Clinical trials

Emergency department visits provide an opportunity to identify people with undiagnosed, untreated, or uncontrolled high blood pressure. In Reach Out, we will test whether a mobile health intervention yields a greater reduction in blood pressure than usual care among individuals identified with high blood pressure during a safety-net emergency department visit. Subsequently, we will estimate the reduction in heart attack, stroke, and dementia if Reach Out were implemented across all U.S. safety-net emergency departments.

This is a feasibility trial of a digital mental health intervention aimed at adolescents (ages 14-18) with nonsuicidal self-injury and who are not currently engaged in mental health treatment. The study has two arms: a self-guided DMHI and an active control which will involve the delivery of non-interactive psychoeducational content via the same app interface. The primary goals of this project are to evaluate the feasibility of the intervention and trial procedures in preparation for a fully-powered randomized-controlled trial.

This phase II trial evaluates an imaging technique (rhPSMA-7.3 positron emission tomography \[PET\]/computed tomography \[CT\]) for detecting prostate cancer in patients who have increasing prostate-specific antigen levels following prior treatment (biochemical recurrence) but who were prostate specific membrane antigen negative on their most recent PET scan. Contrast agents like rhPSMA-7.3 (also called POSLUMA) circulate in the blood until they find their intended target. Once they are taken up by the target tumor cells, they can be visualized using PET/CT cameras. A PET scan is a procedure in which a small amount of radioactive tracer (in this case rhPSMA-7.3) is injected into a vein, and a scanner is used to make detailed, computerized pictures of areas inside the body where the tracer is taken up. Because tumor cells often take up more tracer than normal cells, the pictures can be used to find tumor cells in the body. A CT scan is a procedure that uses a computer linked to an x-ray machine to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. The pictures are taken from different angles and are used to create 3-dimensional views of tissues and organs. Combining a PET scan with a CT scan can help make the image easier to interpret. PET/CT scans are hybrid scanners that combine both modalities into a single scan during the same examination. The researchers want to determine whether the rhPSMA7.3 PET/CT scan is useful for detecting biochemically recurrent prostate cancer in patients who were negative on prior non-POSLUMA PET imaging.

Breast cancer is not only the leading cause of cancer in women, but also the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Estrogen receptor-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer is the most prevalent breast cancer subtype. Endocrine therapy is the mainstay of treatment; however, due to the varied nature of the disease, development of resistance to this therapeutic approach is very common in the metastatic setting. The purpose of this study is to see whether the effectiveness of elacestrant can be enhanced by combining it with a targeted agent such as a CDK4/6 inhibitor to treat patients with ER+/HER2- or metastatic breast cancer with prior exposure to a CDK4/6 inhibitor.

This clinical trial evaluates whether positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI) using the radioactive drug radiohybrid prostate-specific membrane antigen (rhPSMA)-7.3 may help in detecting higher grade or stage disease in men with low and favorable intermediate risk prostate cancer who are candidates for active surveillance. A PET scan is a test that uses a radioactive drug and a computer to create images of how organs and tissues in the body are functioning. The radioactive drug used in this study, rhPSMA-7.3, attaches to the abnormal cells in the body at a different rate than normal cells which allows the scanner to create a detailed picture of how the body is working. An MRI scan uses strong magnets and computers to create detailed images of the soft tissue in your body. A multiparametric (mp)MRI is a type of MRI scan that creates a more detailed picture of the prostate gland. Using rhPSMA-73 with PET-MRI and mpMRI may be more effective in detecting higher grade or stage disease in men with low and favorable intermediate risk prostate cancer.

The purpose of this study is to to compare photodynamic therapy (PDT) versus the combination of Jessner's solution and 35% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) chemical peels for the treatment of actinic keratoses on upper extremities. This is a randomized clinical trial. Approximately 60 participants with actinic keratoses on both upper arms will be randomized to have one arm receive photodynamic therapy, while the contralateral arm receives Jessner's solution followed immediately by 35% TCA. AKs will be counted before treatment and 2-8 weeks after treatment. This study is a pilot study designed to determine the feasibility of this procedure. Subjects currently living in the Chicago metropolitan area and meet inclusion/exclusion criteria will be considered for enrollment.

