This study will investigate the changes in the human fecal microbiomes and resistomes in response to antibiotic treatment.

This online study aims to examine whether factors like language history and visual information influence spoken language processes in typical listening environments.

The purpose of this study is to see how online job advertisements can influence people to apply for jobs. Participants will see job advertisements and answer questions regarding each job ad.

This research study of fazirsiran (FAZ-i-sir-an; also called TAK-999 or the “study drug”) because you have alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency-associated liver disease (AATD LD) with METAVIR stage F2 to F4 fibrosis (METAVIR is a system used to score the amount of inflammation and fibrosis seen in a liver biopsy).In AATD, abnormal (Z-AAT) proteins build up in liver cells, leading to varying amounts of liver problems. The goal of treatment with fazirsiran is to prevent and improve the build up of these abnormal proteins that cause liver injury and fibrosis

-The total amount of time you may be involved in the study is about 4 ½ years (230 weeks).-Screening Period of up to 70 days.-Treatment Period of 196 weeks or about 4 years. During the study, you will get the study drug or placebo at the study site.-Follow-up Period of 6 months. You will have visits 6, 12, and 24 weeks after your last injection of the study drug or placebo.-You will have lung function tests (PFT and DLCO) to check how your lungs are workingAt every visit during the treatment period you will have:-Your vital signs will be measured, this includes your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, temperature, and amount of oxygen in your blood.-You will have a brief physical exam.-Your weight will be measured.-You will have an ECG.-Collect lab samplesDuring specific study visits during the treatment period the following tests will be performed:-An abdominal ultrasound-FibroScan-CT scansYou will complete questionnaires.

Endometriosis, is a disorder that occurs in women, is when tissue that should be normally found inside the womb is also found in sites outside of the womb. Endometriosis is a disorder that is associated with systemic inflammation. This disorder impairs the function of the endothelium, the cells that line the body’s blood vessels (endothelium). The endothelium helps to control blood flow in healthy vessels. Women with endometriosis not only have an increased risk for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, they also have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. With this study, we will learn how systemic inflammation in endometriosis impairs the lining of blood vessels and increases the risk for cardiovascular disease.We will use a short term intervention with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory to examine how inflammation impact endothelial function in women with endometriosis

There will be 4 in person visits, at all visits blood will be drawn. Two of the visits will be experimental visits where we will measure skin blood flow and blood flow in the brachial artery. Participants will be required to take a placebo or the drug salsalate for 4 days prior to each experimental visit.

$450

The purpose of this research study is to determine if a healthy diet containing 2 eggs/day has similar effects on risk factors for heart disease as a healthy diet containing 3 eggs/week.

This study runs for about 3 months. During this time, you will be provided with two diets in random order to consume for 28 days. These diets will meet your energy and nutrient needs and include 3 meals, 2 snacks and some beverages. During this time, we will ask you not to eat any foods outside of those provided by the study. You will have a 1-month break between the two diets. Testing will be conducted on two separate days at the beginning and end of each diet period (a total of 8 testing days). For these visits, you will need to fast for 12 hours prior and avoid alcohol for 48 hours prior. At these visits, we will take a blood draw, measure your body weight, and perform non-invasive tests to assess your vascular health.

400

This study investigates the effects and effectiveness of different options for designing immersive virtual reality tours of real-world places. Participants will wear a Virtual Reality headset and watchseveral short tours featuring different environments (museum, forest, harbor, Mayan site). After each tour, participants will be asked for their opinion on certain design aspects of the tour app.

We are exploring how a robot's competence, benevolence and integrity influence one's decision to rely on a robot and accept its guidance. We're also exploring different ways to interact with robot using virtual reality and in person experimentation.

The purpose of this study is to see if the hormone angiotensin-(1-7) lowers blood pressure and sympathetic activity and improves the function of blood vessels and in obese subjects with hypertension.

