Clinical trials

This project will develop a wearable rehabilitation robot suitable for in-bed acute stage rehabilitation. It involves robot-guided motor relearning, passive and active motor-sensory rehabilitation early in the acute stage post-stroke including patients who are paralyzed with no motor output. The early acute stroke rehabilitation device will be evaluated in this clinical trial.

This is a research study to test two different interventions to decrease apathy in assisted living residents with some memory issues. Apathy makes older adults not feel like doing much activity. This study is completely voluntary and will not affect the care you receive at your assisted living community. The two possible interventions are 1) participation in a volunteering opportunity within the assisted living community OR 2) participation in a guided current events group within the assisted living community. These activities would be in addition to any other regular activities you participate in within the assisted living community. Both activities would take place three days per week for approximately 30 minutes. You would be randomly assigned (like a coin flip) to which intervention you would do. You do not get to choose. You would participate in the activity for a total of 6 months. In addition to participating in the intervention (either volunteering or current events), you will be asked to answer some questions about your memory, level of activity, mood, confidence in your ability to do a volunteer job, and feelings of usefulness. You will answer these questions at baseline (before the activity begins, at 3 months after doing the intervention activity, and aging at 6 months after starting the interventions activity. You will also be asked to wear a MotionWatch for 5 days at each time point (baseline, 3months and 6 months). A motion watch measures your level of activity. It feels like wearing a regular watch. You will be in the study for 6 months total. Risks to participating in this study are minimal and include privacy (other people may find out you are in the study), confidentiality of the data collected if someone other than study staff accesses your records, fatigue with answering the questionnaires, and some mild discomfort with wearing the MotionWatch. This is also a minor risk that you could fall or otherwise harm yourself getting to or participating in your intervention activity. The benefit of participating in this study include possible enjoyment of participating in the intervention activity.

This is a research study to test two different interventions to decrease apathy in assisted living residents with some memory issues. Apathy makes older adults not feel like doing much activity. This study is completely voluntary and will not affect the care you receive at your assisted living community. The two possible interventions are 1) participation in a volunteering opportunity within the assisted living community OR 2) participation in a guided current events group within the assisted living community. These activities would be in addition to any other regular activities you participate in within the assisted living community. Both activities would take place three days per week for approximately 30 minutes. You would be randomly assigned (like a coin flip) to which intervention you would do. You do not get to choose. You would participate in the activity for a total of 6 months. In addition to participating in the intervention (either volunteering or current events), you will be asked to answer some questions about your memory, level of activity, mood, confidence in your ability to do a volunteer job, and feelings of usefulness. You will answer these questions at baseline (before the activity begins, at 3 months after doing the intervention activity, and aging at 6 months after starting the interventions activity. You will also be asked to wear a MotionWatch for 5 days at each time point (baseline, 3months and 6 months). A motion watch measures your level of activity. It feels like wearing a regular watch. You will be in the study for 6 months total. Risks to participating in this study are minimal and include privacy (other people may find out you are in the study), confidentiality of the data collected if someone other than study staff accesses your records, fatigue with answering the questionnaires, and some mild discomfort with wearing the MotionWatch. This is also a minor risk that you could fall or otherwise harm yourself getting to or participating in your intervention activity. The benefit of participating in this study include possible enjoyment of participating in the intervention activity.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if ketone supplementation (KS) works to reduce craving for opioids for adults with opioid use disorder (OUD) undergoing in-patient acute withdrawal management. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does KS reduce craving for opioids in patients with opioid use disorder? * Does KS reduce symptoms of opioid withdrawal such as low mood and pain? Researchers will compare KS to a placebo to see if KS works to reduce craving for opioids and reduce withdrawal symptoms in adults entering in-patient acute withdrawal management for opioid use disorder. Participants will: * Be given KS or a placebo three (3) times daily for seven (7) days * Complete mood, pain tolerance, and subjective opioid withdrawal assessments

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the use of an FDA-cleared retinal blood flow imaging instrument called the XyCAM RI and XyCAM FC (Vasoptic Medical, Inc., Columbia, MD) in glaucoma management. The main question it aims to answer are: * Can the investigators use blood flow to discriminate between eyes with early-stage glaucoma and variable-matched controls? * Can the investigators validate that the XyCAM FC simultaneously captures both stereo fundus photography and ocular blood flow monitoring? Participants will be * measured for their blood pressure, heart rate, height, and weight * dilated with tropicamide * imaged using the XyCAM RI, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, and standard automated perimetry * imaged using the XyCAM RI while inhaling 100% oxygen through a mask

