People with narrowed blood vessels in their legs can only walk a short distance before needing to sit down due to pain in their calf muscles. Most of these patients do not follow their heart doctor's advice to walk at home because it hurts. A therapy that does not involve painful walking would be ideal for these patients to begin to treat their disease so they can eventually walk with less discomfort. We will ask patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) to place both feet into inflatable ankle splints 30 minutes a day for 4 weeks to passively stretch their calf muscles. Before and after this 4-week program, we will measure the health and size of their leg blood vessels, the length, and function of their calf muscles and tendons, and how long they can walk without pain. We will also closely track their joint and foot movements and calf muscle oxygen levels while they walk down a hallway. People with and without risk factors for heart disease are also eligible for this study to compare differences in vascular and muscular health to patients with PAD. Volunteers without a PAD diagnosis or poor leg circulation will not undergo the 4-week stretch and no-stretch interventions.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) and poor leg circulation patients:-4 visits to University Park Clinical Research Center ~3 hours per visit-1 blood draw-Wear a calf muscle stretching device for 30-min a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks and 4 weeks of no stretching-Several muscle and vascular ultrasound measurements-Walking performance tests on and off the treadmill-Wear a smartwatch to monitor physical activity during each 4-week stretch or no stretch interventionParticipants with and without risk factors for heart disease:-2 visits to University Park Clinical Research Center within the same week lasting ~3 hours per visit-Not diagnosed with PAD or poor leg circulation-1 blood draw-Several muscle and vascular ultrasound measurements-Walking performance tests on and off the treadmill

PAD participants can receive up to $450 in compensation. Participants with and without heart disease risk factors (non-PAD participants) will receive $50 for their participation.

Menthol is the active ingredient in topical analgesics. Some manufacturers use special encapsulation techniques in order to prolong the effects of menthol. Our goal is to use intradermal microdialysis to assess how much menthol, along with other organic bioactives, are present in the skin following topical application of various commercially available topical analgesics. We also examine the affect of a menthol-based analgesic gel on the skin blood flow.

There will be a screening visit and then up to seven experiment visits where different topical analgesics will be applied to the forearm skin. We will use intradermal microdialysis and measure skin blood flow.

240

We wish to investigate the role of a specific gene in visceral pain sensation and perception. This gene, Nav1.8 has a known change present in 10% of the population which may affect the way we feel inflammatory pain in the gut. This is an important symptom in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Some patients feel high levels of pain we would like to control, other patients feel little to no pain in the presence of very active disease, which can lead to dangerously under-treated disease. In this study, we will use healthy volunteers as well as IBD patients, and test their sensitivity using rectal balloon dilation.Research subjects will be asked to fast, skipping solid foods and opaque liquids for 6 hours before the testing. Usually this means skipping 1 meal. At the beginning of the study visit. they will use an over the counter enema to clear their rectum of any stool. Healthy control subjects that have never had a colonoscopy before and all IBD patients will undergo a very brief proctoscopy to either verify rectal health or check for any IBD disease activity. Healthy controls that have had a prior colonoscopy within the last 5 years will skip that prior step. Then a trained physician on the research team will insert a thin, lubricated tube into the rectum, which will be inflated to specific pressures. Most of these tests will be designed to measure any change in sensation, then the need to use the toilet, followed by urgent need or discomfort, and lastly the lower threshold of pain. Test subjects will be able to stop testing at any time, should they become too uncomfortable. The testing takes between 1 and 1 and a half hours, and volunteers are compensated $200 for their time.

To simulate abdominal pain, we use a thin tube placed in the rectum that inflates a small balloon to very precise and safe pressures. Our bodies interpret these pressures (in ascending order) as the need to go to the bathroom; first just a little, then with increasing urgency and eventually discomfort and pain. During these experiments, we only measure the lower threshold of pain, and stop immediately when you tell us to stop. We have significant experience using this approach and we have found it consistently informative while causing the least amount of discomfort possible. The whole thing takes about an hour and we’re paying volunteers $200 for participating. We'll ask that you skip a meal before the study visit, and perform an over-the-counter enema at the start of the visit.

$200

The new program will help women who have recently been involved in the criminal justice system and use opioids (heroin, fentanyl, prescription pain medications nonmedically) to join treatment programs for opioid addiction. The program will also assist women in finding and getting access to the social services they may need and provide opioid response training. Half of the recruited participants will be randomly selected to be in a trauma support group for women with addiction issues. The program will also help women with common barriers to staying in treatment, such as childcare and transportation.

