Clinical Research Directory

Personalized Feedback Intervention for Alcohol and Opioid Use Among Adults With Chronic Pain

Over one-quarter of American adults engage in hazardous drinking (i.e., a pattern of alcohol consumption that increases risk for harmful consequences), which is the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Rates of hazardous drinking are significantly higher among individuals with (vs. without) chronic pain. Moreover, 20% of individuals prescribed opioids endorse concurrent alcohol and opioid use, which may interfere with chronic pain treatment and lead to dangerous/potentially fatal health effects. No interventions to date have targeted either hazardous drinking or concurrent use of alcohol and opioids in the context of chronic pain. The current four-year R01 builds upon our past work by developing a brief, single-session, computer-based, personalized feedback intervention (PFI) designed to enhance knowledge regarding adverse pain-alcohol-opioid interrelations, increase motivation and intention to reduce hazardous drinking, and reduce positive attitudes and intention regarding concurrent use of alcohol and prescription opioid medications. Specifically, we will develop an integrated PFI for hazardous drinkers with chronic pain who are prescribed opioids (PA-PFI). Our approach will follow a staged model consistent with NIH guidelines for developing and standardizing behavioral interventions. Phase IA activities will involve collecting qualitative and quantitative feedback from three iterative focus groups (N = 21) to refine intervention content and evaluate treatment acceptability and feasibility. Phase IB activities will include a proof-of-concept and highly rigorous randomized clinical trial designed to compare PA-PFI to control PFI (C-PFI) among a sample of 174 hazardous drinkers with chronic pain who are currently prescribed opioid medications. This study represents an important and pivotal step in the larger landscape of translating basic research to more efficacious strategies for reducing hazardous drinking among underserved populations with medical comorbidities. This intervention would be highly disseminable and relevant to millions of hazardous drinkers with chronic pain. Given the collective public health impact of chronic pain, hazardous drinking, and concurrent alcohol-prescription opioid use, we believe the current study will yield findings that enhance scientific knowledge, enhance our understanding of mechanisms in reciprocal pain-alcohol-opioid relations, and inform the development of novel treatments for hazardous drinkers with chronic pain that are adaptable and easily implemented across a variety of healthcare settings.

Personalized Perioperative Analgesia Platform (PPAP) for Cesarean Section

The purpose of this collaborative CTSA (Clinical and Translational Science Award) application is to develop an innovative perioperative precision analgesia platform (PPAP) to improve analgesia and reduce serious immediate and long-term adverse outcomes of perioperative opioids in breastfeeding mothers and their infants

PRIDE III Prison Interventions and HIV Prevention Collaboration

The primary objective of this research project is to identify barriers to scale-up of Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) in the justice systems (prisons and probation) in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Georgia, and establish a NIATx learning collaborative to scale-up OAT, and analyze scale-up utilizing latent class growth analyses in people who inject drugs (PWID).

Enhanced Recovery After Major Surgery and Chronic Pain for Total Knee Arthroplasty

The goal of this interventional clinical trial is to assess opioid consumption 24-48 hrs post anesthesia block among patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. The main question it aims to answer is: 1\. Is there a difference in opioid consumption 24-48 hours post block administration among patients that receive an adductor canal catheter (ACC) versus adductor canal block (ACB)? Participants will be: * Randomized to receive an adductor canal catheter (ACC) or a sham adductor canal catheter. * Asked to use the Diagnotes application to communicate with the pain doctor while the catheter is in place. * Follow up for up to 6 months post-operation. Researchers will compare the interventional group (ACC) to the control group (sham ACC + ACB) to see if there is difference in opioid consumption and chronic pain at 6 months post-operation.

Opioid Analgesic Reduction Study

The goal is to provide health care professionals, including dentists, with the best possible evidence for clinical decision making when deciding upon analgesics for acute post-surgical pain management, a double-blind, stratified randomized clinical trial will be conducted to test the hypothesis that a combination of over-the-counter non-opioid containing analgesics is at least as, if not more, effective (non-inferior) than the most commonly prescribed opioid analgesic. The impacted 3rd molar extraction model will be used due to the predictable severity of the post-operative pain and generalizability of results. This double-blind, prospective, stratified, randomized pragmatic clinical trial will use the impacted 3rd molar extraction pain model.

Effects of Erector Spinae Plane Block and Paravertebral Block on Early Postoperative Pulmonary Function Test Parameters

The pain experienced by participants after minimally invasive chest surgery (VATS) can make it difficult for them to take deep breaths, which can lead to problems with lung function. This can cause serious problems such as lung collapse, low oxygen levels, and infections, making recovery longer and more difficult. Managing pain well after surgery is important to prevent these problems and speed up recovery. In this study, we aimed to compare two pain relief methods, Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESP) and Paravertebral Block (PVB), in participants who underwent VATS. We will look at which method causes the smallest change in lung function before and after surgery.

