Bruce D. Johnson, Ph.D.

Thepurpose of this study is to pursue preliminary testing to determine if acute exposure to elevated levels of inspired CO2 with a normal O2 background impacts human exercise performance.

The purpose of this study is to determine the benefits of indoor air quality control interventions, such as enhanced air ventilation and filtration, on office workers' productivity, cognitive performance and health.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential contribution of rapid cabin pressure fluctuations to reported physiologic episodes (PEs). A new hypobaric chamber will be utilized to study the effects of the magnitude, frequency, and duration of pressure fluctuations on pilot physiology and cognitive performance. Multiple indicators of lung function, physiology, and cognition will be assessed. This work will help better define the conditions in which pressure fluctuations may lead to PEs and define criteria to evaluate environmental control systems and better protect pilots in tactical aircraft.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of pulse electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy using the Bioboosti device (Biomobie Regenerative Medicine Company) and therapeutic protocol on cardiac ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease as quantified using an assessment of myocardial blood flow using 13N-ammonia myocardial perfusion positron emission tomography (PET) scanning to quantify blood flow during chemical induced stress.

The purpose of this study is to determine the ability to accurately track changes in lung physiology in a closed loop ventilator system with various environmental and airway/lung challenges.  Lung physiology will be altered using challenges that impact airway tone, increase thoracic loads, alter lung compliance or intrathoracic fluid and increase susceptibility to atelectasis. 

We will be performing a largely descriptive study regarding awareness and implementation of SARS-CoV-2 transmission prevention behaviors as well as psychosocial outcomes and perceptions at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year.  The study design will be a prospective cohort study of workers across devise workforce sectors and include a survey to be completed at each time point.

The purpose of this 12 week study is to assess the safety of oral IW-1973 when administered to patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and its effect on peak exercise capacity, both in all patients and in patients without permanent or persistent atrial fibrillation

The purpose of this study is to develop a new method of quantifying skeletal muscle metabolism and blood flow using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Technology.

The purpose of this study is to develop a novel algorithm that will estimate critical power (CP) from a modified incremental exercise protocol that does not require highly supramaximal cycling efforts. This exercise protocol will be compared to the CP determined by the “gold-standard” traditional testing method described below.

The purpose of this study is to assess changes in cognitive function and physiological signs that may be affected at General Aviation altitudes considered safe by the Federal Aviation Administration; and whether these affects can be mitigated by through the use of a simple non-invasive positive pressure device.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the data accuracy of the cardiac acoustic biomarkers (CABs) recorded the FDA-approved LifeVest® Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator (WCD). To show accuracy, these data will be compared with CABs data simultaneously recorded by the AUDICOR® AM device, a FDA cleared, acoustic cardiography recorder.

The purpose of this study is to determine if the change in pulmonary vascular compliance with positional changes (upright, supine, and Trendelenburg position) is different in younger versus older individuals.

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of continuous-flow Left Ventricle Assist Device (LVAD) therapy and total artificial heart  (TAH) therapy on the alveolar-capillary interface and bronchial circulation of lungs in patients with heart failure (HF).

The purpose of this study is to determine if non-invasive measurement of blood flow to the lungs and the movement of gas from the lungs to the blood stream at rest and in response to low to moderate intensity exercise can be used as an assessment tool to allow for earlier detection and monitoring of individuals with pulmonary-arterial hypertension, and the response to drug treatments.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of GBT440 on the body and oxygen saturation levels , assessed at rest and at maximum exercise under conditions of low oxygen in the atmosphere.

The purpose of this study is to preliminarily assess the usefulness bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy technique in patient populations.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability to determine the first heart sound (S1) and its relationship to aerobic capacity.

Dementia is a disease that causes a person to lose their memory, speech, and thinking skills. People with heart disease are at high risk of brain function decline, that can lead to dementia. Reduced blood flow to the brain can cause this decline in brain function. Factors linked with heart disease (such as poor blood vessel function and low fitness level) also lead to reduced brain blood flow. Exercise training can improve these factors. However, it is unknown what type of training is best for improving brain blood flow and function.

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a type of training where bouts at a hard effort (cannot talk while breathing), alternate with bouts at a low effort. Moderate intensity training (MICT) is a type of training at a medium effort (can talk while breathing) that can usually be done without stopping. In people with heart disease, HIIT has been shown to double fitness and blood vessel function compared to MICT. As a result, we believe that HIIT will be better than MICT for increasing brain blood flow and brain function in these patients. To answer this, we will study people with heart disease after a heart event and use specialized tests to measure their brain blood flow and function. We will randomly assign patients to HIIT or MICT during a heart rehab program. Some patients also choose not to participate in the heart rehab program. After 12 weeks we will repeat the tests, to see whether exercise training improves brain blood flow and function, and whether HIIT or MICT lead to greater improvements. We will also study people without heart disease to assess what level of brain blood flow and function is normal for their age, to compare against our patients. We will also assess other factors about our patients that could help identify a low level of brain blood flow or function.