Participants will be connected to drug treatment programs that offer medications to stop or reduce drug use. Participants will be assigned a peer recovery specialist; these are women in long-term recovery who will help the enrolled women with transportation, childcare, and completing any tasks they may have due to criminal justice involvement or child welfare. Half of our participants will be assigned to a support group of other women in recovery. Participants will complete surveys at three time points and will be paid $50 each time. Participants will also be given overdose response training and take-home-naloxone.

$575

We will conduct a pilot study to test feasibility of an innovative light device and blue-light glasses for promoting better sleep and a novel, smart water bottle for proper hydration. We will also examine women’s sleep and hydration behaviors in relation to their perceptions of pain, and obtain feedback from the participants on the overall patient intervention content to reduce prescription opioid use and promote behavioral pain management strategies after delivery.

Currently recruiting pregnant women who are in their 2nd or 3rd trimester.Attend a pre-session (in person OR remote) to explain the use of the water bottle, lighting devices, activity monitors, and weight scaleUse the devices for 22 days and complete surveys in your own homeAttend a post-session (in person OR remote) to return devices and participate an interview about the last 22 days

$100

The objective of the study is to evaluate the condition of the patellar tendon with Ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound imaging will be explored as an accessible and non-invasive imaging modality to quantify tendon parameters (length, thickness, width, and neovascularization). Participants will sign informed consent and participate in an imaging session that will last approximately two hours. If the Ultrasound measurements prove feasible, they will provide insight into the biomechanical and biological mechanisms that contribute to tendon injury. It is important to understand how these parameters change among patients and healthy individuals with varying degrees of activity levels.

There will be one ultrasound session that will last approximately 2 hours. Ultrasound imaging will be performed at 342 Leonhard Building.

$20

Briefly, the purpose of this study is to use a self-management approach (combining education and exercise) to help older breast cancer survivors manage joint pain, a common side effect of aromatase inhibitors (AIs), a medication used to reduce hormones that might increase risk of recurrence and mortality following primary cancer treatment. We believe that reducing joint pain might help survivors take their medication longer and thus improve survival outcomes, compared to standard care.

Attend 4 in person visits, blood will be drawn at each visit.Complete physical function tests and surveys.Wear accelerometer for 7 days following each visit.Randomly selected participants will attend group exercise sessions twice a week for eight weeks via video call and record exercise activities between visits.

$160

Women with endometriosis have more thromboxane being produced in their platelets. Thromboxane affects blood vessels, making them constrict, and sensory nerves, making them more sensitive. This study will determine if women with endometriosis are negatively effected by the excess thromboxane.

There will be three in-person visits: one screening and two experimental visits. Participants will take aspirin before one visit and a placebo before the other then will undergo brief tests of nerve sensitivity and a blood draw.

$150

This study is being done to find out how whether sleep duration is associated with pain responses and if a sleep intervention predicts a higher tolerance and a higher threshold for pain. This is a 21-day study. Participants will be asked to wear sleep-monitoring watches. Pressure pain and cold pain will be measured at study visits.

There will be four in-person visits. Height, weight, and blood pressure will be measured during each study visit. Participants will also be asked to complete surveys during each study visit.Pain will be measured during visits 2-4. Blood will be drawn during visits 2-4. Retinal images will be captured during visits 2-4. A Trail making test (a test for executive functioning) will be administered during visit 2-4. Participants will also be asked to provide screen shots of their phone screen use at visits 2-4.

$150

Research has shown that exposure to different environments alters perceived pain intensity. To explore whether pain differs in various VR environments, we are going to use virtual reality to immerse participants in different settings. At the end of every immersion, we are going to induce controlled experimental thermal pain to participants (like holding a hot cup of coffee) to understand whether their pain differs. We are also going to measure their stress, affect and brain activity using behavioral, electrophysiological (skin conductance and heart rate) and functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) methodology. The results have the potential to improve pain treatment in medical settings, where virtual reality is regularly used as a non-pharmacological analgesic, but also to inform architectural design and urban planning, so our cities and homes promote improved pain outcomes.

There will be one in-person visit that will last ~3.5 hours. During the visit you will be immersed in Virtual Reality environments, you will experience painful (but tolerable) heat stimulations, like holding a hot cup of coffee, and you will be asked to rate your pain intensity. We will record your brain activity using functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) as well as your palm sweatiness and pulse. You will be compensated $25 per hour for your time.

~$85

18 month trial of elagolix and combined oral contraceptives for women with moderate to severe endometriosis related pain

Subjects will have a screening period of approximately 45 days. If eligible, there will be a 3 month double blind placebo controlled treatment period followed by an open label period of 15 months where all subjects will receive the study medication. Total treatment period is 18 months followed by a one month follow up.Onsite visits are once a month during screening and up until Month 3 when onsite visits will be every 3 months through Month 18.Tests include blood draws at each onsite visit, one ultrasound, an EKG, and 4 DXA scans.

