Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance among pregnant and postpartum women, with the postpartum period being a common time for relapse to cannabis. Currently there are no interventions for preventing return to cannabis use during this vulnerable time. The goal of this research is to better understand risk factors such as stress, craving, anxiety, mood, sleep, and hormone levels that may contribute to return to cannabis use during the postpartum period in order to help develop targeted prevention and treatment interventions in the future.
This study is enrolling emerging adults (ages 18-25) with cannabis use disorder (CUD) to examine sex differences in (a) cannabis withdrawal symptoms during short-term cannabis abstinence, (b) cannabidiol (CBD) versus placebo effects on stress reactivity during short-term cannabis abstinence, and (c) the relationship between stress reactivity and time to cannabis relapse after short-term cannabis abstinence. The proposed study is designed to reveal sex differences and guide the development of tailored treatments that address factors disproportionately affecting emerging adult females with CUD.
Participants will complete an assessment visit to determine eligibility. Eligible participants will be scheduled for their next visit and will be instructed to abstain from cannabis use for 3 days. Participants will be set up with a phone application (app) and given instructions on its use. This app will send twice daily, random surveys everyday throughout study participation with questions about cannabis use, cravings, and overall mood. Participants will also complete twice daily saliva samples.
At the end of the 3 days, participants will return to the clinic for their second visit. Participants will complete a urine and blood sample at each visit. After eating a snack, participants will receive one dose of CBD (800mg) or placebo and then participate in a stress task. Upon completion of the stress task, participants will complete 3 saliva samples and then be discharged after evaluation by research staff. After the completion of Visit 2, participants will continue to complete twice daily surveys for 10 days. The study will last approximately 14 days.
There are risks involved with participating in this study, including risks associated with CBD, risks associated with the stress task and study procedures, emotional distress from answering personal questions, and loss of confidentiality. There is a risk of experiencing cannabis withdrawal symptoms during the 3-day period of cannabis abstinence. Some potential risks related to CBD include dry mouth, diarrhea, reduced appetite, drowsiness, and fatigue. There is a risk of loss of confidentiality, but the researchers will code the samples and research information to protect privacy. There are no direct benefits to the participant, but we hope the knowledge gained will help us inform future clinical strategies to address cannabis use in emerging adults.
Persistent smell loss that can include diminished or distorted smell function is a common symptom of long COVID syndrome. There are limited treatment options for long COVID-related smell loss. Our study aims to determine the efficacy of two at-home treatments, smell training and non-invasive trigeminal nerve stimulation. This study requires participants to conduct daily at-home treatment sessions, attend three in-person study visits at the MUSC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and complete electronic questionnaires over the 12-week trial, and again at the six-month timepoint. Participants in this trial may benefit directly with an improvement in sense of smell. However, participation may also help society more generally, as this study will provide new information about long COVID-related smell loss and its treatment.
Substudy
Long COVID syndrome has been associated with cognitive impairment and may be related to affected emotional regulation. This study will use a electroencephalography (EEG) to examine how the body and brain responses to emotional cues in participants who are currently undergoing treatment for COVID-related smell loss. Participation will aid in the understanding of how emotional processing in long COVID is impacted by treatment for related smell loss.
Alcohol misuse is a risk factor for early onset cognitive impairment, contributing to 10% of early onset dementia, with risk corresponding to consumption. Additionally, continued drinking risks worsening cognitive decline and dementia progression, while worsening cognitive impairment contributes to drinking escalation. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to improve cognition in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dimentias (ADRD) and separately reduce heavy drinking in alcohol use disorder. Our objective is to optimize rTMS for simultaneous mitigation of both drinking and cognitive dysfunction in older adults.
This study is for patients that have been diagnosed with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma. The investigational drug given is eflornithine (DFMO) along with etoposide. DFMO is the investigational drug being used along with etoposide for treatment of neuroblastoma. Participants will undergo a number of standard tests and research-related procedures before being able to enroll in this study. Some risks include but are not limited to: fewer red and white blood cells, diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, skin rash, seizure, difficulty swallowing and blurred vision. Participants can expect to be on this study for approximately 2 years. Participants will then be followed for up to 5 years after study completion.
This project is a pilot study to determine if use of the J-Tip Needle-Free Injection System, used to administer local anesthesia, has any effects on the appearance of skin samples when viewed under a microscope compared with skin samples that have been injected with local anesthesia using a needle. If use of the J-Tip device for local anesthesia delivery is shown not to alter the microscopic appearance of skin, anesthesia for skin biopsies in the future may potentially be performed without a needle, allowing for less fear and pain.
There are two classes of drugs for preventing blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), an irregular heartbeat, after cardiac surgery: antiplatelet drugs (like aspirin) and anticoagulants (blood thinners). This study aims to determine whether the addition of blood thinners to antiplatelet drugs will improve treatment outcomes in patients who develop AF after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.
In this study, you will be randomized (assigned to a group by chance--like flipping a coin) into one of 2 study groups; the assignment to receive the antiplatelet drug alone or the antiplatelet drug plus a blood thinner.
Before discharge from the hospital, you will undergo an electrocardiogram (ECG), which examines the electrical activity of your heart. At 1 and 2 months after randomization, you will receive a phone call from the study staff. At 3 months after randomization, you will return to the institution where you received your surgery for an in-person visit. At 6 months, you will receive a phone call from the study staff. Your total participation will be about 6 months.
This is an OLE study for subjects completing from one of two double-blind clinical
trials. Subjects must have completed the Week 13 visit from one of these two parent
clinical trials to be eligible for this OLE.
This study is being done to learn more about a study drug called efavaleukin alfa in people with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. The purpose of the study is to evaluate if efavaleukin alfa is effective and safe in improving this condition. The study drug, efavaleukin alfa, will be compared to placebo. Efavaleukin alfa is being developed by Amgen Inc., a for-profit biopharmaceutical company. Efavaleukin alfa is still experimental and is not approved by any regulatory health agency (like the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] or European Medicines Agency [EMA]).
This collaborative study was developed by the Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium (LCMC) and supported by the Thoracic Surgery Oncology Group (TSOG). The purpose of this study is to determine if it is possible to identify genetic changes in the tumors or blood of patients with early-stage lung cancers using both blood-based and tumor-based testing when cancer is suspected or first diagnosed. In this trial, participants will be asked to provide blood samples at three different time points. They will also be asked for permission for tumor tissue to be sent to the researchers. Tumor tissue will be collected if there is a leftover sample from a participant's surgery. These samples will be sent to the researchers to be analyzed for genetic changes. The researchers hope that in the future, genetic changes can help doctors determine what the best treatment is for patients with early-stage lung cancer.