This is a small-scale micro-randomized clinical trial of a new mobile just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) designed to promote oral chemotherapy adherence in adolescents and young adults (AYA) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The goals of this study are to determine intervention feasibility and acceptability.

This is a prospective, single-center, three-arm Phase 1 safety and feasibility trial evaluating anti-estrogen therapy in men age 50 years and older with symptomatic unilateral inguinal hernias. Participants will be randomized to receive fulvestrant 250 mg intramuscularly, fulvestrant 500 mg intramuscularly, or letrozole 5 mg orally for 6 months. The study will evaluate safety, tolerability, feasibility, hormone changes, hernia size, patient-reported outcomes, bone density, and imaging-based hernia classification.

This study will compare two ways of managing a small, hidden hernia that can sometimes be found during minimally invasive surgery to repair a hernia on one side of the groin. Occasionally while fixing the known hernia, the surgeon discovers a small hernia on the other side that has not caused any symptoms. Surgeons do not agree on the best way to handle these hernias. Some believe it should be repaired right away during the same operation to prevent it from getting bigger or from causing symptoms later, which could require another surgery. Others believe it is better to leave it alone since it is not causing problems and groin hernia surgery carries risks including long-term pain. This study will randomly assign patients, if a hidden hernia is found during surgery, to either having it repaired immediately or to have it monitored over time. Patients will be followed up at 30 days, 1 year and 2 years following surgery. The researchers will compare recovery and quality of life between the two groups. For those in the monitoring group, the study will also track whether the hidden hernia causes symptoms or eventually needs surgery. The goal is to determine whether repairing the hidden hernia right away is as safe and effective as watching and waiting, so doctors and patients can make more informed decisions in the future.

This study will determine if primary graft dysfunction (which causes low blood oxygen levels and fluid or inflammation in the lungs) after lung transplant can be prevented through the use of the study drug (IL-1 receptor antagonist, Anakinra). In this study, lung transplant participants who are randomized to the treatment group will have the study drug injected into the solution that their donor lungs are kept in prior to transplant.

This study is testing whether it is feasible to run a larger randomized controlled trial and whether an automated text messaging program is acceptable to young adults who have suicidal thoughts. The program is designed to help participants create and use a safety plan, which is a personalized list of warning signs, coping strategies, supportive people, professional resources, ways to make their environment safer, and reasons for living. After joining and completing an initial survey, participants are randomly assigned by a computer to one of two groups. One group starts right away with the interactive safety planning text program. The other group first receives simple text messages with 24/7 crisis resources and then, after four weeks, also receives the interactive safety planning program. Participants use the text program for about four weeks and complete online surveys at the start and again over a total period of 24 weeks.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate patient navigation programs designed to reduce barriers to cancer screening and improve healthcare experiences for adults living in Chicago. Participants will be asked to complete two surveys: the first survey shortly after the participants join the study and a second survey after 1 year. Participants will be joining one of three patient navigation programs, assigned at random. The investigators expect the participants to be in this patient navigation program for 12 months, followed by a 1-month window to complete the final survey.

Back pain is the leading cause of disability and military medical boards across the globe. Epidural steroid injections (ESI) are the most commonly performed pain procedure in the world. There is strong evidence that the placebo effect for all pain treatments, including ESI, is greater than the intrinsic effect. The placebo effect is highly dependent on a patient's 'expectations', and therefore how the procedure is framed. This study aims to compare ESI when the procedure is framed very positively- as is often done in clinical practice vs. more neutrally (which is less commonly done in clinical practice but consistent with evidence). The placebo effect is also stronger for procedures than medications. The evidence on the benefits of ESI is highly dependent on whether it is compiled by interventional doctors who perform the procedure or non-interventional researchers. In order to determine how 'framing' a treatment affects pain outcomes, the investigative team will conduct a 3-arm randomized trial comparing positive framing of ESI, neutral framing of ESI, and medications, in patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy.

