46 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The Brain Oxygenation-II study (BOx-II) is a phase-II, multicenter, single-arm clinical trial evaluating interventions based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring of cerebral oxygen saturation in extremely premature infants. Enrolled infants will follow a treatment guideline to maintain cerebral oxygen saturation in a target range within the first 72 hours of life. The primary outcomes will include interventions used to maintain cerebral saturation in target range, rates of cerebral hypoxia and systemic hypoxia, and a composite of death or severe brain injury detected on term-equivalent magnetic resonance imaging.
Implementing target ranges for regional cerebral saturations in extremely preterm infants in the first week of life may improve neurodevelopmental outcomes at 22-26 months corrected age compared to those without targeted cerebral saturations (Csat) using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Infants will be randomized to a targeted cerebral saturation monitoring group with visible reading of Csat or to a control group with cerebral saturation monitoring, but with blinded Csat measures. Those in the targeted Csat group will follow a treatment guideline to maintain cerebral oxygenation in the target range. The primary outcome is neurodevelopmental outcome as determined by Bayley III cognitive scale score.
The primary objective of this research is to measure changes in neurochemical concentrations during stimulation of the primary visual cortex, in both conditions of normoxia (normal oxygen availability) and induced mild hypoxia (reduced oxygen availability).
The goal of this clinical trial is to explore the effect of FDA-approved antiseizure drugs in the brain connectivity patterns of severe and moderate acute brain injury patients with suppression of consciousness. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the antiseizure medication reduce the functional connectivity of seizure networks, as identified by resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI), within this specific target population? * What is the prevalence of seizure networks in patients from the target population, both with EEG suggestive and not suggestive of epileptogenic activity? Participants will have a rs-fMRI and those with seizure networks will receive treatment with two antiseizure medications and a post-treatment rs-fMRI. Researchers will compare the pretreatment and post-treatment rs-fMRIs to see if there are changes in the participant's functional connectivity including seizure networks and typical resting state networks.
Intracranial Hemorrhage (ICH) is an important morbidity affecting premature infants and can have considerable effects on neurodevelopmental outcome. The investigators showed that preterm infants with severe ICH have decreased cerebral oxygenation several weeks after the hemorrhage. The mechanisms involved in this state of decreased cerebral oxygenation in preterm infants and the effects on cerebral function are unknown. This longitudinal observation study will evaluate physiologic parameters to determine trends in cerebral oxygenation and function in preterm infants with ICH in comparison to infants without ICH.
To determine effectiveness of therapy to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with mild HIE. To determine the adverse effects of Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH) in mild HIE on the neonate and his/her family. Determine heterogeneity of the treatment effect across key subgroups obtained in the first 6 hours after birth prior to the decision to initiate therapy.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether a new cerebral oxygenation monitoring device is comparatively similar to the current approved devices.
This study examines the potential benefits of a home stimulation program to treat infants who have suffered from brain asphyxiation (lack of oxygen). The program involves one year of stimulatory activities. Progress will be evaluated through neurological and behavioral exams.
Purpose of Study This exploratory clinical study will investigate FMISO (fluoromisonidazole) in patients with (1) newly diagnosed primary malignant brain tumors (WHO \[World Health Organization\] Grade III or IV glial-based tumors) who have not had a complete surgical resection and by contrast MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) have residual tumor \> 1.0 cm in diameter and will be receiving radiotherapy or (2) newly diagnosed brain metastasis (\> 1.0 cm in diameter who will be receiving radiotherapy. The ability to accurately assess tumor hypoxia and accurately determine the amount/degree of tumor hypoxia could potentially change patient management once validated as tumor hypoxia is known to be associated with a poor prognosis \[Eyler 2008\].