$1475.00

The goal of the proposed project is to identify biosignatures that predict resilience or vulnerability to the transition from acute to chronic pain in a cohort of patients recovering from an acute musculoskeletal trauma.

There is one in person visit that will include a 30-min MRI scan, sensory testing, and blood draw. Two follow-up surveys will be sent to the participants at 3- and 6-months following their injury.

$200

This is a survey and interview study recruiting patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Participants will answer questionnaires and complete a remote interview about health care experiences, pain, and discrimination. Natural language processing of interview transcripts will be used to quantify linguistic features indicative of subjective associations between individual experiences of racial discrimination and sickle cell pain.

Participants will be asked to fill out questionnaires and answer questions during an interview.

$50

Menthol, capsaicin, and camphor are active ingredients often found in over-the-counter pain relief creams and gels. These ingredients typically work by interacting with certain receptors in the skin that are sensitive to temperature changes. There is limited information on how combining menthol with other substances that target similar receptors affects the body. These naturally occurring substances found in plants can widen small blood vessels in the skin through specific processes controlled by nerves in the skin. This study aims to understand how menthol, camphor, and capsaicin individually and together affect sensory function and blood flow in the skin. Additionally, as people age, their skin's nerve and blood vessel function tends to decrease. The study also seeks to explore how aging impacts the effects of these substances on sensory perception and how nerves and blood vessels work together in the skin.

There will be a screening visit and then 6 experiment visits where different topical analgesics will be applied to the forearm skin. We will measure skin blood flow.

240

This study is recruiting only medical trainees, specifically first- and last-year medical students and nursing students. The study examines how these trainees assess pain during simulated patient interactions. Participants will watch videos of patients experiencing different levels of pain while undergoing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to monitor brain activity. The goal is to explore the neurological and behavioral processes involved in clinical decision-making

Participants will complete pre-visit questionnaires at home, engage in simulated clinical interactions during a single fMRI session, and fill out post-visit questionnaires immediately after the MRI task. This study is designed to assess their clinical decision-making in response to pain scenarios.

55$/ hour + $150 commute from Hershey

The purpose of this study is see if Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator (TENS) units help decrease endometriosis flare pain. Participants will complete surveys, record pain, medication use and bleeding in an online diary during endometriosis flare ups for 3 months without using the TENS unit. After the first 3 month period of time, a TENS unit will be given to participants to wear and again, record pain, medication use and bleeding in the online diary during endometriosis flare ups for and additional 3 months while using the TENS unit.

There will be one in person enrollment visit, involving being consented and completion of 2 surveys. The first 3 months, the "baseline period" will include filling out pain scores online on days of endometriosis flare without TENS unit use. The next 3 months, the "treatment period" will include filling out pain scores online on days of endometriosis flare with TENS unit. At end of study completion of 2 surveys.

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the daily experiences of people with back pain and their spouse/partner. Participants and their spouse/partner will be interviewed by video using a tablet computer every 6 months for 2 years and will be asked to complete daily surveys twice a day for 30 days using the provided tablet computer. The daily surveys will take about 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Questions for the interviews and daily surveys focus on physical symptoms, feelings, activities, and interactions.

Video interviews using a tablet computer every 6 months for 2 years. Complete daily surveys twice a day for 30 days using a tablet computer.

295.00

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) leads to respiratory failure due to chronic hypoventilation. The gold standard for measuring hypoventilationrequires an arterial blood gas, which is impractical in the outpatient setting due to invasiveness, pain, and need for specialized equipment. Recently, the Penn State Health Hershey ALS Clinic has implemented transcutaneous CO2 (TCO2) monitoring as standard of care clinical assessment. The overall goals of this study are to gather critical preliminary data for stakeholder-driven refinement of a TCO2 monitoring protocol within a busy ALS clinic and identify how TCO2 may enhance our understanding of standard respiratory measurements.

Participants will complete a survey related to their experience having their CO2 reading performed in the ALS Clinic.

$20 will be paid for every survey completed, for a maximum possible payment of $80 per person.

To examine women’s self-reported pregnancy hydration behaviors, especially during a global pandemic. This study will also examine other lifestyle behaviors (e.g., weight gain, exercise, eating behaviors, sleep, pain management). It is hypothesized that hydration behaviors will decrease due to lifestyle changes related to the pandemic. Secondary outcomes will also be influenced by hydration behaviors and pandemic lifestyle changes.