Pennsylvania Paid Clinical Trials

Children with blunt abdominal trauma often get a CT as the first line imaging to evaluate for intra-abdominal organ injury. CT scans have some downsides with regard to radiation exposure, costs, and need for transport. Contrast enhanced ultrasonography has recently shown some promise as a way to detect intra-abdominal organ injury and may be able to replace the need for conventional CT scanning, without the need for ionizing radiation and the ability to be performed at the bedside. Read Less

Within few years the peritoneal membrane of adult peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients undergoes substantial morphological transformation, including progressive fibrosis, vasculopathy and neoangiogenesis. Ultrafiltration capacity steadily declines and ultimately results in PD failure. In children, peritoneal biopsies demonstrating PD associated alterations have not yet been obtained. They, however, should be particularly informative, since secondary tissue and vascular pathology related to ageing or diabetes is absent. An international, prospective peritoneal membrane biopsy study in children on PD will therefore be performed. Biopsies will be obtained at time of PD catheter insertion, on occasion of intercurrent abdominal surgery (e.g. hernia repair, catheter exchange) and at time of renal transplantation. Quantitative histomorphometry and tissue protein expression analyses will be correlated with time integrated PD treatment modalities and functional characteristics as well as inflammatory and cardiovascular comorbidity surrogate parameter. Blood will be obtained during clinical routine sampling. Biopsies will be obtained during clinically indicated operations, without substantially increasing operation time and associated surgical risks. The detailed histomorphometry of the PD membrane will give additional information, potentially impacting on the individual PD regime. 3/2018: The analyses of the pediatric PD biopsy demonstrated early and major transformation of the peritoneal membrane with neutral pH low GDP fluids, and significant vasculopathy already in children with CKD stage 5, further progressing with PD. The underlying mechanisms are partly understood, only. In view of these major findings and the numerous open questions, collection of biosamples will be continued in children and also in adult PD patients. The following questions will be addressed: Molecular counterparts of peritoneal semi-permeability, solute and water transport (beyond AQP1), pathomechanisms and molecular and functional impact of peritoneal transformation with low and high GDP fluids, and the respective pathomechanisms and molecular and functional impact of vascular disease in CKD and with different PD fluids. The impact of renal transplantation following PD will be assessed in a subgroup of patients with tenckhoff catheter removal several weeks after transplantation and a functioning graft. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to see if vaccination with HLA-A2 restricted peptides, combined with the immunoadjuvant imiquimod is safe and can induce immune responses in children with recurrent ependymomas. Eligible patients are stratified by primary tumor location. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to identify the recommended dose of vudalimab to be used in combination with chemotherapy (Part 1) and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vudalimab plus standard of care chemotherapy relative to pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (Part 2) as first-line treatment in patients with nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Read Less

To find out if contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can be used to determine if patients receiving combined ICI therapy for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) are responding to treatment earlier than standard of care MR or CT. Read Less

The overall aim of this study is to see whether long-term electrical stimulation with a home-stimulation device works well and is safe for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. Open-Angle Glaucoma is a disease where the nerves in the back of your eye die off faster than expected regardless of your eye pressure. Read Less

Epithelial ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal gynecologic cancer: nearly 22,000 women are diagnosed with OC in the US annually and 63% are expected to die from their disease. The 5-year overall survival rate is unacceptably low at 20-30%, with \> 50% of patients experiencing recurrence of their disease. Recurrent, platinum-resistant OC is characterized by a low response to chemotherapy (\<10-15%) and poor prognosis, with overall survival estimated to be \<12 months. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify novel therapies to improve outcomes for patients with recurrent, platinum resistant OC. The primary focus in this trial is targeting tumor associated immunosuppressive T-regs with E7777 combined with PD-1 inhibitor, pembrolizumab. This trial will enroll patients with solid tumors in the dose escalation portion and specified cohorts in the dose expansion portion. In the Phase I portion, 18-30 patients will be enrolled. In the dose expansion portion, approximately 40 patients (20 in each cohort) will be enrolled. Given the relatively poor prognosis and limited treatment options for these patients, this population is considered appropriate for trials of novel therapeutic candidates. Read Less

The aim of this Phase 1b study is to investigate the safety and fluorescence signal of a single dose of LS301-IT, a novel fluorescence imaging agent developed by Integro Theranostics (IT), administered by slow intravenous (IV) administration in patients undergoing surgical thoracoscopy and resection of lung cancer. Safety is the primary objective of this study, followed by the evaluation of the fluorescence signal as it relates to dose level and dosing time interval. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to find out more about STXBP1 and SYNGAP1 related disorders. The information gathered by this study will be used to prepare for clinical treatment trials. The primary objective of the study is to better define and outline the clinical spectrum of STXBP1 and SYNGAP1 through detailed developmental, seizure, and quality of life assessments as an extension of routine clinical care. Read Less

This study is intended to test the feasibility of an integrated cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) skills group for adolescents and young adults at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis. The current study applies a skills group drawing from evidence-based practices (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)) to those at CHR for psychosis. Up to 30 CHR individuals (starting with a minimum of 3 participants, N accounts for attrition as well), aged 13-18, already receiving clinical services within the HOPE team at University of Pittsburgh will be offered a weekly skills group. Data collected on feasibility and outcome measures will occur pre (within 1 month) -post (up to 4-5 months) and half-way (up to 2-3 months) through the intervention. Taken together, the aim of the proposed intervention is to provide novel insights regarding the utility of a newly developed intervention that integrates both CBT and DBT skills for those at CHR for psychosis. Read Less

Prospective randomized controlled trial comparing low dose Prednisone(or Prednisolone)/Methotrexate combination to standard dose Prednisone(or Prednisolone) in patients diagnosed with acute active clinically manifest cardiac sarcoidosis and not yet treated. The Investigators hypothesize that low dose Prednisone(or Prednisolone)/Methotrexate combination will be as effective as standard dose Prednisone(or Prednisolone), and result in significantly better quality of life and less toxicity than standard dose Prednisone(or Prednisolone). Read Less

The overarching goal of this research study is to determine "proof of concept" of effect of a non-invasive sleep aid device on sleep and performance during sleep opportunities (naps) that occur during and after simulated night shift work. Aim 1: To determine the effect of the ApolloNeuro device on sleep duration, sleep architecture, blood pressure, heart rate variability, and subjective ratings of sleep quality during and after simulated night shift work. Aim 2: To determine the effect of the ApolloNeuro device on post-sleep psychomotor performance. Read Less