123 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The Professional Peer Resilience Initiative (PPRI) study is an observational study aimed at understanding how symptoms of traumatic stress and resilience evolve over time in the University of Minnesota (UMN) healthcare workforce during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study is being conducted concurrently with a UMN peer support program called the MinnRAP program and will remotely administer quality of life and mental health surveys to healthcare workers before they start the MinnRAP program and throughout their participation in the program.
Exertional heat stroke (EHS) affects \~500 Military Personnel and over 100 Soldiers every year, and it is believed that these numbers are underreported. EHS is the most severe form of exertional heat illness (EHI) and can result in substantial, long-lasting organ damage, and even death in severe cases. Based on current knowledge and training needs, it is impossible to prevent every EHS - which shifts the focus from exclusively prevention to a combination of prevention, treatment, and enhancing recovery as much as possible. While many risk factors have been identified and there are adequate treatments available, biomarkers associated with heat stroke risk, recovery, and return-to-duty (RTD) remain largely unclear. The purpose of the proposed study is to enhance knowledge surrounding biomarkers of EHS and long-term health consequences that result from EHS. The investigators will recruit research volunteers for a field study in order to collect pre-, post-, and follow-up measures from a high-risk EHS event (i.e. ruck marches, timed runs) this will allow us to have a basis for comparison between Soldiers who collapse with EHS (from previously collected data) and those that complete high-risk events, but do not collapse. This will allow for comparison between the groups to identify EHS-specific biomarkers that could aid in recovery and RTD decisions for Soldiers.
Many neighborhoods in Chicago experience daily exposure to stressors including economic inopportunity and violent crime in public spaces. There is mounting evidence that chronic psychosocial stress can facilitate carcinogenesis by modulating the gut microbiome and immune system. The proposed research aims to study the practice of mindfulness to mitigate CPS and reduce colorectal cancer risk factors among Black American women at elevated risk.
The overall aim of the research study is to develop and test a mindfulness-based program for young adult gay, bisexual, and queer men at risk for HIV (Brown University IRB approved protocol #2004002698). Researchers have completed Aims 1 and 2 of the broader study. Aim 1 used qualitative, community engaged methods, along with a quantitative online survey, to inform intervention development with the study population. Aim 2 involved seeking feedback on the developed mindfulness program through an open-pilot with 18 participants from the same study population (young adult gay, bisexual, and queer men at risk for HIV). The next phase of the intervention development (Aim 3 - registered here) will enroll and randomize a sample of 60 distressed, high-risk YMSM into one of two groups: MBQR intervention (n=30) or active control condition (n=30). Researchers aim to over-enroll YMSM of color (e.g., Black/Latinx YMSM) and anticipate the group to include approximately 50-60% Black/Latinx YMSM (or YMSM of color). Primary outcomes are HIV and STI testing and self-reported sexual risk behaviors. Secondary outcomes are stress biomarker (fingernail cortisol levels), psychological health, minority stress and coping. The study will examine recruitment and retention, number of sessions attended, self-reported at-home practice of mindfulness, completion of assessment, and acceptability of the intervention.
The goal of this observational study is to learn about the relationship between environmental structural racism and discrimination and chronic pain risk in Native American adults. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. How does environmental structural racism and discrimination affect chronic pain-promoting mechanisms in Native Americans? 2. What psychosocial factors buffer the negative effects of environmental structural racism and discrimination on chronic pain-promoting mechanisms?
The overall aim of the research study is to develop and test a mindfulness-based program for young adult gay, bisexual, and queer men at risk for HIV (Brown University IRB approved protocol #2004002698). Researchers have completed Aim 1 of the broader study, which was to use qualitative, community engaged methods, along with a quantitative online survey, to inform intervention development with the study population. The next phase of the intervention development (Aim 2 - registered here), involves seeking feedback on the developed mindfulness program through an open-pilot with 18 participants from the same study population (young adult gay, bisexual, and queer men at risk for HIV).
