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.
Girls with spina bifida also have bladder problems. This is because they need temporary placement of a tube into the bladder to remove urine. This thin flexible tube is called a catheter. It can increase the risk of having bacteria in the urine. This in turn can lead to urinary tract infection (UTI). Some girls with spina bifida are given antibiotics. These are medicines used to treat infections caused by bacteria. The medicine is used to prevent UTI. However, long-term treatment with these medicines can have side effects. For example, the bacteria may become resistant to the antibiotics. Also, bacteria in the urine can persist. UTI can still occur in patients on antibiotics. UTI in girls occurs because bacteria migrate from the rectum to the vagina area. This gives the bacteria access to the bladder. Also, in girls with spina bifida, the access to the bladder is easier because of the catheter. Probiotics are friendly bacteria. They are available as dietary supplements and as food. They contain helpful bacteria. Yogurt is an example of a food that contains probiotics. The purpose of this study is to find out, if probiotics taken for 6 months can prevent UTI in girls with spina bifida. We will also try to find out whether changes in urine bacteria are associated with the taking of the probiotics. A vaginal and rectal swab will also be done to find out if taking probiotics has any benefits on preventing bacteria.
RATIONALE: Gathering information about symptom management from patients with localized prostate cancer may help doctors improve patients' quality of life. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying symptom management in African-American men with localized prostate cancer.
Objectives: Male factor infertility is poorly understood and our ability to evaluate the male contribution to a couple's infertility is very limited. The overarching goal of this project is to understand at the molecular level what functional activities in human sperm are required for successful fertilization leading to full term development. These findings will allow us to develop new methods to determine the impact of environmental exposures on sperm quality and male fertility. A sperm protein known as phospholipase C zeta (PLC zeta) initiates embryo development at fertilization. The primary objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that human PLC zeta activity correlates directly with the proportion of fertilized eggs that undergo early cleavage during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. Secondary objectives for the study are to generate preliminary data regarding the variability in sperm PLC zeta activity within and between individuals and to determine if there are clinical or laboratory correlates for sperm PLC zeta activity. Study population: The study population will consist of 178 infertile couples undergoing IVF procedures at Duke Fertility Center (DFC) from which we will obtain 154 evaluable couples for the study. Overall Design: An observational cohort study design will be used to assess the association of PLC zeta activity in the residual sperm from the sample used for an IVF cycle with the proportion of eggs per couple that undergo early cleavage during the same cycle. Infertile couples enrolling in an IVF treatment cycle at DFC will be approached for inclusion in the study. Consent will be obtained from both male and female partners, and historical medical information and information about their IVF cycle will be collected by chart review. Blood for isolation of serum and DNA will be collected only from the male partner for evaluation of hormone levels and genetic analyses related to infertility. On the day of the egg retrieval, residual sperm not needed for clinical purposes will be transported via courier to NIEHS. Sperm PLC zeta activity will be measured in the investigator's laboratory using an experimental bioassay. Sperm PLC zeta protein will be analyzed at the University of Massachusetts. Outcome Parameters: The primary outcome will be the proportion of embryos that undergo early cleavage. Secondary outcomes will include proportion of eggs fertilized, embryo development parameters, and p...
Influenza is a common infection of the upper airways and lungs, and is caused by viruses. Cancer patients may need a stronger influenza vaccine than the general population to protect against influenza. The experimental vaccine is designed to be 9 times stronger than the standard vaccine, which may cause a stronger immune response against influenza in patients with a weakened immune system. The goal of this study is to compare the effects of a new experimental influenza vaccine to the effects of the standard influenza vaccine. One hundred bone marrow recipients, adult volunteers from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, 18 years of age or older, will participate in this study. They will be randomly (by chance) assigned to receive 2 doses of either the standard licensed influenza vaccine or the experimental influenza vaccine. Participants will be asked to complete 5 study visits and 3 telephone contacts. Study procedures include blood draws. The duration of participation is about 6 months.
Chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder and treatment response to pharmacological interventions has been modest for these patients. Chronic elevated anxiety and associated psychophysiological parameters including increased heart rate and alterations in skin conductance are key symptoms of chronic PTSD. Antidepressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) or norepinephrine-serotonin re-uptake inhibitors are considered treatment of first choice for these patients, however a substantial portion of patients do not respond sufficiently (Zhang and Davidson 2007). Therefore, there is a need to establish novel and effective add-on treatment strategies for these patients. Recently, atypical neuroleptics have received considerable attention since it was shown in multiple controlled and naturalistic trials that these medications are an effective treatment option for patients with PTSD (Davis et al 2006). In chronic PTSD, the psychophysiological responses at baseline and in response to treatment have yet been inadequately studied and may provide novel insight into antidepressant and anxiolytic mechanisms of medications used in the treatment of PTSD. Therefore, in addition to evaluating the antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of paliperidone, a novel atypical neuroleptic, in the treatment of PTSD, we also aim to compare neurophysiological responses at baseline with post-treatment effects in antidepressant-refractory PTSD patients. Primary Aim 1: Evaluate the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of paliperidone in patients with PTSD. Secondary Aim 2: Evaluate the effects of paliperidone on fear conditioned psychophysiological responses (including startle eyeblink, skin conductance, and cardiovascular inter-beat interval) at baseline and after 6 weeks of naturalistic treatment in chronic PTSD patients.
The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy, predictability and safety of the Advanced CustomVue™ iLASIK procedure (WaveScan WaveFront® System, STAR S4 IR™ Excimer Laser System and IntraLase™ FS System).
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common lethal autosomal recessive disease among Caucasians. While the pulmonary disease in CF receives most of the attention, gastrointestinal diseases occur in >95% of CF individuals and can contribute to significant morbidity, mortality and a decreased quality of life. The abdominal pain in CF is usual chronic in nature, and the etiology is not usually found, despite medical testing for standard causes of abdominal pain. Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is increasingly being recognized as the etiology of peptic ulcer disease and other upper and lower gastrointestinal tract diseases.1 The role that Hp plays in CF abdominal pain has not been elucidated. Our long-term goal is to understand relationship between chronic HP infection and abdominal pain in pediatric CF patients. The specific objective of this proposal is to utilize current state-of-the-art testing for HP to determine the prevalence of Hp in our CF patients age 5 and older. The central hypothesis is that Cystic fibrosis subjects with significant abdominal pain will have an increased incidence of Helicobacter pylori as determined by the urea breath test and stool antigen test. The rationale for the proposed research is that once we elucidate a causal relationship between CF patients with abdominal pain and Hp, we can begin treatment of this infection to improve quality of life.
The intent of this protocol is to salvage human-related material that is normally destined for destruction, so it can be used in infection-related scientific studies.
Numerous organisms live on and in healthy human skin. This study seeks to survey the diversity of this complex ecosystem by collecting samples from approximately 1000 individuals in order to determine the type of organisms living on their skin.
RLIP76 (Ral binding protein1) is a 76 kDa splice variant protein encoded by the human gene (RALBP1, 18p11.22). It is a multifunctional modular protein found ubiquitously from Drosophila to humans, in cells ranging from red blood cells to endothelial cells of the brain. Its expression more predominant in breast, heart, liver and less so in colon and brain parenchyma.