Prevention Interventions for Opioid Misuse

The purpose of the study is to develop and test innovative interventions to prevent the development of opioid misuse and opioid use disorders among older adolescents and young adults (AYA; ages 16-30) who use opioids, which will be initiated from a health care visit in the emergency department and extended post discharge via a telehealth approach. This study will have significant impact by identifying optimal, cost-effective opioid prevention strategies to sustain outcomes among AYAs.

Mindfulness for Pain and Suicide

The proposed study will assess the feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce functional impairment from chronic pain and risk of suicide.

Paracervical Injection and Opioid Use After Vaginal Hysterectomy for Prolapse

The goal of the study to see if giving a numbing medicine around the cervix (called a paracervical block) during vaginal hysterectomy with prolapse repair helps people feel less pain and need fewer strong pain medicines afterward. The main question it aims to answer is: • Does receiving a paracervical block at the time of vaginal hysterectomy with prolapse repair reduce postoperative opioid use? Researchers will compare opioid use in participants who receive the an injected numbing medicine (bupivacaine with lidocaine) to those that receive a saltwater liquid placebo. Participants will: * Receive either an injection of the numbing medicine (bupivacaine with lidocaine) or saltwater liquid placebo after they are asleep but before any other parts of the surgery are done * Record and report pain medications used for 7 days after surgery * Report pain scores before discharge from the post anesthesia recovery area on day of surgery as well as 1 and 7 days after surgery * Complete a surgical recovery questionnaire during 6 week postoperative visit * Complete a one page multiple-choice test on pelvic organ prolapse

Phase Ib/2a Drug-drug Interaction Study of a Combination of 45mg Dextromethorphan With 105 mg Bupropion

The overall goal of this project is to collect initial human data on the effects of novel compounds on safety (interactions with an opioid drug, e.g., buprenorphine) and early efficacy signals (subjective effects on negative affect, craving, and opioid withdrawal) in OUD subjects currently in MOUD treatment with buprenorphine.

Hip Arthroscopy Postoperative Opioid Demands

This study will be a prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT), investigating the influence of the number of opioid pills prescribed following primary hip arthroscopy. All patients who sign the consent form will be enrolled in the suited and randomized to one of the two treatment arms. The intervention group will receive 5 Norco pills, gabapentin (30 mg, once daily for 10 days following surgery), and Tylenol (1000 mg, three times daily for 10 days following surgery) while the control will receive the standard at our practice of 30 Norco pills.

Opioid Misuse in Patients With Cancer

The success of opioid treatment in terminally ill cancer patients set the stage for extending the same treatment principles to the treatment of all chronic pain conditions including chronic non-cancer pain and chronic pain in cancer, where survival and long-standing chronic disease trajectories are getting more prevalent due to increasing survival rates. In this context, opioid misuse as such has been highly neglected - especially in palliative care, but also in cancer pain management in general. Previous studies have explored the literature on opioid misuse among adult cancer patients, noting that the available evidence is still in its early stages. Limited prospective studies with a wide range of definitions and methodologies for assessing misuse exist. Therefore, it seems highly relevant and justified to study the prevalence of opioid misuse risk in patients with cancer. The hypothesis of this study is that opioid misuse is not uncommon in Danish patients in treatment with opioids for cancer-related pain. Thus, the prevalence of opioid misuse risk among patients with cancer in Danish palliative care units will be investigate.

Healing After Injury to Reduce Opioid Use and Pain Through Preventive Engagement - Open Trial

The goal of this project is to refine the adaptive psychological intervention and assess initial feasibility and acceptability. Results will be used to inform a pilot randomized trial.

Healing After Injury to Reduce Opioid Use and Pain Through Preventive Engagement

The goal of this proposed project is to optimize the adaptive psychological intervention and assess the feasibility and acceptability. The long-term objective of this line of research is to evaluate whether an adaptive psychological intervention delivered after a musculoskeletal injury is effective in preventing the development of chronic pain and long-term opioid use.

fMRI and Opioid Abstinence

This project examines functional connectivity patterns associated with subsequent relapse to illicit opioids during treatment for OUD.

Serratus vs ESP Block for Postoperative Pain in Unilateral Breast Surgery

This prospective, randomized, assessor-blinded trial compares serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block (SPSIPB) and erector spinae plane block (ESPB) for postoperative analgesia in unilateral breast surgery. 54 patients will be randomized to receive either SPSIPB or ESPB before general anesthesia. The primary outcome is postoperative pain scores within the first 24 hours. The secondary outcome is opioid consumption.

