All Clinical Trials

The purpose of this study is to test a person-centered, nature-based non-pharmacological intervention for nursing home residents living with dementia who exhibit persistent vocalizations. The Environmental And Sensory Experience (EASE) involves the projection of a still nature image and the playing of nature sounds. Family members of the person living with dementia provide consent for the resident to participate in the study and complete a brief survey on nature preferences on the resident's behalf. The survey informs the research team on what nature scene to show. Participants will wear a watch that measures stress levels and research staff will monitor vocalization patterns. We will also recruit persons living with dementia from other settings such as assisted living, personal care units, and adult day care settings. Read Less

Hospital stays are stressful for the family and friends who care for adults with dementia. Following hospital discharge, adults with dementia often have increased care needs, which places new caregiving demands on their family and friends. Family and friends are critical to ensuring that Veterans with dementia can live safely in the community following discharge. Healthcare systems have an opportunity to support family and friends of adults with dementia by addressing dementia-specific caregiving challenges that arise during the transition from hospital to home. The investigators are comparing two different support programs for family and friends of hospitalized adults with dementia. The two programs are Hospital GamePlan4Care and Caregiver Education. Hospital GamePlan4Care was developed with feedback from people who care for Veterans with dementia. Hospital GamePlan4Care helps caregivers build skills to care for someone with dementia recently discharged from the hospital. It includes a written handbook, online training on the Hospital GamePlan4Care website, and phone calls with a dementia care specialist. The online training is tailored to the caregiver. The Caregiver Education program provides information that helps caregivers care for someone recently hospitalized. It includes a written handbook, recommendations for high-quality online resources, and phone calls with a dementia care specialist. Both programs will start when the adult with dementia is hospitalized. Each program lasts at least three months. To be eligible, the caregiver must care for a Veteran with dementia admitted to the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Caregivers interested in participating and passing eligibility screening will be enrolled in the study for at least three months. Each enrolled caregiver will have a 50% chance of being enrolled in the Hospital GamePlan4Care group or the Caregiver Education group (like flipping a coin). Both groups will be asked to complete several questionnaires about their needs as a caregiver and their well-being. Questionnaires will be completed at the beginning of the study and one and three months after the Veteran is discharged from the hospital. Each questionnaire should take 30-60 minutes to complete. Read Less

High school students who want to quit vaping will be randomized to receive the Kick-Nic! app or a control NCI website to determine the efficacy of the app for vaping cessation. Participants will be screened for eligibility, then go through an 8 week treatment period where they will be given access to use the Kick-Nic! app or referred to the NCI Quit Vaping website. This will be followed by 1, 2, 3, and 6 month follow up visits. Qualitative interviews with participants and school staff will also be conducted to obtain feedback on the app and best ways to implement/disseminate the app. Abstinence rates will be assessed biweekly during treatment including at end of treatment (EOT), and then at 1, 2, 3 and 6 month follow ups (FU). Biochemical verification (salivary cotinine \< 30 ng.ml) of self-reports of abstinence will be conducted at EOT and 6-month FU. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to perform a PEEP titration protocol and use EIT to identify the optimal PEEP at which lung overdistention and collapse are most effectively balanced. The primary and secondary aims of the study are as follows: Identify the difference between the optimal PEEP recommended by EIT metrics and the current guideline recommended approach to identifying optimal PEEP in PARDS. There will be a statistically significant difference in the recommended optimal PEEP identified using the EIT PEEP titration tool and that of the PEEP/FiO2 grid recommendations. Determine the difference in physiologic metrics between EIT optimal PEEP and the PEEP/FiO2 recommended PEEP. Participants will undergoing EIT monitoring while being subjected to PEEP titration protocol. Read Less

The purpose of this trial is to test and refine the PACTAID smart phone application in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus to help manage exercise while on automated insulin delivery systems with the goal of improving glycemic control during and after exercise as well as improving multiple other cardiovascular risk factors. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of a point ablation catheter (Farapoint, Boston Scientific) in the mapping and ablation of focal ventricular arrhythmias (premature ventricular contractions or ventricular tachycardia) using pulsed field energy. Read Less