The purpose of this research study is to determine whether a positive psychology intervention paired with a health behavior intervention is successful in decreasing perceived stress and increasing positive affect in residents of Vance and Granville County.The program will consist of 4 in person / zoom sessions that are based on empirically supported PPWB components including Optimism, Gratitude, Mindfulness and Positive Savoring to improve behavioral self-regulation towards health-related goals with an additional class five as a check in that will be used for survey completion. Specifically, principal investigator will provide participants with instruction on positive psychology exercises that can do on their own and counseling around increased fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity and smoking cessation. Participants will then be asked to create a SMART goal to work on each week of the program for one of the behaviors. Research staff will conduct surveys with participants at baseline and at end of program. Feasibility and acceptability measures of the intervention will be collected at the end of the program. Research team will also collect informal feedback from participants at the end of each of the class sessions. Classes will be delivered in person and broadcasted via zoom via a password protected zoom link. Participant who choose to remain remote and participate via Zoom will be mailed binders of study materials with information on who to call if participants have questions. Participants who attend live events will receive their materials in person. Pre- and post-intervention surveys will be sent to participants via email. This is Part 2 of study (NCT03776890)
The purpose of this research study is to determine whether a positive psychology intervention paired with a health behavior intervention is successful in decreasing perceived stress and increasing positive affect in residents of Vance and Granville County. Participants will attend 4 classes that occur once a week. The first class will focus on nutrition, the second class will focus on exercise, the 3rd class will focus on tobacco use, and the 4th class that will review the previous 3 classes and help participants incorporate the strategies taught in the Destress for Health Program into their everyday lives. The duration of each class is 1 hour and the classes will be held once a week for a total of 4 weeks. Participants in this research study will be asked to complete 2 surveys. The first survey will occur during class 1, and will ask participants about their demographic information, health behaviors, stress levels, emotions, and behaviors. The second survey will be conducted over the phone and will occur 30-days after the final class and will ask participants about their health behaviors, stress levels, emotions, behaviors and also about whether or not they felt the classes they attended were useful to them. Total study duration is about 2 months.
The purpose of this research study is to determine if carotid artery ultrasound scanning can provide additional information for determining cardiovascular risk in patients. Patients who agree to participate wil undergo non-invasive carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurement and plaque assessment. Findings of CIMT will be compared to results of patient standard of care stress echocardiogram (SE) and of diastolic function. We hypothesize tht 1) in patients undergoing SE for inappropriate or uncertain indications, CIMT and plaque assessment will provide useful risk stratification beyond use of traditional risk factors; 2) CIMT findings will correlate with results of SE in terms of exercise capacity and 3) Exercise capacity will correlate with diastolic function.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about how genetics and the response to stress predicts cognitive decline in individuals with mild cognitive impairment. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: * Does the hormone response to acute stress predict the degree of cognitive impairment following acute stress? * Do genes associated with the risk for Alzheimer's disease influence the relationship between stress hormone response to stress and cognitive impairment following stress? * Do cognitive impairment following acute stress and genes associated with the risk for Alzheimer's disease predict cognitive decline and change in biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease 2 years later? Participants will have 3 in-person study visits. The first 2 will occur at baseline and the 3rd visit will occur 2 years later. During the visits, participants will provide blood and saliva samples, undergo a 10-minute social stress procedure, complete questionnaires, and take tests of memory and other thinking skills. Someone who knows the participant (a "study partner") will be asked questions about the participant's daily functioning at the first and 3rd study visits.
The purpose of this study is to see how stress influences the effects of opioid pain medications often used to help relieve back pain. The study will help to learn more about how high stress levels could increase risk for pain medication misuse.
We are evaluating a model where trauma exposure and threatening environments elicit nocturnal vigilance and sleep-related fears that compromise the healthy reduction of autonomic arousal during sleep which in turn stimulates secretion of atherogenic humoral factors, arterial stiffening, and cardiovascular disease risk. We will examine the roles of pre-sleep cognition using a questionnaire and real time assessment, and modifiable strategies for coping with sleep disruptive cognitions. We will then evaluate the impact of providing personalized feedback and recommendations based on study observations on how participants cope with potentially sleep disruptive cognitions and sleep efficiency in a randomized trial.
This is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study to evaluate the associations between indices of brain structure and function (measured at baseline, as soon as possible after injury) and course of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Subjects will be service members who have sustained mild traumatic brain injury (classified as either "impact-induced mTBI" or "blast-induced mTBI"; n = 100 completers) or an extracranial injury (ECI) with no evidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) (n = 100 completers). Subjects will complete an assessment battery at baseline and 6 months later that includes (1) structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) derived from a 3-Tesla magnet; (2) event-related brain potentials (ERPs) derived from brain electrical activity; (3) neurocognitive tests; and (4) neurological soft signs (NSS). Specific indices of brain structure and function derived from these assessments are hypothesized to demonstrate a significant relationship with course of PTSD symptoms, which will be measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.
In patients with chest pain or shortness of breath who are referred for stress imaging tests (either stress echocardiography or stress nuclear testing), the investigators seek to compare impact of using cardiac CT scans of the heart arteries to the stress test that their doctors ordered.
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small device that is implanted in the chest and uses electrical shocks to control arrhythmias, which are abnormal heart rhythms. Arrhythmias can be caused by many factors, including stress and anger. This study will evaluate the use of a stress reduction treatment (SRT) program aimed at reducing the occurrence of arrhythmias that require treatment with an ICD shock.
