19 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Many individuals have difficulty with word retrieval, also called anomia, following cerebrovascular accident (CVA). These difficulties impede effective communication in everyday conversations and can negatively impact the resumption of pre-injury activities. Even after rehabilitation specifically targeting these areas, many individuals report persistent difficulties with anomia. Additionally, most individuals report that these difficulties worsen when distracted, fatigued, or when attempting to divide attention between tasks. Given that everyday activities frequently require efficient communication when attention is divided (e.g., walking and talking), it is important to investigate viable interventions to improve these skills. Recovery from CVA and resumption of pre-injury activities is best supported by rehabilitation interventions that are functional and directly related to the tasks individuals aim to resume. For example, a therapy task requiring an individual to generate a grocery list and then go to a grocery store to acquire the items on the list has a greater impact on recovery for the underlying language and cognitive skills than a series of generic language and cognition tasks completed in a therapy room. In addition to this, interventions that incorporate dual-task practices tend to have better outcomes than more traditional single-task practices. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of pairing word retrieval tasks with physical endurance tasks versus presenting them in isolation. Additionally, this study will investigate whether improvements in word retrieval and physical endurance generalize to the functional, everyday task of holding a conversation while walking. The researchers hypothesize that participants will perform better on word retrieval tasks after participating in dual language and physical tasks than after participating in language tasks presented in isolation.
The lateral neck flexor endurance test has been proposed to assess for unilateral muscular deficits. It is not known if individuals with hyperlaxity have different muscular endurance than individuals without hyperlaxity.
The purpose for this study is to determine if beta-alanine supplementation combined with endurance-based resistance training can increase gains in muscular endurance to a greater extent than endurance-based resistance-training alone in older adults.
Skeletal muscle metabolic health is critical for mobility and an underrecognized target of metabolic acidosis in chronic kidney disease. Impaired muscle mitochondrial metabolism underlies poor physical endurance increasing the risk of mobility disability. The proposed project will use precise in vivo tools to study the pathophysiology of poor physical endurance in a clinical trial treating metabolic acidosis among persons living with chronic kidney disease.
The overall goal of this study is to examine how regular exercise affects brain function, spatial memory, and virtual navigation. Participation in this research study will take approximately 4 months.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of LOFT Therapy in breast cancer survivors. In a previous study, the investigators found that many patients are more debilitated at diagnosis than previously recognized. Both chemotherapy and anti-estrogen therapy have a large effect. Within 6 months patients replace muscle with fat leading to a significant reduction in muscle power and endurance. Our data suggests that common exercise recommendations for at least 150 minutes of exercise a week would be far beyond many of our patients' physical ability after therapy, leading to the soreness, injury, frustration, and early discontinuation (or failure to initiate an exercise program in the first place). The degree of muscle loss seen in our patients is similar to that documented in US astronauts after long-term space flight. Our collaborator Dr. Yvonne Cagle, retired USAF flight surgeon, noted that the cosmonauts were in better shape (had less muscle atrophy) than the astronauts. This difference was more than could be explained by the rigorous Russian exercise program. The only key distinction was the compressive, "penguin suits" used by the Russians. This observation lead Dr. Cagle to develop a technique called low intensity, off loaded-compressive therapy (LOFT) to replicate the impact of the Russian penguin suits for patients who were debilitated, whether by space flight or by chronic conditions such as arthritis, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. The LOFT method does not require excessive exertion or strain on the joints. In field observations, LOFT therapy improved muscle strength, muscle mass, endurance, sleep quality, and fatigue. This pilot study is the first to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and biologic impact of LOFT on breast cancer survivors.
The investigators are examining the effects of exercise and cardiovascular fitness on cognitive processes, brain function, and the amount of several proteins in the blood. These proteins include a hormone called cortisol, also known as the "stress hormone," and a growth factor called "brain-derived neurotrophic factor" (BDNF). The "stress hormone" cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands. Stress, exercise, obesity, and other factors may influence cortisol levels. BDNF is a protein that promotes the health of nerve cells in the brain and in the body. It plays a role in the growth, maturation, and maintenance of these cells. The amount of this protein in blood samples is therefore an indicator of healthy nerve cell function. Here, the investigators are investigating if exercise improves brain function by changing BDNF levels. Participation in this research study will take approximately 4 months. During this time, participants will make four initial study visits. The first visit is for informed consent and screening, the second and third visits are for baseline fitness testing, and the fourth visit is for a blood draw, cognitive testing, and a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) exam. Functional MRI is a brain imaging technique that uses a magnetic field to "take pictures" of the brain while a person performs a given task. It will take up to approximately three weeks to complete these initial four study visits. Following the four initial study visits, the exercise-training program will begin. Participants will be randomized to one of two training programs: an aerobic exercise program and a non-aerobic exercise program consisting of strengthening, balance and stretching exercises. The exercise training program will last 12 weeks. There will be three one-hour exercise sessions per week. After completion of the exercise-training program, participants will attend three follow-up study visits. The first two follow-up visits are for fitness testing. The third and final follow-up visit is for a blood draw, cognitive testing, and an MRI exam.
The purpose of this project will be to determine whether consumption of beet juice concentrate prior to exercise may acutely improve exercise tolerance in patients with heart failure.
