A study published in Neural Regeneration Research found that genetic diagnosis is crucial in ruling out Huntington's chorea. The analysis incorporated clinical symptoms, imaging examinations, and gene diagnosis, suggesting that a combination of these factors is necessary for an accurate diagnosis.
Researchers investigated how neurons in the inferior colliculus respond to paired sounds producing precedence-effect illusions. Local gamma-aminobutyric acid application suppressed responses to lagging stimuli, providing a new approach for improving speech understanding in patients with hearing aids under background noise.
Douglas Kondziolka received the 2014 Bernard Sanberg Memorial Award for his extensive research and clinical work in stroke-related cell transplantation. He is principal investigator on several neurotransplantation clinical trials, including a trial evaluating bone marrow-derived neuroprogenitor cells for implantation.
A practical risk-management approach has been outlined by the NCI, NCRI and EORTC to integrate biomarkers into cancer clinical trials. The approach aims to promote quality, facilitate data exchange and accelerate research while respecting local approaches and legislation.
Dartmouth has been awarded a grant to serve as a Lead Academic Participating Site in the National Clinical Trials Network, aiming to streamline clinical trial operations and improve access to new treatments. The network's goals include faster trial design, optimal use of scientific innovations, and expanded patient participation.
UT Southwestern Medical Center received a $3.24 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to bolster its clinical cancer research and provide patients with access to cancer research trials. The center will expand its offerings of experimental cancer treatments, more than doubling adult participation in clinical trials.
Two recipients, Paldeep S. Atwal and Jamie J. Barea, received the award to support their training in clinical biochemical genetics and metabolic diseases diagnosis and treatment. The $75,000 grant will sponsor one year of subspecialty training in biochemical genetics after residency.
Dr. Xiangling Wang, a medical genetics resident at the Mayo Clinic, has received the inaugural Pfizer/ACMG Foundation Clinical Genetics Combined Residency for Translational Genomic Scholars Fellowship Award. The award aims to advance education, research, and standards of practice in medical genetics.
A multidisciplinary research team has developed a new approach, E2E Clinical Trials, which aims to improve the accuracy of treatment selection by seamlessly transitioning from controlled efficacy trials to real-world effectiveness trials. This continuum will provide better understanding of treatment effects on diverse patient populations.
A Yale University analysis found nearly all clinical trials had discrepancies between reported results and published articles. The study suggests errors in reporting or intentional changes may have occurred. Accurate reporting is crucial for maintaining trial integrity.
A study of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) found it can aid clinical diagnosis and reveal genetic bases of rare diseases, but also raises questions about reproducibility and reportable findings. Comprehensive interpretation and reporting of clinically significant findings are seldom performed.
The University of North Carolina has received a seven-year, $40 million award from the NIH for its Global HIV Prevention and Treatment Clinical Trials Unit. The unit will lead research on HIV treatment, prevention, and cure, with a focus on high-risk populations in the US and sub-Saharan Africa.
A comprehensive review by the American Psychological Association highlights psychologists' expertise in addressing chronic pain. Successful treatment approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness, and hypnosis, which offer more relief than prescription drugs or surgery.
A study by Johns Hopkins engineers used juggling to investigate how vision and the sense of touch help control limb movement, shedding light on potential treatments for neurological diseases. Adding haptic feedback improved performance, but didn't correct errors, highlighting the brain's reliance on timing information.
Studies highlight the impact of clinical education on imaging examinations, including increased effectiveness and improved guideline adherence. Trends in diagnostic CT scans also reveal differential changes by age group and body region.
The PROCEDE 500 clinical utility study demonstrates the significant clinical value of Prolaris to physicians treating men with prostate cancer. The test accurately predicts prostate cancer-specific death and metastases, guiding treatment decisions and reducing therapeutic burden on patients.
A recent EORTC study found that health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessments provide relevant information in small-cell lung cancer trials, even when treatment efficacy is similar. The study highlights the need for improved HRQOL reporting in randomized clinical trials to optimize their value.
Tufts Medical Center has been awarded a PCORI funding award to develop a method for patient-centered enrollment in comparative effectiveness trials. The project, led by Dr. Harry P. Selker, will use data from electronic health records to identify patients who may benefit from clinical trials.
A study published in JAMA found that more than one-third of FDA-approved drugs were approved based on a single clinical trial, without replication. The study analyzed the strength of clinical trial evidence supporting drug approvals from 2005 to 2012 and found significant variability in trial design and duration.
