Clinical Research Directory

Effect of Nutritional Ketosis on Alcohol Metabolism

The research study is being conducted in health controls to better understand the effects of ketosis on brain functioning after 3 different, randomly assigned, 3-day dietary interventions and the acute effects of alcohol after consuming about 4-5 alcohol beverages. The labs visits will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to study the brain, measuring levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), lactate, neurotransmitters glutamate, and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

Study of New Magnetic Resonance Imaging Methods of the Brain

The purpose of this investigation is to develop improved magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and hardware for studying brain function. MRI is a diagnostic tool that provides information about brain chemistry and physiology. This study will evaluate new MRI methods for monitoring blood flow to regions of the brain in response to simple tasks. The MRI machine used in this study is more powerful than those in most hospitals, permitting a higher visual resolution. Normal healthy volunteers over 18 years old may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history and questionnaire, and a neurological examination. Study participants will have a yearly MRI scan. For this procedure, the subject lies on a stretcher that is moved into a donut-shaped machine with a strong magnetic field. A lightweight circular or rectangular coil a device that improves the quality of the images may be placed on the head. The scan time varies from 20 minutes to 3 hours; most scans last between 45 and 90 minutes. During the scan, the subject may perform simple tasks, such as listening to tapes, tapping a finger, moving a hand, watching a screen, or smelling a fragrance. More complex tasks may require thinking about tones or pictures and responding to them by pressing buttons. Information from this study will be used to develop better imaging methods that will, in turn, permit a greater understanding of normal and abnormal brain behaviors. ...

Quantitative T1rho Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Healthy Subjects

T1rho imaging is a new MRI technique that has strong potential in neuroimaging. This technique does not require exogenous contrast agents and has high spatial resolution. In this study we aim to characterise the normal appearance of T1rho in the brain parenchyma in healthy participants. T1rho values will be measured in normal brain structures.

Heart Transplantation - Renewal

Heart transplantation (HTx) is a well-established life-saving procedure but is associated with severe complications. Regular monitoring of heart transplant recipients is thus important for the early detection of these complications. Current standard clinical tests, however, rely on frequent invasive procedures including endomyocardial biopsies (EMB) and catheter angiography (Cath). In addition, these standard tests are limited by sampling error, the diffuse nature of HTx complications, and high health care utilization cost, estimated at \>$150,000 per year per patient in the US. To address these limitations, our group has developed a non-invasive multiparametric cardiac MRI, which can quantify abnormal changes in heart tissue and function. Our efforts during the initial period of this study (NIH funded 2014-2019) have focused on the two major complications of HTx: 1) acute cardiac rejection (ACR), the leading cause of death in the first year after heart transplant; and 2) cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), the greatest risk factor for 5-year mortality beyond the first year after heart transplantation. For these major compilation, our previous cardiac MRI studies have identified new non-invasive cardiac MRI measures that can detect abnormalities of heart tissue and function. In addition, the data was able to show that heart donor and recipient mismatch (age, sex, height, weight, etc.) can cause changes in tissue and function of the transplanted heart.

MR Guidance for Liver and Pancreas

This is a single centre, single arm, prospective feasibility study that aims to see whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a source of image guidance before each radiation treatment fraction is feasible, and also if it may provide information that could potentially be used during the treatment to improve the radiation treatment plan. Patients will have 5 MRIs with each of their RT sessions. If patients' RT treatment will consist of more than 5 fractions, only 5 MRIs will be done with any 5 RT fractions. Patients will be completing a short questionnaire at the end of each MRI. A patient questionnaire will also be completed at the end of the study to assess for patient satisfaction. There will be 30 evaluable patients enrolled to the study.

Brain Blood Vessel Responses to Changes in Blood Flow

Brain blood flow will be measured during a simulated postural change test and while breathing increased levels of carbon dioxide using magnetic resonance imaging.