There are 47 million people in the world that have dementia. About 30% of these cases are linked to heart disease. This study will help us better understand brain blood flow and brain function in people with heart disease. It will help assess the amount of impairment caused by a heart event and heart disease. This study will also help identify types of patients, that are more likely to have low levels of brain blood flow and function. This could lead to a risk calculator for doctors, to identify patients that need additional tests or monitoring. The study will also determine if exercise during a heart rehab program can improve brain blood flow and function, and whether HIIT or MICT is better. This could allow for a targeted program to improve or maintain brain health; and reduce the risk of dementia.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether or not the ADI CPM Monitoring System will be able to measure respiration rate and relative changes in tidal volume in healthy human volunteers with enough accuracy and precision to validate the intended use of the system, and thoracic impedance with enough precision and consistency with respect to reference measurements to validate the intended use of the system.

The objectives of this study are to validate Respiration Rate (RR) accuracy derived by the Cardiopulmonary Management (CPM) System in the range of 6-40 BPM, and to validate relative changes in relative Tidal Volume (rTV) derived by the CPM System.

This study aims to further understand the extent of long term effects of COVID-19 via batteries of self-assessment questionnaires focused on the most common complications of SARS-COVID 19 infections including respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms, frailty, fatigue, exercise capacity, cognitive and emotional functionality, and overall quality of life. Furthermore, we will investigate the impact of 4 weeks of respiratory muscle training and nasal breathing on the above mentioned long-term Covid-19 disease complications.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the impact of Atrial fibrillation (AFib) and Atrial Flutter (AFl) on signals measured using a wearable Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) prototype device.

The purpose of this study is to measure and identify chest fluid volumes associated with heart failure and to determine their impact on lung structure and function, and also assess the effect of body position on shifts in fluid and the effects of this on lung function, mechanics and gas exchange.

The purpose of this study is to determine and compare changes in lung diffusing capacity, cardiac output, and pulmonary vascular pressures during exercise for younger versus older individuals. It is possible that the blood vessels of the lungs play a greater role in unexplained exercise intolerance and shortnesss of breath in older individuals than previously thought.

The purpose of this study is because we are testing the variation in a gene that may influence receptors in your heart, blood vessels and lungs.

A study to evaluate the changes in heart sounds measurements recorded by the LifeVest® Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator (WCD) during the medical treatment of hospitalized acute heart failure (AHF) patients.

A total of 621 consecutive male and female subjects, without established CAD, referred to exercise stress testing (EST) due to 1) chest pain syndromes or equivocal/equivalent angina with intermediate pretest probability for CAD; 2) , or asymptomatic subjects with diabetes mellitus who are referred EST for risk assessment prior to initiation of an exercise program.

To validate the diagnostic performance of the HeartTrends device for the detection and ruling out of myocardial ischemia in a population of subjects who are currently referred for cardiovascular evaluation using EST.

Prospective multicenter single-armed study, assessing the diagnostic accuracy of HRV analysis by the HeartTrends device for the detection of myocardial ischemia, as determined by stress echocardiography.

The purpose of this study is to identify measures of heart rate and heart rate variability responses to changes in nervous system activity, breathing variability, and lung fluid in HF patients as early as possible in the course of their hospital admission and subsequently just prior to discharge, using a simplified approach, in order to determine if these measures can assess readiness for discharge and more accurately predict likelihood for readmission.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of environment, lifestyle, and genetics on lung health. This will be investigated through a collaboration with the Wortman Lung Cancer Foundation and ongoing 5 and 10 K races associated with the Foundation. The early phases of the study will focus primarily on a web based approach to data collection but additional measures will be added.

The aim is to look at the changes to the body’s heart, lung and muscular systems due to aging and to better predict these changes using wireless devices and assess the ability to accurately monitor these changes.

The purpose of this study is to use a simplified lung assessment which could offer patients a novel, convenient and non-invasive evaluation of the actual status of the heart and lung interaction with the LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device).

The primary purpose of this study is to collect long-term (2-month duration) data with the ADI CHF Device on patients at home to demonstrate effectiveness of the device in accurately measuring biologically relevant parameters and detecting fluid status as compared to the standard of care (weight scale).

