16 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Binaural hearing involves combining auditory information across the ears. With binaural hearing, listeners benefit from perceiving sounds from different spatial locations. This is critical in solving the "cocktail party problem" (i.e., understanding speech in the presence of competing background sounds and noise). As humans get older, hearing loss increases, binaural abilities decrease, and the cocktail party problem becomes increasingly difficult. This research studies the mechanisms underlying the impact of age and hearing loss on speech-perception in noise and cocktail-party listening situations. More specifically, the role of hearing asymmetries between the ears is investigated. The specific aims are to generate an audiological and binaural-hearing-focused dataset for a large cohort of participants that vary in hearing asymmetry, age, and hearing loss and to use machine learning to uncover complex associations and generate novel hypotheses relating audiometric variables and basic binaural-hearing abilities to the cocktail-party problem. Participants in this research will complete perceptual measures of hearing acuity and spatial hearing. Participants will also report on speech understanding under noisy and challenging listening conditions. This research may lead to improvements in audiological care and hearing interventions.
Context: Thoracic spine is a common area of focus in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) for a variety of conditions. Thoracic spine somatic dysfunction diagnosis is achieved by palpating for asymmetry at the tips of the transverse processes. Previous studies reveal that, instead of following the rule of threes, the transverse processes of a given thoracic vertebra generally align with the spinous process of the vertebra above. Ultrasonography has been widely used as a diagnostic tool to monitor musculoskeletal conditions. Ultrasound has the advantage of absence of radiation, and has shown comparable results to gold standard modalities like MRI in some areas of the spine. In the case of thoracic somatic dysfunction, ultrasound can be used to determine the location of each vertebral transverse process and its relationship with the spinous process. Previous studies have investigated the correlation between osteopathic manipulative medicine and ultrasonography of the cervical, lumbar, and sacral regions. However, no study has yet compared osteopathic structural examination with ultrasonographic examination of the thoracic vertebral region. Objective: To determine whether there is a dependable correlation of osteopathic palpatory findings of the thoracic transverse processes with the measurements of ultrasonography. Methods: Subjects were student volunteers recruited from the Midwestern University - Glendale campus. A non-toxic, non-permanent marker was used to mark bony landmarks on the skin to be used by the osteopathic examiners. Two osteopathic physicians (OMM1, OMM2) separately performed structural exams by palpating T2-T5 transverse processes to determine vertebral rotation. Two trained sonographers (US1, US2) separately scanned and measured the distance from the tip of the spinous process to the adjacent transverse processes of the vertebral segment below. Demographic variables were summarized with mean and standard deviation. Interexaminer reliability was assessed with percent agreement, Cohen's Kappa, and Fleiss' Kappa. Recruitment and protocols were approved by the MWU Institutional Review Board.
Background: People tend to pay more attention to one side of space than the other and this may be due to differences in the structure and function of the two sides of the brain. We are interested in whether we can detect those difference with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and electroencephalography (EEG). Objective: The purpose of the study is to understand how differences in brain structure may cause people to pay more attention to one side than the other. Eligibility: Healthy adults ages 18-35 Design: Participants will be screened with a neurological exam. Participants will have 2-3 visits for a total duration of about 7/8 hours. Women of childbearing age must have a negative pregnancy test before each MRI scan. Visits may include: Physical exam Tests of attention, and thinking TMS. A brief electrical current will pass through a wire coil on the scalp. Participants will hear a click and may feel a pull. They may be asked to tense muscles or do tasks. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan for a maximum of 1 hour. Participants will lie on a table that slides into a cylinder in a strong magnetic field. They will do tasks on a computer screen or lie still. They will get earplugs for loud noise. EEG for no longer than 5 hours, with most lasting 3 hours. Gel and a cap with electrodes will be placed on the scalp. They will record brain waves while the participant gets TMS or does nothing. Questions about participants dominant hand and about the MRI.
Depressed patients unremitted after monotherapy with citalopram or bupropion will remit following six weeks treatment with the combination of citalopram and bupropion.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the overall feasibility in terms of safety, treatment tolerance and adherence as well as preliminarily address how effective this treatment model using the TPAD and overground training would be to reduce load asymmetry on the treadmill and promote increased stance symmetry on the paretic limb during overground gait.PARTICIPANTS: A total of 12 individuals in the chronic (\>6 months) stages post stroke will be recruited from a voluntary stroke research database for participation. DESIGN: A non-randomized pilot study of feasibility will be used to establish the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of using the TPAD in combination with overground training to reduce load force asymmetry in this population. METHODS: Participants will undergo a series of three assessments within a one-week time frame prior to initiating intervention. Intervention using the TPAD and overground training will occur during week 2 over 5 consecutive visits (Mon-Fri). Participants will also complete short walks before and after the intervention with an instrumented system that records individual walking characteristics. Participants will return one-week after completing the intervention for a final test of walking and balance. Each study visit will be approximately 1-1.5 hours in duration, and total participation should be completed within three weeks. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: We anticipate this training paradigm will prove feasible and effective in reducing both load and stance asymmetry in a population of individuals with chronic stroke.
The purpose of this study is to assess the ability of the Fluids Monitor to detect hemispheric bioimpedance asymmetry associated with acute brain pathology in patients presenting with suspected Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS).
This prospective, randomized, controlled trial is proposed to investigate the effect of OMT on sacral base asymmetry as assessed by ultrasound.