The purpose of this research study is to better understand how blood flow and metabolism are different between normal controls and patients with disease. The investigators will examine brain blood flow and metabolism using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The brain's blood vessels expand and constrict to regulate blood flow based on the brain's needs. The amount of expanding and contracting the blood vessels can do varies by age. The brain's blood flow changes in small ways during everyday activities, such as normal brain growth, exercise, or deep concentration. Significant illness or physiologic stress may increase the brain's metabolic demand or cause other bigger changes in blood flow. If blood vessels are not able to expand to give more blood flow when metabolic demand is high, the brain may not get all of the oxygen it needs. In less extreme circumstances, not having as much oxygen as it wants may cause the brain to grow and develop more slowly than it should. One way to test the ability of the blood vessels to expand is by measuring blood flow while breathing in carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 causes blood vessels in the brain to dilate without increasing brain metabolism. The study team will use a special mask to control the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide patients breath in so that we can study how their brain reacts to these changes. This device designed to simulate carbon dioxide levels achieved by a breath-hold and target the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood in breathing patients. The device captures exhaled gas and provides an admixture of fresh gas and neutral/expired gas to target different carbon dioxide levels while maintaining a fixed oxygen level. The study team will obtain MRI images of the brain while the subjects are breathing air controlled by the device.
Early hemodynamic effects (within 3 hours of life) of Delayed Cord Clamping compared to Umbilical Cord Milking are still unknown. Four sites experienced in the use of NIRS and who have appropriate data collection equipment in the delivery room (Alberta, Ulm, Cork and San Diego) will obtain and report the physiological changes with UCM and DCC from birth until 24 hours of life. This data will yield the largest available sample of continuously recorded heart rate, cerebral tissue oxygenation, peripheral oxygen saturation, airway pressure, and administered FiO2 to delineate the short term responses to two methods of placental transfusion. In our initial trial we demonstrated increased blood pressure from 3-15 HOL with UCM compared to DCC in premature newborns \<32 weeks, but did not show any differences in cerebral oxygenation.
The purpose of this study is to examine the acute effect of being choked during partnered sex on neurological measures. The study is designed to identify the effects being choked during partnered sex on the brain through the use of neural-injury blood biomarkers, functional, diffusion, and perfusion MRI, and ocular-motor function across 3 time points (baseline, post-choking, post-non-choking). The central hypothesis is that acute neuronal structural, physiological, and functional alterations will be amplified after an incidence of choking-involved sex. The neural-injury blood biomarkers neurofilament light (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), and Tau will be measured in plasma, with the hypothesis that having choking involved sex will result in a increased heightened response compared to baseline and post non-choking involved sex timepoints. An additional panel of inflammatory cytokines may be considered if/when brain injury biomarkers show changes. It is also hypothesized that engaging in choking-involved sex will be associated with changes in fMRI activation patterns. White matter microstructure will be measured by diffusion imaging metrics, with the hypothesis that engaging in choking-involved sex will significantly disrupt microstructure at a post-choking involved sex time point, compared to baseline, but not at the post non-choking involved sex timepoint. The study will also assess oculomotor function as measured by near-point-of-convergence (NPC) in response to engaging in choking involved sex. The hypothesis is that NPC performance will be significantly impaired at the post choking-involved sex timepoint in comparison to both baseline and non-choking involved sex timepoints.
The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility, fidelity and acceptability of an aquatic therapy assessment and intervention for children ages 3-9 with neuromotor deficits such as cerebral palsy. The intervention takes place in a warm water therapy pool, twice a week for ten weeks and targets swim safety skills, upper extremity function and self care participation and performance.
Admission into a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a highly stressful experience for child and family. High levels of stress can negatively impact outcomes, yet non-pharmacological interventions to decrease stress in the PICU are severely lacking. This is a prospective, single-arm feasibility trial that will explore the feasibility and acceptability of a music therapy intervention to decrease stress in the PICU among families of children receiving invasive or noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Objectives: The aims of this study are to: 1) Assess the feasibility of implementing a music therapy intervention in the PICU among children receiving invasive or non-invasive mechanical ventilation; 2) Determine the acceptability of the music therapy intervention in the ICU among caregivers, patients, and pediatric and cardiac ICU staff; 3) Explore the variability in child and caregiver stress outcomes throughout ICU admission. Hypothesis: The music therapy intervention will be feasible, as determined by recruitment, retention, protocol adherence, and data collection rates, and will be acceptable to participants and to PICU staff. Sample: This study will recruit 20 families that include children aged 2 months - 17 years old admitted with an expected length of ICU stay greater than 72 hours. Of these 20 families, the investigators will specifically recruit 10 families whose child is admitted for a hypoxic brain injury. Eligible children are receiving either noninvasive mechanical ventilation (i.e., continuous or bilevel positive airway pressure), invasive mechanical ventilation, or have an established tracheostomy tube and with escalated support settings. One primary caregiver will be enrolled along with the child admitted into the ICU.
