This study is a database evaluating data in patients with chronic pancreatitis that are seen and evaluated in a surgery clinic and ultimately under surgery for chronic pancreatitis with total pancreatectomy with islet cell transplant. Patients will receive the standard of care for this operation. This is not a clinical trial, and no changes will be made to their care. Data will be collected to review outcomes only. They may be asked to fill out study related questionnaires or surveys.
Preterm and term infants with brain injury frequently have difficulty learning to feed by mouth. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) may be paired with the motor activity of feeding to boost brain circuits involved with feeding. This study will test a taVNS-paired bottle system in a blinded, randomized, controlled trial in infants who have reached term age and failed to learn to feed. Our preliminary data indicates that most infants improve their volume of oral feeds with the BabySTrong system, and 50-70% achieve full oral feeds and avoid placement of a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) or home nasogastric tube. The BabySTrong feeding system may improve oral feeding volumes and help infants and their families avoid a long hospital stay while trying to learn to feed.
The purpose of this research study is to find out if giving radiation therapy (RT) early to high-risk bone metastases that are not causing pain can reduce the chance of skeletal-related events (SREs) such as fractures, spinal cord compression, or surgery to bone. This will be compared to the current standard of care (SOC), which usually treats bone metastases only when symptoms like pain occur. The study will enroll 16 participants locally over 25 months, and each subject will remain in the study for at least 40 months. You are being asked to join because you have metastatic cancer that has spread to your bones and is considered "high-risk," though it is not causing pain at this time. High-risk bone metastases are typically located in the spine, hip, shoulder, or long bones, and larger tumors in these areas are more likely to cause complications. If you join this study, you will receive radiation therapy to high-risk bone sites in addition to standard care. The main risk is that radiation therapy may not work better than the usual approach at preventing bone complications. Radiation can also cause side effects, including skin changes, tiredness, and inflammation of the esophagus, bowel, or lungs. There may also be risks that are not yet known to the study doctors.
After leaving the hospital and finishing therapies, stroke survivors often do not have the supports they need to fully recover. Many live with problems for a long time after their stroke, such as trouble walking or doing everyday tasks like cleaning, grocery shopping, or cooking. Research suggests that healthy habits, like moving more, eating well, and being at a healthy weight, can improve most of these disabilities. These habits can be hard to form alone though, especially in rural areas that may not have many healthy foods or places to exercise. The goal of this research project is to test StrongPeople StrongHearts, a health program, to see if it helps stroke survivors in South Carolina make better choices for their health and improve their quality of life. The program will be delivered online so that survivors in rural areas can be in the program. One group will also receive a weekly grocery box tailored to their needs to improve access to healthy foods. This study could help increase access to research-based programs for stroke survivors who do not have the supports they did soon after their stroke.
This study is enrolling participants with symptomatic ATTR-CM (transthyretin amyloidosis cardiomyopathy). ATTR-CM is a rare and serious disease that occurs when a protein in the blood called transthyretin (TTR) builds up throughout the body, including in the heart and nerves. When the abnormal protein, known as amyloid, deposits in the heart, the heart muscle thickens and stiffens, causing the heart to fail. This research study is designed to test whether the medication nucresiran is safe and helps people with ATTR-CM, in comparison to the effects of placebo.
Nucresiran is considered investigational, meaning it is not currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of ATTR-CM. Nucresiran is a TTR silencer. It is like a "quiet button" that turns down the amount of the disease-causing protein that is made. Because there is less TTR, there may be less buildup in the heart and other organs over time.
This is a randomized study meaning once eligibility is confirmed, participants will be assigned by chance, like drawing straws, to either receive nucresiran or placebo. You will have a 2 out of 3 chance of being assigned to nucresiran and a 1 out of 3 chance of being assigned placebo. Placebo is a substance that looks like the actual medication and is given the same way but contains no active substance. The study drug, which can be either nucresiran or placebo, will be given as an injection under the skin in the abdomen (avoiding the area around the navel), thigh, or the side or back of the upper arms. Neither the participants nor the study doctor will know who is assigned to nucresiran or placebo but this information can be made available if need be.
Participation in this study is expected to last for 5-8 years, Study related procedures include physical exams, vital signs, echocardiograms (ultrasound test of the heart), electrocardiograms, (ECG, a tracing of the heart's electrical activity), blood work, urine samples and questionnaires. Participants will also take Vitamin A daily. Study related risks include risks related to the study drug including injection site reactions, abnormal liver function or an allergic reaction. There may be risks related to study procedures including loss of confidentiality. There may not be any direct benefit, but the information learned may benefit others with ATTR-CM in the future.
