All Clinical Trials in Canada

Children experience pain and distress in clinical settings every day. The negative consequences of unaddressed pain can be both short-term (e.g. fear, distress, inability to perform procedures) and long-term (e.g. needle phobia, anxiety). In previous small studies, a humanoid robot has been used to deliver cognitive-behavioural therapy during needle procedures. The results of these early studies have been positive, showing high acceptance among children as well as promising initial clinical results. However, these studies all had critical technical limitations: the robot was remotely operated and used purely scripted behaviour with limited Artificial Intelligence support. This reduced the potential to offer personalized support to children. In this project, the study team aims to address this limitation by developing and evaluating a clinically relevant and responsive artificial intelligence-enhanced social robot. Read Less

PAD-VRCE is an observational, cross-sectional, two arm study aimed at determining if the presence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) can influence the number of circulating regenerative cells in blood. From peripheral blood samples, circulating progenitor cell content will be assessed via flow cytometry and compared between individuals with PAD and individuals without PAD. Ultimately, this study plans to evaluate the relationship between PAD, vascular regenerative cell exhaustion and overall cardiovascular health. Read Less

Lp(a)-VRCE is an observational, cross sectional study looking at vessel reparative stem cell content in people with and without elevated lipoprotein (a) \[Lp(a)\]. Specifically, the type and number of these cells in peripheral blood samples will be measured in participants with Lp(a) ≥100 nmol/L and compared to participants with Lp(a) \< 100 nmol/L. Determining the presence or absence of specific cells with blood vessel repair capacity in participants with high Lp(a) will further our knowledge of potential mechanisms through which Lp(a) influences cardiovascular health. Read Less

Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm (BPDCN) is a very rare hematologic malignancy. Despite recent advances, at present there is no consensus on the optimal treatment of BPDCN. The optimal therapy of disease remains to be determined, and due to the rarity of cases, there is a need for international collaboration to collect data on BPDCN clinical presentations, diagnostics, treatment regimens and outcomes. Therefore, the objectives of this study are: (1) to build a large database of patients with BPDCN, (2) to investigate the characteristics and outcome of the disease with different treatment regimens, (3) to evaluate prognostic factors, and (4) to generate data-based prospective treatment recommendations. Read Less

Background Adults over the age of 60 with symptoms of major depressive disorder are said to have late-life depression (LLD), a condition that usually decreases a person's quality of life and is associated with other risks like physical frailty and dementia. A common feature of more severe LLD is psychomotor slowing, where a person's ability to think and move are impaired. For example, they might not be able to walk or process information as quickly, and they might have problems with their working memory. Psychomotor slowing in LLD might be the result of a problem with the way a person's body produces or responds to the neurotransmitter dopamine. The drug Levodopa (L-DOPA), which can replace missing dopamine in the brain, has been used to treat to treat Parkinson's disease for many decades, and it might also affect psychomotor slowing in LLD. Methods In this study, participants are adults aged 60 years or older with moderate to severe major depression. Participants undergo the "L-DOPA challenge"-a 2-week period where they receive a dose of L-DOPA once a day for the first week and a dose of L-DOPA twice a day for the second week. Before and after a participant completes the L-DOPA challenge, the study team assesses their depressive symptoms and psychomotor function. After the L-DOPA challenge, if a participant still shows signs of moderate or severe depression, they receive an antidepressant for 12 weeks. Aims The first aim of this study is to test the feasibility of the L-DOPA challenge-that is, whether most of the 50 participants recruited for this study will complete the L-DOPA challenge. For example, participants might have to withdraw if they can't make the daily visits to the research site to receive their L-DOPA medication, if they can't tolerate the medication's side effects, or if their depressive symptoms get significantly worse. Our hypothesis is that 80% of the participants will complete the L-DOPA challenge. The second aim of the study is to see if L-DOPA affects participants' depressive symptoms, processing speed, and working memory. Our hypothesis is that L-DOPA response, measured as an improvement in gait speed, is associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms and an increase in processing speed and working memory. Read Less

Preterm birth, or birth before 37 weeks' gestation, is increasingly common, occurring in 8 percent of pregnancies in Canada. Preterm birth is associated with many health complications, particularly when the birth happens before 29 weeks' gestation. At this gestational age, the lungs are not fully developed and it is not uncommon for infants to have problems breathing at the time of birth. One complication that can arise is when an infant stops breathing and needs to be resuscitated. When preterm babies need to be resuscitated doctors must take special care because of the small infant size and the immaturity of the brain and lungs. Oxygen is used to resuscitate babies who need it, but unfortunately there is disagreement about the best oxygen concentration to use. Oxygen concentration is important because both too much and too little oxygen can cause brain injury. This research aims to fill this knowledge gap by participating in an international clinical trial to compare the effects of resuscitating babies less than 29 weeks' gestational age with either a low oxygen concentration or a high oxygen concentration. The oxygen concentrations have been selected using the best available knowledge. This will be a cluster randomized trial where each participating hospital will be randomized to either 30 or 60 percent oxygen for the recruitment of 30 infants, and afterwards randomized to the other group for the recruitment of another 30 infants. After the trial, the investigator will determine whether the babies resuscitated with low oxygen or those resuscitated with high oxygen have better survival and long-term health outcomes. This research fills a critical knowledge gap in the care of extremely preterm babies and will impact their survival both here in Canada and internationally. Read Less