Ueli Rutishauser, a young scientist at Cedars-Sinai, has made significant contributions to understanding the brain's role in learning, memory, and decision-making. His research has improved our understanding of autism and learning disorders, as well as the effects of epilepsy on the nervous system.
The NIH Bridging Interventional Development Gaps (BrIDGs) program aims to advance treatments for acute radiation syndrome, brain injury from cardiac arrest, and beta thalassemia. BrIDGs supports expert contractors to perform pre-clinical services, with seven compounds licensed during or after development through the program.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has named leadership groups and clinical trials units to lead the restructuring of HIV/AIDS clinical trials networks. The new structure aims to increase collaboration, expand research scope to include co-infections, and create transparent mechanisms for idea solicitation.
The Delaware Project offers a cutting-edge vision for training in clinical science, integrating research and practice to improve clinical outcomes. Key features include problem-based learning, public-health focus, and addressing the gap between developing effective interventions and dissemination.
A new clinical trial, sponsored by Cancer Research And Biostatistics (CRAB), has been launched to test innovative treatments for lung cancer. The trial, which combines efforts from frontline treating oncologists and pharmaceutical companies, aims to improve patient outcomes and extend overall survival.
A study found that attendance at clinical and tutorial-based activities by medical students is positively correlated with overall examination scores. Students who attended more than 80% of these activities received distinction grades, indicating they met additional standards for competence.
A team of researchers from the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute emphasize the importance of translating biomedical research into real-world healthcare solutions. By likening the Affordable Care Act to traditional clinical trials, they highlight its potential to advance health care and wellness in the United States.
Researchers recorded individual nerve cells in the amygdala of patients with high-functioning autism and found a specific type of neuron responding abnormally to the mouth region. The study provides new insights into mechanisms underlying autism symptoms and opens the door for further studies.
A multicenter clinical trial found similar patient outcomes one year after surgery for both mitral valve repair and replacement. However, mitral valve replacement was shown to be more durable than repair in preventing recurrence of mitral regurgitation.
BBA Clinical is an open access journal focusing on translating molecular insights into clinical research, particularly in areas like aging, cancer, and neurological diseases. The journal aims to provide a platform for researchers to share findings from clinical trials targeting biochemical pathways and processes.
The Infectious Diseases Society of America has launched a new open access journal, Open Forum Infectious Diseases, which will publish clinical, translational, and basic research findings in infectious diseases. The journal will be fully peer-reviewed and accessible online at no cost.
Researchers found greater BOLD activation in brain areas typically activated by MS patients during task performance when exposed to warmer temperatures. This suggests neural inefficiency and may impact independence, education, employment, and daily activities.
A phase I clinical trial of the investigational PARP inhibitor BMN 673 has demonstrated high objective and clinical benefit response rates in patients with BRCA-related breast and ovarian cancers. The treatment showed significant efficacy, with 44% of patients experiencing an objective response and 72% having clinical benefit.
The article discusses new recommendations for overcoming issues related to cancer clinical trial accrual. Strategies include involving patient advocates and improving communication with patients, developing evidence-based training initiatives for providers, and promoting accrual through leadership best practices at the site level.
A new report from Harvard University proposes recommendations for addressing the challenge of expanding public access to clinical trial data. The authors suggest a system that balances the need for transparency with the protection of research participants' identities, while also minimizing burdens on trial sponsors.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded UT Southwestern Medical Center a $28.6 million Clinical and Translational Science Award to promote rapid translation of basic laboratory findings into patient care. The award will enable the institution to expand clinical research and disseminate new knowledge effectively.
The Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute has received a $24 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support its work over the next five years. The funding will accelerate the translation of laboratory research into clinical use, medical practice, and health policy.
A study published in PLOS Medicine found that unpublished clinical trial reports provide more complete information on patient-relevant outcomes than publicly available sources. The study's findings highlight the importance of making clinical trial data publicly available to support informed decision-making.
The American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) has proposed a method for assessing the knowledge, skills, and practice of clinical ethicists. A two-step process evaluates candidates based on their portfolio and oral examination.
A new consortium led by the Sabin Vaccine Institute is conducting clinical trials of a human hookworm vaccine in Gabon. The vaccine has the potential to dramatically improve health, economic, and social landscapes in countries with high burdens of hookworm disease.
Researchers studied brain activity in volunteers while they expected and received rewards, finding that the auditory cortex was activated during both scenarios. The findings suggest a broader role for the auditory cortex in processing expectations beyond just sound.