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare participants treated with latanoprost to those treated with Rocklatan (netarsudil/latanoprost) to determine whether the addition of netarsudil results in greater improvements in episcleral venous blood flow in adults with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Episcleral venous blood flow will be measured using erythrocyte-mediated angiography (EMA) and laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI). The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Does Rocklatan produce greater increases in episcleral venous blood flow than latanoprost alone? * Can EMA and LSCI reliably detect changes in episcleral venous blood flow following treatment with these medications? Participants will: * Be randomized to receive either latanoprost or Rocklatan * Undergo imaging of the episcleral veins using EMA and LSCI before, during, and after treatment, and * Complete study visits that include standard ophthalmic examinations and intraocular pressure measurements. Hypothesis: The investigators hypothesize that latanoprost, which primarily increases uveoscleral outflow, will not significantly affect the distal episcleral circulation. In contrast, Rocklatan, through its netarsudil component, is expected to produce measurable increases in episcleral venous flow.

Background: While the intensive care of patients with life-threatening brain illnesses has advanced tremendously, a large number of therapies are still without proper scientific support. This can be partly explained by the fact that mechanisms of initial brain injury are still not well understood. Why additional neurological injury occurs during a patient's stay in the NeuroCritical Care Unit (NCCU) despite current best, evidence-based clinical practices, is also not well understood. However, over the past decade, better tools have become available to measure and monitor the impact of our clinical care on the rapidly changing physiology and chemistry of the injured brain. Some of these tools are CT, MRI, ultrasound, and catheter-based technology measuring blood flow and metabolism. These tools have enabled earlier detection of injury and complications and newer therapeutic strategies. Purpose: Examine disease pathways common to all brain injuries seen in the University of Maryland's 22-bed NCCU. Life-threatening neurological illnesses cared for in the NCCU include massive stroke, bleeding in and around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage), brain tumors, difficult to control seizures, neurologic infections, nerve and muscle diseases (such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barre Syndrome), and spinal cord disorders among others. Many NCCU patients are comatose or paralyzed and may suffer injuries in other parts of the body as well. This effort will require the creation of a robust clinical database for the capture of data including patient characteristics (age, sex), clinical characteristics, medical treatments, surgical interventions, physiological data (such as vital signs, cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure, cerebral oximetry, etc), laboratory data, and standard-of-care diagnostic studies such as electroencephalography (EEG), ultrasound, CT, MRI, and angiograms. Similar databases exist at other major centers for neurocritical care and have been instrumental to the identification of characteristics both predictive of and associated with outcomes of patients long after their stay in the NCCU. In addition, the samples collected will be included in the University of Maryland Medicine (UMM) Biorepository which is a shared resource to enable biomedical research by University of Maryland faculty.

Decreased respiratory function is a common side effect experienced by non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who receive radiation therapy. In current clinical practice when treating cancerous lesions in the lung, it is not standard to explicitly try and avoid excessive radiation dose and therefore radiation injury to smaller airways. However, because of this patients may obtain damage to an airway segment can cause downstream regions in the lung to lose their "supply line" and, therefore, cause patients to lose the ability to exchange oxygen with the blood. The purpose of this clinical trial is to systematically compare post-treatment lung function of those who receive regular clinical radiation therapy (standard of care \[SoC\]) versus those who receive the airway-sparing radiation therapy regimen. The investigators hope to show that, by preserving airways and connected lung regions, participants will be able to retain a larger amount of their lung function, which will have a direct, positive impact on their post-treatment quality of life.

A standard polyenergetic CT (computed tomography) procedure utilizes 100 ml of iodinated contrast. A recent world-wide shortage of iodine based intravenous contrast has highlighted the need to search for alternative methods or doses. Reducing iodinated IV contrast dose can mitigate IV contrast supply shortages and enable significant cost savings for the radiology practice and hospital system. In addition, decreased IV contrast dose can potentially reduce the rate of acute kidney injury, specifically in patients with decreased renal function. The purpose of the study is to determine whether low IV contrast dose CT with monoenergetic reconstruction can be use for presurgical planning of transcatheter valve replacement (TAVR) procedure.

This study involves evaluating a combination of chemotherapy drugs known as "CLAG-GO" \[cladribine, cytarabine, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO)\] in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that has not responded well to standard therapy or has returned after an initial remission (relapsed). The trial will be conducted at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC). Potential participants will go through a screening period to see if they are eligible to join the study. If eligible, participants will be hospitalized for 4-5 weeks to receive study treatment with CLAG-GO, called induction chemotherapy. If tests show that the cancer is in remission after induction chemotherapy, participants may undergo further chemotherapy (known as consolidation) or may proceed with bone marrow/stem cell transplantation. Patients who receive consolidation chemotherapy and remain in remission may have up to 8 cycles of outpatient maintenance therapy. A cycle lasts about 28 days. All participants will be monitored carefully for both side effects and to see if the study treatment is working. Lab tests and exams will be conducted throughout the entire study. In addition, special studies will be done at various time points to try to understand better how the drugs work and which patients are likely to respond best.

