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.

Are you a healthy adult or someone with a history of lung infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis? This study aims to compare fluid and tissue samples from the nose and lungs of healthy adults with people who have a lung disease. Researchers hope to learn why some people are more susceptible to certain infections. This study is located at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Does your developing baby have a heart defect? Have you had a stillborn baby? This study tests a new technology to measure fetal heart activity and find possible problems early. These problems include fetal arrhythmia and conduction disorders such as Brugada syndrome. To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years old and pregnant, and have one of five high-risk complications of pregnancy: a fetus with a major congenital heart defect, hydrops, or gastroschisis; a previous unexplained stillbirth; or twins who share a placenta. This study is located in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Have you been diagnosed with orthostatic intolerance? This study aims to find out how the body’s regulation of basic functions, such as heart rate and blood pressure, is altered in people who have orthostatic intolerance. This condition, which has an unknown cause, is characterized by a racing heartbeat, dizziness, lightheadedness, and other symptoms that occur when a person stands up. To participate in this study, you must be between 18 and 80 years old and have orthostatic intolerance. This study is located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Do you or your child have dyslipidemia? This study is exploring how different diagnostic tests can help us understand how lipid disorders, including high blood cholesterol and high blood triglycerides, affect the body. Information from this study may help improve the way lipid disorders are diagnosed or treated in the future. Participants in this study must be at least 2 years old. The study is being conducted in Bethesda, Maryland.

Are you an adult who is healthy or has problems with the level of cholesterol or other lipids in the blood? This study is gathering information on the risk factors for very high or very low levels of lipids, or fats, in the blood. Researchers will collect participants’ demographic information, medical history, and blood samples. To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years old. This study takes place in Dallas, Texas.

Do you have a high-risk pregnancy? This study will investigate the use of a non-invasive scan called fetal magnetocardiography to detect potential problems in the fetus in five high-risk pregnancy conditions associated with stillbirth. The scan is normally used to look at fetal heart rhythms. To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years old and pregnant with one of the following: having a stillbirth in a previous pregnancy, carrying identical twins, or having a fetus that has been diagnosed with major congenital heart disease, fetal hydrops, or fetal gastroschisis. This study takes place in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Are you a woman who is postmenopausal or a man older than 65? This study will investigate the effects of oral progesterone for older women and testosterone for older men on QT intervals. QT intervals that are increased by medicine can lead to dangerous heart rhythm problems. Researchers hope to learn more about why this happens and how to deliver safer doses. This study is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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.