This is an outpatient study that requires a screening visit, and if eligible, two study visits in the Clinical Research Center within the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The screening visit will take about one hour and includes a brief physical examination and medical history, a urine pregnancy test if female and of childbearing potential, measurement of heart rhythm, collection of blood samples, and measurements of body composition. If eligible based on the results of the screening visit, participants will be invited to participate in two study visits that are about four hours and are separated by at least one week. Participants will complete food recall and activity questionnaires prior to each study visit. A urine pregnancy test will be given for females of childbearing potential. Participants will lie down on a bed and a catheter will be placed in a vein in each arm to draw blood samples and to give study medications. Equipment will then be placed to measure heart rate, blood pressure, and the amount of oxygen in the blood. A blood pressure cuff on the arm will be inflated for up to five minutes to measure blood flow in the arm using ultrasound and blood samples will be collected. Small electrodes will then be inserted into a nerve and just under the skin on one leg to measure nerve activity, which will remain in place until the end of the study. Participants will then receive either angiotensin-(1-7) or normal saline through the catheter in the arm for up to 120 minutes. Angiotensin-(1-7) is a substance that the body produces naturally; however, in this form, it is considered experimental, which means the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for this use. Participants will receive angiotensin-(1-7) at one study visit and normal saline at the other study visit. The treatments will be randomly assigned so that the order in which they receive each treatment will be determined purely by chance, and neither the participant nor study investigators will know which treatment is received at each study visit. Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen in the blood, and leg nerve activity will be measured continuously while giving angiotensin-(1-7) or normal saline. Near the end of treatment, blood flow in the arm will be measured again. At the end of the last dose, another blood sample will be taken. Participants will then be allowed to recover for at least 20 minutes and then all equipment will be removed. After the study visit, participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire if they had the nerve activity measurements, and a nurse will contact them to check on general well-being and answer any questions.

$25 per hour

To see how ziltivekimab taken once monthly versus placebo, both added to standard of care, in reducing the risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure events in participants with heart failure iwht mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction and systemic inflammation.

Return for on site visits 14 times, participate in 6 phone calls, complete questionnaires, blood samples taken at each on-site visit, electrocardiogram completed on 5 visits, injection of study medication.

approximatley $1,120

This research experimental study aims to investigate the impact of gender and language on stigma related to opioid use disorder (OUD) among college students. Participants, aged 18 and older, will be randomly assigned to read vignettes describing individuals with OUD, varying in gender and language use. After reading, participants will complete a brief survey assessing their perceptions of stigma associated with OUD. The study seeks to uncover how stigmatizing language and gender-specific societal expectations interact to shape attitudes, contributing to a better understanding of OUD stigma in the college-aged population.

Participants will engage in a structured series of activities. Initially, they will complete a demographics questionnaire, providing essential information such as age, gender, and college affiliation. Subsequently, participants will be presented with one of four vignettes designed to systematically manipulate language and gender variables related to OUD stigma. Following the vignette exposure, participants will respond to The Perceived Stigma of Substance Abuse Scale (PSSAS) as part of the survey.

The reproducibility, reliability, and validity of saliva collection techniques is an important issue that needs to be addressed to achieve consistency in the emerging field of mitochondrial psychobiology. The objective of the current study is to increase scientific rigor by utilizing robust and well-controlled methods in the collection and testing of saliva samples. Given the non-invasive and convenient nature of saliva collection, it is likely that research using saliva-derived cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) will increase. Therefore, to ensure that the results obtained from the current study are trustworthy and meaningful, we are proposing a small, highly controlled randomized study design that will integrate three methods of saliva collection. The study will adopt a rigorous and systematic approach to data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Through the implementation of these methods, we seek to achieve a higher degree of accuracy and reliability in cf-mtDNA saliva-based measurements.

Each participant will be asked to collect 3 randomized saliva samples (i.e., one static Salivette®, one active Salivette®, and either a second active Salivette® or a passive drool) upon awakening for 10 business days. All collection materials be pre-labeled with the day, type of sample, and order to make it easy for participants to quickly and accurately deposit samples upon awakening. Once saliva samples are collected, participants will be asked to promptly return the samples to the provided plastic bag and store the bag in their at-home freezers. All samples will be stored there until the end of the 10-day study. After the saliva is returned to the freezer, participants will complete a short (3-5 min) morning survey on the provided mobile device which has been pre-loaded with the M2C2 application. The morning survey asks questions about sleep, morning outlook, and anticipatory stress and positive experiences. In the evenings, participants will be prompted (via banner notification on screen and audible beep) to complete a slightly longer (8-10 min) survey. This survey asks questions about the respondent’s daily experiences (stressors, mood, physical symptoms). Within the application, there are three brief, objective cognitive tasks. Upon completion of the 10-day protocol, respondents will return the mobile device and saliva samples. Participants may bring all saliva samples back to the lab during regular business hours, or they may schedule a time for a member of the study team to pick up the samples. Depending on the distance between the laboratory and the participant’s home, the need for ice packs will be assessed on an individual basis.