SPSIP Block Versus ESP Block for Chronic Pain After Unilateral Breast Surgery

This prospective, randomized, assessor-blinded study will compare serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block and erector spinae plane block in adult female patients undergoing unilateral breast surgery. The primary outcome is chronic postoperative pain at 3 months, assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form.

Evaluation of the Safety and Effects of Psychoactive Substances in People With Past Opioid Use

The purpose of this study is to understand how kratom affects people. In this study, kratom will be compared with another substance and a placebo (an inactive substance). Researchers will also study how the substances move through and affect the body. This includes examining how the body absorbs, processes, and eliminates the drug (pharmacokinetics), as well as how the drug affects the body and how it may make you feel (pharmacodynamics). The information collected will help researchers better understand the effects and potential risks of kratom.

Autonomic Neural Blockade in Bariatric Surgery

The purpose of this research is to evaluate if autonomic nerve block (ANB- blocking pain and nausea signals) decreases pain and anti-nausea medication requirements as well as the experience of pain/nausea during the first 72 hours after sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass surgery. Participants will be randomly assigned either to the standard of care or the ANB group before surgery. As part of standard of care, in both groups, laparoscopic bariatric surgery will be initiated with local anesthetic injected into the abdominal wall. In the ANB group, participants will be given an additional injection of local anesthetic medication to block nerves on and around the stomach.

Pain Alleviation With Testosterone in Opioid-Induced Hypogonadism

The aim of this trial is to evaluate whether testosterone replacement results in greater improvement in pain perception, pain tolerance, sexual function, fatigue, and quality of life when compared with placebo in men with chronic spinal pain treated with opioids who have opioid-induced hypogonadism (low testosterone).

Improving Communication About Pain and Opioids

The overall goal of this protocol is to pilot test a clinician training intervention that uses standardized patients (trained actors playing patient roles) as instructors who impart communication skills to primary care clinicians. This project will conduct a pilot clinical trial of the intervention developed by the primary investigator in order to evaluate intervention feasibility and generate data to plan a subsequent fully-powered, multisite trial. Primary care clinicians will be randomized to receive either the intervention or control; 48 patients (2 per clinician) will then be recorded during clinic visits with study clinicians and will provide data on post-visit perceptions and health outcomes. Study hypotheses are that visits with clinicians who receive the intervention (versus control) will be associated with more frequent use of targeted communication skills, lower probability of high-risk opioid prescribing, higher patient-reported agreement with treatment plan, and lower pain interference 2 months later.

Neural Mechanisms of Meditation for Opioid-Treated Chronic Low Back Pain

The purpose of this research study is to see how a mindfulness meditation-based intervention affects pain. Specifically, we are interested in understanding the pain-relieving brain mechanisms of mindfulness meditation-based therapy for patients with opioid-treated chronic low back pain.

Auriculo-Nerve Stimulation on Post-Operative Opioid Requirement

The NSS-2 BRIDGE® device (NSS stands for Neuro-Stimulation System) is a disposable device that stimulates the branches of cranial nerves and of the superficial cervical plexus innervating the ear. Because the stimulation of the nerves of the ear by the NSS-2 BRIDGE® device (NBD®) has been shown to modulate pain pathways in rodents, decrease abdominal pain in adolescents with inflammatory bile syndrome and due to the results of our preliminary pilot study, the investigators hypothesized that this technique may also be effective in reducing the requirement for postoperative opioids and provide a non-pharmacological alternative to perioperative opioid use. To establish the role that the stimulation of the nerves of the ear may have in reducing postoperative opioid requirement, the investigators are proposing to conduct a randomized, placebo controlled study in patients undergoing open abdominal or pelvic surgery requiring at least 5 days of hospitalization. Subjects who have signed an informed consent will be randomized in 2 groups (active NBD® group or inactive NBD® group). Furthermore, since preoperative and postoperative mood disorders have been shown to increase postoperative pain levels and opioid requirement by up to 50%, the investigators further hypothesize that the stimulation of the ear nerves by the NSS-2 BRIDGE® effects may be in part mediated by a reduction of the level of anxiety, depression and catastrophizing as assessed using validated questionnaires.

Improving Pain Disability With the Use of Oral Cannabinoids

The investigators are conducting a pilot (i.e. a small study) in order to find out the effectiveness and safety of medical cannabis in the management of chronic pain. At the end of this 3 month study, investigators will gather information on how easy it is for patients to enroll and complete the entire study. The results of this pilot study will help the study team design a larger randomized controlled trial.