Pennsylvania Paid Clinical Trials

To assess if vitamin D status in the elective foot and ankle fusion population affects fusion healing categorically (fused vs. un-fused). Read Less

There are very few effective interventions that promote functional independence in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias. This R21 project is the first step in the long-term goal of developing an effective, enjoyable, portable, and inexpensive non-immersive virtual reality (VR) training intervention for improving the performance of everyday tasks. The investigators' VR training approach is built upon the results of past studies that show 1) when people with AD repeatedly practice daily tasks they subsequently perform them more completely and without error; and 2) healthy people are able to transfer skills learned in VR-contexts to tasks in the real world. This R21 study will obtain preliminary data to inform a future randomized clinical trial through three aims: Aim 1) To test the hypothesis that individuals with mild-moderate AD will show improved performance on an everyday task after repeatedly practicing the task in a non-immersive VR setting; Aim 2) To explore usability and acceptability of the VR training as well as associations between individual differences variables (e.g., cognitive abilities, demographics) and training effects. To test Aim 1, 40 participants with mild to moderate AD will be recruited to complete daily VR Training sessions for one week. VR Training will include repeated practice of a single, everyday task in a non-immersive VR-context (VR Breakfast or VR Lunch; counterbalanced across participants). The primary outcome measure is performance of the real-life version of the trained task, which will be collected before and at two time points after training, compared to performance of an untrained, control task of comparable difficulty, and scored from video by coders blinded to training task/condition. To evaluate Aim 2, all participants and an informant will complete interviews and questionnaires and participants will complete tests of cognitive abilities. Usability and acceptability of the VR training will be evaluated and associations between participant variables and VR Training results will be explored. If the proposed hypothesis is supported and results show that training effects generalize from virtual to real tasks in the study sample, then VR training of custom and individualized tasks will be investigated in a future randomized, controlled clinical trial for maintaining and improving functional abilities in people with mild to moderate AD. Read Less

Difficulty completing everyday tasks is a primary reason for the high cost of care, loss of caregiver paid hours, and general caregiver burden associated with dementia. Electronic reminder applications hold promise as a low-cost solution to improve daily functioning, promote aging in place, and reduce caregiver burden and cost of care, particularly as older adults become more computer literate. There are many electronic reminders available for healthy individuals, but few have been developed to target the specific cognitive difficulties that impede completion of everyday tasks in people with dementia (i.e., premature decay of task goals, decreased motivation to perform tasks, distractibility, semantic knowledge degradation, etc.). Furthermore, there is a dearth of feasibility research on the fundamental efficacy and usability of reminder applications for people with dementia. This R21 proposal addresses these gaps with a feasibility study of the SmartPrompt, an enhanced electronic reminder aid designed for people with dementia that is used with an inexpensive smartphone. A diverse sample of older adults with mild dementia (N = 40) and their caregivers (N =40) will be trained to use the SmartPrompt and then asked to use the application to perform a target task (hydration, meals, or medication) twice per day in their homes for two weeks. Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that the SmartPrompt is effective at promoting everyday task completion (i.e., efficacy) relative to a one- week control period without the SmartPrompt. Using a single-group crossover design, efficacy outcomes will be obtained during the SmartPrompt and Control Conditions and will include participant and caregiver reports of task completion, caregiver report of burden, and participant report of frustration Aim 2 will investigate whether the SmartPrompt will be perceived favorably by participants and caregivers and the extent to which technical support is needed for its use (i.e., usability). Usability measures will be obtained from caregivers (report of technical problems, questionnaire), participants (questionnaire), the study team (training time, technical support required), and the smartphone (i.e., measures of smartphone use, response times to prompts). A third exploratory aim is to examine participant and caregiver features that are associated with efficacy and usability outcomes, including participant cognitive profile, participant/caregiver demographics, computer proficiency and self-efficacy, desire to change, etc. Results will be used to inform 1) a working model of barriers and facilitators for the use and efficacy of prompting applications that may be tested in future studies and 2) SmartPrompt design modifications for a future Phase II clinical trial. Read Less

A prospective, multicenter, single-arm, early feasibility study aimed to assess safety and performance of the Leaflex™ Performer in the treatment of patients with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis. Subjects will be seen at pre- and post procedure, discharge, 30 days and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months post procedure. Read Less

The North American Mitochondrial Disease Consortium (NAMDC) maintains a patient contact registry and tissue biorepository for patients with mitochondrial disorders. Read Less

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) has developed the Relationships, Education, Advancement, and Development for Youth for Life (READY4Life) Program. This is a 16-hour program for immigrants/refugees, ages 14 to 24. The program is designed to help young immigrants and refugees prepare for a successful life in the United States. The program is taught by USCRI program staff and is being implemented at eight sites across the U.S.: Cleveland, Ohio; Colchester, Vermont; Des Moines, Iowa; Miami, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Raleigh, North Carolina; Saint Paul, Minnesota; and Twin Falls, Idaho. The project also includes a rigorous evaluation component, featuring a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) design. Read Less

The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of escalating doses of a gene therapy called GS030-DP (injected study treatment) administered via a single intravitreal injection and repeated light stimulation using a medical device called GS030-MD (stimulating glasses) in subjects with documented diagnosis of non-syndromic Retinitis Pigmentosa Read Less

The objective of this sample collection study is to collect urine samples to validate the NEPHROCLEAR™ CCL14 Test in patients with KDIGO stage 2 or 3 AKI. This study is observational and will have no impact on the medical management of the subject. 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 evaluate the effectiveness of PriCARE/CARIÑO to reduce child maltreatment, improve parent-child interactions, and reduce harsh/neglectful parenting, parent stress, and child behaviors. Read Less

This mechanistic observational study will build on data from humans implicating TRPV1 nociceptors in the pathogenesis of the Type-17 chronic inflammatory skin disease Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). In this study, the investigators will test the hypothesis that inhibiting neuropeptide activity with botulinum toxin reduces pathogenic IL-17 inflammation, relieves pain, and improves quality of life for HS patients. Read Less

This study is looking at changes in vision and visual function before and after a six month trial of a daily medical food called GlaucoCetin, formulated with ingredients to support and protect the optic nerve cells. Open angle glaucoma patients will be randomized to receive either a placebo or the medical food for 6 months. We hope to learn if this medical food can improve the vision of our glaucoma patients and to report the findings obtained to the general public. Read Less