Test the effectiveness of a technology-enabled strategy to optimize blood pressure among reproductive-aged women with hypertension receiving care in Federally Qualified Health Centers.

This phase II trial tests how well zanzalintinib (XL092) works in treating patients with leiomyosarcoma that has spread from where it first started to other places in the body (metastatic) or that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). Leiomyosarcomas are a type sarcoma that can occur in any location in the body, such as the uterus or in the abdomen. Current standard treatment for leiomyosarcoma only shows a progression-free survival of 4-6 months. XL092, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, interferes with cell communication and growth and may prevent tumor growth. Giving XL092 may kill more tumor cells in patients with metastatic or unresectable leiomyosarcoma. The trial has now been expanded to treat additional sarcoma types that are sensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as translocation-associated soft tissue sarcoma (such as synovial sarcoma), and bone sarcoma (including osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma).

For patients who have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that has not spread outside of the pancreas and nearby lymph nodes. The purpose of this research study is to understand if we are able to detect pancreatic cancer DNA in the blood stream before, during, and after treatment.

The goal of the PROMISE study is to determine how pre-conception lifestyle factors (e.g., sleep, nutrition, physical activity) affect short- and long-term reproductive outcomes.

The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether a minimally invasive microneedle patch, called the A-Band (Smart Band-aid), worn on the arm (monitoring key biomarkers in interstitial fluid) and a commercial smartwatch can accurately correlate with self-reported pain in women with chronic pain. A secondary purpose of the study is to identify demographic and clinical variables impacting pain measurement. The main questions that this study aims to answer are: * What is the correlation between AI-adjusted pain scores, based on biomarkers and validated tools, and self-reported pain scores? * What influence do demographic and clinical information have in the correlation of these pain scores? Researchers will compare data from these tools with self-reported pain scores in women with chronic pain and healthy women. Participants will: * Be a part of the study for approximately 8 days * Attend 2-3 in-person visits at the applicable clinical center over approximately one week * Wear a Smart Band-Aid (A-Band) at least twice per day for a week, with each application lasting up to 90 minutes * Complete questionnaires regarding medical history, pain information, mental health, sleep, and demographic data * Record daily pain scores * Wear a smartwatch for one week which will collect biophysical data (heart rate, skin response, etc.) * Collect daily saliva samples * Have blood drawn by medical staff at 2 in-person visits

This study investigates the effects of Tizanidine on the voluntary movement controls of the arms of participants who have had a stroke and have not had a stroke by measuring medication-induced changes in upper extremity kinematics, pupillometry, and brain activity. Tizanidine is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Understanding how different areas of the brain are involved in movement impairments may help rehabilitation efforts and assist in restoring healthy movement in individuals who have had a stroke.

This phase II trial tests how well pemetrexed works in treating patients with urothelial bladder cancer and other solid tumors that have spread from where they first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) with mutations that result in a loss of function in the MLL4-protein/KMT2D-gene or UTX-protein/KDM6A-gene or MTAP enzyme. Loss of function due to a genetic mutation means a gene's activity may be reduced or eliminated. Mutations that result in a loss of function in the MLL4-protein or KMT2D-gene are found in 9.96% of all cancers including bladder carcinoma patients, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal adenocarcinoma patients. In addition, mutations that result in a loss of function in the UTX-protein or KDM6A-gene are found in approximately 5% of all tumors, including bladder cancers, endometrial cancer, and esophagogastric cancer amongst many other tumor types. Pemetrexed is in a class of medications called antifolate antineoplastic agents. It works by stopping cells from using folic acid to make deoxyribonucleic acid and may kill tumor cells. Giving pemetrexed may increase response in patients with metastatic urothelial bladder cancer and other solid tumors with the loss of function in the MLL4-protein/KMT2D-gene or UTX-protein/KDM6A-gene or MTAP enzyme.