50

This is an investigational drug study comparing the Investigational treatment with treatments called capecitabine and pembrolizumab as stand-alone treatment agents or in combination. Study participants will be required to attend all study visits, complete the tests and procedures, receive study treatment, and complete questionnaires.

Participants must attend all visits, receive study treatment, have blood drawn, complete questionnaires, have imaging scans done (ECG, ECHO or MUGA, CT, mammogram or breast MRI), keep a diary, have an eye exam, and provide a tumor sample.

This is a self-report survey and questionnaire study that examines whether members of marginalized groups are more motivated than members of dominant groups to give referent power to high status others in attempts to belonging.

The purpose of this study is to develop and test a survey to gain information that will improve our understanding of the return to work experience for breast cancer survivors. Study participants will answer questions on a questionnaire and undergo a one-on-one interview about those questions to ensure the wording and content is appropriate.

This is a questionnaire development study. Participants will be asked to complete a series of questions on a questionnaire form. Next, participants will sit for a one-on-one interview to discuss the questions and answer choices on the questionnaire.

This study involved testing a drug for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. The trial consists of three parts: the first part looks at the safety of the drug when given to patients; the second and third part looks the dose of the drug at how the drug is used through the body and how it acts on multiple myeloma.

Participants will need to attend the scheduled visits, provide medical history, blood samples, complete questionnaires, radiology exams, bone marrow aspirate and/or biopsy, and take study medication

The study looks to understand how caste and race play out among Indian students, especially Indian immigrant students. Caste is the predominant social category in India. However, as Indian students migrate into to the USA, the social category of race is introduced and social category of caste is not understood outside of the Indian community. Through qualitative interviewing, it is aimed in this study to determine how migrating to the USA and becoming a minority and a person of color can potentially change how Indians view caste and caste identities in India. The primary hypothesis of the study is that the process of becoming becoming a minority through immigration can be used to think back on caste, and to think forward on race in both India and the USA.

This is an ecological momentary assessment study that will examine the relationship between daily events, emotion, and repetitive thinking using a mobile application. The participants will be required to answer 2 minutes questionnaire and monitor their heart rate 8 times a day for 8 consecutive days.

If you are eligible based on the screening survey, there will be one Zoom study session where you will complete a brief videotaped clinical interview to further determine your eligibility to participate in the study. If you are eligible and decide to continue in the study, you will complete a brief questionnaire and be trained on how to complete the study. Starting the next day, you will complete eight 2-minutes questionnaires per day and monitor your heart rate using smartphone application for 8 days.

Up to $20 (Amazon gift card)

The prevention of obesity is a far more effective approach than treating obesity after it has developed. Researchers and medical providers need better tools to identify risk factors for developing obesity, so families and their physicians can work to reduce a child's risk. This proposed study tests whether a novel risk score (PACE) is good at predicting if children will develop obesity. The PACE Score combines the measures of sensitivity to portion size, behavior while hungry or craving, loss of control during eating, and eating speed. This study will follow children in middle childhood through four visits, followed by two visits one year later. We will identify the components of PACE as well as biological and environmental factors that may work with or against the PACE factors to predict how children's body composition changes over a year.

Four baseline visits followed by two follow-up visits one year laterChildren will be provided meals at each visitChildren and parents will complete questionnairesChildren will have a DXA scan and an MRI scanChildren will play learning games on the computerChildren will wear an activity monitor for one weekChildren will perform brief and moderate exercise while wearing a heart rate monitor

$300

This is a research study to find out if giving a drug called pembrolizumab after lung cancer surgery does a better job at keeping the cancer from coming back than surgery alone. The usual approach for patients who are not in a study is to be followed closely by their doctor to watch in case the cancer returns. Participants in this study will be assigned by chance (flip of a coin) to be watched closely by their doctor or to receive a drug called pembrolizumab. Pembrolizumab is given as an infusion inthe clinic once every six weeks. . You will have tests, exams and procedures that are part of your regular care and for study purposes. You will have scans every 12 weeks to make sure the cancer hasn’t come back. If you are assigned to receive pembrolizumab, you can continue to receive it for up to 1 year.

If you decide to take part in this study, you will be assigned to one of two groups. This is called randomization. A computer will assign you to a group in the study by chance. This is done by chance because no one knows if one study group is better or worse than the other. You will have an equal chance (50/50) of being assigned to either group.

In this study, we hope to better understand the neural mechanisms underlying risk for personality disorders in adolescent youth. Understanding who is at risk for personality disorders early in development is important in order to develop preventative interventions.

