Philadelphia, PA Paid Clinical Trials

Children with frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome (FRNS) are exposed to prolonged courses of steroids and other immunosuppressant medications. Given the adverse side effect profiles and variable efficacy of these medications, there is an urgent need to identify novel and safe therapies to treat nephrotic syndrome in children. Stimulation of the vagus nerve, which can be activated non invasively by transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), has immunomodulatory effects mediated by the inflammatory reflex and spleen. taVNS has become a therapy of interest for treating chronic immune mediated illnesses. The aims of the study are (1) To determine the feasibility of protocol implementation and tolerability of taVNS in the treatment of nephrotic syndrome in children (2) To establish proof-of-concept and generate statistical estimates of variance parameters and effect sizes for treatment response outcomes in children with nephrotic syndrome randomized to taVNS therapy compared with sham therapy (3) To investigate the effects of taVNS on inflammatory markers in children with nephrotic syndrome. Read Less

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD), or chronic lung disease of prematurity, is the most consequential complication of preterm birth and is strong predictor of childhood pulmonary and neurodevelopmental disability, particularly in infants diagnosed with grade 3 BPD (ventilator dependence at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age), the most severe disease form. This study aims to (1) generate the first empirically defined phenotype classification system for grade 3 BPD developed using a rich array of objective and quantitative cardiopulmonary diagnostic, clinical, and biological data; and (2) define the association between phenotype subgroups and neurodevelopmental and respiratory outcomes through 2 years' corrected age. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and tolerability of intravenous (IV) brincidofovir (BCV; SyB V-1901) 0.2 mg/kg, 0.3 mg/kg or 0.4 mg/kg dosed twice weekly (BIW) or 0.4 mg/kg dosed once weekly (QW) for 4 weeks in subjects with AdV, and IV BCV in subjects with CMV Read Less

This is an observational case-control study of tissues collected from women with ER+HER2- breast cancers. The immune environments of these cancers will be compared to triple negative and HER2+ breast cancers. No randomization or changes to standard of care treatment will occur as part of the study. Read Less

This clinical research protocol is intended to allow for bone marrow aspirate/biopsy and blood specimens to be collected for research purposes, specifically allowing subjects the option of sedation during the bone marrow procedure. Samples will be banked for future research related to cancer and other diseases. Researchers hope this protocol will improve the collection of research correlative and translational biopsy specimens for clinical research. Read Less

The Managed Problem Solving (MAPS) behavioral intervention is an EBP for behavior change in people living with HIV (PLWH). The investigators propose that MAPS can be delivered by trained Community Health Workers (CHWs). The use of CHWs to deliver MAPS is justified by their ability to develop trusting relationships with their clients and the need for task shifting in busy clinics. In order to also address retention in care, the investigators will adapt MAPS to also focus on problem solving activities tailored toward retention in care (now termed MAPS+). CHWs will be located in clinics to implement MAPS+ to improve viral suppression and care retention in PLWH. Data-to-care allows for identification of people who are lost to care and link these patients back to care. Currently, medication adherence and retention in HIV care are not targeted in data-to-care so the investigators will build on this approach to facilitate the identification of PLWH who are out of care and not virally suppressed to offer them MAPS+. The set of implementation strategies include task-shifting the delivery of MAPS+ to CHWs, providing the CHWs training and ongoing support, and increasing communication between the CHWs and medical care team via standardized protocols. The investigators will conduct a hybrid type II effectiveness-implementation trial with a stepped-wedge cluster randomized design in 12 clinics to test MAPS+ compared to usual care using a set of implementation strategies that will best support implementation. Each clinic will be randomized to one of three implementation start times. Baseline (usual care) data will be collected from each clinic for 6 months, followed by MAPS+ and the package of implementation strategies for 12 months, in three cohorts of 4 clinics each. Aim 1 will test the effectiveness of MAPS+ on clinical effectiveness outcomes, including viral suppression (primary) and retention (secondary). Aim 2 will examine the effect of the package of implementation strategies on reach. Implementation cost will also be measured. Aim 3 will apply a qualitative approach to understand processes, mechanisms, and sustainment of the implementation approach. The results will guide future efforts to implement behavioral EBPs across the HIV care continuum, consistent with the "treat" pillar of EHE, and move the science of implementation services, consistent with NIH strategic priorities. Read Less

This study evaluates the safety and effectiveness of the da Vinci Surgical Systems in prophylactic Nipple Sparing Mastectomy procedures. Read Less

PREVENTABLE is a multi-center, randomized, parallel group, placebo-controlled superiority study. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to atorvastatin 40 mg or placebo. This large study conducted in community-dwelling older adults without cardiovascular disease (CVD) or dementia will demonstrate the benefit of statins for reducing the primary composite of death, dementia, and persistent disability and secondary composites including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and cardiovascular events. Read Less

The purpose of the Vivistim Registry for Paired VNS Therapy (GRASP) is to gather real-world information on patients with arm and hand deficits post-stroke who are considering Vivistim System treatment. Before and after Vivistim System implant, patient data will be collected and reported throughout the therapy process. Physicians or sites will receive appropriate remuneration for the effort and cost involved in collecting and transmitting this data to MicroTransponder Inc. Read Less