This study will examine the effect of heat stress on factors that influence musculoskeletal injury risk in firefighters. Participants will attend 4 data collection sessions. 1: informed consent, screening, and familiarization. 2: pre-tests (strength, balance, and movement quality). 3: heat stress (rapid or gradual) followed by post-tests (strength, balance, and movement quality). 4: heat stress (rapid or gradual) followed by post-tests.
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility of remote time-restricted eating (TRE) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) interventions and the preliminary effect on EOCRC-related markers. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: * Is it feasible and acceptable to conduct 8-week remote interventions of TRE, MBSR, and combined TRE+MBSR among young adults with excess adiposity and moderate-to-severe perceived stress? * Will participants in the combined group lose more body weight and reduce their stress levels than those in the remaining groups? * Will participants in the combined group experience better body composition changes and improve their cardiometabolic health compared to those in the remaining groups? * Will participants in the combined group exhibit changes in the microbiome compared to those in the remaining groups? Participants will: * Complete 8 weeks of a TRE intervention * Complete 8 weeks of a remote MBSR intervention Researchers will compare 1. TRE alone; 2. MBSR alone; 3. TRE + MBSR; and 4. Control to see if the study is feasible and acceptable; to see if individuals lose body weight; to see if individual stress levels reduce; to see changes in the microbiome.
The purpose of this study is adapt an evidence-based intervention for stigma-related stress, mental health, and HIV risk for bay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) of color in small urban areas.
The intent of the proposed randomized controlled trial is to test the efficacy of a principle-based, transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention that addresses the pathways through which minority stress compromises young gay and bisexual men's (YGBM) co-occurring mental (e.g., depression), behavioral (e.g., substance use), and sexual (e.g., condomless anal sex) health problems.
Some individuals who are exposed to traumatic events experience both psychological and cardiovascular changes that affect their health and well-being. The purpose of this study is to learn more about how reducing the psychological symptoms (such as those that occur with posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD) affects cardiovascular systems that regulate heart and blood pressure.
The purpose of this study is to examine potential stress and immune systems adaptations underlying craving and relapse vulnerability in alcohol dependent (AD) individuals and social drinkers (SDs) with and without high levels of depressive symptomatology (+dep / - dep). Using the investigators experimentally validated guided imagery procedure, the investigators propose to examine the response of brain stress and immune systems to personalized guided stressful imagery using subjective, physiological and neurobiological assessments in 60 healthy controls and 60 alcoholic dependent individuals with and without depressive symptomatology.
The goal of this study is to better understand the potential value of reducing stress to ameliorate a cluster of biological and behavioral factors implicated in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. These factors include psychological distress, poor sleep quality, and exaggerated physiological responses to emotional stress. Results will be used to develop an innovative brief intervention to reduce risk for CVD by improving sleep quality, ameliorating psychological distress, and attenuating stress physiology.
The purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which combining exercise and stress management training (SMT) is more effective at improving biomarkers in vulnerable cardiac patients compared to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation alone.
This two-year study tested the concept that an intervention, which reduces trauma-related symptoms among adults who are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), are experiencing trauma-related stress symptoms, and engaging in behavior that facilitates HIV transmission, can reduce the transmission risk of (HIV). Our central premise was that by first treating trauma symptoms, we would enhance the effects of a skills-building HIV risk reduction intervention for adults experiencing trauma-related symptoms such as hyperarousal, dissociation, and avoidance. The study aims were to: 1. To determine if decreasing trauma-related stress symptoms improves HIV risk reduction behavior above a standard HIV risk reduction intervention alone post-intervention and 3 months after the small group intervention sessions; 2. To determine whether key variables moderate the intervention's effects. For instance, gender, age, ethnicity, or psychological distress (e.g., depression, anxiety) may interact with the intervention to affect risky sexual or drug-related behavior; and 3. To determine whether there is evidence that the theoretical mediator variables, which include trauma-related stress symptoms, self-efficacy, communication skills, and social support mediate the intervention's effects on outcomes. This information addresses the theoretical question of why the intervention works.