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate safety and effectiveness of Mentor's Spectra/Becker 80 Adjustable Breast Implants in women who are undergoing primary or revision breast augmentation. Safety information on the rate of complications, such as infection, will be collected and used to help determine device safety. These implants are investigational devices. Approximately 450 patients at sites across the United States will be enrolled in this research study by up to 30 sites. These patients will be implanted with Spectra/Becker 80 implant and monitored for 10 years to collect information on risks associated with the implant surgery as well as changes in the way these patients feel about themselves.
To compare safety, patient satisfaction, and technical correction between a limited and full facelift, patients meeting strict clinical and safety criteria for both types of facelift will be randomly assigned to have one of these procedures. In the context of this study, a limited facelift is done in the office under local anesthesia, and a full facelift is done in the hospital or ambulatory surgical center with either general anesthesia or intravenous sedation.
The goal of this research study is to investigate the effect of a new neuromuscular approach for correcting pelvic alignment and improving pelvic floor muscle function. Investigators hypothesized that this approach would be significantly superior than no intervention to improve the ability of pelvic floor muscle contraction, measured by transabdominal sonography as bladder base elevation. Participants will be randomized to the intervention and control groups. while intervention group will receive five supervised sessions of pelvic realigning exercises, the control group will receive no intervention. Bladder base elevation will be measured as an indicator of pelvic floor muscle function, before and after one week intervention in both control and intervention groups.
Movement and loading asymmetry have been associated with injury risk for a variety of both acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries. In addition, asymmetric movements have been identified as compensatory strategies to allow for ambulation in a variety of post-operative populations. Osteopathic physicians have been assessing both structure and function through the use of structural evaluation techniques along with postural assessment that can identify somatic dysfunction. However, no studies have identified the ability of an osteopathic structural evaluation and postural assessment to identify potential movement disorders and loading asymmetry. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to determine the acute impact of an osteopathic manipulation on restoration of side-to-side symmetry during walking gait in participants who are categorized as having lower extremity dysfunction. We enrolled 51 participants who are pain-free and without a history of major orthopaedic injuries that required surgical intervention. Each subject completed an osteopathic structural evaluation and postural assessment along with an osteopathic manipulation. All participants completed instrumented gait analyses before and after the osteopathic manipulation using a motion capture system and an instrumented treadmill to determine the participant's movement and loading asymmetry during walking.
The primary objectives of this study is to determine whether use of a negative pressure external soft-tissue expansion system pre-operatively and post-operatively improves and secures graft survival in autologous fat micro grafting breast augmentation and reconstruction procedures.
Majority of people with multiple sclerosis experience difficulty with balance and mobility, leading to an increased risk of falls. The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about brain activity during walking adaptation in people with multiple sclerosis. Also, this clinical trial will test a form of nerve stimulation to see if it can improve walking performance. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What areas of the brain are the most active during walking adaptation? * Can nerve stimulation make walking adaptation more effective? Participants will walk on a treadmill where each leg will go a different speed which will create walking adaptation. At the same time, brain scans will occur. There will be two sessions of walking adaptation, one with nerve stimulation, and one without nerve stimulation. Researchers will compare people with multiple sclerosis to healthy young adults to see if there are differences in brain activity.
The purpose of this proposal is to use novel video-based movement tracking technology to measure gait quality after stroke - in the home. Current rehabilitation practice assesses walking in the highly controlled 'ideal' clinical environment. The implicit assumption by clinicians and researchers is that the way people walk in the clinic (their best capacity) reflects the way they walk in the real-world (true performance). With advances in computer vision and development of pose estimation algorithms, it is now possible to directly measure how people are walking in their homes. It is critical that researchers apply this technology to examine the basic assumptions that underlie current rehabilitation practice. Here, a video-based pose estimation workflow will be used to 1) contrast the gait patterns of persons post-stroke as observed in-clinical vs. in-home settings, and 2) map the rate of deterioration of clinically-derived walking improvements, in the home. This methodology has been used to accurately measure gait kinematics in people with stroke as they walk in laboratory, however this study now seeks to use these methods to record people with stroke as they walk in their natural home environments. The ultimate outcome of this project will not only be freely-available video-based workflow modified for home-based gait assessments, but also preliminary data revealing how people with stroke walk in the real world.
This study is a multi-center, longitudinal cohort study of 125 infants with craniofacial microsomia (CFM) and 100 infants without craniofacial anomalies. Participants will undergo a series of evaluations between 0-3 years of age to comprehensively evaluate the developmental status of infants and toddlers with CFM. This research design will also explore specific pathways by which CFM may lead to certain outcomes. Specifically, the study explores (1) the longitudinal relations between facial asymmetry and emotion-related facial movements and socialization; and (2) associations among ear malformations, hearing and speech deficits and cognitive outcomes. Results of this research will ultimately lead to future investigations that assess new interventions and corresponding changes in current standards of care for children with CFM.
The purposes of this pilot research study are 1. To begin to test if two different types of physical therapy might have different results in children and adolescents who have had a prior stroke, and 2. To determine if either type of physical therapy causes changes in the brain signals that control leg muscles. All participants will receive physical therapy 3 times per week for 8 weeks. Half of the participants will receive typical physical therapy, such as walking practice, muscle strengthening, and balance training. Half of the participants will receive asymmetrical gait training physical therapy, which uses new technology to train each leg differently during walking practice. After enrolling, participants will be randomly assigned to the type of therapy. Measurements will be taken before, during, and after the 8 weeks of physical therapy. These include walking tests to measure symmetry, walking speed and daily step activity, and brain tests to measure the strength of the signals from the brain to the leg muscles. One blood test is also taken to identify if certain genetic factors affect how each child responds to the physical therapy.