This study will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of DockTales, a mobile health tool designed for adults with chronic pain. DockTales supports pain and sleep tracking through brief diaries, body-map pain reporting, reflective journaling, visual summaries, and optional AI-supported interaction. The study will be conducted completely remotely. Participants will complete 2 weeks of DockTales use and 2 weeks of REDCap-based daily monitoring, with the order randomized. The main goal is to determine whether DockTales is usable, acceptable, engaging, and practical for adults with chronic pain compared with standard REDCap monitoring.

This pilot study will evaluate the feasibility, tolerability, and preliminary analgesic effect of headset-based virtual reality interventions for adults with sickle cell disease experiencing vaso-occlusive crisis treated in an infusion center. Participants will be enrolled during routine outpatient sickle cell clinic visits and may receive study interventions during future qualifying infusion center visits for vaso-occlusive pain. Using a randomized, two-period crossover design, each participant will be assigned to receive two of three headset-based conditions across separate visits: sham 2D headset control, passive immersive 3D virtual reality, or active immersive interactive 3D virtual reality. The primary outcome is pain burden during the first 60 minutes after intervention start, measured as area under the curve of 0-10 numeric rating scale pain scores. Secondary outcomes include feasibility of intervention delivery, headset tolerability, pain at 120 minutes, opioid use, and participant-reported immersion and acceptability.

The purpose of this study is to assess a real time motion tracking of lung tumors and important organs next to the tumor while breathing during a participant's radiation treatment. This will be assessed through a four-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan before starting your radiation treatment and x-ray fluoroscopy images that are taken during radiation

This study is to assess the benefits of goal-directed fluid management with ACUMEN in cardiac surgical patients and its impact on cardiac surgery-induced kidney injury.

The primary objective of this study is to conduct a 16-week randomized controlled trial aimed at investigating the effectiveness of the Whole-Diet Approach when following a healthy US-style diet rich in anti-inflammatory properties. The study will focus on evaluating its impact on reducing symptoms related to Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PACS) in adults aged 50 years and older. The main research questions this study aims to answer are: 1. Does adhering to a healthy US-style diet, which is abundant in anti-inflammatory properties, effectively mitigate fatigue symptoms in adults with PACS? 2. Does adhering to a healthy US-style diet, which is abundant in anti-inflammatory properties, effectively mitigate declines in muscle function and physical performance in adults with PACS? At the beginning of the study, eligible participants will be randomly assigned to either the Dietary Intervention Group, where they will receive personalized dietary plans and weekly sessions, or the Attention Control Group, where they will attend general health sessions on a weekly basis as well. This research intends to shed light on the potential benefits of the Whole-Diet Approach and its role in ameliorating PACS-related symptoms among older adults. By comparing the outcomes of the two groups, we hope to gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of this dietary intervention in improving the quality of life for individuals dealing with PACS.

This research is being done to evaluate whether suvorexant may reduce the use of, subjective liking, and demand for various drugs.