The investigators intend to screen for new donors, given that there may a donor effect (PubMed ID: 25857665), with some donors not inducing remission in any patient whilst others inducing remission in 20-40% of cases. It is important to give UC patients participating in RCTs stool that has been demonstrated to be effective in some patients. We therefore propose to conduct an open label study in patients with active UC to ensure new donors are effective at inducing remission in some patients. Patients that have FMT will relapse within 18 months (PubMed ID: 25857665) although further FMT therapy induces remission so it is possible that maintenance FMT will result in long term remission, but this needs evaluation. We will therefore follow UC patients that have responded to FMT long term in this open label study. Read Less

Pregnant and postpartum individuals often have difficulty sleeping and these sleep problems can negatively impact both the parent and infant. Research suggests that pregnant individuals prefer non-medication-based treatment for their sleep difficulties but there is a lack of research on the success of sleep treatment during pregnancy. Currently, there are two main non-medical treatments for sleep difficulties available. The first, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), is the first treatment recommended for insomnia and has been found to successfully treat insomnia during pregnancy and the postpartum period. In addition, shortened sessions of CBT for insomnia have also been found to successfully reduce sleep difficulties. The second option is sleep hygiene education which is the most commonly offered treatment for sleep difficulties and has been found to improve sleep problems. The present study will compare the effectiveness of a CBT for insomnia group workshop to a Sleep Hygiene group workshop. Read Less

This project will determine the short-term impact of a standing desk converter on: 1) objectively measured physical activity and posture levels, and 2) brain (cognition) and heart (blood pressure regulation) function. The main outcome is habitual activity patterns, assessed by the thigh-worn inclinometer (activPAL). All participants will be equipped with an activPAL and have their cardiovascular and cognitive function assessed at baseline and 4 weeks. Participants in the intervention group will use a standing desk converter for 4 weeks, while the wait-list control group will be encouraged to maintain their regular activity patterns. Researchers will compare the intervention and control groups to see if using the standing desk converter will increase standing time and lower sedentary time, improve cognition, and improve blood pressure regulation. Read Less

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to investigate the effectiveness and safety of Prophylactic EUS-gastroenterostomy (ProEUS-GE) as a preventative approach for malignant gastric outlet obstruction (MGOO) in men and women aged 18 years or older diagnosed with periampullary cancer. The main question this study aims to answer is can ProEUS-GE effectively prevent the occurrence of MGOO in patients with periampullary cancer? Patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: Group 1 (ERCP alone) or Group 2 (ERCP + ProEUS-GE). The study will compare the outcomes between these groups to determine the effectiveness of ProEUS-GE in preventing MGOO. Researchers will compare Group 1 (ERCP alone) with Group 2 (ERCP + ProEUS-GE) to see if the addition of ProEUS-GE leads to a reduced occurrence of MGOO in patients with periampullary cancer. The primary endpoint is the rate of malignant gastric outlet obstruction. Read Less

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to assess the feasibility of administering a paced breathing exercise intervention program to children and adolescents in the sub-acute period after concussion, and to document the autonomic function, and symptom severity (post-concussion symptoms, anxiety, sleep) before and after administration of the intervention. Participants will: will be instructed to perform a daily 10-minutes daily paced breathing home-exercise program and to document the daily exercises performed within a performance log, or receive usual care from a concussion follow-up program. A weekly phone meeting will be performed with the participants, to review exercise, providing, specific instructions, and making any necessary adjustments. All participants (intervention and control group) will undergo a second assessment after four weeks following completion of the intervention program. During the second assessment information regarding the intervention feasibility, time to return to school, return to sport, and clear from medication will be collected as well. Read Less

This domain has a prospective, randomized, controlled, open-label, parallel group with blinded endpoint assessment (PROBE) design. Up to 4,000 patients with presumed acute ischemic stroke (AIS) will be followed for 90 days (or until death, if prior to 90 days). The end of the trial is defined as the date that all participants have completed their Day 90 assessment. This domain aim is to efficiently, reliably, and simultaneously, determine the comparative effectiveness of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) using standard-dose intravenous tenecteplase (0.25 mg/kg body weight), vs. low-dose intravenous tenecteplase (0.18 mg/kg body weight) in all patients who present to hospital with acute ischemic stroke and are considered for intravenous thrombolysis. In addition, this domain also seeks to study standard-dose intravenous tenecteplase (0.25 mg/kg body weight), vs. low-dose intravenous tenecteplase (0.18 mg/kg body weight) vs. no TNK upfront with rescue IA TNK if necessary (in those eligible for emergency EVT) and no TNK upfront in those who have taken DOACs during the preceding 24 hours. This domain therefore seeks to generate more robust randomized evidence to guide clinicians in their decisions over the balance of risks and treatment with intravenous thrombolysis with tenecteplase wherever such evidence is currently insufficient. This domain will currently evaluate four research questions in relation to the use of IVT with tenecteplase: 1. In patients with recent (24 hours) intake of a standard-dose direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), how should IVT be used? - Use standard-dose (0.25 mg/kg body weight) or low-dose tenecteplase (0.18 mg/kg) or not at all. 2. In patients planned to be treated with endovascular thrombectomy, how should tenecteplase be used? -Treat with IV tenecteplase (standard- or low-dose) or not at all. 3. In any patient receiving IVT, what is the optimal dose of tenecteplase? - use standard-dose (0.25 mg/kg body weight) or low-dose tenecteplase (0.18 mg/kg). 4. To what extent is the treatment effect of standard- vs. low-dose tenecteplase modified by key patient characteristics, such as diabetes, prior antiplatelet therapy, renal failure, or frailty, old age or having a heavy burden of cerebral small vessel disease on brain imaging. Read Less