The aim of this double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects study is to determine whether other psychoactive substances can produce experiences akin to those seen with classic psychedelics. Screening involves a medical and psychiatric examination, including blood draw, history and physical, interviews, and questionnaires. Eligible participants will then be asked to complete up to 6 experimental drug administration session during which the participants will potentially receive and report on the subjective effects of 6 different psychoactive substances or inactive placebo. Drug assignment for some sessions will be randomized (like flipping a count or rolling a pair of dice), and both participants and study staff will be blind to the drug condition on any given day. Participants will also complete 2 preparation sessions (4 hours total) before the first experimental session, and follow-up visits after each session to discuss and debrief on the participants subjective experience. Read Less

A pilot study on simulated lung scenarios using the standard manual resuscitator bag, flow limiting resuscitator bag, and an FDA approved flow rate limiting device paired with a standard manual resuscitator. Read Less

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) affects at least 40% of women in the United States. Synthetic polypropylene mid-urethral slings (MUS) are the gold standard treatment for SUI. Post-operative urinary tract infections (UTI) are one of the most common complications after MUS placement. Some studies have demonstrated that MUS placement can increase the risk of UTI up to 21-34%. Post-operative UTI can lead to significant healthcare and patient burden. This additional burden further contributes to an estimated annual cost of $1.6 billion for UTI management in the United States. With increased antibiotic usage, there is simultaneous increase in bacterial resistance leading to treatment refractory UTI. The investigators prescribe post-operative antibiotics prophylactically for 3 days after MUS placement with or without concurrent pelvic reconstructive surgery based on prior literature recommending post-operative prophylaxis. There is a greater emphasis on limiting antibiotic use given the trend of development of bacterial resistance. There are studies supporting alternatives such as methenamine for recurrent UTI prophylaxis treatment, but there are limited studies evaluating methenamine for UTI prophylaxis after MUS. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate a novel imaging approach that combines hyperpolarized 13C pyruvate magnetic resonance imaging (HP-13C-MRI) and \[¹⁸F\]Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in a single exam to improve the prognostic assessment of ischemic cardiomyopathy. The main questions this study aims to answer are: Primary Hypothesis: Can the simultaneous acquisition of HP-13C-MRI and FDG-PET data improve the metabolic, viability, and mechanical function assessment in ischemic cardiomyopathy? Primary Outcome Measure: To determine whether the combined HP-13C-MRI/FDG-PET approach provides better prognostic value for ischemic cardiomyopathy compared to current separate imaging modalities. Secondary Outcome Measures: Baseline metabolic and viability profiles in healthy individuals. Correlation of metabolic imaging with clinical outcomes in preoperative patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Longitudinal changes in myocardial metabolism post-surgery. Study Design: This is a prospective, non-blinded, single-center study utilizing a hybrid PET-MR scanner for simultaneous imaging. Participants will be divided into three groups: Healthy subjects (n=6) with normal LVEF for baseline reference. Preoperative patients (n=6) with low LVEF due to ischemic cardiomyopathy undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Post-CABG patients (n=6 at 4-6 months, n=6 at 10-12 months) to evaluate post-surgical changes. Procedures: Undergo HP-13C-MRI and FDG-PET imaging in a single session. Blood samples for metabolic biomarkers (lactate, pyruvate, triglycerides, insulin, glucose). Standard clinical cardiac imaging (Echocardiography, SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Imaging). Read Less

The study protocol is a randomized trial of standard of care therapies for severe aortic stenosis (AS) in patients with a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Namely, the therapies to which patients will be randomized will be transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), in patients deemed clinically suitable for both following heart team review. The purpose of this study is to compare the safety and efficacy of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR) for treating patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who have a congenital bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) anatomy. Patients with BAV anatomy have been under-represented in previous trials and this study might provide important information to help guide future treatment options. The study patients will be followed with standard of care procedures for 10 years. Read Less

Most of the time, body weight is evaluated by looking at the ratio of your weight to your height. This measurement is called body mass index or BMI. However, BMI does not account for what your body is actually made up of (e.g., body fat versus muscle), which may be more important for determining cardiovascular disease risk. The investigators aim to understand vascular health in females with a "healthy" BMI with differing amounts of body fat and muscle mass. We will have participants come to the lab for two different study visits. At one visit, participants will eat a meal high in fat, and at the other visit, participants will undergo a stress task. Read Less