All Clinical Trials in Canada

This trial is to show the feasibility of administering a randomized clinical trial that determines the effectiveness of aquatic exercise compared to land-based exercise of military Veterans who have chronic pain. Read Less

FIREFLY-1 is an ongoing, Phase 2, multi center, open-label study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral pan-RAF inhibitor DAY101 in pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with recurrent or progressive low-grade glioma or an advanced solid tumor harboring a known RAF alteration. Read Less

The primary objective of this study is to assess the feasibility of randomizing breast cancer patients to quantitative ultrasound to guide adaptive Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy as compared to standard clinical monitoring and therapy. The Investigators have previously demonstrated that high-frequency ultrasound and spectroscopy, and recently conventional-frequency ultrasound and spectroscopy may be used to detect cell death in vitro, in situ and in vivo. The method can detect different forms of cell death and has been demonstrated to be sensitive to apoptotic, necrotic and mitotic cell death. By detecting cell death early in a treatment on the order of hours to days, rather than traditional anatomical assessments that take place weeks to months after the completion of therapy, ineffective therapies could be switched to more efficacious treatments or aggressive salvage therapy which has shown to already benefit patients. The overarching goal of this research is to transform the delivery of neoadjuvant chemotherapy using quantitative ultrasound (QUS), which is non-invasive, inexpensive and portable. Read Less

Physical exercise plays a central role in work rehabilitation. However, the presence of pain (particularly common in older adults and aging workers) can lead to a fear of movement (kinesiophobia) and hinder rehabilitation. Access to rehabilitation care is also a barrier for many older adults, which could be circumvented through telerehabilitation. The objective of this pilot study is to document the feasibility and explore the effect of a telerehabilitation intervention combining therapeutic exercises and real TENS (experimental group) or placebo TENS (control group) in individuals aged 55 and over who have stopped working (triple-blind randomized controlled study). To do so, various feasibility indicators (e.g., recruitment rate, adherence) and clinical measures (e.g., kinesiophobia, pain during exercise) will be documented before and after the intervention. Together, these measures will help assess the appropriateness of conducting a large-scale study aimed at potentiating work rehabilitation in older populations. Read Less

Anhedonia is a core feature of major depressive disorder (MDD) (DSM-5). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have associated anhedonia in MDD with altered frontostriatal activity and functional connectivity relative to controls. Conversely, antidepressant treatment is associated with increased ability for patients with MDD to sustain frontostriatal activity in a manner predictive of decrease in anhedonia and gains in daily positive affect. Novel interventions are needed to address anhedonia. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been shown to activate striatal reward circuits. Positive Affect Treatment (PAT) was developed to treat deficits in reward processing; a critical skill patients are trained on in PAT involves recounting and savouring of positive experiences. However, amotivation impedes some patients from engaging in positive activities, prompting the development of virtual reality reward training (VR RT) for this skill. Evidence is building that brain state at the time of rTMS impacts its therapeutic effect. For example, imaginal exposure and individualized symptom provocation just prior to rTMS enhances its therapeutic effect on post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, respectively. It is unknown whether VR RT can augment rTMS for MDD and if so whether it is mediated by enhancing changes in frontostriatal activity or functional connectivity. The current study is significant for multiple reasons. As mentioned, there is a paucity of effective treatments for anhedonia and this study may inform development of a novel treatment strategy that harnesses findings from affective neuroscience. Recent economic analysis suggests that rTMS can be more cost-effective than pharmacotherapy or ECT for treatment-resistant depression (Ontario Health, 2021). Our findings will provide insight on ways to synergize specific psychotherapeutic techniques with targeted stimulation of brain circuits to more effectively treat subtypes of depression. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence and predictors of high degree or complete atrioventricular block (AVB) (paroxysmal or persistent) in patients with new-onset persistent left bundle branch block (NOP-LBBB) following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and to evaluate the usefulness of the Reveal LINQ® insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) (Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, USA) for the detection of significant arrhythmias in patients with NOP-LBBB following TAVI. Read Less

This study is designed to test the hypothesis that poor cerebral perfusion during critical illness is a risk factor for acute and long-term neurological dysfunction among survivors. We use near-infrared spectroscopy to measure brain tissue oxygenation as a non-invasive surrogate marker for cerebral perfusion. Acute neurological dysfunction is defined as the presence of delirium, which is assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method-Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU). Chronic neurological dysfunction is defined as having quantitative impairments on robotic testing (KINARM robot) and traditional neuropsychological screening (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status). Read Less

The overall goal of this research program is to determine quantitative predictors of quantitative long-term neurological functioning following different cardiac surgery procedures. The investigators aim to generate a timeline of neurological function that includes pre-existing performance, post-operative delirium, and neurological outcome. Furthermore, the investigators will test the hypothesis that intraoperative regional cerebral oxygenation (rSO2) desaturations, as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are associated with poor neurological functioning following cardiac surgery, as measured by a robotic device called the KINARM. Read Less

The objective of this study is to determine if an opioid-free general anesthetic (OFA) technique utilizing lidocaine, ketamine, dexmedetomidine and magnesium reduce postoperative opioid consumption and speed return of bowel function in patients undergoing elective, laparoscopic, colorectal surgery compared to traditional opioid-containing general anesthetic techniques. It is hypothesized that this intraoperative OFA regimen will reduce postoperative opioid consumption, and expedite return of bowel function in this population. Read Less

Introduction. Initiation of acute kidney replacement therapy (KRT) is common in critically ill adults admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. KRT has been linked to poor neurocognitive outcomes, leading to a reduced quality of life, as well as increased utilization of healthcare resources. Adults initiated on dialysis in the ICU may be particularly at risk of neurocognitive impairment, as survivors of critical illness are already predisposed to developing cerebrovascular disease and cognitive dysfunction over the long-term relative to healthy controls. Regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) may provide a critical early marker of long-term neurocognitive impairment in patients in this population. The INCOGNITO-AKI study aims to understand cerebral oxygenation in patients undergoing KRT, either continuous or intermittent, in the ICU. These findings will be correlated with long-term cognitive and functional outcomes, as well as structural brain pathology. Methods and analysis. 108 patients scheduled to undergo treatment for acute kidney injury with KRT in the Kingston Health Sciences Centre ICU will be recruited into this prospective observational study. Enrolled patients will be assessed with intradialytic cerebral oximetry using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Delirium will be assessed daily with the Confusion Assessment Method-Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) and delirium severity quantified as cumulative CAM-ICU-7 scores. Neurocognitive impairment will be assessed at 3- and 12-months after hospital discharge using the Kinarm and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Structural brain pathology on MRI will also be measured at the same timepoints. Driving safety, adverse events, and medication adherence will be assessed at 12-months to evaluate the impact of neurocognitive impairment on functional outcomes. Ethics and dissemination. This study has been approved by the Queen's University Health Sciences and Affiliated Teaching Hospitals Research Ethics Board (Approval number: DMED-2424-20). Results will be presented at critical care scientific conferences and a lay summary will be provided to patients and families in their preferred format. Read Less

To assess the prevalence and severity of frailty in patients undergoing LAAC, as well as its association to peri-procedural and long-term outcomes and quality of life. Read Less

The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the novel technique of donor EVLP in increasing lung transplant activity by allowing previously unusable donor lungs to be safely used in clinical lung transplantation. Furthermore, to utilize the EVLP technique in research settings thus allowing the evaluation of inflammatory molecules (biomarkers) that would benefit a successful pre-conditioning and increase knowledge of the lungs inflammatory response before transplantation. Read Less