The study hypothesizes that there exist effective non-operative and operative treatments for certain patient populations with basal joint arthritis of the thumb. There also exists a functionally superior, cost effective, and low risk non-operative or minimally invasive operative treatment regime to alleviate pain and slow the progression of disease in those with less advanced disease. Likewise, there is significant functional, health utility, and economic advantage to surgically treating advanced basal joint arthritis with one of the popularized procedures currently in practice. Arthritis at the base of the thumb is a common...
The objective of this study is to investigate if MRI can be used to evaluated effect of knee artery embolization for knee osteoarthritis. Participants be evaluated in clinic, obtain a knee MRI, undergo embolization of the symptomatic knee, and follow up in clinic at 1, 6, and 12 months after embolization. A second MRI is obtained 6 months after embolization. Participants will keep a record of their pain level and treatment and answer questionnaires at each visit. In addition, this study aims to determine the effects of knee artery embolization on the amount of opioid (pain reliever drugs) needed to manage osteoarthritis-associated...
This is a 52 week, single center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. After patients maintain a stable dose of Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) for at least 1 month, they will be randomized to treatment with either Belimumab & Rituximab or placebo.Patients in both groups will be on background MMF for the entirety of the study. Belimumab will be administered subcutaneously and Rituximab intravenously. Placebo injections and infusions will be of normal saline. Randomization will be done in a 2:1 manner to favor the treatment group. It is hypothesized that that Rituximab and Belimumab combination therapy with Mycophenolate...
The aim of this 10-week pilot study is to explore the potential benefit of two recently developed non-invasive interventions, heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) and OTC supplement hydrogen water, for the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Symptom measures and heart monitoring information will be generated by this study. Given the lack of effective treatments in this illness, these two non-invasive home-based treatments may help patients feel and function better.
More than two million Americans are currently living with a full or partial limb loss, and an additional 185,000 amputations occur each year. The majority of amputations occur in the lower limbs. There are many potential causes for amputation, but the majority can be attributed to vascular diseases, such as diabetes, traumatic injury, and cancer. For these individuals, prosthetic devices play an important role in restoring mobility and enabling them to participate in everyday activities. However, when learning to use these devices, patients often alter their movement patterns to compensate for pain or discomfort, a decreased ability...
The purpose of this randomized-controlled study is to compare outcomes of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair augmented with a Bioinductive Implant (study group) to standard arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (control group). The primary outcome of this study is rotator cuff repair integrity (absence of full- or partial-thickness defect) demonstrated on ultrasound at 1-year postoperatively. The investigators hypothesize that the study group will have higher rates of repair integrity demonstrated on ultrasound at 1-year postoperatively.
This randomized pragmatic trial will generate knowledge about strategies used to de-escalate tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) therapy in patients with juvenile spondyloarthritis with sustained inactive disease and are treated at one of the 29 participating pediatric healthcare systems. This open label study will be conducted in the setting of routine clinical care and will compare the risk and timing of flare (Aim 1) and patients' lived experiences (Aim 2) across three arms.
The goal is to determine how two different injections, corticosteroid and platelet-rich plasma, are used to treat patients with knee osteoarthritis may affect a patient's pain and function. Secondarily, the investigators are also interested in knowing how the two types of injections that will be given may affect what happens in the joint cartilage. The participants will receive one of the two injection types at the initial visit. There will be surveys to complete (around 10 questions) about the participants' knee and overall function. The investigators will ask these same questions on seven separate occasions. In addition, the ...
The goal of this observational study has the purpose of collecting biological samples from obese patients undergoing evaluation for weight loss by means of medical or endoscopic therapies; and of post bariatric surgery patients presenting with short- and long-term surgical complications. The aim is to enhance the overall understanding of the mechanisms leading to obesity, weight loss, failure to lose weight, and weight regain following treatment. Additional goals are to determine the efficacy of endoscopic and surgical procedures, to identify potential therapeutic targets and disease biomarkers that predict response to therapy.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are extremely common. On average, 50% of individuals suffering an ACL injury will develop radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) 10 to 20 years after injury. Unfortunately, ACL reconstruction does not prevent risk of future OA. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) levels in the human knee joint increase transiently after an ACL injury. In animal experiments, if interleukin-1 levels are increased in the joint, this alone causes arthritis to occur. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is a naturally occurring inhibitor of IL-1. However, in ACL injuries the balance of these two proteins is disturbed ...