8 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Background: - Increased clinical attention has been paid to the evaluation and management of bioterrorism-related illness (such as anthrax infection) and emerging infectious diseases (such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome \[SARS\] and new strains of influenza). However, evaluation and treatment data for these illnesses are often limited because human infections to date have been relatively limited. Further knowledge about diseases of bioterrorism concern and emerging infectious diseases may lead to more effective forms of therapy to prevent disease-related illnesses and deaths. Objectives: - To apply standardized, documented, and carefully monitored evaluation and treatment methods for bioterrorism- and biodefense-related illnesses and emerging infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. Eligibility: * Individuals at least 2 years of age who have confirmed or suspected infection by a biodefense or bioterrorism agent, or an emerging infectious disease agent. * Individuals at least 2 years of age who have confirmed or suspected exposure to a biodefense or bioterrorism agent, an emerging infectious disease agent, or who have close exposure to an individual who is suspected of being infected with one of these agents. * Health care workers who are involved in medical treatment of the abovementioned infected or exposed individuals. Design: * All eligible persons will have an initial screening evaluation to determine the circumstances of possible infectious exposure (e.g., where, when, and how exposed), current medical condition and medical care given, and any aspects of medical history that might be relevant to the exposure. * Participants may be seen in an outpatient clinic or in the Special Clinical Studies Unit (SCSU) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH SCSU is a hospital ward specially designed to minimize the risk of spreading infection to others. * Upon admission, participants will provide blood and urine samples, have an electrocardiogram to measure heart activity, and have specific tests or procedures associated with the particular infectious agent. * Participants who develop illnesses will be treated with the standard of care for known diseases or with experimental measures, depending on the nature of the illness. Separate consent may be required for these treatments. * Participants will remain on this study for at least 1 year following the period of active evaluation and treatment. Participants may be asked to come to the NIH outpatient clinic on a periodic basis for medical evaluations and blood tests, and may be asked to keep a diary card to record any unusual signs or symptoms of possible infection.
This study is one of several initiated by the investigators to reduce musculoskeletal injuries in patient care providers. Nurses have one of the highest incidences of work related back injuries of any profession. Over the past 20 years, efforts to reduce work-related injuries in nursing have been largely unsuccessful.
To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Retrovir (AZT) when used as prophylaxis for health care workers at risk for HIV infection from exposure to HIV-contaminated blood or blood components.
Purpose of the study: To identify if an intervention focused on decreasing fear of falling (FOF) in a geriatric primary care setting implemented by an occupational therapist (OT) has the potential to decrease falls and improve physical, psychological and social factors related to FOF. The primary research question: Is there an association between fear of falling among geriatric populations and fall prevention interventions that are offered by occupational therapist in a geriatric primary care setting?
The purpose of this study is to determine whether a non-painful, non-invasive, brain-stimulation technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with traditional physical-occupational therapy (OT) will improve motor function in patients with chronic stroke. The aim is to determine the effect of applying real (anodal and/or cathodal) - in a dual configuration - vs sham (pretend) tDCS to the motor brain regions on both hemispheres - in a dual configuration - to improve motor function in chronic stroke patients. Our research in normal subjects has shown that motor skills can be enhanced if tDCS is applied to the brain's motor region during motor learning. The effects after a single session of tDCS can last for up to 30 minutes, effects of multiple sessions (one session per day) can last for weeks. Furthermore, single sessions of tDCS applied to the motor regions in stroke patients have shown that improvements in motor functions can be seen and that effects may last for at least 30 minutes. Patients enrolled in this trial will be randomized to receive either real tDCS or sham tDCS in combination with PT-OT once a day for 5 days. Assessments will be done about 3 days and 7 days after the end of the experimental treatment by investigators who are blinded to the intervention. Patients are also blinded as to whether they are receiving real or sham tDCS. We hypothesize that real tDCS applied to the motor regions in combination with PT-OT results in a subsequent improvement in motor function of the recovering hand over sham tDCS in combination with PT-OT.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of two amounts of treatment therapy on post stroke motor recovery in the arms. The therapy is bilateral movement training combined with electrical stimulation on the impaired limb.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate if multiple therapy sessions of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) combined with robotic arm therapy lead to a greater functional recovery in upper limb mobility after stroke than that provided by robotic arm therapy in a sham stimulation condition.
The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of a forearm rotation orthosis combined with the occupational therapy task-oriented approach on functional performance for persons with a hemiparetic arm. Hypotheses of this study are: 1. participants who wear the forearm rotation orthosis will demonstrate significantly greater improvement in functional performance and active range of motion of forearm rotators compared to those who do not; 2. all participants who receive the occupational therapy task-oriented approach intervention will demonstrate significant improvement in functional performance; and 3. all participants who receive the occupational therapy task-oriented approach intervention will demonstrate improvement in motor function of the upper extremity.