All Clinical Trials

This trial will study different outreach methods to assess impact on enrollment of underrepresented minorities (specifically African Americans) to early phase cancer clinical treatment trials. Both patients and providers (those seeing enrolled patients) will be enrolled and receive the study interventions or no intervention (control arm). Read Less

This study will test whether potassium supplementation can reduce the deleterious effect of a high sodium diet on blood vessel function, blood pressure reactivity and autonomic nervous system function in apparently healthy adults. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a superficial cervical plexus block improves quality of recovery after thyroid surgery. Investigators will compare a superficial cervical plexus block with bupivacaine compared to an identical procedure performed saline placebo to see if there is a difference in quality of recovery on the first postoperative day. The main question to answer is: • Does a superficial cervical plexus block with bupivacaine compared to placebo improve quality of recovery in patients having thyroid surgery. Participants will: * Fill out an initial preoperative survey * Be randomized to receive a superficial cervical plexus block with bupivacaine or saline placebo while under anesthesia before the surgery starts * Fill out a survey about recovery on the first day after surgery Read Less

This clinical trial will assess whether or not blood based biomarker testing can be used to personalize cancer treatment for patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. Read Less

This pilot trial will explore the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of the most recently approved formulation of injectable extended-release buprenorphine (XR-BUP) for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural settings. We will randomize 144 eligible individuals with moderate to severe OUD in a 2:1 ratio to one of two medication conditions: (1) XR-BUP (128mg target), administered every 4 weeks or (2) SL-BUP (16mg-24 mg/day target).Participants will receive study medication treatment for the 14 week-intervention period, including an initial \~2-week period of induction/stabilization. The study will use a mixed-methods approach (participant assessments, study medication records, qualitative interviews) for assessing feasibility and acceptability, and results will include patient outcome data on the comparative effectiveness of XR-BUP versus SL-BUP for patients with OUD in rural settings. Read Less

Study Description: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) occurs predominantly in women and is driven by type I interferon dysregulation and neutrophil hyperresponsiveness. Neutrophils in females have reduced mitochondrial bioenergetic capacity which affects immunometabolism. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)+ boosting with nicotinamide riboside blunts type 1 IFN activation in-vivo in monocytes of healthy subjects and ex-vivo in SLE subjects. These findings support the proposal of the hypothesis that NAD+ boosting by NR supplementation will modulate metabolic pathways in lupus and blunt type 1 interferon signaling. Moreover, as type 1 interferon drives endothelial dysfunction, linked to increased cardiovascular risk, the effect of NR on endothelial function will be examined. Objectives: Primary Objective: Evaluate the effect of NR vs. placebo on immunometabolic and inflammatory remodeling in female SLE subjects: Exploratory Objective: Compare and characterize myeloid cell bioenergetic and immunometabolic profiles in healthy control and SLE female subjects Endpoints: Primary Endpoint: The primary end point will be to assess the effect of NR on blunting type I IFN signaling by measuring monocytic secretion of IFN-beta secretion compared to baseline in response to placebo vs. NR supplemented in SLE study subjects. Exploratory Endpoints: Healthy control vs. SLE subjects: * Compare type I IFN transcript profiles in monocytes and neutrophils at baseline and in response to activation. * Assess cell bioenergetics including: 1) monocyte and neutrophil metabolic flux mass spectroscopy of 13C-glucose and 13Cglutamine analysis to investigate their metabolic fates; (iii) Mitochondrial oxygen consumption (using glucose, amino acid, and fatty acid substrates) and glycolysis rates. SLE baseline vs. NR/placebo supplementation: Baseline vs. 6 weeks of NR/placebo: -Assess effect of NR on bioenergetics by measuring steady-state metabolite levels comparing changes in placebo vs. NR groups in monocytes and neutrophils. Baseline vs. 12 weeks of NR/placebo: * Whole blood NAD+ levels (batched and measured at the end of study enrollment period) * Explore effects of NR on gene regulation using monocyte and neutrophils by RNA-seq and chromatin remodeling analysis. * Determine the effect of NR vs placebo on endothelial dysfunction in SLE subjects Read Less

Fatigue is a prevalent and disabling symptom in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), affecting up to 90% of patients. Current treatments, including off-label prescriptions of wake-promoting agents, have shown limited effectiveness. Previous research indicates that these agents may be beneficial specifically for MS patients with concomitant excessive daytime sleepiness. This study uses a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. Participants will undergo a 10-day lead-in with he medication/placebo, followed by two four-week treatment periods separated by a one-week washout. Outcomes will be measured primarily using the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), with additional exploratory measures collected via a smartphone app that assesses fatigue through keystroke dynamics. This novel approach to fatigue measurement aims to capture real-time variations and provide more granular data than traditional self-report questionnaires. Read Less

The primary purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of single intravenous (IV) doses of PGN-EDODM1 administered to participants with Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1). The study consists of 2 periods: A Screening Period (up to 30 days) and a Treatment and Observation Period (16 weeks). Read Less

This phase III trial tests the side effects of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) compared to hypofractionated radiotherapy for treating patients with prostate adenocarcinoma that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to a limited number of sites (oligometastatic). SBRT is a type of external radiation therapy that uses special equipment to position a patient and precisely deliver radiation to tumors in the body (except the brain). The total dose of radiation is divided into smaller doses given over several days. This type of radiation therapy helps spare normal tissue. Hypofractionated radiation therapy delivers higher doses of radiation therapy over a shorter period of time and may kill more tumors cells and have fewer side effects. SBRT may work just as well as hypofractionated radiation therapy at treating patients with biochemically recurrent or oligometastatic prostate cancer, but with a shorter treatment time and possibly fewer side effects. Read Less

By doing this study, doctors hope to learn more about factors that contribute to frailty (a condition where older adults feel weak, get tired easily, and struggle more with everyday activities) and serious side effects among men over the age of 65 who will receive androgen deprivation therapy (also called "hormone therapy") for prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of their body. Participation in this research will last about 5 years. For the first year, participants will have 5 study visits where they have give blood samples, answer survey questions, and use a wearable device. After study visits are complete, there is a 4-year follow-up period. Research team will check regular doctor visits and look at participants' medical records. Read Less

The overall aim of the proposed project is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of Brief Violence Intervention-Virtual Reality (BVI-VR) for reducing firearm-related violence, re-injury, and mortality among victims of violence. Outcome measures of firearm-related violence will come from multiple sources, including criminal background checks, hospital data, state-level data, semi-structured clinical assessments, and self-report assessments. In addition, the study aims to understand the impact of BVI-VR on psychosocial mediators resulting in a reduction of firearm-related violence. This will include self-report surveys, neurocognitive assessments, and clinical assessments. The economic efficiency of BVI-VR as a firearm-related violence intervention will also evaluated. To achieve these aims, a randomized control trial (RCT) in a large sample of violently injured adults (18+ years) from VCU Health will be conducted. Read Less

This study evaluates if technical improvements in MRI can be used to provide improved performance contrast-enhanced MRI as used for angiography and perfusion as well as in non-contrast MRI. Read Less