Discrepancies exist among aortic stenosis severity classification, patient symptom burden, and - in some cases - even survival. The new Stress Aortic Valve Index (SAVI) metric correlates better with transvalvular flow and might be a better predictor of symptoms and prognosis. The current study will demonstrate the value of SAVI (both non-invasive and invasive) in patients with moderate aortic stenosis. The population will consist of subjects at least 50 years old with moderate aortic stenosis (defined as aortic valve area \>1.0 cm2 plus either maximal velocity 2.5-3.9 m/s or mean gradient 15-39 mmHg). Subjects with severe concomitant valve disease or severe unrevascularized coronary artery disease will be excluded, so that the isolated prognosis of aortic stenosis can be investigated. All subjects will undergo invasive SAVI measurements during catheterization. Furthermore patients will receive non-invasive testing with an exercise echocardiogram and computed tomography (CT) scan for non-invasive SAVI measurements. The short-term objective will compare SAVI with standard resting indexes for symptom burden, functional capacity, and biomarkers. The long-term objective will associate SAVI and standard resting indexes with clinical outcomes related to valvular disease. The investigators hypothesize that low SAVI (more marked AS during stress) will track with more symptoms and a worse prognosis. Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: The patients will have several study visits. The index visit will be planned to obtain informed consent and baseline parameters. The measurement visit(s) will consist of the invasive SAVI measurement, echocardiogram, stress echo imaging, 6-minute walk test, quality of life questionnaire, and the cardiac CT. During the final visit after 12 months, subjects will undergo a CT valvular calcium scan, quality of life questionnaire, and 6-minute walk test. Every subject will have an echocardiogram yearly as suggested by guideline criteria and could possibly be contacted until five years after enrollment. Blood samples will be drawn at baseline and the 1-year follow-up. Potentially the new SAVI metric could identify patients at higher risk among those with moderate gradient AS. However, since no outcome data currently exists regarding SAVI and prognosis, no conclusions could be derived from these measurements until study completion.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic, debilitating psychiatric disorder that is associated with an increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Most individuals with PTSD also have Insomnia Disorder. Sleep quality is also associated with risk factors for CVD. The objective of this study is to examine how insomnia contributes to CVD risk among people with PTSD. The investigators will also examine whether this risk can be decreased with treatment for Insomnia Disorder.
This Emergency Department based study investigates the feasibility and effectiveness of a mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) training program referral for patients with chest pain at low risk for acute coronary syndrome but associated with anxiety. Outcomes assessed for eligible patients randomized to MBSR vs. usual care include mental health (longitudinal Generalized Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) scores), quality of life (PROMIS Global Short Form), and ED resource utilization (return Emergency Department (ED) visits).
Coronary Computed Tomography Angiogram (CCTA) is a non-invasive imaging modality that has high sensitivity and negative predictive value for the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD). The main limitations of CCTA are its poor specificity and positive predictive value, as well as its inherent lack of physiologically relevant data on hemodynamic significance of coronary stenosis, a data that is provided either by non-invasive stress tests such as myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) or invasively by measurement of the Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR). Recent advances in computational fluid dynamic techniques applied to standard CCTA are now emerging as powerful tools for virtual measurement of FFR from CCTA imaging (CT-FFR). These techniques correlate well with invasively measured FFR \[1-4\]. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the incremental benefit CT-FFR as compared to CCTA in triaging chest pain patients in emergency settings who are found to have obstructive CAD upon CCTA (generally \>= 30% stenosis). Invasive FFR and short term clinical outcomes (90 days) will be correlated with each diagnostic modality in order to evaluate positive and negative predictive value of each. Patients will undergo a CCTA, as part of routine emergency care. If the patient consents to participate in the study, the CCTA study will be assessed by Toshiba Software, to provide a computerized FFR reading, based on the CCTA study. If the noninvasive FFR diagnosis indicates obstructive disease, the patient will undergo cardiac catheterization with invasive FFR. As CCTA utilization increases, the need to train additional imaging specialists will increase. This study will assess the capability of FFR-CT to enhance performance on both negative and positive predictive value for less experienced readers by providing feedback based on CT-FFR evaluation. If the use of CT-FFR improves accuracy of CCTA, as compared to the gold standard, (Invasive FFR), use of CT-FFR can potentially enhance performance for less experienced readers.
The purpose of the proposed study is to conduct a randomized controlled pilot trial of a school-based stress management and coping skills training program among a sample of economically disadvantaged urban 8- to 12-year-old school children with physician-confirmed asthma. The investigators aim (1) to establish feasibility of this approach by recruiting from different schools and (2) to learn whether individuals assigned to receive the intervention show improvements in psychological function, decreases in lung inflammation, and related improvements in asthma health when compared with disease severity-matched peers who receive education-only or standard care.
A large number of patients are diagnosed with low risk ACS, and these individuals are at significant cardiovascular risk. Though guidelines recommend stress testing to manage low risk ACS patients, evidence supporting this recommendation is not based on trials examining this population. A well-designed, randomized trial is warranted to determine if stress testing is useful in managing low risk ACS. If medical therapy alone is equivalent as the investigators hypothesize, healthcare expenditures could be reduced and patients may not be exposed to the harms associated with more invasive cardiac testing such as coronary angiography.