Rural areas in South Carolina have higher rates of cancer and cancer-related deaths than cities, largely due to higher rates of smoking in these areas. Young adults (ages 21-29) living in rural areas are especially at risk, as they tend to smoke more, are more dependent on nicotine, have fewer resources to help them quit, and are less likely to successfully quit smoking. At the same time, newer products like nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes are becoming more common. These products provide nicotine without tobacco and may help reduce smoking because they are more accessible and easier to use. Quitting smoking before age 30 can greatly lower the risk of developing cancer, making it especially important to understand whether these products can help young adults cut back or quit. In this virtual study, the DREAM Lab will work with 60 young adults living in rural South Carolina who smoke cigarettes. We will: 1) conduct interviews to learn more about their experiences with quitting smoking and their perspectives on using these products for quitting, and 2) examine how these products affect tobacco withdrawal symptoms. Findings will help guide future policies and programs aimed at reducing smoking and cancer risk in rural communities.

This study will examine the factors that contribute to changes in swallowing as people age. Over the next ten years, researchers will follow healthy adults (age 18 and older) to see if swallowing becomes more difficult with age. They will also look at whether changes in the brain, thinking skills, and body chemistry are connected to swallowing problems. The information from this study may help doctors find ways to address problems such as choking or aspiration pneumonia in older adults.

Participants can change their mind and stop participating at any time, for any reason. Leaving the study will not affect any benefits or care they are entitled to.

If you would like to learn more, please contact the study team.

This study looks at how teens with trauma-related symptoms respond to stress and strong emotions. We will measure brain activity, body responses, and behavior during activities that involve reacting to possible threats, managing emotions, and imagining parts of their own stressful or traumatic experiences more than once.

The goal of this research is to better understand how repeating these imagining activities affects teens. We also want to learn whether a teen's reaction to stress and their ability to manage emotions are connected to how they respond to imagining stressful events.

What we learn may help improve treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and help identify which teens are most likely to benefit from these treatments, based on brain, body, and behavior responses.

This study is seeking subjects who have been diagnosed with and may be receiving medical treatment for mitral valve disease. The purpose of this registry is to collect data to better understand the progression of mitral valve disease and the effects of different treatments on the disease and patient health. If you agree to participate in this registry, your medical data will be collected including your medical history, certain background information, and certain test images/results. This registry will also collect information about current and future treatments for your mitral valve disease and data from future disease-related follow-up visits. Data will be collected for up to 24 months. There are no additional visits or any additional testing required for this registry.

This research study aims to improve care coordination in the context of cancer survivorship care by understanding how primary care providers and cancer specialists share responsibilities. Researchers want to understand how technology can help these teams communicate more clearly and effectively to coordinate care for survivors. The study team will use surveys and conduct interviews and focus groups for interested and eligible participants as methods of data collection to inform the research. Oncologists, primary care physicians, and survivors of breast, prostate, lung, colon and rectal cancer that meet the eligibility criteria will complete surveys and engage in interviews to understand barriers and identify strategies to improve care. Using this information, the team will create an intervention plan called ACT that addresses common barriers, using focus group discussions to refine the intervention. The ultimate goal is to help patients receive better and more coordinated follow‑up care.

Quantitative survey of certain substances of abuse in the adolescent and young adult population of SC. Survey study will be focused on substances of abuse that are easily accessible at a gas station due to little to no regulations or excessive amounts available in various forms such as Kratom, 7-OH, Tia, nicotine pouches, THC, etc.

This study is designed to improve how body image distress is identified among adult survivors of head and neck cancer during routine clinic visits. Participants will complete questionnaires about body image concerns either on paper or electronically (in clinic or remotely through a secure link). The study will evaluate how well a brief screening questionnaire (IMAGE-HN SF) identifies patients experiencing meaningful body image distress compared with the longer, full IMAGE-HN survey. In addition to assessing how accurately the short form performs, we will ask patients how they prefer the screening to be delivered, including the timing, format, and method of completion in routine care. A subset of participants will be invited to complete a short interview to share additional thoughts about how this type of screening should be implemented. Findings from this study will help guide the use of efficient and patient-centered body image screening in head and neck cancer clinics.

This an observational study collecting data for up to 8 years on patients who have been diagnosed with PiZZ or PiSZ Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency with or without liver disease. Patients' clinical, medical, and laboratory data will be collected prospectively per routine care and questionnaires will be collected during the clinic visits with the hopes of getting a better understanding of the natural progress of lung and liver disease associated with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.

This is a descriptive study designed to determine the proportion of women who are sexually active after minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy, with particular focus on those aged 65 and older. Because sacrocolpopexy carries certain risks—especially in older women—but also preserves vaginal length and may improve sexual function, understanding post-surgical sexual activity can help clinicians counsel patients when choosing between reconstructive surgeries, which preserve vaginal length, and obliterative surgeries, which do not. The study also aims to better understand patient values in surgical decision-making related to sexual activity. Women who had sacrocolpopexy at MUSC since January 1, 2015 will be contacted to complete two questionnaires: one assessing sexual activity and satisfaction with surgery, and one assessing sexual function using an adapted PISQ-IR questionnaire. Data will be analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics to examine the proportion of sexually active women in groups under 65 versus 65 and older, as well as to compare their sexual function outcomes.

This study aims to improve cancer survivorship care work by refining how primary care providers and cancer specialists share responsibilities. Researchers want to understand how technology can help these teams communicate more clearly and effectively to coordinate care for survivors. The study team will use surveys, conduct interviews and organize focus groups for interested and eligible participants as methods of data collection to inform the research. Oncologists, Primary Care Physicians, administrative leads and colon or rectal cancer survivors that meet the eligibility criteria will complete surveys, engage in interviews and group discussions from each perspective to learn strategies to improve care, including who should handle which parts of survivorship care. Using this information, the team will create an intervention plan called PRIMES that outlines strategies to overcome common barriers. The ultimate goal is to help survivors receive better and more coordinated follow‑up care.