Clinical Research Directory

Parathyroidectomy After Kidney Transplantation

This study aims to clarify whether surgical treatment of persistent hyperparathyroidism after kidney transplantation offers clinically meaningful benefits compared with a conservative treatment strategy. Kidney transplant recipients (\>6 mo after transplantation) with persistent hyperparathyroidism (elevated PTH and either hypercalcemia or hypophosphatemia) will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either subtotal parathyroidectomy or conservative management according to standard clinical practice. The study is conducted as an open-label, randomized controlled pilot trial with a 12-month follow-up period. Outcomes include bone density, physical function, quality of life and symptom burden.

Routine Validation and Reproducibility Testing of Laboratory Assays and Research Techniques Used for Endocrine, Cardiometabolic, and Musculoskeletal Disorder Research (VALD)

The purpose of this research study is to validate (check the accuracy of) laboratory assays, intravenous catheter insertion, and equipment or devices and their reproducibility, which is necessary to perform high quality research on chronic diseases, nutrition, and metabolism (the process by which a substance is handled in the body) at the University of Missouri. As technology changes and uses new testing methods, it is necessary to compare results from old tests, equipment and devices and new tests, equipment, or devices and the reproducibility of these measurements to make sure the results are accurate. Reproducibility means performing the same test more than once to see if the same results can be achieved each time. This study will look at the validation and reproducibility of tests and laboratory assays in participants who are healthy or affected by relevant endocrine, cardiometabolic, and musculoskeletal disorders.

Parathyroidectomy and Mobility Study

This study evaluates whether surgical removal of the parathyroid gland (parathyroidectomy) improves physical function and mobility in older adults with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). PHPT, a common endocrine disorder in older adults, is associated with reduced muscle strength, mobility, and quality of life. This prospective observational study will enroll up to 80 participants aged 60 and older undergoing parathyroidectomy at UF Health. Participants will complete physical performance tests, wear an Actigraph device to assess physical activity, and provide blood samples for biomarker analysis at pre- and post-operative time points. The goal is to characterize changes in physical function and activity following surgery and to identify biomarkers that may predict mobility improvements. Findings will help inform future larger-scale studies and could expand surgical indications for PHPT in older adults.

Dual-Channel Near-Infrared Autofluorescence Imaging and AI Analysis to Locate Parathyroid Glands (PTFinder)

This study tests PTFinder, a dual-camera system that makes parathyroid glands glow on screen by capturing their natural near-infrared autofluorescence. After a thyroid or parathyroid operation, the removed tissue is scanned with PTFinder and then checked again under normal white light. We will measure how fast (seconds) and how accurately the device finds real glands, confirmed by frozen pathology or a rapid PTH strip. About 180 adult patients at three Chinese hospitals will join. The imaging adds only a few minutes and does not change any part of the surgery. We will also record blood calcium and PTH at 1 h, 24 h, and 7 d after surgery to see whether better gland recovery lowers low-calcium risk.Collected images will also be used to train and test a deep-learning model for fully automated parathyroid recognition; model performance metrics constitute secondary outcomes.

PET-TC in Thyroid Evaluation

The thyroid gland may have a diffuse or focal uptake of numerous PET/CT radiopharmaceuticals and this may be correlated with underlying benign and malignant thyroid/parathyroid pathologies. It is not clear at present if the uptake of the radiopharmaceutical alone is associated with a potential malignancy of the disease. The aim of the study is to collect evidence and consolidate the diagnostic power of PET/CT, to identify any predictive parameters that can determine whether PET positivity/negativity can in the future avoid unnecessary tests such as needle aspiration.

Establishment of a Registry of Patients With Parathyroid Disease

Establishment of a registry with which to census all patients under the care of the O.U. Endocrinology for parathyroid pathology in order to longitudinally evaluate biochemical, clinical, radiological, medico-nuclear and histological data in future studies.

Randall's Plaque Study: Pathogenesis and Relationship to Nephrolithiasis

Kidney stones are very common. They affect 3-5% of the population in the United States. Many people are hospitalized for the treatment of kidney stones and some may die. Better understanding of what causes kidney stones is useful in both the treatment and prevention of kidney stones. However, exactly what causes kidney stones is unknown. The most common type of kidney stones contains calcium, which sometimes is attached to a part of the kidney important in producing the final urine, called the papilla. The investigators have noticed that persons who form kidney stones seem to have more papilla with stones attached. They propose to study these areas of the papilla, called Randall's plaques (named after their discoverer), in patients undergoing surgery for kidney stones.

Abnormally High Parathyroid Hormone Levels Worsens Outcomes in Vitamin D Depleted Critical Care Patients

This study aims to investigate the impacts of abnormally elevated PTH levels on clinical outcomes among critically ill patients with vitamin D depletion.

STP.168 Clinical Study Protocol Parakeet

STUDY PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the performance of the Parakeet Rapid Parathyroid Testing Kit by comparing Parakeet results with histopathologic Diagnosis. STUDY OBJECTIVES To demonstrate the positive percent agreement (PPA) and negative percent agreement (NPA) of the Parakeet Rapid Parathyroid Testing kit test results in FNA from excised tissue during parathyroid surgery with Pathologic Diagnosis.

NUclear MEdicine DIagnostic and Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence algorithms for parathyroid adenoma detection in parathyroid scans The aim of the study is to develop programs for the automatic subtraction of planar and tomographic parathyroid images and for the localization of parathyroid adenomas using artificial intelligence tools. Inclusion criteria Patients having undergone a double isotope parathyroid diagnostic examination using the standard Besançon University Hospital protocol (double injection of 123I and 99mTc, pinhole image, low energy high resolution (LEHR) and (single-photon emission tomography / Computed tomography) SPECT/CT +/- (positron emission tomography (PET) Choline). Secondary endpoints Concordance between diagnoses made by nuclear physicians using both methods (current method and new treatment method).

Effects of Multiple Mega-dose of Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Ameliorating Moderate to Severe Chronic Pain in Hemodialysis Patients

Pain is a major complaint in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Concentrations of parathyroid hormone (PTH) \>250 pg/ml are associated with chronic pain. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score which is used to assess the pain severity is positively related to PTH levels. This study is aimed to assess the effects of multiple mega dosages vitamin D supplementations in HD patients with chronic pain. It's a single-center, parallel, double-blind randomized control trial that administrations of 576,000 IU once a week of vitamin D3 for 4 weeks or placebo are for 120 eligible subjects. VAS and laboratory tests including serum concentrations of 25(OH)D, calcium, phosphorus, PTH and C-reactive protein will be evaluated.