Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Clinical trials are a form
of clinical research that follow a defined protocol that has been carefully
developed to evaluate a clinical question.
Clinical trials are in use
to test cancer therapies, treatments for cardiovascular disease, the safety and
efficacy of new drugs, and a number of other conditions.
Clinical trials may
investigate the effectiveness of new drug treatments, new combinations of drugs,
surgical procedures, or behavioral and lifestyle modifications.
Clinical trials are broken
down into phases, with each phase having a different purpose within the trial.
An Institutional Review
Board (IRB) consisting of physicians, statisticians, researchers, patient
advocates, and others must preapprove every clinical trial in the U.S. This
ensures that the trial is ethical and protects patients' rights.
Every clinical trial
follows a protocol that describes what types of people may participate in the
trial; outlines the exact the schedule of tests, procedures, medications, and/or
dosages involved in the trial; and specifies the length of the study.
Each trial has specific
inclusion and exclusion criteria to determine the exact patient populations that
may participate. Inclusion criteria may be based on age, gender, underlying
disease, health history, or other factors.
Double-blinded trials offer
the advantage of allowing the treating health-care team and the patient to make
unbiased observations about patient progress and the effectiveness of the
treatment being evaluated.
Clinical trials may be
sponsored and funded by government agencies, institutions, hospitals,
physicians, pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies, advocacy groups, or other
organizations.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
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Enjoying a healthy diet helps to prevent diseases. A good diet also helps to control celiac disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure and maintain health by preventing loss of bone mass, muscle strength, and vitamin deficiencies.
Vitamins and exercise can lower your risk for heart attack and heart disease. Folic acid, vitamins, and homocysteine levels are interconnected and affect your risk for heart disease or heart attack. Antioxidants and exercise also play a key role in heart attack and heart disease prevention. Lower your risk factors for heart disease and heart attack by lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, diabetes prevention, and smoking cesssation.
Before participating in a clinical trial for Parkinson's disease consider the risks and the benefits. You should know about who is eligible and what the necessary precautions are. Find out more in this article all about Parkinson's disease clinical trials.
Introduction to Clinical Trials for Parkinson's Disease
You may have heard about clinical trials from your doctor, read or heard advertisements in the newspaper or on the radio, or found out about trials in your area through a support group or association. Before you decide to participate in a trial, you should be aware of the potential benefits and risks. This guide provides a brief overview of the clinical trial process.
What Is a Clinical Trial?
A clinical trial is a research program conducted in patients to evaluate a new medical treatment, drug, or device. The purpose of clinical trials is to find new and improved methods of treating diseases and special conditions.
During a clinical trial, doctors use the best available treatment as a standard to evaluate new treatments. The new treatments are hoped to be at least as effective as -- or possibly more effective than -- the standard.
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