Clinical Trials

The goal of this project is to develop and pilot test a research protocol to assess the influence of a health information behavior enhanced intervention on self-management, blood pressure control, and brain activity in African American women with hypertension. This work will identify characteristics of African American women that are associated with improved self-management and decreased blood pressure, and subsequent reduction of risk of heart disease and premature death. The results of this project will have direct impact in informing interventions to improve blood pressure control, by advancing our knowledge of brain activity associated with behavior change in African American women with hypertension in the metro-Detroit area, and ultimately everywhere.

This study is investigating if the Self-Supporting Nasopharyngeal Airway (ssNPA) device can be used in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in children with Hypotonic Upper Airway Obstruction (HUAO).

The Survivor mobile health (mHealth) study is testing the use of wearable devices (Fitbits) and a smartphone application in cancer survivors. The goal of the program is to increase survivor's physical activity levels. The Fitbit will be synced to the app and participants will receive messages and notifications about their activity levels. Participants will also complete surveys through the app asking how useful it is and ways to improve it. The study team will conduct qualitative interviews at the completion of the 3 months to see how participants liked the program, and ways it can be improved and make it more specific to cancer survivors. The study team will also conduct interviews with providers and clinic staff to assess their perceptions of patient digital health programs and preferences for receiving patient-generated health data.

To determine the mechanism of monocyte priming in humans, the study team will conduct a complete feeding trial in normal weight and metabolically healthy human subjects (20-45 years of age) using a western diet (WD), characterized as being high-saturated fat, high-fructose, and high-calorie for 8 weeks.

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.

The Together Everyone Achieve More (TEAM) Physical Activity trial evaluates the efficacy of a group-based social affiliation intervention (vs. a standard group-delivered physical activity comparison program) for increasing physical activity among inactive African American women. Using a group cohort randomized design implemented at community centers across five years, the primary aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the 10-week TEAM-PA group-based intervention (vs. comparison program) on increasing daily total physical activity from baseline to post-intervention and maintenance at a 6-month follow-up.

This is randomized, double blind, study of dronabinol as a palliative agent in the treatment of pain, inflammation, and other complications of sickle cell disease (SCD).

The investigator will study the origin of fungal translocation in HIV, its relationship to the mycobiome, and its relationship to lung function and inflammation. Supported by the preliminary data and published studies, this project is based on the premise that circulating BDG derived from microbial translocation stimulates inflammation and worsens lung function in PWH.

This study aims to learn about the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on people with autonomic failure and high blood pressure when lying down (supine hypertension) to determine if it can be used to treat their high blood pressure during the night. CPAP (a widely used treatment for sleep apnea) involves using a machine that blows air into a tube connected to a mask covering the nose, or nose and mouth, to apply a low air pressure in the airways.

This work will address clinical unmet needs for patients with lipedema using advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods, in sequence with portable clinical tools, by testing fundamental hypotheses regarding potential screening methods, lymphatic therapy, and vascular dysfunction in patients with lipedema.