6 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Fibula free flaps (FFF) and radial forearm free flaps (RFFF) are necessary to reconstruct parts of the face after cancer surgery, traumas, or debilitating infections. Oftentimes, after we take the flap from the arm or leg, there is a large skin defect that must be filled. A split thickness skin graft (STSG) usually from the thigh can be used to fill this defect. Split thickness skin grafts get their blood supply from the underlying tissue, Hence, pressure must be applied to the skin grafts to ensure that they "stick" to the underlying tissue and are properly perfused. A bolster and cast is placed onto the skin graft to apply pressure and to immobilize the skin graft to optimize healing. However, skin grafts still often do not take well. Thus, the objective of this study is to see if the duration of the cast and bolster over the skin graft has an effect on how well it integrates into the wound bed. The study will compare 2 groups: the standard of care 5-7 day cast group versus the experiment 10-14 day cast group. The hypothesis is that people with longer cast and bolster duration will have better healing rates. Surveys will also be administered to see if cast and bolster duration will affect quality of life and self-esteem.
The purpose of this study is to determine if the 3-year graft failure rate following endothelial keratoplasty performed with donor corneas with a preservation time of 8 to 14 days is non-inferior to the failure rate when donor corneas with a preservation time of 7 or fewer days are used.
The experience of the Edmonton Group with islet transplantation and use of the "Edmonton Protocol" provides much promise for T1DM patients. However, the need to use 2 or more donor pancreases to achieve freedom from insulin shots limits the widespread use of this protocol. Two classes of oral antidiabetic drugs improve insulin action and reduce the amount of insulin needed to have normal blood sugars. The first part of the proposed project (Group 1) will use these drugs in conjunction with the Edmonton Protocol to allow for successful islet transplantation from islets isolated from a single pancreas. The Edmonton Protocol is a treatment, not a cure. It requires the long-term use of powerful immunosuppressive drugs that are expensive and increase the risk of infection and cancer. T1DM patients who have a functioning kidney transplant already have to use immunosuppressive drugs, and they are still at risk of recurrent diabetic kidney disease and other complications of diabetes. Islet transplantation in these patients has only rarely been successful in the past in part because the usual immunosuppressive drugs used in kidney transplantation cause diabetes and actually harm the transplant kidney in other ways. The immunosuppressive drugs used in the Edmonton Protocol are less likely to cause diabetes and are also less harmful to the kidney. In the second part of this project (Group 2), we will transplant islets into kidney transplant patients after they have switched to the immunosuppressive medications used in the Edmonton Protocol. Even if some of the patients do not get islet transplants or still need insulin shots after islet transplantation, we expect to see improvement in kidney function and blood glucose control.
This is a retrospective review of the COLTT program outcomes and factors that predict recovery of functional status after lung transplantation.
Most patients who get a liver transplant must take immunosuppressants for the rest of their lives. However, this has occurred at the expense of chronic CNI toxicity, e.g. chronic kidney disease (CKD), metabolic complications, infections and malignancy. Everolimus (EVL) is a drug that may stabilize or improve kidney function for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) that has been caused by immunosuppressants. EVL is used for standard of care treatment to prevent transplant liver rejection in combination with other immunosuppressants, such as tacrolimus. The overall aim of this study is to examine a combination of two different immunosuppressants and EVL to determine if patients may have stabilized and/or improved kidney function without liver rejection. This study will look at how safe it is to slowly withdraw one anti-rejection medication while continuing to take the other medicine, and whether this can be done without liver rejection occurrence.
Injection drug users (IDUs) constitute 60% of the approximately 5 million people in the U.S. infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV treatment leading to sustained viral response (SVR) is associated with increased survival. However, IDUs have had poor access to HCV care and their success in HCV treatment has been limited. With direct-acting antiviral agents, HCV treatment delivered within large clinical trials leads to SVR or cure in over 70% of genotype-1 infected patients, compared to 45% with previous therapies. However, SVR rates are as low as 14% in real-world settings. The majority of patients who fail to achieve SVR will develop drug resistance, but the optimal adherence level to minimize resistance is unknown. If HCV treatment continues to be delivered within current models of care, most IDUs will not only fail treatment and develop resistance, but may transmit resistant viruses to others. We have previously developed a multidisciplinary model of HCV care which integrates on-site primary care, substance abuse treatment, psychiatric care, and HCV-related care within opiate agonist treatment clinics. To maximize treatment outcomes, we piloted two models of intensive HCV-related care: directly observed therapy (DOT), and concurrent group therapy (CGT). In our DOT model, pegylated interferon is administered once weekly, if applicable, and one daily dose of oral medication is administered at the methadone window. In our CGT model, patients initiate HCV treatment within a once weekly treatment group which provides powerful social support to mitigate fears of side effects, promote efficient education, and deliver weekly injections, if applicable. It is unknown whether either model is better or more cost-effective than standard on-site care. PREVAIL 1: In the proposed study, 150 IDUs with chronic HCV (genotype 1) will be recruited from methadone clinics and randomized to one of three models of care: DOT; concurrent group treatment; or standard on-site care. Our specific aims are: 1) To determine whether either of two intensive on-site HCV treatment models (DOT or concurrent group treatment) is more efficacious than standard on-site treatment for enhancing adherence and SVR, and decreasing drug resistance; (2) To determine the incidence and factors associated with the development of drug resistance in IDUs; (3) To perform cost and cost-effectiveness analyses of each model; (4) To examine the impact of HIV coinfection on adherence and virologic outcomes among HCV-infected IDUs. PREVAIL 2: In the proposed study, 60 IDUs with chronic HCV (genotypes 1 2, 3 and 4) will be recruited from opiate agonist treatment programs and started on HCV treatment. Subjects will be offered the choice of model of care (either standard on-site, DOT, or concurrent group treatment). Our specific aims are: (1) to determine rates of adherence and SVR in a cohort of opiate agonist treatment patients initiating treatment with sofosbuvir-based regimens and (2) to determine adherence rates over time in drug users (genotype 3 and genotype 1 / IFN-ineligible) initiating a 24 week IFN-free regimen. PREVAIL 3: In the proposed study, 60 IDUs with chronic HCV (genotype 1 and 4) will be recruited from opiate agonist treatment programs and started on HCV treatment. Subjects will be offered the choice of model of care (either standard on-site, DOT, or concurrent group treatment). Our specific aims are: (1) to determine rates of adherence and SVR in a cohort of opiate agonist treatment patients initiating treatment with oral DAA combination of sofosbuvir and simeprevir or fixed dose of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir and (2) to determine adherence rates over time in drug users.