This phase III trial compares durvalumab to the usual approach (patient observation) after surgery for the treatment of patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as durvalumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. The usual approach for patients who are not in a study is to closely watch a patient's condition after surgery and to have regular visits with their doctor to watch for signs of the cancer coming back. Usually, patients do not receive further treatment unless the cancer returns. This study will help determine whether this different approach with durvalumab is better, the same, or worse than the usual approach of observation. Giving durvalumab may help patients live longer and prevent early-stage non-small cell lung cancer from coming back as compared to the usual approach.
This study is for subjects who have been diagnosed with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer. Subjects are expected to remain in the study for a minimum of 70 months. Drugs are FDA approved and is given through a vein (also called IV or intravenous). The procedures include blood and urine tests, troponin test. Risks include infection, bruising, bleeding, anemia, kidney damage, hearing loss, nausea, vomiting, numbness, pain, rash, blood in urine. You may not receive a benefit from participating in this trial, however, information learned from the trial may help other people in the future.
The purpose of this study is to test whether adding cetuximab to standard of care (pembrolizumab) is more effective in shrinking tumor size and increasing survival when compared to being treated with pembrolizumab alone. This study seeks to find if this approach is the same, better, or worse than standard of care for returning or spreading head and neck cancer after previous treatment.
Treatment and follow up for this study may be up to 5 years. The procedures include blood tests, CT or MRI scans, and chemotherapy. Risks include tiredness, anemia, constipation, loss of appetite, joint stiffness, cough, swelling and redness of the skin.
You may or may not receive a direct benefit from participating in this trial, however, information learned from the trial may help other people in the future. Both drugs, pembrolizumab and cetuximab, are already individually approved by the FDA for use in head and neck cancers. However, the benefit of combining the two drugs is being investigated in this study and this study approach is not FDA approved.
There will be about 158 people taking part in this study, approximately 4 subjects will be enrolled at MUSC.
This study is for adults aged 18 to 39 who have a history of cancer and have not had inherited cancer genetic testing. The purpose of this study is to find out if a digital tool can be used as an alternative to meeting with a genetic counselor before inherited cancer genetic testing, and whether this approach can help support patients through the testing process. The study will compare the digital tool to the usual approach for genetic testing, which involves meeting with a genetic counselor before and after testing.
Participants will be randomly assigned (like flipping a coin) to one of two groups. One group will receive pre-test education through a digital tool, and the other group will meet with a genetic counselor through a telehealth visit. All participants will receive their genetic test results through a telehealth visit with a genetic counselor. Participants in the digital tool group will also have access to a chatbot called the Genetics Journey Chatbot that provides educational support, reminders, and answers to questions during the study.
The study involves completing surveys at several time points: before genetic testing, after the testing decision, after receiving results, and again about 6 and 12 months later. The total duration of participation is about 18 months.
This study does not involve an investigational drug. Participants may benefit from learning whether they have a genetic change that could increase their risk of cancer, which could inform their future screening or prevention options. The information learned from this study may also help improve genetic testing delivery for future patients.
There will be a total of 10 patients enrolled locally over the course of 24 months.
This study is an open label extension of the ACT-EARLY study. which included those with no evidence of ATTR but are known carriers of disease causing TTR gene. ATTR stands for transthyretin amyloidosis. It is a condition in which a protein called transthyretin (TTR) accumulates in various organs, including the heart (known as ATTR-CM), kidneys, and nerves (known as ATTR-PN). This accumulation can lead to damage and dysfunction in these organs.
This study will continue using the study drug acoramidis (AG-10) to determine if it can help people with the genetic TTR variant slow the progression of ATTR. AG-10 is an investigational drug. Investigational means that AG-10 is not yet approved for use in any settings outside of clinical research studies like this one. Reducing the amount of TTR in your blood may reduce the amount of amyloid deposits in your body and may keep your cardiomyopathy from getting worse over time.
Participation in this study will last up to 60 month and will consist of about 13 clinic visits and about 11 telephone follow up visits. Some tests required include physical exams, medical and surgical history, bloodwork, questionnaire, electrocardiogram (test that records your heart's electrical activity), echocardiogram (ultrasound test of your heart) and study drug administration.