Clinical Trials

Do you have chronic bronchitis and COPD and want to improve treatment? This study will be testing how well a medicine called ivacaftor that is used to treat cystic fibrosis works also to treat symptoms of chronic bronchitis. New research suggests chronic bronchitis may be due to a problem similar to cystic fibrosis. To participate in this study, you must be 40 to 80 years old, have a history of smoking, and have not been diagnosed with asthma or cystic fibrosis. This study will be conducted in Birmingham, Alabama.

Do you have COPD? This study will be looking for genes that may play a role in the development of COPD by looking at the blood from patients who have COPD, as well as the blood from those patients’ family members. To participate in this study, you must be 52 years old or younger and must not be pregnant or have other serious lung diseases such as lung cancer. This study will be conducted in Boston, Massachusetts.

Do you have heart failure? In this clinical trial, researchers are using images of the heart and blood tests to learn more about Black and Hispanic patients with heart failure. You may be able to participate if you are at least 60 years old; of Black, Hispanic, or Caribbean origin; and have been diagnosed with heart failure. The study is taking place in locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.

Have you been diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy and are within 5 months of your due date? This study is evaluating the effectiveness of a medicine called bromocriptine to treat peripartum cardiomyopathy, or weakness of the heart muscle that occurs during or shortly after pregnancy. To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years old, diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy, and within 5 months of your delivery date. This study takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Pneumonia is a major public health problem for the elderly and is one of the leading causes of hospitalization and death for this population, particularly for elderly nursing home residents. This planning grants seeks to establish a safe and effective dose of zinc supplementation with the goal to conduct a larger randomized clinical trial to study the effect of zinc supplementation in nursing home elderly with low serum zinc levels on the risk, antibiotic use, and duration of sick days with pneumonia. This project has significant potential to positively impact the health and quality of life in the elderly and to reduce the economic costs associated with their care.

Do you or a loved one have pneumonia? This study will test whether combining two medicines to reduce inflammation of the airway and to keep it open may help prevent respiratory failure in people who have pneumonia. To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years old and have severe pneumonia with low blood oxygen levels.