Health-related physical fitness (HRPF) has demonstrated high clinical relevance, and its level is associated with the ability to perform activities of daily living with vigor and a lower risk of chronic disease. Consequently, exercise prescription guidelines recommend improving HRPF as a focus for prevention and rehabilitation programs. Measuring and tracking HRPF often requires specialized equipment and personnel, which are expensive and less applicable to the general population. Wearables may mitigate this issue by providing useful estimates of the HRPF.
Brain-Physical Optimization Conditioning (B-POC) aims to enhance physical performance by expanding the traditional focus of endurance training from purely physical training to the domain of cognitive endurance (Staiano et al., 2015; Dallaway et al., 2017). The current study seeks to isolate neurocognitive mechanisms of performance, particularly under high stress (e.g., physical or cognitive load) conditions, and to develop corresponding cognitive optimization tools.
The Step into Support for Endurance and Strength (SISTERS) research study is evaluating whether a mobile health game designed to increase physical activity is feasible and acceptable in patients with gynecologic cancers. -SISTERS is testing a mobile health intervention can help increase physical activity. Participants will be randomized to receive either 1) a Fitbit or 2) a Fitbit + a game + help from a friend or family member whom you chose will help the participant reach their goals. (i.e. a Teammate).
The goal of the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) is to assess molecular changes that occur in response to physical activity (PA). To achieve this aim, a mechanistic randomized controlled trial (RCT) is conducted, in which adult study participants are randomized to endurance exercise (EE) training, resistance exercise (RE) training, or no exercise Control for a period of approximately 12 weeks. The overarching hypothesis is that there are discoverable molecular transducers that communicate and coordinate the effects of exercise on cells, tissues, and organs, which may initiate processes ultimately leading to the health benefits of exercise. Because this is a mechanistic trial, the main goal is not a single health-related outcome. Rather, the goal is to generate a resource leading to the generation of a map of the molecular responses to exercise that will be used by the Consortium and by the scientific community at large to generate hypotheses for future investigations of the health benefits of PA.
Physical Inactivity and excessive sedentary behavior are risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Movement is important for overall health. This study will assess the validity and usefulness of low risk, non-invasive wellness device, the Gentle Jogger® (GJ) that passively simulates the physical activities of jogging. The study will evaluate whether or not use of GJ modifies glycemic control and muscle strength in subjects who are known to be diabetic and those who are not. The study volunteers are subjects between the ages of 25-80yr.
This is a cross-section correlational study that will examine the relationships between wheelchair speed, maneuverability, and endurance with community integration. By identifying which of these has the biggest contribution to community participation, the information will be used to justify continues therapy, to alter the focus of therapy, and to justify purchase of power or power assist wheelchairs when needed. Currently, therapists make the recommendation for a power or power assist chair based on their clinical judgement and the patient's experience, but there has been limited justification from the literature for these decisions. Finally, because the CHART measure is the gold standard in rehabilitation research for community integration, but has psychometric problems, we will use this opportunity to validate a new more psychometrically solid measure, the PART-O, against the CHART.
Athletes who are participating in the Keys100 Ultramarathon event in Key West, FL are eligible, based on inclusion criteria, to participate in this research study that is seeking to determine whether supplementation of beer (alcohol) immediately following a long distance ultramarathon race can positively impact exercise-associated hyponatremia \[EAH\].
Exercise is frequently prescribed as a favorable lifestyle intervention to prevent/reverse type 2 diabetes. It is also prescribed in addition to concurrent pharmacological treatment, such as metformin. Recent data (animal and human) suggest that metformin may attenuate the favorable benefits of exercise training. In light of the physiological mechanism of Dapagliflozin (sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibition), one might speculate that rather than inhibit, it will augment the favorable adaptations to exercise training.
Primary Objective: -Determine if a specific exercise regimen (combined strength training/functional endurance) reduces the level of fatigue among women with breast cancer while undergoing adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment as compared to a control group. Secondary Objectives: * Determine if a specific exercise regimen (combined strength training/functional endurance) increases the overall ability to perform daily physical activities (ADLs) among women with breast cancer while undergoing adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment as compared to a control group. * Determine if a specific exercise regimen (combined strength training/ functional endurance) increases mobility in women with breast cancer while undergoing adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment as compared to a control group. * Determine if a specific exercise regimen (combined strength training/functional endurance) increases endurance in women with breast cancer while undergoing adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy as compared to a control group.
The purpose of this pilot investigation is to use 1 H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) to 1) document the change in intra-muscular lipid stores (IML) before and after a prolonged bout of endurance running and, 2) determine the pattern (time course) of IML replenishment following an extremely low-fat diet (10% of energy from fat) and a moderate-fat diet (35% of energy from fat). Specifically, the study will evaluate the change in IML following a 2-hour training run and the recovery of IML in response to the post-exercise low-fat or moderate-fat diet in 10 endurance trained athletes who will consume both diets in a randomly assigned cross-over fashion. We hypothesize that IML will be depleted with prolonged endurance exercise, and that replenishment of IML will be impaired by an extremely low-fat diet compared to a moderate-fat diet. Results of this pilot study will be used to apply for extramural grant support from NIH or the US Armed Forces to investigate the effect of dietary fat on the health and performance of individuals performing heavy physical training. It is anticipated that this methodology could also be employed in obesity research to delineate, longitudinally, the reported cross-sectional relationships among IML stores, insulin resistance and obesity.
This is a single-center pilot randomized controlled trial among 68 physically "inactive" older men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) attributed to benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH) assessing a 12-week remote exercise intervention versus health education control.