: NEC, a life-threatening, GI emergency characterized by increased IP, affects approximately 7 to 10% of preterm neonates, and typically occurs within 7 to 14 days of birth (37, 38) with mortality as high as 30-50% (39). NEC symptoms mainly involve GI dysfunction, such as abdominal distension and feeding intolerance, but the presentation can be non-specific with few warning signs. Current therapies may be invasive, including surgical interventions that are often ineffective due to the rapid progression of the disease. Prematurity is the greatest risk factor for development of NEC (40, 41), due to physiological immaturity of the GI tract and altered levels of the normal GI microbiota. Several studies suggest that the initiation of an intense systemic and local inflammatory cascade leads to intestinal necrosis (42-47). Antenatal exposure to infection/inflammation may predispose the developing intestinal mucosa to subsequent injury or dysregulated inflammatory responses. Previous studies have linked presence of amniotic fluid infection/elevated cytokines, (48) cord blood cytokines, (49, 50) and umbilical cord inflammation (51) with risk for NEC in preterm neonates. In a rat model of NEC, maternal prenatal exposure to microbial LPS led to increased frequency and severity of intestinal injury (52). Taken together, these observations suggest that intestinal injury may be initiated in utero and contributes to increased IP at birth in the preterm neonate. Many of the defense mechanisms present in the mature intestine, such as peristalsis and tight junctions between intestinal epithelial cells (37) are decreased in an immature intestine, and thus bacteria normally confined to the intestinal lumen are able to reach systemic organs and tissues. Bacterial translocation triggers the activation of an exaggerated inflammatory response, which leads to further epithelial damage. Our analysis of the initial cohort of 43 preterm infants, and others' previous studies have shown that IP is high at birth in preterms (\<33wk gestation) with a rapid maturation of the intestinal barrier over the first 2 weeks. However, in some infants, high IP persisted and/or recurred in association with altered levels of the normal microbiota (bacteria community composition). Specifically, we observed that (1) rapid maturation of intestinal barrier function, characterized by decreased IP, correlates with increased microbial community diversity (Figure 1), and most outstandingly, the increased abundance of beneficial bacteria Clostridiales (Figure 2); (2) Clostridiales is highly transcriptionally active and co-active with the probiotic bacterium Bifidobacterium; (3) neonatal factors, including early introduction of breast milk, shorter period of antibiotic exposure, and later gestational age, favor the early colonization of the gut microbiota by members of Clostridiales and Bifidobacterium, which altogether are associated with improved intestinal barrier in preterm infants; (4) low Clostridiales spp. abundance (\<5%) and early gestational age (\<31.7wk) were identified to be the most discriminatory features for elevated IP by supervised learning scheme, reaching an accuracy of 86.1%. (5) Clostridiales and Bifidobacteriales are the most abundant bacteria groups in later stages (phase II/III at 6-18 months of age) as shown in Figure 2, suggesting a process of gaining prosperity of these two bacterial groups during intestine development after birth. Altogether our preliminary results suggest the early colonization of the natural occurring probiotics strains Clostridiales and Bifidobacterium strongly associate with rapid maturation of intestinal barrier function, and their measurement are highly promising for early detection and as potential nutritional supplement to prevent NEC in the high-risk preterm population. We propose in this study to recruit additional 150 mother-infant dyads (justified in study size analysis in research design), to address our hypothesis that the two naturally occurring beneficial bacteria Clostridiales and Bifidobacterium are rapidly gaining prosperity during normal intestine development in association with improved barrier function measured by La/Rh ratio. This continuation of the initial study builds on the previous findings that identified commensal bacteria Clostridiales and Bifidobacterium species as a strong indicator to the lowered IP and rapid maturation of intestinal barrier, to substantiate measurement of these probiotic strains combined with associated neonatal factors to form an accurate, rapid detection of intestinal permeability abnormality. We propose in this study to recruit additional 150 mother-infant dyads (justified in study size analysis in research design), to address our hypothesis that the two naturally occurring beneficial bacteria Clostridiales and Bifidobacterium are rapidly gaining prosperity during normal intestine development in association with improved barrier function measured by La/Rh ratio.

The goal of this free-choice parallel design clinical trial is to examine the potential beneficial effects of using open-label placebo (OLP) in improving chronic pain related outcomes and sleep quality in people with temporomandibular disorders. This study will enroll a cohort of participants with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) which lasts for more than 3 months. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Will participants with TMD be more likely to take open-label placebo pills if they are introduced to the effects of placebo (e.g., going through an expectation management session)? 2. Will taking open-label placebo plus expectation management improve chronic pain related outcomes, such as chronic pain intensity, interference, levels of anxiety and depression, in the cohort of TMD? 3. Will open-label placebo plus expectation management improve sleep quality in participants suffering from TMD? To answer the above questions, participants with TMD will be randomly assigned to three groups: 1. Open-label placebo plus expectation management group, where participants will complete a 1-hour discussion session about their expectations toward open-lable placebo intervention, and then take 1 open-labe placebo pill per day for a total of 45 days. 2. Open-label placebo only group where participants will be asked to take open-label placebo pills, one pill per day, for a total of 45 days. 3. standard of care group where participants will maintain their usual care without introducing open-label placebo to them during the 45 days monitoring. Researchers will compare the chronic pain intensity, interference, mood, anxiety, and sleep quality between the open-label placebo group and the wait-list group. Daily chronic pain will be measured using visual analog scale (VAS) ranging from 0=no pain at all to 100=maximum tolerable pain. Chronic pain interference using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pain interference and pain behavior. Anxiety and depression will be measured using PROMIS-anxiety, and PROMIS-depression scales respectively. Finally, sleep quality will be quantified using the objective measurement Motion Watch during the 45 days intervention and monitoring. In order to have a rigorous measurement of the baseline pain and sleep fluctuation, this study will include a 7-day phenotyping period before the starting of the 45-day intervention and monitoring. During the 7-day phenotyping period, participants will record their daily chronic pain and sleep quality using polysomnography.