This study is being conducted together by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Lyssn.io, Inc., ("Lyssn"), a technology start-up developing digital tools to support evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for mental health disorders and addiction. This study will implement a technology to assess and enhance the quality of EBPs like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that includes a user interface geared to clinical, supervision, and administrative workflows and needs, and then assess this technology for effectiveness in comparison to usual care. There is a tremendous global burden of mental illness: Over 50 million American adults have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and major depression on its own is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In the face of this burden, clinical research has documented a variety of effective EBPs (e.g. CBT), and these psychotherapies are utilized on a massive scale. Systems have invested over $2 billion in training providers in specific EBPs. Once trained, however, therapists' adherence to the EBP, also called fidelity, is both crucial for effectiveness and difficult to assess. There is no scalable method to assess the fidelity and quality of EBPs in community practice settings. This is a foundational problem for healthcare systems. Advances in speech processing and machine learning make technology a promising solution to this problem. The use of technology - instead of humans - to evaluate EBPs means that objective, performance-based feedback can be provided quickly, efficiently, cost-effectively, and without human error. If successful, the present research will be among the first examples of a method for building, monitoring, and assessing the quality of therapy that can scale up to large, real-world healthcare settings. In this study, the investigators will implement an existing, fully-functional prototype (LyssnCBT) that includes a user interface geared to community mental health (CMH) clinical, supervision, and administrative workflows and needs, and then assess for effectiveness of psychotherapy supported by LyssnCBT in comparison to usual care. This study will implement LyssnCBT in 5 community mental health agencies, beginning with a single-arm pilot field trial to identify and address any specific barriers to implementing the tool in a community mental health context. The study team will then conduct a larger study in community mental health agencies comparing LyssnCBT to services as usual. Read Less

Despite the widespread use of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), the HIV epidemic continues to impact racial and ethnic minority populations disproportionately. Although Black/African American persons account for 13% of the U.S. population, they account for 41% of new HIV diagnoses and experience the lowest rates of retention in HIV care and viral suppression (VS) compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Structural racism and discrimination (SRD) likely contribute to racial disparities in HIV outcomes. Although the outpatient setting is a vitally important aspect of care provision for PLWH, there are limited data on the impact of intra-organizational SRD on HIV outcomes. Longitudinal engagement in HIV care is needed for sustained VS, decreased community transmission of HIV. The organizational social context (OSC) includes organizational culture (organizational norms and values that drive quality of care), organizational climate (perception of the culture and how it impacts personal well-being), and workers' attitudes. Using a randomized controlled trial, we will implement ARC (Accessibility, Responsiveness, Continuity) to improve organizational behavior and reduce racial disparities in HIV outcomes for PLWH. ARC is an evidence-based intervention that uses three strategies (ARC principles, ARC component tools, and ARC mental models) to create OSCs that support the implementation of interventions to improve patient outcomes. Clinics will be randomized to ARC (n = 2) or standard of care (SOC; n= 2). Those assigned to ARC will address SRD occurring at the organizational level affecting care, including referral and treatment patterns for PLWH. A pre-implementation period will be followed by ARC and ARC-associated implementation strategies for 36 months and then a 12-month post-implementation period where we will continue to measure HIV outcomes in both arms. We will compare HIV outcomes, namely VS and retention in care, and intermediate outcomes, such as linkage to mental health treatment and staff turn-over in clinics assigned to ARC and SOC. We will also evaluate whether individual (self-efficacy, perceived discrimination) and organizational factors (OSC and cohesion of OSC measures) mediate the relationship between ARC, intermediate, and HIV outcomes. In preparation to the RCT, we will evaluate baseline OSC measures across 12 HIV clinics in Philadelphia and determine aspects of the OSC associated with VS and retention in care in a multi-level model adjusting for neighborhood SRD, patient-level factors, and clustering of patients nested in clinics and neighborhoods. We will then test the effectiveness of ARC in improving a primary outcome of VS and secondary outcome of retention in care at the end of the implementation period. We will examine the acceptability, sustainability, and cost of implementing ARC in outpatient HIV care. This research will advance understanding of the impact of SRD on HIV treatment outcomes and health services research and the implementation of a disseminable evidence-based practice aimed at reducing SRD. Read Less

The current protocol is to determine the biodistribution, metabolism, excretion and brain uptake of 11C HY-2-15. The goal of this radiotracer is to quantify alpha-synuclein that is abnormally deposited in the brain of people with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). The investigators will compare uptake in people with MSA with people with Parkinson disease (PD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) as well as healthy volunteers. This multicenter project funded by an NIH U19 grant, is centered at U Pennsylvania (Penn, Grant PI: Robert Mach) in collaboration with U Pittsburgh (Pitt) (not a clinical site), Yale U, U of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and Washington University in St. Louis (WU). The University of Pennsylvania will act as the sIRB for this multi-center human subjects project and participants will be recruited from all sites. Read Less