The purpose of the HERO study is to leverage the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) framework to conduct a pilot trial testing four different intervention components (expert video, self-persuasion, narrative storytelling, and motivational interviewing) targeting HPV vaccination among U.S. Vietnamese. PRIMARY AIM To assess the feasibility and acceptability of each of the four digital HERO intervention components in a pilot optimization trial using the MOST framework. Using a highly efficient design, the study team will randomize 96 Vietnamese parents of unvaccinated adolescents to receive 0 to 4 HERO components. The study team will establish the feasibility (reach, retention, adherence) and acceptability (usability, satisfaction, usefulness, cultural relevance) of each component (expert video, self-persuasion, narrative storytelling, and motivational interviewing). SECONDARY AIM To investigate effects of each component on HPV vaccination outcomes and psychosocial mediators. The study team will examine the effects on HPV vaccination (initiation and intention) and psychosocial mediators.

This study aims to create a novel visual education tool that builds on the urgent maternal warning signs identified by The Council on Patient Safety in Women's Health Care. Including effective images will improve the understanding of these grave warning signs/symptoms, improving anatomical accuracy while remaining simplistic for patients of varying levels of health care literacy. The investigative team will be focusing on urgent warning signs pertinent to the postpartum period.

The goal of clinical trial is to assess an integrated, patient-centered strategy combining user preference-based prosthetic foot prescription and subsequent targeted physical therapy to maximize satisfaction and mobility outcomes for Veterans and others with lower limb loss. The main aims it will address are: * Assess the effect of prosthetic foot selection based on experiential preference as determined using a variable stiffness foot on mobility and satisfaction * Assess the effect of a targeted physical therapy intervention following preference-based foot selection on mobility, balance, and satisfaction? Participants will walk with an emulator prosthetic foot to experience three different conditions that emulate different commercial feet to determine their most- and least-preferred foot. Participants' satisfaction, perceived mobility, and functional mobility will be measured and compared between their most- and least-preferred feet using the corresponding commercial feet. Participants will then be randomly assigned to receive either the standard-of-care (control group) or personalized physical therapy intervention for eight weeks using that preferred prosthetic foot. Participants' satisfaction, mobility, and balance will be measured pre- and post-intervention.

Growing up in a lower-income family robustly predicts worse mental health in adolescence and early adulthood. How does variability in family income "get under the skin" of the developing child and via what mechanisms does it increase risk for mental illness? Moreover, could supplements to family income at critical developmental periods help to prevent later youth mental illness? To address these questions, we leverage an innovative existing double blind randomized controlled trial of 3-years of substantial income supplements to parents. By experimentally studying the impacts of these income supplements on families and subsequent youth development, we can examine causal pathways from family income to risk for mental illness via family stress and neuroimmune mechanisms in ways never done before. Moreover, by measuring the longer-term impact of 3 years of income supplements to parents on their child's neuroimmune signaling and risk for mental illness, we can examine the policy implications for child development of unconditional cash transfers to parents and identify how and for whom these supplements help. We will test these basic and translational questions in a sample of 1,200 youth with lower-income parents randomly assigned to receive either a substantial monthly income supplement or a minimal monthly supplement for 3 years, starting when youth were between age 5 - 14 years old. We will follow up with youth and their parent 1 - 2 and 3 - 4 years after the intervention and examine whether income supplements predict better youth mental health during adolescence, as well as whether factors like child age and neighborhood quality modulate intervention effects. Additionally, we explore family stress mechanisms through which the intervention may impact child mental health. Finally, we will measure peripheral inflammation (inflammatory biomarkers and classical monocytes) and use MRI to assess threat, reward, and regulatory neural activity and connectivity among 500 of these youth. Our central hypothesis is that income supplements will decrease family and youth stress and improve parenting, which will improve neuroimmune signaling and decrease risk for psychopathology. Moreover, these effects will remain years after termination of the transfers and be strongest among families who received the intervention earlier in the child's life. This research will provide timely, relevant public health knowledge that will help policy makers understand the longer-term brain, immune, and mental health impacts of cash transfers to parents, while also advancing the science of the sociocontextual and neuroimmune pathways through which variability in family income impacts risk for psychopathology.

The objective of this study is to compare the Magneto 150 holmium laser to the current MOSES 2.0 technology to see if there is a benefit in decreased hemostasis time intraoperatively.