigator will have participants try up to 3 different methods of preparation prior to the FDG PET/CT scans to see which type of preparation works the best. Read Less