Peter Barrance, a senior research scientist at Kessler Foundation, received the 2013 Clinical Biomechanics Award for his study on tibiofemoral contact location changes associated with lateral heel wedging. The study used weight-bearing MRI and was funded by NIDRR.
Research finds that fine motor control skills continue to develop until adolescence, contradicting previous beliefs. The study uses a new tool to measure fine motor control and demonstrates its applicability in children as old as 16 years.
The American College of Physicians outlines a team-based model of healthcare with 13 principles to encourage effective teamwork and collaboration. Highly-functioning teams assign responsibility based on patient needs, prioritize culture, communication, and mutual respect.
Researchers found that piano players' hand muscle contractions differ depending on the sequence of notes played, indicating coarticulation. This phenomenon is similar to coarticulation in speech and American Sign Language, suggesting a complex neural connection between finger movements and keystrokes.
The ITN has made its clinical trial data and analysis code publicly available through the TrialShare portal, allowing researchers to access raw study data, confirm published conclusions, and perform interactive analyses. This move aims to enhance scientific collaboration and speed up the sharing of research results.
The American Neurological Association has launched a new open access journal, Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, to publish original research and scholarly reviews on nervous system diseases. The journal is supported by Annals of Neurology, the most prestigious peer-reviewed clinical neurology journal worldwide.
A study found that using well-designed tools to assess patient-reported outcomes can lead to new insights for improving cataract care. Patient-reported measures were affected by clinical measures such as visual acuity and ocular comorbidity, but also by factors related to better or worse patient-reported outcomes.
A pilot study by TGen and Scottsdale Healthcare shows that personalized cancer treatment based on molecular profiling improves clinical benefits, with 52% of advanced breast cancer patients experiencing disease control. The study demonstrates feasibility of personalized cancer treatment and sets the stage for a larger study.
The foundation awarded six new Clinical Investigators, including Omar Abdel-Wahab and Himisha Beltran, for their cancer research programs. The recipients will receive $450,000 each, while three others received Continuation Grants worth $300,000 to support ongoing research.
Distal radius fractures, a common elderly fracture, require standardized measurement of clinical outcomes to inform evidence-based practice and research. ISFR-ISOF recommendations promote international consensus on core domains for assessment, including pain, function, and participation.
A Yale project has made all of Medtronic's clinical trial research data for a bone growth product available for independent reanalysis. The project, known as the Yale University Open Data Access Project (YODA), aims to address the problem of unpublished and selectively published clinical evidence.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are partnering to establish a network of sites for clinical trial testing in community oncology settings. This partnership aims to increase trial enrollment and advance innovative blood cancer therapies, ultimately saving lives.
The IUPUI research collaboration used advanced mathematical models and laboratory testing to examine the effects of simulated drug addiction on neural circuits. The study found that recurrent stimulant injections caused neurons to lose their ability to engage supervisory control over brain function and behavior.
The NIH is funding a new clinical research network focused on antibacterial resistance, led by Duke University. The network will design, implement and manage the clinical research agenda to strengthen existing research capacity and address pressing scientific priorities.
A University of North Carolina study found that 47% of medical decisions in radiation oncology were made without available randomized clinical trial data. This highlights the need for well-designed observational studies and alternative clinical trial designs to inform patient care.
A clinical trial of 75 patients with acute decompensated heart failure found that aggressive fluid and sodium restriction had no impact on weight loss or clinical stability at three days. Instead, these restrictions were associated with an increase in perceived thirst.
Researchers at University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer Center present findings from two studies on new technologies designed to improve patient enrollment in clinical trials. A web-based intervention and an automated matching program showed significant improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and efficiency for oncologists.
Researchers propose reforms to increase transparency and engagement of patients in clinical trials. A study found that obtaining consent on the same day as surgery does not compromise understanding, challenging existing practices. Experts argue for a broader focus on patient values and voices in research.
The Clinical Research Forum has selected ten projects for its Annual Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards, recognizing groundbreaking work in disease prevention, genetic disorders, and cancer treatment. The winning projects were published in top medical journals and have made significant impacts on human health.
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers have been recognized for their groundbreaking work in developing a brain-control system for paralyzed patients, delaying melanoma treatment resistance, and advancing genetic diagnosis. The Clinical Research Forum's Top 10 Clinical Research Achievements of 2012 award recipients include Leigh Ho...