Neonates presenting with neurologic symptoms require rapid, non-invasive imaging with high spatial resolution and tissue contrast. The purpose of this study is to evaluate brain perfusion using contrast-enhanced ultrasound CEUS in bedside monitoring of neonates and infants with hypoxic ischemic injury (HII). Investigational CEUS scan will be performed separately from clinically indicated conventional US, in the ICU. Subjects will be scanned with CEUS at two different time-points (at the time HII is first suspected or diagnosed and at time of MRI scan), separately from clinically indicated ultrasound. The CEUS scan will be interpreted by the sponsor-investigator. The study will be conducted at one site, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It is expected that up to 100 subjects will be enrolled per year, for up to two years, for a total enrollment of up to 200 subjects.
The investigators will conduct a non-randomized clinical trial to examine the effect of pure oxygen breathing on the brain. The study will compare cerebral blood flow, cortical electrical activity, and cognitive performance in 32 persons during room air (21% oxygen) breathing and pure oxygen (100% oxygen) breathing. Subjects will be used as their own controls. The investigators aim to: 1. Determine whether breathing 100% oxygen changes blood flow through the brain. The investigators will learn whether brain blood flow is increased, decreased or stays the same. 2. Determine if changes that might occur in brain blood flow are also accompanied by changes in the brain's electrical activity (EEG). 3. Learn whether changes in the speed at which the brain processes information (cognitive function) accompany changes in brain blood flow and electrical activity that may be seen.
Few early prognostic indicators are currently available for patients' families and clinicians following out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), and blood biomarkers may be of prognostic value in these cases. Brain tissue is highly dependent upon aerobic respiration, and oxygen deprivation result in irreversible neuronal cell injury. Peptides released into the blood by injured neuronal cells can be measured to estimate degree of injury, and potentially predict long term neurological outcome.
This study is a randomized, controlled trial to assess safety and effectiveness of whole body hypothermia for 72 hours in preterm infants 33-35 weeks gestational age (GA) who present at \<6 hours postnatal age with moderate to severe neonatal encephalopathy (NE). The study will enroll infants with signs of NE at 18 NICHD Neonatal Research Network sites, and randomly assign them to either receive hypothermia or participate in a non-cooled control group.
The Optimizing Cooling trial will compare four whole-body cooling treatments for infants born at 36 weeks gestational age or later with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: (1) cooling for 72 hours to 33.5°C; (2) cooling for 120 hours to 33.5°C; (3) cooling for 72 hours to 32.0°C; and (4) cooling for 120 hours to 32.0°C. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether whole-body cooling initiated at less than 6 hours of age and continued for 120 hours and/or a depth at 32.0°C in will reduce death and disability at 18-22 months corrected age.
This study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial to evaluate whether induced whole-body hypothermia initiated between 6-24 hours of age and continued for 96 hours in infants ≥ 36 weeks gestational age with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy will reduce the incidence of death or disability at 18-22 months of age. The study will enroll 168 infants with signs of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy at 16 NICHD Neonatal Research Network sites, and randomly assign them to either receive hypothermia or participate in a non-cooled control group.
BOOST3 is a randomized clinical trial to determine the comparative effectiveness of two strategies for monitoring and treating patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the intensive care unit (ICU). The study will determine the safety and efficacy of a strategy guided by treatment goals based on both intracranial pressure (ICP) and brain tissue oxygen (PbtO2) as compared to a strategy guided by treatment goals based on ICP monitoring alone. Both of these alternative strategies are used in standard care. It is unknown if one is more effective than the other. In both strategies the monitoring and goals help doctors adjust treatments including the kinds and doses of medications and the amount of intravenous fluids given, ventilator (breathing machine) settings, need for blood transfusions, and other medical care. The results of this study will help doctors discover if one of these methods is more safe and effective.
