14 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Achieving optimal vaccination rates is vital for protecting the health and well-being of all individuals. This specific study focuses on the MMR and RSV vaccines in pregnancy and early childhood, which have been shown to reduce RSV and MMR-related illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Efforts to improve vaccination rates have not been equally effective across the entire population; this has resulted in poorer outcomes from interventions for certain populations who are vaccine-hesitant. This study seeks to understand how to best increase vaccine confidence in marginalized populations. To do this, the investigators will interview parents of children who receive care at Boston Medical Center (BMC), Community Health Workers and other Clinical providers at BMC, leading experts in the fields of vaccine confidence and implementation science, and key public health stakeholders/officials.
The aim of the study is to apply and adapt device specific body composition formulas to various ethnic groups. Bases are prediction equations that are generated in the clinical investigation "Generation of prediction equation to analyze body composition of adults based on Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)". The study bears the code BCA-01.
RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x rays to kill tumor cells. Radiation therapy may cause skin reactions when patients are exposed to high-energy x rays. Studying the genetic pattern of patients before and after radiation therapy may help doctors prevent toxicity and plan the best treatment. PURPOSE: This clinical trial studies genetic susceptibility to radiation-induced skin reactions in racial/ethnic groups of patients with breast cancer.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether lipoprotein(a), also called Lp(a), is a risk factor for cardiovascular (heart) disease. Lipoproteins are tiny particles that circulate in the blood. They contain cholesterol, fat, and protein in varying amounts depending on the body's need. Higher levels of lipoproteins in the blood can cause an increased risk of heart disease. The investigators believe that by studying the Lp(a) lipoprotein in Caucasians and African Americans, the investigators can assess for genetic variation factors related to cardiovascular (heart) disease. The investigators will be looking at 100 African-American families and 100 Caucasian families to confirm whether a higher Lp(a) level is an indicator of a higher risk for heart disease.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Currently, there is little information about the lifetime risk of CVD among non-white ethnic groups. This study will analyze data from participants in several ongoing clinical studies to identify the lifetime risk for CVD among various ethnicities.
Studies show that virtually all increases in children's (5-12yrs) BMI occur during the summer, no matter children's' weight status (i.e., normal weight, overweight, or obese) at summer entry. Recent preliminary studies show that children engage in healthier behaviors on days that they attend summer day camps, and that BMI gain does not accelerate for these children. The proposed randomized dose-response study will identify the dose-response relationship between amount of summer programming and summer BMI gain.
Nearly one in five children are obese, and disparities in overweight and obesity between children from low- and middle-to-high-income households persist despite a multitude of school-based interventions. The structured days hypothesis posits that structure within a school day plays a protective role for children against obesogenic behaviors, and, ultimately, prevents the occurrence of excessive weight gain, thus, past school-based efforts are misplaced. This study will provide access to healthy structured programming via vouchers to afterschool programs and summer day camps during two "windows of vulnerability" (ie afterschool and summer) for low-income children.
Tobacco use is the leading cause of premature death in the United States and disproportionately affects Veterans and certain racial/ethnic minority groups. Most smokers are interested in quitting; however, current tobacco use treatment approaches are reactive and require smokers to initiate treatment or depend on the provider to initiate smoking cessation care. As a result, most smokers do not receive comprehensive, evidence-based treatment for tobacco use that includes intensive behavioral counseling along with pharmacotherapy. Proactive tobacco treatment integrates population-based treatment (i.e., proactive outreach) and individual-level treatment (i.e., smoking cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy) to address both patient and provider barriers to comprehensive care.
The CCCH tandem zinc finger proteins are members of a small family of proteins that regulate the stability of certain types of mRNA containing so-called class II AU-rich elements in their 3'-untranslated regions. The best studied member of this protein family, tristetraprolin (TTP), exerts this destabilizing effect on at least two mRNAs coding for physiologically and medically important cytokines, tumor necrosis factor alpha and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor. The physiological functions of the other two members of this protein family in mammals, 11B and 11D, are not known, but in experimental transfection studies they too can destabilize mRNAs containing this type of AU-rich element. As part of the Environmental Genome Project, we resequenced the protein coding portions of the human genes encoding these three proteins, and uncovered a dinucleotide splice site mutation in the 11B gene in one of 144 alleles sequenced. We showed that this mutation created a novel restriction fragment length polymorphism, and that this mutation resulted in the failure of splicing and expression of the mRNA encoded by the mutant allele. Based on our previous data with mice completely deficient in TTP, we anticipate that complete deficiency of this protein, and possibly its partial deficiency, would result in human disease. The mutant allele was from an anonymous adult Aka Pygmy women from the Central African Republic. We propose to genotype up to 1000 members of this ethnic group after obtaining buccal cell DNA from them. This will give us an approximate idea of the prevalence of this mutation in this population. If the mutation is found in a significant number of living individuals in this initial screen, then we will propose a later study of the individuals who have this genotype and their families. This second study, which will be reviewed separately, will attempt to correlate this genotype with a human trait or phenotype and possible y treatable human disease.
This Western Pennsylvania-based study will (1) improve cardiovascular risk stratification to identify high-risk populations, (2) identify disparities in cardiovascular risk based on race, socioeconomic status, and geographic location, (3) evaluate mechanisms for population differences in cardiovascular risk, and (4) implement a multidisciplinary community-based intervention program to decrease cardiovascular risk in high-risk populations. These goals, which are designed to eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities, are closely tied to the National Initiative to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health and the nation's health promotion and disease prevention agenda established in Healthy People 2010. This is a prospective cohort study of 2,000 residents of the state of Pennsylvania with approximately equal representation of white and African American subjects. All participants will undergo assessments of traditional and nontraditional risk factors to identify and determine the mechanisms of population disparities in cardiovascular risk. 800 participants who are at intermediate or high risk of cardiovascular disease will be randomly assigned to either (1) usual care/"advice only"; or (2) a multidisciplinary behavioral modification program to determine the most effective approach to reduce or eliminate racial, socioeconomic and geographic disparities in cardiovascular risk. All participants will undergo long-term follow-up for cardiovascular events.
This clinical trial implements research strategies to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates among low income and ethnic minority groups. CRC is the second most common cause of cancer mortality in the United States and disproportionately burdens low income and ethnic minority groups. Fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) is a test to check for blood in the stool. A brush is used to collect water drops from around the surface of a stool while it is still in the toilet bowl. The samples are then sent to a laboratory, where they are checked for a human blood protein. Blood in the stool may be a sign of colorectal cancer. Despite its potential for reducing CRC incidence and mortality, screening remains woefully underutilized. There is an unmet need for practical and effective programs to improve CRC screening rates. By implementing a culturally-tailored screening CRC program that supports providers and clinic staff to encourage eligible patients to complete FIT, researchers hope to reduce cancer disparities among low-income and ethnic groups and increase the CRC screening rate, which will help providers find CRC sooner, when it may be easier to treat.
The purpose of this study is to test the effects of a group smoking cessation program. The study will also examine individual differences in response to the intervention program.
To determine racial/ethnic differences in preference for group visits in veterans with poorly controlled hypertension (State 2 hypertension) and determine the effect of group visits on health outcomes among veterans with poorly controlled hypertension.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether cancer patients who receive the mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) program demonstrate improvement in health-related quality of life, a reduction in stress-related symptoms, and enhanced coping responses.