5 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The project's objective is to explore the impact of Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Reduction (MBSR) on pain regulation, social stress, basic affective and attention functions, and on the brain, immune, and endocrine mechanisms that subserve these processes. Specifically, the investigators hypothesize that participants undergoing MBSR training will show decreased emotional distress on self-report measures, increased sustained attention on a behavioral task, decreased stress levels on a social stress test, decreased general psychosocial stress as indexed by diurnal salivary cortisol profile, changes in inflammatory response, modulation of cellular aging, and different neural patterns in response to thermal pain and aversive visual stimuli as indexed by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). To test these hypotheses, the study will recruit 50 participants through the UW-Madison Integrative Medicine Program. All participants will be randomly assigned either to an 8-week MBSR program or to an 8-week training program in health-enhancement. At the conclusion of the study, participants will be invited to participate to the second class should they be interested. Participants will complete self-report questionnaires, behavioral tasks, fMRI scanning, cortisol sampling, and blood sampling before training begins, after the first program ends, and again four months after the first program ends and prior to the second program. If hypotheses are supported, the study may benefit participants by reducing their psychological distress, increasing their well-being, and helping them better manage pain and aversive stimuli. There are no other direct benefits to participants. Potential risks associated with fMRI include ferromagnetic collision, neurostimulation effects, and psychological discomfort. Potential risks to subjects include slight potential discomfort in providing saliva samples, discomfort of painful thermal stimulation, stress associated with the Trier Social Stress Test, some psychological discomfort from viewing disturbing photographs as part of the compassion fMRI study, and breach of confidentiality. Consent for the present study will entail both written and verbal descriptions of the protocol. Subjects will be informed that their participation is completely voluntary, and that they can withdraw at any time.
This clinical trial will determine if subjects with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) receiving sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLTi2) inhibitor therapy (ertugliflozin) alters cardiac metabolism compared to placebo in a single blinded (to subject), randomized, parallel group, active controlled, single center experimental design.
The purpose of this research study is to determine how gastric bypass surgery effects metabolism in obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. One mechanism that has been investigated in animal models is change to the biology of the small intestine (Roux limb) and how glucose and other fuels are metabolized (or how the body digests and uses sugar and other fuels). This study will evaluate the role of the intestine in the beneficial metabolic effects of gastric bypass surgery. It specifically will examine whether the intestine increases its metabolism and its activity, and whether this results in an increase in fuel utilization. Thirty two (32) subjects will be recruited (18 with and 14 without Type 2 Diabetes). At the time of gastric bypass surgery, a small piece of intestine that is usually discarded will be collected. At three time points over the first year after surgery, intestinal samples will be obtained by endoscopy or insertion of a lighted flexible tube through the mouth. Blood samples will be taken at all time points, as well. All samples will undergo comprehensive metabolic analyses. Comparisons will be made between the two groups to understand the metabolic changes over time and if there are differences between the two groups.
The objective of this study is the development, implementation and management of a registry of patient data that captures clinically meaningful, real-world, data on the diagnosis, nature, course of infection, treatment(s) and outcomes in patients with complex disease globally.
The investigators recently completed a phase I study of intravenous ascorbic acid (IV AA) plus standard chemotherapy (gemcitabine and erlotinib) in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The investigators determined that the target ceiling dosage of 100 grams of ascorbic acid is safe when given with the chemotherapy. This Phase II trial is an initial test of efficacy of the 100 gram dose of ascorbic acid, which will be given with the same standard chemotherapy. This open label study will recruit up to 35 subjects with metastatic pancreatic cancer who will receive ascorbic acid combined with gemcitabine and erlotinib as front-line treatment. The phase I data suggests that ascorbic acid when given in combination with gemcitabine and erlotinib may result in some tumor response, and the goal of this study is to better evaluate the response and confirm initial safety data