This study is designed to answer the question of if several non-invasive methods are comparable to the invasive clinical gold standard of radiolabeled albumin in terms of detecting changes in fluid volume. It is broken into two studies: Aim 1 Study A is designed as a pilot phase to develop the non-techniques, and Aim 2 Study B is comparing these techniques to the gold standard.

The purpose of this study is to:

1. Compare computer tomography (CT) determined lung fluid content with µCor Systems's thoracic fluid readings in patients with and without evidence of heart failure (HF).
2. Observe the effect of location of the µCor System on the thoracic fluid readings.

The purpose of this study is to test the Philips Camera bar code scanner with actual patients, to assess its effectiveness in measuring breaths inspite of common obstructions.

The purpose of this study is to better understand the demands on and responses of the human body to participation in extreme events, exposure to extreme environments or exposure to an intervention or treatment.

The purpose of this study is to determine the ability of the non-invasive Cardiac Profiles (CP) algorithms (based on ECG and pulse oximetry sensors) to measure cardiac blood flow during exercise by assessing how well the CP method works during exercise (movement artifact and noise), how well the CP method tracks our established method, and its sensitivity to small changes in work intensity.

The purpose of this study is to compare cardiopulmonary exercise testing with no filter to pre- and post-flow sensor placement.

The purpose of this pilot study is to examine lung function of long time harmonica players and understand the pulmonary mechanics of harmonica playing including the abdominal and thoracic pressures generated and the pattern of muscle activation.

The purpose of this study is to compare pulse oximetry performances from different manufacturers and with different anatomical sensor locations during stress tests in heart failure patients, evaluating effectiveness against motion and poor circulation.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of aging on the blood vessels of the lungs by focusing on the proteins involved in contraction of smooth muscle cells.

The purpose of this study is to obtain breath acoustic recordings and measures of lung mechanics in patients with COPD, asthma, and cystic fibrosis breathing at rest and during light submaximal exercise. The plan is to examine these respiratory acoustics and mechanics in relation to determinants of disease and/or disease states (classic respiratory pathophysiology) and quality of life measures in these patient populations to determine if any relationship or patterns exist when comparing across respiratory diseases and within a condition based on disease severity.       

The purpose of this study is to complete a series of three distinct tasks to address respiratory causes impacting pilot performance.

Task 1, entitled "Variable Oxygen Concentration Study," is to evaluate the three exposure variables through three study aims - differing on the oscillation frequency time windows or amplitude of the oxygen/nitrogen fluctuations.

The purpose of Task 2, entitled "The Cognitive Performance Cost of Increased Work of Breathing: Phase II," is to determine the impact of inspiratory and expiratory pressure-threshold loading on cognitive performance.

The purpose of Task 3, entitled "Causes of Decrements in Lung Physiology in High Performance Flight Operations," will be to understand the influence of various respiratory loads on development of decrements in lung physiology.

Thermal comfort and subsequent sleep quality will improve with the use of bedding that incorporates thermoregulation technology, in comparison to standard bedding products.

The aims of this study are to develop a smart fabric untethered compression garment to dynamically oppose orthostatic changes and that can be synchronized to position change or an individual’s electrocardiogram. We also aim to determine the compression thresholds needed, timing and synchrony of compression for human applications. Furthermore, we will demonstrate maintenance of blood pressure and reduced autonomic responses to tilt table testing or LBNP (lower body negative pressure) and evidence of augmented venous return by synchronizing compression during diastole.

The purpose of this study is to determine if epidural spinal cord stimulation can affect blood pressure control and blood vessel resistance during exercise in heart failure patients by intercepting messages of muscle fatigue and shortness of breath.

The purpose of this study is to observe the effects of treatment from a device called the Bioboosti which utilizes pulsed electromagnetic waves on blood vessel function and blood pressure.

While the potential clinical uses of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) are extensive, we are focusing on the potential benefits of PEMF on vascular health. We are targeting, the pre diabetic - metabolic syndrome population, a group with high prevalence in the American population. This population tends to be overweight, low fitness, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and borderline high blood glucose.

The purpose of this study is to develop the use of doubly labeled water procedures for measuring total energy expenditure, as well as run comparison testing with doubly labeled water against physiologic monitoring devices already in place. Doubly labeled water is water with extra electrons that can be traced in the urine and or saliva.

The purpose of this study is to assess alterations in carotid blood velocity using continuous wave doppler during fluid loss and following fluid replacement.