Fragility fractures of the pelvic ring are a common injury associated with poor patient outcomes and high healthcare costs. Management of these injuries is evolving with increasing frequency of operative stabilization of the pelvic ring, despite a lack of evidence supporting operative versus nonoperative treatment. This multicenter prospective cohort study will evaluate 120 patients to determine the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial comparing operative and nonoperative treatment, by evaluating patient willingness to enroll in a trial, surgeon willingness to randomize their patients' treatment, and the completeness of data collection.

Cancer-related fatigue affects at least 30-90% of patients with cancer, depending on the type of cancer and their treatment(s) (e.g., chemotherapy, radiation). It is not relieved by sleep or rest, and it sometimes can persist for years after a person's cancer was treated. The fatigue can be so bad that people cannot return to work, hobbies, family roles, or other daily activities, thereby greatly reducing quality of life. The causes of this fatigue are unknown, and we currently do not have anything that can reliably prevent or cure the fatigue. However, there are recent data suggesting that circadian rhythm, or a person's internal body clock, may be disrupted by the cancer experience and contribute to fatigue. Food intake is an external cue that can entrain circadian rhythm. We recently showed that cancer survivors are willing and able to eat all their food within a 10-hour eating window-a practice called time-restricted eating. Herein, we are testing time-restricted eating against a control group (matched for time-, attention, and expectancy) to see if time-restricted eating can indeed alleviate cancer-related fatigue. All participants will be asked to use the myCircadianClock smartphone app to log their food intake and weekly body weight measurements. The participants assigned to the time-restricted eating group will be asked to eat all their food in a 10-hour window during the day. People can choose their start time based on their schedule and preferences, but we ask that the window is the same for the whole study (e.g., 7am-5pm,9:30am-7:30pm). Black coffee and unsweetened tea are allowed before the eating window, and water and medicines are allowed at all times. The participants in the control group will meet with a nutritionist to discuss the American Cancer Society nutrition guidelines in cancer survivorship; they will not be restricted to when they can eat. Participants in both groups will give us valuable information regarding how diet is related to the experience of fatigue. The purpose of this study is to test the effects of a 12-week TRE intervention vs. an unrestricted eating pattern on fatigue, the sustainability of the program at 24 weeks, and the effects of TRE on circadian rhythm and sugar metabolism.

The increasing prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) among older adults, coupled with high overdose rates and cognitive impairments associated with opioid use, highlights a critical gap in addiction treatment. Cognitive impairments can persist despite treatment and negatively impact recovery outcomes, yet cognitive screening and interventions are rarely integrated into OUD care. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of remotely delivered, smartphone-based cognitive assessments (administered through NeuroUX web-based software) for older adults (55+) in methadone treatment. The tasks have been "gamified" to make them engaging and brief, which could be appealing to patients. They will complete the tasks for 15 days using the phone provided or their own phone. During days 6-15 of testing, tasks will become incrementally more difficult based on participant performance to assess the feasibility of cognitive training. Cognitive training uses engaging games or tasks to strengthen thinking skills like memory and focus, much like physical exercise strengthens the body. Adherence, acceptability, and usability of the tasks will be assessed. Secondary analyses will explore relationships between task performance and participant characteristics (e.g., baseline cognitive functioning, methadone dose, timing of methadone dose). Findings from this pilot study will provide foundational data for a future grant application to develop and test digital cognitive assessment and training interventions tailored to older adults in addiction treatment. By addressing a critical yet understudied aspect of OUD care this research has the potential to enhance treatment engagement, improve clinical outcomes, and support long-term recovery in the growing older population.

This project will pilot test an implementation facilitation intervention to increase prescribing of medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) in patients with major mental illness and alcohol use disorder in three psychiatry treatment clinics.

This research is being done to see if we can improve the outcome of prostate cancer patients who present with metastatic lesions at initial diagnosis.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of lebrikizumab in treating adults with moderate-to-severe Prurigo Nodularis (PN).

This project will develop a hub-based engagement navigator service for participants and families at high risk for disengagement. The investigators will use robust Participatory Research methods to ensure integration of Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) program staff, participants, and family members in developing all aspects of and materials for the service, conduct feasibility/acceptability testing in three CSC programs, and use this information to guide refinements. This will be followed by a mixed methods hub wide evaluation using a hybrid type I open cohort stepped wedge design to examine feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness to improve disengagement outcomes and address target mechanisms.