4 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating medical problem that affects thousands of civilian and military personnel in the United States. Spinal cord injuries (SCI) predispose individuals to impaired fitness, obesity, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, placing them at greater risk for diabetes and coronary artery disease. These are devastating problems that occur frequently because of changes in body composition and reduced level of physical activity. Skeletal muscle wasting plays a central role in altered metabolism after SCI. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is an effective rehabilitation tool that has been used to train the paralyzed skeletal muscles and which has shown some ability to ameliorate the deleterious effects of SCI on metabolism, particularly on insulin sensitivity. However, its ability to reverse skeletal muscle wasting is modest; most studies report limited gains in muscle mass and workload with highly variables outcomes from one study to another. This proposal was stimulated by the findings that a program of neuromuscular electrical stimulation resistance exercise prior to initiating functional electrical stimulation lower extremity cycling (FES-LEC) improves the gains in muscle mass and workload observed with FES. The specific objectives for the current proposal are to compare the impact of FES following evoking skeletal muscle hypertrophy of the lower extremity versus initiating FES cycling without introducing the hypertrophy effects on insulin sensitivity, control of blood sugar levels, oxygen uptake and amounts of muscle tissue and fat deposition. These studies could potentially have significant effects on thousands of people that will experience an SCI in the future as well as those living with SCI where prolonged paralysis is a major quality of life issue. There is a major need to investigate the mechanisms lead to maximize the benefits of FES applications and to understand cellular or molecular events that are associated with muscle hypertrophy and lead to promoting metabolic health after SCI. The designed study will provide a greater understanding regarding utilization of energy sources (like fats and sugars) in muscle
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of dietary cholesterol administered as whole egg or egg white (control)on muscle mass gain with resistance training in a young old population of men and women (age 50-69). It is hypothesized that dietary cholesterol will be significantly associated to muscle mass gain.
For many after spinal cord injury (SCI) there is immobilization, muscle atrophy, bone loss, fracture risk during transferring (or falls), and the risk of secondary complications, and increase in attendance care and cost. It is important to develop multi dimensional rehabilitation strategies for people after SCI to enhance functional recovery towards walking, and enhance an increase in muscle and bone to potentially prepare the injured nervous system in the event of a cure. Locomotor training (Stand retraining and step re training) an activity-based rehabilitative approach generates muscle activity and provides weight bearing and joint contact kinetics, even in individuals who are unable to stand or step independently. Cross-sectional animal and human SCI studies have demonstrated that locomotor training (LT) (stand retraining and step retraining using body weight support treadmill training) has improved the capacity to stand independently and walk at faster speeds. Neuromuscular stimulation (NMS) or electrical stimulation (ES) training is a rehabilitative approach that generates muscle activity, alternating leg extension and flexion even in individuals who are unable to stand or step independently. NMS studies for individuals after SCI have shown improvements in bone density and muscle strength after cycling and resistance training. The main purpose of this study is to address whether stand retraining and NMS compared to stand retraining alone or NMS alone will increase neural and musculoskeletal gains and provide a greater functional recovery towards independent standing. This project will be completed at two sites: Kessler Foundation Research Center (the grant PI site) and Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, University of Louisville, Kentucky.
This study is designed to assess the effect of a diet-controlled nutrition program utilizing an egg-based higher protein diet on muscle composition and size, and indices of metabolic health and markers of systemic inflammation in older men and women who are slightly overweight.