Clinical Research Directory

French Contrast Versus Oregon Circuit Training in Competitive Football Players

This randomized, two-arm, parallel-group clinical trial is designed to compare French Contrast Training (FCT) with Oregon Circuit Training (OCT) for improving explosive strength, lower-limb power, and agility in competitive football players aged 16 to 25 years. Twenty-six participants are planned. Both interventions are delivered three times per week for 8 weeks in approximately 45-minute supervised sessions. Outcomes are assessed at baseline and after the 8-week intervention using vertical jump height, squat one-repetition maximum, and the Agility T-test.

Caring for Dementia Caregivers in Ethnic Immigrant Communities

Many caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias-especially those in immigrant communities who don't speak English well-don't get access to helpful, proven support programs. To address this, the investigative team adapted an existing caregiver support program (called the Savvy Caregiver Program) to better fit target group's culture and language. This new version, called K-Savvy, is a 6-week online program taught in Korean. In an earlier small study, K-Savvy worked well: caregivers found it helpful, were willing to use it, and showed fewer symptoms of depression. Now, the investigative team wants to study it more carefully to see how well it really works and why. The study has two main goals: Goal 1: The investigative team will measure whether K-Savvy improves caregivers' well-being-specifically whether it reduces stress and depression and helps them feel more positive about caregiving. The investigative team will also look at why it works, focusing on whether it changes how caregivers think about their situation (for example, feeling less overwhelmed and more confident). Goal 2: The investigative team will talk directly with caregivers and program instructors to understand their experiences with K-Savvy. This will help the investigative team learn what worked well, what didn't, and why.

The Effect of a Nap Protocol on the Cognitive Abilities of Experienced Teachers

This protocol aims to investigate the effects of a 25-minute nap on various cognitive variables, such as, simple and selective reaction time, stress and the detection and management of disruptive behaviors during instructional activities.

Hand Versus Foot Controls for Robotic Surgery Simulation

Why is the study being done? Robotic-assisted surgery offers high precision and ergonomic benefits, but it requires specialized console skills that differ significantly from traditional open or laparoscopic surgery. A fundamental part of operating a robotic surgical system is clutch control, which allows surgeons to reposition their controllers without moving the actual surgical instruments. Inefficient clutching can disrupt workflow, increase mental workload, and lead to operator fatigue. Modern platforms like the Da Vinci Xi offer two main options for clutching: hand-controlled clutching and foot-controlled clutching. Currently, there is limited research isolating how these different clutch options affect performance, especially for novice operators who have no prior robotic experience. This study aims to evaluate and compare hand clutch versus foot clutch methods to determine which approach better supports efficient skill acquisition, precision, and comfort for beginners. What happens during the study? Surgical trainees with no prior robotic surgery experience will be recruited for this study. After completing an initial baseline questionnaire and receiving a standardized orientation on the equipment, all participants will undergo a 20-minute practice session where they get to try both hand and foot clutching mechanisms. One week after the practice session, participants will return for the formal evaluation and be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1. Hand Clutch Group: Participants will complete a standardized simulation task using only the hand clutch button. 2. Foot Clutch Group: Participants will complete the exact same simulation task using only the foot clutch pedal. The simulator automatically tracks performance metrics such as task completion time, movement efficiency, instrument collisions, and technical errors. Immediately following the test, participants will fill out a short survey rating their satisfaction, comfort, and the learning difficulty of their assigned clutch method.

Acute Psychological and Physiological Effects of Cannabigerol

The purpose of this study is to examine the acute effects of cannabigerol (CBG) on various psychological (e.g., anxiety, stress, mood, memory, impairment, intoxication, side effects) and physiological (blood pressure, cortisol, heart rate variability, electrodermal activity, pain tolerance, temperature) outcomes. Further, potential side effects of CBG (sleepiness/fatigue, dry mouth/eyes, increased appetite, and dizziness nausea) will be assessed. As such, the study is focused on better understanding some of the potentially beneficial and detrimental effects of CBG on humans.

Optimizing Operational Parameters for Diagnostic Vitrectomy

Single-center ex-vivo study using blood samples from healthy donors processed through a 25-gauge vitrectomy system. The study compares four combinations of operational parameters (vacuum pressure and cut rate) to evaluate their impact on cellular recovery and morphological preservation. Pre- and post-procedure complete blood counts and cytology smears will be analyzed to identify the settings that minimize cell loss and mechanical damage, with the ultimate goal of optimizing diagnostic yield in vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) vitrectomy.

Role of the Noradrenergic System in the Regulation of Learning Dynamics: Evaluation of the Effect of a Low-dose Selective Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitor (NOISYXETINE)

Administration of low-dose selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (sNRI) (e.g. atomoxetine) to healthy subjects is a validated model of increasing cortical noradrenaline levels which, combined with computational modelling of behaviour, allows fine-grained analysis of the impact on learning processes of noradrenaline's fluctuations in the human cortex. The study goal is to characterize the modifications of certain cognitive processes and associated brain circuits under low-dose sNRI using validated computational learning models. The study will be interested in how subjects will modify their learning under the effect of the drug across two separate investigations; one utilizing in a stable evidence accumulation task and one utilising a changing evidence accumulation task. This approach will help to better understand the link between noradrenaline and accumulation of evidence in healthy subjects, and indirectly in some neuropsychiatric pathologies. The study is a single centre, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study involving evaluable healthy adults separated in 2 cohorts: A for participants having the stable task and B for those having the changing one. Participants will then be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of the following treatment sequences: * Atomoxetine 40 mg - Placebo (Subgroups A1 or B1); * Placebo - Atomoxetine 40 mg (Subgroups A2 or B2).

Ergonomic Protocol for Competitive E-Sport Athletes

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if this ergonomic protocol can improve performance and reduce ergonomic risk in esports athletes. It will also learn about the insight of esports athletes and their experience in implementing this new protocol. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does this ergonomic protocol improve performance? Does this ergonomic protocol reduce ergonomic risk? Researchers will assign the protocol to esports athletes who meet inclusion criteria and express interest in participating in the study. A pre-post design will be conducted to note any differences. Participants will: * Participate in a 6-week study with 4 in-person visits * Volunteers will be requested to participate in a focus group during Week 6. * Implement the strengthening protocol 3x a week and a warm up/cool down protocol before and after each gaming session. * Attend one educational session about gaming ergonomics during Week 1 * Complete the Rapid Entire Body Assessment, Kovaaks Asessment, and a Questionnaire during Week Zero, Week 3, and Week 6.