Youth participants and their parent will be required to attend one in-person visit at our lab in Hershey, PA where youth participants will complete two computer tasks while EEG and cardiac data are collected. Youth participants will also complete questionnaires and a peer-interaction task with another peer their age. Parents will complete questionnaires and an interaction task with their child. Youth participants will complete remote surveys via a survey app for two weeks after the visit. This study includes 4 follow-up appointments (once every 6 months) which can be completed in-person or remotely via a Microsoft Teams meeting. These follow-up appointments will consist of a parent-child interaction task and surveys for parent and youth participants.

Up to $305

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

The purpose of this study is (1) to understand how the brain processes sensory information and (2) how this is affected by factors like blindness or synesthesia.

Participants will complete simple online tasks, for example judging differences in auditory pitch; processing visual and auditory stimuli in congruent and incongruent pairings; rating the sound-symbolic properties of either real words, pseudowords, or both; or discriminating between two stimuli on the basis of their structural properties over a change in their surface properties, and vice versa.

Amount varies depending on the study

This study will look at the differences in recurrence between patients who receive breast radiation after surgery to those who don't.

Participants will be required to come to all study visits, complete their radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

We are interested in what adults notice about stimuli that are presented to them. These stimuli typically consist of novel objects, abstract images, or made-up words.

The purpose of this study is to define how eye movements contribute to eye-hand coordination. All procedures to be used in our study will be non-invasive. The task during the study will be performed with a robotic handle that participants will grasp with their right hand. They will interact with visual stimuli by moving the robotic handle. The robotic environment will attempt to simulate real-world mechanical interactions, such as those experienced during catching a ball. Our objective is to understand how the nervous system processes visual sensory information of moving objects through slow eye movements called smooth pursuit eye movements.

During this study, we will ask you to come to our laboratory located in 23 Recreation Building, Penn State University, on two days separated by a maximum of 48 hours. Both sessions will last approximately 90-120 minutes.We will ask you to perform an eye-hand coordination task using a robot. You will sit in a modified chair and grasp a handle that permits you to move your hand leftward, rightward, towards and away from your body. A display system will project visual targets into the same plane as your hands, which will allow you to interact virtually with the visual targets. These targets will move in the workspace. When the target comes in contact with your arm, the robot will apply a gentle force to mimic what you would typically experience when you catch a ball.

40

This is an interview study that examines how people use online symptom checker platforms or apps (e.g., WebMD, Ada, K health app, Your.MD) to self-diagnose or support the decision of whether and when to do a medical visit. The research procedure involves: 1) a short screening survey which helps us determine who are eligible to participate; 2) an audio‐taped interview with each eligible participant that will last approximately 30‐60 minutes online or offline near Penn State University Park. Each participant will be compensated with a $20 Amazon gift card for completing the interview.

Children with attention and behavior problems often need external rewards to motivate them to perform challenging tasks, but we don’t yet know much about how children weigh potential rewards and the effort required to obtain the rewards. This research is being done to find out how children with varying levels of ADHD symptoms value rewards and costs when making decisions about whether or not to perform a difficult task.

There will be one in-person visit. Children will complete two computerized cognitive tasks (thinking games), and will be able to earn prizes from the points they earn on these tasks. Parents will also be asked to complete a few questionnaires that should take about 25 minutes to finish. Children can earn up to $50 in compensation for completing the study.

$50

Wheezing is a common symptom of respiratory distress in infants and children. Infants who wheeze are at increased risk of being diagnosed with asthma, the most common chronic disease of childhood. This study aims to yield an objective measure of asthma risk using molecular markers obtained from saliva. Saliva miRNA (markers used in this study) levels will be measured using HiSeq technology. Refinement and validation of this measure in future large-scale studies could allow clinicians to accurately predict for families an infant’s risk of asthma and optimize medical management to prevent future hospitalizations.

If your child has a respiratory illness you will be asked to provide a saliva sample at one clinic visit. Six months after the initial encounter, you will be asked to do complete surveys designed to be done remotely at home.

$20.00

The purpose of this study is to test the good and bad effects of using hypofractionated radiation therapy. Hypofractionated radiation therapy could shrink or stabilize your cancer, but it could also cause side effects. The study doctors hope to learn if hypofractionated radiation therapy is safe and tolerable in patients with your type of cancer. You will receive radiation therapy for 4 weeks. You may also receive chemotherapy.

Participants will be required to receive radiation therapy for 4 weeks. Participants may also receive chemotherapy with cisplatin, carboplatin, or cetuximab.