Artificial Intelligence to Predict Surgical Outcomes and Assess Pain Neuromodulation in Trigeminal Neuralgia Subjects

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is the most common cause of facial pain. Medical treatment is the first therapeutic choice whereas surgery, including Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS), is indicated in case of pharmacological therapy failure. However, about 20% of subjects lack adequate pain relief after surgery. Virtual reality (VR) technology has been explored as a novel tool for reducing pain perception and might be the breakthrough in treatment-resistant cases. The investigators will conduct a prospective randomized comparative study to detect the effectiveness of GKRS aided by VR-training vs GKRS alone in TN patients. In addition, using MRI and artificial intelligence (AI), the investigators will identify pre-treatment abnormalities of central nervous system circuits associated with pain to predict response to treatment. The investigators expect that brain-based biomarkers, with clinical features, will provide key information in the personalization of treatment options and bring a huge impact in the management and understanding of pain in TN.

Validation and Implementation of 3T MRI Research Protocols

The Philips 3T imager installed on the Pavillon Baudot site is an imager dedicated solely to research. It is not located in hospital premises but in INSERM premises for which an authorization for biomedical research has been granted. This equipment is part of the Technical Platform of the UMR 1214 ToNIC whose main objective is the study of the human brain and the main pathologies that affect it. MRI is an evolving technique, which is used in many research projects. Our technical platform must follow these developments and remain at the cutting edge. One of the essential services of our technical platform is to help set up research protocols and validate acquisition sequences. This development activity is therefore located upstream of research projects involving clinical or fundamental applications. The fact that we can provide our users with a regulatory framework to carry out these development tests for their Research Involving Human Subjects project is a necessity for our research support activity. This study aims to provide a generic framework to test the feasibility of MRI sequences requested within the framework of protocols, but also to optimize MRI acquisition sequences already in place, to improve image quality and reduce artifacts that can degrade the quality of the images obtained. In France, there are just over 35 centers with MRI dedicated to research and therefore with a validation protocol allowing them to validate their sequences.

MRE for Diagnosis of Pancreatic Masses

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) accounts for 85-95% of pancreatic cancer and is one of the deadliest tumors in the world, with a survival rate of less than 8%, and identifying key prognostic or predictive factors facilitates risk stratification and prospective assessment in clinical trials. The extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding PDAC often exhibits a large number of interstitial fibrosis, which is closely related to the formation, development and metastasis of PDAC. High order three-dimensional MR elastography (3D-MRE) allows non-invasive measurements of sheer stiffness in normal pancreas and pancreatic lesions. However, there are no reports about the application of MRE imaging biomarkers to predict the prognosis of PDAC at home and abroad.

Taiwan Associated Genetic and Nongenetic Small Vessel Disease

The TAG-SVD enrolled patients with clinical and neuroimaging features of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). All enrolled patients will receive next-generation sequence (NGS) with probes designed to target five candidate CSVD genes, and patients will be divided into genetic or non-genetic groups accordingly. Their clinical features and outcome will be followed for at least 2 years.

ENDOMETRIOSIS - MRI

Endometriosis is a frequent pathology with an estimated prevalence of 10% of women of childbearing age. There is no exact correspondence between the symptoms described by the patients and the severity of the lesions, which makes clinical diagnosis difficult. It therefore seems important to improve the complementary examinations available to make the diagnosis more precise and to better study the effectiveness of the treatments implemented. The clinical examination and per-surgical findings of patients with deep pelvic endometriosis show a clear decrease in the mobility of the pelvic organs in relation to each other, but few studies have looked at this mobility, which could however have an implication in explaining the pathophysiology of the disease and the symptomatology of the patients, as well as in the detection of lesions preoperatively. The persistence of hypo-mobility could also help to understand treatment failures.

Early Magnetic Resonance Imaging Response of the Dominant Intraprostatic Lesion After Online Adaptive Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer and Correlation With Prostate Specific Antigen Response

The aim of this phase II study is to determine the early multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging response of the dominant intraprostatic lesion and correlate these findings with prostate specific antigen response in patients with intermediate to (very) high risk localized prostate cancer treated with online adaptive stereotactic radiotherapy without intraprostatic fiducial markers.

