There are about 173942 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in United States. The country of the clinical trial is determined by the location of where the clinical research is being studied. Most studies are often held in multiple locations & countries.
MiRNAs are single-stranded small non-coding RNAs that act on specific mRNAs to regulate the gene expression. Studies have suggested that miRNAs influence cellular activities in the uterus, including cell differentiation and embryo implantation. In assisted reproductive cycles, controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) results in supraphysiological steroid levels and is associated with very low luteinizing hormone concentration during the luteal phase, the peri-implantation and implantation period. Luteal phase support, administration of medication aimed at supporting the implantation process, has been a routine practice in in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics. Luteal phase support with steroid hormone has been found to improve pregnancy rates when human menopausal gonadotropins were used in conjunction with GnRH agonists for ovarian stimulation and IVF. Reports on effect of steroid supplementation in GnRH antagonist protocols are limited. The proposed project is an extension of our previous study on Endometrial Luteal Phase Characteristics and Luteal Phase Support in Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation Protocols with Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Antagonists. The significance of this study is based on the importance of luteal phase endometrial after COS for the process of implantation. The availability of oocycte donors in assisted reproduction technology programs offers a unique opportunity to study the impact of different stimulation protocols on the quality of the luteal phase. In addition, the oocyte donor model may allow us to evaluate the impact of different luteal support protocols directly on the endometrial preparation by histological as well as biochemical markers. Study design: Study subjects underwent ovarian stimulation according to a gonadotropin/GnRH antagonist protocol. All donors had a baseline measurement of serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol levels on the second day of their menstrual cycles. Provided serum FSH levels were less than 10mIU/ml and E2 levels were less than 60pg/ml, ovarian stimulation was initiated with recombinant FSH. The daily dose was adjusted according to follicular development by serial transvaginal ultrasound and serum E2 response. A daily evening dose of ganirelix acetate was initiated on the 6th day of stimulation and continued through the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration. When at least three follicles reached a mean diameter of 18mm, ovulation was triggered with a single dose of Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Sonographically guided transvaginal oocyte retrieval was performed 34-36 hours after the hCG administration. Thirty endometrial biopsies from oocyte donors on their COS cycles will be used for the study. Study subjects have been randomized into 4 groups. Grp 1: day of retrieval, did not receive any luteal-phase support, which serves as base line; grp2: 3, 5 and 10 days after retrieval with no luteal phase support, which serves as control; grp3: 3, 5 and 10 days after retrieval, luteal phase support with progesterone in the form of vaginal suppositories starting from the day after retrieval; grp4: daily oral dose of 2 mg 17β-estradiol in addition to the micronized progesterone. Immediately after the endometrial biopsy all specimens were stored in liquid nitrogen tanks at -196°C. Total RNA will be isolated and microarray will be performed using an Illumina miRNA expression panel. Array results will be compiled and analyzed focusing on the following aspects: the target genes of prominent miRNAs, miRNA profile in relation to target gene pathways; miRNA expression profile in relation to endometrial dating and status; effect of luteal phase support on miRNA expression after ovarian stimulation. Minimum of 3 miRNA arrays will be run for each sample for the purpose of statistical analysis. A total of 30 arrays will be needed for all samples from all groups. In this study, the investigators pose three questions: 1) How many and what types of miRNAs are in the endometrium during ovarian stimulation? This is to identify miRNAs and associated target genes that are relevant for endometrium receptivity; 2) Do levels of miRNA expression change during the luteal phase, or during the window of implantation? This is to examine the dynamics of miRNAs that are associated with remodeling process of endometrium; and 3) Do luteal phase support alter miRNA expression in the luteal phase? This is to investigate the steroid effect on miRNA regulation. The investigators hypothesize that many critical genes related to implantation are regulated by miRNAs. This research effort will potentially advance our knowledge of endometrial characteristics after COS and the impact of sex steroid supplementation. Overall the study should help better understand the genetic control of implantation. Completion of this study may also provide measurable scientific evidence and useful information for the management of IVF cycles.
The purpose of this study is to determine the pharmacokinetics and safety of inhaled vancomycin in patients with cystic fibrosis.
It has been hypothesized that one of the benefits of bosentan relates to pulmonary vascular remodeling. The investigators believe that this study will help document the nature of beneficial changes that occur in patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) in response to bosentan therapy. In turn, demonstrating that changes in pulmonary vascular structure and function accompany clinical improvement.
The primary purpose of the current study is to rigorously test the psychometric properties of the INQ-12 and ACSS (Van Orden et al., 2008) in Veterans, something which has not been done to date. Factor structure, internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity will all be assessed. Secondary goals are to determine if burdensomeness, failed belongingness, and acquired capability are distinct versus overlapping constructs and whether or not values mediate the relationship between reasons for living and suicide risk. Lastly, the inclusion of the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS) allows us to analyze participants' responses to explore whether or not participants can be grouped into those who want to die by suicide because they want to escape their problems and those who want to die to influence other people.
Ceftazidime is a broad spectrum cephalosporin with high activity against a variety of Gram-negative pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. An open-label study of intravenous ceftazidime pharmacokinetics will be performed in patients undergoing intermittent hemodialysis at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to determine the clearance of ceftazidime in high flux hemodialysis.
The purpose of this trial is to determine what will be the optimal imaging protocol for Head and Neck Cancer patients after [F-18] HX4 injection. This study will provide guidance for future studies involving [F-18]HX4 in cancer patients.
The investigators propose a test of causality by examining a cohort of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) within the ventral striatum. The investigators will examine behavior on and off stimulation across a range of tasks that index different forms of impulsivity. Patients will be studied in both the ON and OFF state - that is, they will be tested during active deep brain stimulation and 30 min to 1 hour after stimulation has been stopped (order of state will be counterbalanced across subjects). The investigators specific aim is to test the hypothesis that enhancing ventral striatal signaling (i.e. ON-state DBS) will cause more impulsive patterns of behavior across several impulsivity tasks. The investigators predict that ventral striatal DBS will increase stop-signal reaction time on the stop-signal task and commission errors on the Go/NoGo task, and increase delay aversion in a delay discounting paradigm.
The investigators will conduct a prospective cohort study to compare an automated sepsis severity score to a conventional clinical prediction rule to risk stratify patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) with suspected infection for 28 day in-hospital mortality.
The objective is to compare the progression of Atrial Fib (AF) burden by continuous monitoring in patients with recently diagnosed paroxysmal AF treated by catheter ablation (PVI) versus anti-arrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy.
The purpose of the research is to perform a quality assurance evaluation using randomized prospective analysis the rate of orbital cellulitis as a complication of nonsurgical orbital blowout fracture in patients treated versus not treated with prophylactic antibiotics. The investigators goal is to show the use of prophylactic antibiotics in orbital blowout fractures does not significantly decrease the rate of orbital cellulitis and is thus not indicated.