The purpose of this study is to determine the changes in carotid blood flow velocity during graded degrees of hypotension with lower body negative pressure (LBNP) using a portable Doppler developed by Flosonics.

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which the work of breathing impacts on cognitive performance.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical activity habits and well-being of the general public.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak was officially declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, many countries have introduced 'Social Distancing' guidelines/rules as a means of helping to stop the spread of the virus. Due to the ‘Social Distancing’ guidelines, the general population may be experiencing more sedentary behaviors and physical inactivity. Sedentary behaviors and physical inactivity are both well-known modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Thus, although Social Distancing is a necessary measure to prevent community transmission of COVID-19, we believe that a prolonged period of sedentariness may have unintended, longer-term impacts on public health and well-being in the future; health issues such as increased risk of chronic diseases that may persist well-beyond the duration of this pandemic. Therefore, it is important to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sedentary behaviors, physical activity levels and well-being of the general public in the United States, and worldwide. 

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of virtual patient management for patients with metabolic syndrome where virtual management means remote or contactless patient care.

We are doing this study to compare how acute maximal and acute endurance exercise affect immune cell populations in the blood for different populations of healthy participants (comparing age, gender, fitness level, etc). We hope to use this information to develop a baseline understanding of how exercise affects immune system function.

The purpose of this study is to determine the resuts of adjusting atrial-ventricular (AV) and interventricular (VV) timing delays on cardiac hemodynamics at rest and during exercise for patients who have a CRT (cardiac resynchronization therapy) device. Most current attempts to optimize CRT are done under resting conditions and patients report symptoms during mild daily exercise.

The overarching aim of the study is to understand the health effects of indoor air pollution sources by focusing on controlling emissions from cooking and cleaning, by automating air cleaning devices, exhaust fans, and air handling unit (AHU) supply flow rates based on Internet of Things air quality sensor measurements.

The purpose of this study is to understand the health effects of indoor air pollution sources by focusing on controlling emissions from cooking, cleaning, and personal care product use by automating air cleaning devices, exhaust fans, and air handling unit (AHU) supply flow rates based on air quality sensor measurements.

The focus of the project is to determine if nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplementation improves the acclimatization process to high altitude. In addition, we will investigate the interaction with aging with a focus on cardio-pulmonary adaptations.

This study is being done to: (1) develop a simple tool to assess breathing muscle performance; (2) measure the oxygen cost of breathing during exercise; (3) measure the respiratory muscle blood flow requirements of hyperpnea during exercise; and (4) to quantify the energy cost of exercise in relation to disease severity.

The pilot study aims to recruit 60 subjects classified as New York Heart Assosciation (NYHA) class 1-2 HF patients (n = 15), NYHA class 2-3 HF patients (n = 15), HF patients admitted to the emergency room for treatment of fluid overload (n = 15), and healthy controls (n = 15). Breath samples will be collected form these patients using a ReCIVA Breath Sampler (Owlstone Medical Ltd.) to determine the levels of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Following enrollment and study completion, study staff will access the participants’ clinic records to obtain information about their NYHA classification, blood biomarker levels, excess fluid status, and medication history, to account for confounding exhaled VOCs as a byproduct of medication metabolism. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to determine differences in exhaled VOCs between these NYHA groups. Additionally, a generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) will be used to examine the non-linear relationships between exhaled VOCs and blood biomarkers. We hypothesize the breath biopsy samples will be sensitive enough to identify exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in healthy heart failure (HF) patients. Further, we will be capable of utilizing these exhaled VOCs to develop a “breath print” to predict worsening clinical status.

This research is being done to better understand the pulmonary consequences of completing an ultra marathon at altitude and a sea level city.

This study aims to determine the effect of lingering COVID-19 symptoms on alveolar-capillary membrane conductance, pulmonary blood flow, exhaled nitric oxide, maximal respiratory pressures, lung clearance index and pulmonary function (flow rates, lung volumes, resistance, and reactance) and to examine the relationships between the respiratory physiology and exercise gas exchange between subjects with and without ongoing COVID-19 symptoms.

The purpose of this study is to determine the degree of change and measure the benefits in fighting the consequences of aging, when a group of pre or early retirement individuals are put on a dedicated althlete training program and nutrition supplement.

This research study is being done because we want to better understand the composition of exhaled breath and exhaled breath condensate in health and disease and at different stages of disease to determine if there are markers in this easy to collect sample that can help us understand disease progression and give earlier warning that health or disease status is declining and improve treatment for patients.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential benefits to pulmonary function using a unique respiratory “training mask” during exercise on patients with heart failure.