Brain Blood Vessel Responses to Changes in Blood Flow: Younger Cohort

Brain blood flow will be measured during a simulated postural change test and while breathing increased levels of carbon dioxide using magnetic resonance imaging.

Utility of Biparametric MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) as a Screening Tool for Prostate Cancer in a High-Risk Cohort

To determine whether using bpMRI in subjects who are at high risk of developing prostate cancer in conjunction with PSA will improve prostate cancer screening protocols.

Integrative Medicine in Pain Management in Sickle Cell Disease, 2.0

The proposed research is to determine the clinical efficacy and neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia in patients with sickle cell disease.

Integrative Medicine in Pain Management in Sickle Cell Disease

The proposed research is to determine the clinical efficacy and neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia in patients with sickle cell disease.

7 Tesla MRI Evaluation of the Spine (Asymptomatic)

High-resolution MRI (7 Tesla) of the cervical spine is capable to provide good differentiation between nerve and surrounding tissues within foramen und allows to reliably quantify the diameter of nerve roots/ganglia. Secondly, detailed anatomy of vertebral artery and its relation to neural structures / foramina can be assessed.

Feasibility Testing of 7-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The goal of the current project is to explore and develop the technical feasibility of non-invasive imaging of the human musculoskeletal system and head with the first 7T MR scanner with a CE mark to identify areas where the higher field promises significant benefits in qualitative image quality. For a subset of the planned exams, state-of-the art 7T or 3T images will be used as standard of reference to comparatively gauge the qualitative image quality of the investigational 7T images.

Brain Stimulation for Concussion

The goal of this clinical trial is to test a new type of magnetic brain stimulation in patients with persistent post-concussive symptoms. Participants will undergo detailed MRI scans before and after 30 treatment sessions (of 3-10 minutes each). The main questions the study aims to answer are: * Will this new type of treatment result in fewer symptoms and better daily functioning? * What are the effects of this treatment on brain functioning?

The FYI on MRI: A Multilevel Decision Support Intervention for Screening Breast MRI

The purpose of this study is to test the impact of a multilevel decision support intervention on informed decisions about breast MRI among high-risk Black and Latina women. Participants (N=80) will be randomized to (1) enhanced usual care (risk assessment + referral to nurse practitioner) or (2) decision support (enhanced usual care + decision aid). Assessments will take place at baseline (T0) and 1-month post-intervention (T1). The primary outcome is informed decisions about breast MRI at T1.

Cognitive Changes and Neural Correlates After Rehabilitation of Masticatory Function in Elderly -an Intervention Study

Today in elderly tooth loss and loss of oral function is widespread, but it is an underexplored modifiable risk factor potentially contributing to the development of dementia. In this interventional study a "cause-effect" relationship between mastication and cognition in humans will be investigated. A total of eighty (80) participants, 65-80 years of age, indicated for prosthodontic rehabilitation will be randomly assigned to either the experimental or the control group. Participants will be randomized into two different groups, measurements are going to be conducted before and after prosthetic rehabilitation. The difference between the two groups is that the control group are going to do two measurements before undergoing the rehabilitation, this to control for the test-re-test effect. The aim with this study is to determine if the rehabilitation of chewing function will cause changes in the neurocognitive assessments of episodic memory and learning.

Serial MRI Scans During Radiation Therapy

This is a phase 1 study to determine the feasibility and utility of using serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess treatment response during and after radiation therapy (standard of care cancer treatment) for participants with advanced esophageal cancer, glioblastoma, prostate cancer, vulvar cancer or pediatric glioma. The research study procedures include three MRI scans (one before, one during, and one after standard of care cancer radiation therapy) for participants with advanced esophageal cancer, glioblastoma, prostate cancer, vulvar cancer or pediatric glioma. The research study procedures include: * Screening for eligibility * Three MRI scans

Role of MRI in the Early Diagnosis and Management of Acute Stroke and Its Impact on Turnaround Time in Emergency Settings

This study aims to evaluate the role of stroke protocol in the early diagnosis and management of acute stroke and its effect on turnaround time (TAT) in emergency settings.

Memory Deterioration in Alzheimer Disease

Semantic AD