This observational study will investigate whether differences in birth events and oxygen levels during the newborn period affects the brain activity of children during the middle childhood years.
Cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death in the United States and as many as 590,000 Americans suffering a cardiac arrest each year. Despite advances in care, as many as 50 to 89% of patients who are resuscitated after a cardiac arrest die in the hospital. Brain injury is the most common cause of death and disability after cardiac arrest. The investigators use advanced brain monitoring in patients who are at high risk of death after cardiac arrest, with the goal of preventing ongoing brain injury. The most common problem the investigators have observed is low oxygen levels in the brain, which is often very difficult to treat. In this study, the investigators plan to use two additional brain monitors in the care of these high risk patients: a monitor for seizures and a monitor of the amount of blood flow in the brain. The investigators will use these to detect and treat potential causes of low brain oxygen levels. The main hypotheses are that electrical events in the brain such as seizures and "spreading depolarizations" will occur during times of low brain tissue oxygen level, and that treating these events and low blood flow will reduce the rate of low brain oxygen levels.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about brain waves during transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in healthy children. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What is the safety, tolerability, and physiological response of taVNS in children? * Does the electroencephalogram (EEG) change during taVNS? Participants will * undergo a brief titration session where taVNS will be titrated to below perceptual threshold * receive one session of 30 minutes of taVNS * undergo clinical EEG monitoring during taVNS * Continuous cardiorespiratory monitoring via pulse oximetry and blood pressure every 5 minutes * Answer tolerability questions before, during and after 30 minute taVNS session
RESTORE is a randomized clinical trial investigating the safety and feasibility of using EEG treatment targets (burst suppression vs. seizure suppression) for post-cardiac arrest refractory status epilepticus treatment.
The brain is such a metabolically active organ that it consumes about 20% of oxygen burned every minute by an average adult even though it only contributes about 2% of the body weight. As a result, the brain produces a disproportionately high amount of CO2 every minute in comparison with the rest of the body.
The investigators propose to compare the proteomic analysis of umbilical venous blood from neonates with brain injury to gestational age matched noninjured controls. After delivery an umbilical arterial gas and a 10 ml umbilical venous sample are obtained, then the remainder of the cord blood is discarded. The investigators plan to use this cord blood that would otherwise be discarded to perform our proteomic analysis. The investigators will use up to 20 ml of cord blood per delivery. This will be a 5 year study during which time the investigators hope to analyze 450 infants at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Bayview Medical Center. The investigators will obtain an umbilical venous sample from infants born at \< 34 weeks gestation. For infants born at \> 34 weeks the investigators will obtain an umbilical venous sample for any infant suspected to be at risk for neurologic injury by having a diagnosis of chorioamnionitis during labor, nonreassuring fetal heart rate tracing at the time of delivery, or a 5 minute Apgar \< 7. For the infants born at \< 34 weeks the brain injured infants will be compared to gestational age matched controls without brain injury. For the infants born at \> 34 weeks, each infant later confirmed to have neurologic morbidity will be compared to a gestational age matched noninjured control. The investigators hope to use proteomic analysis to determine if there are measurable differences in protein expression between the 2 groups.
The primary objective is to characterize the prevalence and type of ABI following cannulation for pediatric patients who require ECMO support. The secondary objective is to describe the time course and rates of ABI using ultralow-field bedside MRI relative to both duration of ECMO support and clinical imaging obtained in routine care of pediatric ECMO patients.
This is a multicenter trial to establish the efficacy of cooling and the optimal duration of induced hypothermia for neuroprotection in pediatric comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. The study team hypothesizes that longer durations of cooling may improve either the proportion of children that attain a good neurobehavioral recovery or may result in better recovery among the proportion already categorized as having a good outcome.
A multicenter, randomized, adaptive allocation clinical trial to determine if increasing durations of induced hypothermia are associated with an increasing rate of good neurological outcomes and to identify the optimal duration of induced hypothermia for neuroprotection in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest.