Clinical Research Directory

Impact of Sleep Duration on Immune Balance in Urban Children With Asthma

Urban children with asthma are at high risk for short sleep, due to an environment that jeopardizes both sleep and asthma management. Further, urban children with asthma suffer from altered immune balance, a key biological process contributing to individual differences in asthma morbidity and sleep health. In the proposed research, the researchers will examine the effects of shortened and recovery sleep on immune balance and associated changes in lung function in urban children with allergic asthma through an experimental design.

Smart Inhaler and Remote Asthma Management in Adolescents With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Correct use of daily medications containing inhaled corticosteroids is key for asthma control, yet children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face additional barriers to proper inhaler use. Smart inhalers, a novel technology that provides guidance and immediate feedback on inhaler use techniques, have been shown to enhance correct medication administration in the typically developing pediatric population, but their effectiveness has not been evaluated on the pediatric IDD population for remote home use. This study aims to investigate whether daily application of smart inhalers (1) is feasible, acceptable and usable in the IDD population for remote asthma management, (2) improves the rate of medication use and correct medication administration, and (3) results in improvement in lung function. This effort aims to promote better asthma management in the IDD population for remote home use.

Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Safety Profile of Understudied Drugs Administered to Children Per Standard of Care (POPS)

The study investigators are interested in learning more about how drugs, that are given to children by their health care provider, act in the bodies of children and young adults in hopes to find the most safe and effective dose for children. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the PK of understudied drugs currently being administered to children per SOC as prescribed by their treating provider.

Symptom-driven ICS/LABA Therapy for Adolescent Patients With Asthma Non-adherent to Daily Maintenance Inhalers

Inhaler nonadherence is a common problem that has been estimated to account for approximately 60% of all asthma-related hospitalizations. Unfortunately, prior interventions to improve inhaler nonadherence have shown a lack of long-term success. This study proposes to assess the problem of non-adherence using a D\&I research lens while testing a new inhaler approach to potentially ameliorate the detrimental consequences of maintenance inhaler nonadherence.

The Barts Charity Children's Environmental Health Clinic

The study will be based from a newly formed NHS service, the children's environmental health service. Participants will be children with a known chronic respiratory condition. Participants will undergo personal environmental exposure monitoring as well as home environmental assessments, before personalised exposure reports will be provided including a summary of their exposure and advising mitigation strategies based on exposure patterns and behaviours. The monitoring will be repeated after introduction of mitigation strategies. This will allow a comparison of the effectiveness of each method of mitigation.

Implementation of Asthma Community Home and School Management Program (Asthma CHAMPS)

The long-term goal is to implement an evidence-based asthma intervention based on the Center for Disease Control's recommended framework (EXHALE) within Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS). As part of a stepped wedge pragmatic trial the investigators will: 1. Evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored implementation plan of Asthma CHAMPS in 32 Baltimore city elementary schools to reduce asthma disparities. 2. Conduct a pragmatic trail using a stepped wedge design to evaluate implementation of a school and home asthma intervention program to reduce asthma-related absences, healthcare utilization and exacerbations and improve asthma control, among children enrolled in 32 Baltimore City elementary schools. 3. Use qualitative methods (observation and semi structured interviews) to obtain stakeholder feedback (parents, community health workers, school personnel and administrators) on impact of Asthma CHAMPS, identify potential refinements in intervention and implementation strategies, and evaluate impact of local adaptation and fidelity on implementation success and sustainability.

Mechanistic Study of Inspiratory Training in Childhood Asthma (MICA)

This is single-center cross-sectional mechanistic study in lean and obese children with moderate-severe asthma, followed by a randomized, SHAM-controlled trial of Inspiratory Training (IT). The primary outcome is to describe the contributions of inspiratory muscle dysfunction (IMD) and Small Airway Dysfunction (SAD) to obesity-related versus non-obesity-related asthma. The study will involve training (IT) for 8 weeks at three intensity levels (SHAM, low and high). Target dose: 150 inspirations three times weekly. The population includes 6 to 17-year-old children with moderate to severe asthma and with a body mass index qualifying as normal habitus (BMI 5th to 84th CDC percentile) or obese habitus (≥95th percentile BMI and less than 170% of the 95th CDC percentile). Participants will be involved for 10 weeks. The investigators will use analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to estimate and test the difference in mean values of baseline measures between obese and non-obese cohorts. Covariates will include age, sex (male/female), race/ethnicity, baseline asthma severity (NAEPP step 2 vs ≥3), and atopy status

Artificially Intelligent Robot Control

The purpose of the study is to compare the impact of standard asthma education with the standard + Artificially Intelligent Robot (AIR) Control intervention.

Biomarkers and Respiratory Omics as New CHildren Opportunities - Study of Clinical Outcomes and Predictivity Evaluation

The goal of this observational study is to improve the identification of biomarkers that predict disease progression and to assess the effectiveness of current therapies in children with asthma and protracted bacterial bronchitis. The main aim of the study is to evaluate the microbiome composition and diversity, cellular composition, and metabolomic profile. In addition, to assess their correlation on subsequent treatment and disease course in children with asthma, protracted bacterial bronchitis, and in those receiving inhaled glucocorticosteroids without a diagnosis of asthma. Participants will undergo fiberoptic bronchoscopy. During bronchoscopy, the performing physician will collect Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples for metagenomic and metabolomic analysis, as well as mucosal biopsies for histopathological evaluation.

Wearable Electronic Breath Sound Sensing Device

This study will assess the ability of a wearable stethoscope to monitor wheezing in high-risk asthma patients admitted at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. This study is important to assist in the health management of patients with chronic lung diseases that can experience exacerbations leading to their health worsening and requiring hospitalization. The population that will be approached for this study will include 10 pediatric subjects hospitalized at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for an asthma-related exacerbation. Participants will wear the patches for up to 8 hours on their chest and back wall from their date of consent until their hospital discharge. This may range from the participant taking part in 1 to 14 visits that could last up to 8 hours.

A Study of Remote Asthma Management Using an Integrated Artificial Intelligence-assisted EHR Dashboard and Mobile Device Compared With Usual Asthma Care to Treat 6-17 Year Old Patients

The main purpose of this study is to look at whether clinicians and their patients with asthma can satisfactorily perform remote asthma management at home (not visiting clinic) by using an artificial intelligence tool called Asthma-Guidance and Prediction System combined with a home monitoring device called AsthmaTuner.

Prospective Multicentre Study on Symptoms in First-onset Bronchial Asthma in Children and Adolescents

Bronchial asthma may present with symptoms other than the commonly reported complaints (cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing). Less common symptoms include chronic or recurrent productive cough, inspiratory dyspnoea or recurrent pneumonia. Children presenting with these symptoms are often diagnosed with asthma bronchiale and benefit from antiasthmatic management.

Y of Central Maryland Head Start Asthma Implementation

Despite a strong evidence-base for the efficacy of multilevel programs in reducing asthma symptoms among low-income preschool minority children, gaps remain in our understanding of how to best translate and scale up these efficacious interventions into sustainable programs that reduce known asthma health disparities. Head Start (HS) serves over one million low income children in the US each year by focusing on early learning, physical health, and family engagement. HS is committed to implementing evidence based programs to promote overall child well-being, and is focused on addressing asthma symptoms due to the deleterious impact on school absences and child development. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of a multi-level staff and family education program (ABC Asthma) that significantly reduced asthma symptoms and courses of oral corticosteroids. However, these interventions are not successfully integrated within community organizations for long-term sustainability. It is unknown how to best scale up and implement these evidence based asthma interventions into low resource community organizations that serve children at risk. Implementation strategies are frequently developed atheoretically and may not be tailored to the setting. The overall purpose of this project is to inform best practices of implementation of an asthma education program by 1) systematically evaluating the use of intervention mapping to develop a tailored implementation strategy in partnership with Head Start stakeholders, 2) examining both staff and organizational level determinants associated with implementation of ABC Asthma, and 3) evaluating the success of tailored implementation strategies on implementation outcomes and school absences and other health outcomes. The YMCA of Central Maryland have enthusiastically agreed to implement the Maryland ABC HS Asthma within 40 sites in four communities: Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and Prince George's County.

SMART@Home Feasibility Trial

The proposed research addresses the limitations or lack of a digital platform to provide remote care of medically complex patients. Previous attempts have had poor clinical validity and suffered lack of patient engagement. The study team will deconstruct the previously implemented SMART platforms to create a roadmap, platform, and template to guide clinicians to create new tools. Results from Phase 1 of this project highlighted the need for connectivity between the SMART@Home app and Bluetooth-enable devices to provide objective disease activity data as well as integration with Epic electronic health record so that providers can use the data to inform treatment planning and decision making. A subsequent pilot user validation trial is also needed to confirm development goals were met. Conducting a pilot user validation trial of the SMART@Home asthma tracker, spirometer, and action plan is the purpose of the next phases of this study. A beta test the SMART@Home Asthma Tracker and asthma action plan algorithm will take place with approximately 8 participants. Beta testing will have participants record simulated increases in symptoms to ensure appropriate levels of care is communicated via the app. Then, a group of 40 adolescent (ages 12-17) patients with asthma for a 6-month pilot Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Participants will be randomized into either the IMAAP SMART@Home (n=20) or control (n=20) groups following the completion of baseline measures to test the interactive asthma action plan functionality and impact.

Project ASTHMA - Aligning With Schools To Help Manage Asthma and Improve Outcomes

Children with asthma from communities that experience health inequities frequently do not receive guideline-based asthma care, and as a result, account for a disproportionate percentage of asthma exacerbations, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations. Project ASTHMA (Aligning with Schools To Help Manage Asthma) tests the effectiveness of school-based health centers as a delivery model to improve health outcomes by providing children with guideline-based asthma assessments and preventive medication management, directly observed therapy of their preventive medication to support adherence, and self-management support. If successful, this multicomponent intervention will represent a cost effective and sustainable model to reduce asthma morbidity in historically marginalized communities, and has the potential to impact communities throughout the United States where over 2,500 school-based health centers operate.

The Effect of Buteyko Breathing Technique on Asthma Control and Quality of Life in Children With Asthma

In this study, the effect of buteyko breathing technique applied in children aged 7-12 years with asthma disease on asthma control and quality of life is examined. Asthma is a serious global health problem affecting all age groups. In studies conducted with the ISSAC (International study of asthma and allergies in childhood) method, the prevalence of asthma varies between 4-23% in developed populations. In childhood prevalence studies in our country, the cumulative asthma prevalence was found to be between 13.7% and 15.3%. There are personal and environmental factors of genetic origin that cause asthma. Its prevalence is increasing in many countries, particularly among children. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role. It is seen with recurrent episodes of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath due to lower airway obstruction and chronic inflammation. Nurses will contribute to the protection and improvement of patients' health and well-being, to control asthma, to increase the quality of life, and to reduce health care expenditures, thanks to the hands-on training they will give to patients with asthma. Keyword: Asthma, Quality of Life, Asthma Control

AIR Support: Artificially Intelligent Robot (AIR) Support for Pediatric Asthma Education

The purpose of this prevention study is to evaluate the design and usability of a newly developed asthma education protocol with the Human Support Robot (HSR) for children with asthma.

Scaling up the Integrated Care Pathway for Acute Asthma to All Osakidetza Pediatric Services Through a Cluster-randomized SMART Design

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of adaptive sequential implementation strategies based on facilitation in promoting the sustainable and widespread adoption and scaling up of the Integrated Care Pathway for Acute Asthma - ASMAbat across all Primary Care and Hospital Pediatric Services of Osakidetza - Basque Health Service.

A Coping Skills Program for Children With Asthma

Uncontrolled asthma in school-aged children is a significant public health problem. Latino children living in low-income contexts are at increased risk for uncontrolled asthma compared to non-Latino white children, and stress is an unaddressed factor in this disparity. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to test an intervention program that teaches families skills to cope with asthma-related and other sources of stress. Specifically, the study will compare the effects of the combined coping skills + asthma management program with a standard asthma management program in 280 families of Latino children with asthma. The study will also look at why the program may have an effect, and specifically whether the program impacts child coping, parent coping, or family asthma management behaviors. The main hypothesis is that the combined coping skills + asthma management program will improve asthma outcomes more than the standard asthma management program.

Asthma Navigator Intervention to Improve Health Equity in Children

The goal of this study is to improve health equity in children aged 5-16.9 years admitted to the PICU for asthma. The objectives are: * To identify the factors related to differential experiences of asthma self-management * To pilot the effectiveness of an individualized asthma navigator intervention at PICU discharge.

Consequences of COVID 19 Pandemic on Childhood Asthma

The SARS-CoV2 pandemic, which emerged in the first quarter of 2020, has led to an unprecedented health crisis in our modern healthcare systems and has resulted in strong national public health measures. The impact of the pandemic and its indirect environmental consequences on pediatric asthma is currently being assessed. In particular, the study of its role on the risk of exacerbations and modification of control is one of the priority research objectives defined by European societies. The primary aim is to study the impact of the pandemic on asthma control in children aged 3-16 years with a medical diagnosis of asthma, compared to data from other observational cohorts conducted in the same region prior to the pandemic. A sub-population of children 3-16 years will be assessed at exacerbation and at a follow-up visit, 2-4 months later, with clinical data, biological and microbiological samples.

Telemedicine Enhanced Asthma Management - Uniting Providers for Teens (TEAM-UP for Teens)

Low-income, minority teenagers have disproportionately high rates of asthma morbidity, including excess risk of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and death from asthma. Despite well established guidelines, under-treatment for asthma is common, particularly for poor urban teens. This study aims to test a novel, developmentally appropriate and scalable model of care to ensure optimal guideline-based treatment for urban teens with difficult to control asthma. The Telemedicine Enhanced Asthma Management-Uniting Providers for Teens (TEAM-UP for Teens) program includes 3 core components: 1- An individualized asthma management plan developed at the start of the school year via a real-time, synchronous school-based telemedicine visit that directly connects the teen to an asthma specialist, 2- School-based or video supported directly observed therapy (DOT) to implement the medication plan and allow for teens to experience the benefits of consistent therapy, 3- Follow-up telehealth visits with a nurse asthma educator to facilitate ongoing care and provide developmentally appropriate self-management support. This study is a randomized trial of TEAM-UP for Teens vs an enhanced care (EC) control group (n=360, 12-16 years). We will assess the effectiveness of the program in reducing morbidity and improving guideline-based asthma care. Our main hypothesis is that Teens receiving the TEAM-UP for Teens intervention will have more symptom-free days at 3, 5, 7, and 12-months compared to EC. We will assess a number of secondary outcomes, including additional clinical outcomes, functional outcomes, airway inflammation, and receipt of specific care measures including medication adjustments and treatment of and other comorbidities. We will also identify potential mediators and moderators of the intervention effect, and will evaluate the process of intervention implementation. At the completion of the study, the program will be better defined as a sustainable means to improve care and reduce morbidity for high risk teens with difficult to control asthma.

Asthma Ctrl SMART Trial

The primary objective is to examine the efficacy of an mHealth adherence intervention (Asthma Ctrl) on adherence to daily inhaled corticosteroids as measured by electronically monitored adherence in adolescents with asthma. The secondary objective is to compare the effectiveness of three intervention strategies: 1. asthma management app (control); 2. Asthma Ctrl; 3. Asthma Ctrl+ on adherence, lung function, and health care utilization at post-intervention and 1- and 6-month follow-up. The third objective is to explore and contrast different challenges and combinations of challenges to identify which are most impactful in determining response to the three intervention strategies.

Southampton Women's Survey

The Southampton Women's Survey was established to assess the influence of factors operating before conception and during pregnancy on the health and development of the offspring. 12,583 non-pregnant young women were recruited, and 3,158 were followed through pregnancy, with their offspring followed-up at 6 months and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6-7, 8-9 and 12-13 years. The 17-19 year follow-up has been piloted and is about to start.