Active clinical trials for "Chronobiology Disorders"

A sample of 60 patients scheduled for HSCT in the treatment of MM will be recruited in the weeks to months prior to their hospitalization. Light therapy incorporating ambient Programmed Environmental Illumination (PEI) will be used in patient hospital rooms (during scheduled transplant) to control cancer-related fatigue (CRF). The FDA has certified that light therapy, like that used in this study, is a low-risk intervention. When admitted to the hospital for a stem cell transplant, there will be a light fixture in the hospital room which the researchers will be testing to see how it may affect cancer related fatigue, sleep quality, and other negative side effects often seen with the transplant and subsequent treatment. The light fixture will turn on and off by itself in the morning. There are two treatment arms used in the study, each of the arms uses different light intensities. The study treatment received, i.e. which of the two lights, will be chosen by chance, like flipping a coin. There is an equal chance of being given each study treatment. Participants will not be told which study treatment they are getting until after the study is completed. Each light will be turned on from 7 AM to 10AM every day during transplantation. While in the hospital, assessment of fatigue, sleep activity, depression, circadian rhythms, and quality of life will continue through the course of hospitalization (14-21 days of treatment, to determine immediate impact of sPI), then repeat at one month and three months post-discharge follow-ups (to determine lasting effects). Outcomes will be assessed through standardized scales (e.g., FACIT-Fatigue Scale) and objective measures (e.g., actigraphy, daysimeter for light monitoring, melatonin from urine collection, blood inflammatory markers, all explained below). This trial will: 1) be the first randomized clinical trial (RCT) to investigate the effects of sPI to prevent CRF and other biopsychosocial side effects of transplant; 2) focus on a distinct, relatively homogenous patient population (MM-HSCT patients) with high prevalence of CRF; and 3) explore possible circadian rhythm mediation via melatonin analysis and blood analysis. This investigation will have major public health relevance as it will determine if an inexpensive and low patient burden intervention (sPI) is able to control fatigue associated with medical illnesses and related problems.

Circadian rhythm disorders are a class of sleep disorders characterized by misalignment between the timing of sleep and the timing of rhythms driven by the biological clock. Light therapy can effectively treat these disorders, but the intensity and duration of light exposure required to do so has limited its practical use. In this study the investigators will test whether pre-exposure to dim light may enhance the response of the circadian system to light therapy. If so, this could result in shorter treatments that would have greater practical applications.

The Healthy Patterns Study intervention is a home-based activity intervention designed to improve symptoms of circadian rhythm disorders (CRD) and quality of life (QOL) in home-dwelling persons with dementia. We will use a randomized two-group parallel design of 200 people with dementia and their caregivers assigned to intervention or attention control groups.

Shift work deeply impacts on temporal organization leading to a circadian desynchronization, which translates into a worsening of the sleep quality and work ability during waking hours. Furthermore, also the fine motor control skills and the subjective mood profile could undergo modifications in relation to the acquired sleep debt. The misalignment between working time and physiological/behavioral functions could have negative influences on the levels of spontaneous daily activity, with possible alteration of the activity-rest rhythm of the worker, especially in clinics. In relation to the participants' chronotype, the aim of this project will be to evaluate the effect of irregular working hours (shift work) on (i) the sleep quality, (ii) the circadian rhythm of activity levels and, (iii) the motor control. These assessments will help to identify the shift type with less impact on the health status in a nurse cohort.

Mental illness is often chronic, severe, and difficult to treat. Though there has been significant progress towards establishing effective and efficient interventions for psychological health problems, many individuals do not gain lasting benefits from these treatments. The Memory Support Intervention (MSI) was developed utilizing existing findings from the cognitive science literature to improve treatment outcomes. In this study, the investigators aim to conduct an open trial that includes individuals 55 years and older to assess if a simplified version of the Memory Support Intervention improves sleep and circadian functioning, reduces functional impairment, and improves patient memory for treatment.

The goal of this application is to determine whether changing the timing of food intake prevents the adverse metabolic effects of circadian misalignment.

A multidisciplinary investigation examining the circadian mechanisms regulating cardiovascular (CV) risk in obesity. Specifically, in a valid circadian protocol, the investigators aim to study resting cardiovascular risk markers and the reactivity of circadian rhythms in these risk markers to standardized stressors in obesity. Furthermore, using an ingenious approach, the investigators propose to explore impairment in pre/post synaptic function in the cardiac left ventricle.

Musculoskeletal pain has become in a major problem related to its prevalence, treatment cost, absenteeism, quality of life impairment, disability and drugs consumption. The difficulty in musculoskeletal pain control ends in the abuse of drugs by these patients, including opioids. This drugs consumption has become a health problem in the United States and around the world related to their increasing abuse mainly between 2002 and 2011 and has had an impact in the numbers of deaths caused by opioids prescription (reaching 16,651 deaths in United States in 2010). Pain is clearly associated with sleep disturbances (50-80% of these patients suffer from a sleep problem), and in turn poor sleep quality leads to increased pain sensitivity. There is evidence showing that improving sleep disturbance co-occurring pain would improve, and some may reduce the use of opioids in specific patients on long-term opioid therapy. In spite of this reciprocal relationship between sleep and pain only few programs take into account the management of sleep disorders as a non-pharmacological measure for pain control. The hypothesis is: "to address sleep and circadian disorders (SCD) using a Sleep and Circadian Intervention Program (SCIP) in patients treated with rehabilitation by chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) optimizes the rehabilitation outcomes and reduces opioids consumption". Main goal: The aim of this PILOT study is to evaluate the feasibility of the protocol of the present study that aims to assess the improvement in rehabilitation outcomes and decrease in opioid consumption, through the management of sleep disorders. Methodology Using a randomised (1:1) controlled feasibility study, 50 men and women will be included to evaluate methodology and identify the potential outcome of the main project. Subjects older than 18 years included in a rehabilitation program by musculoskeletal lumbar pain lasting more than three months will be recruited. Basal Visit (BV): After the signature of informed consent, a medical history, physical exam, evaluation of the pain perception (EQ5D5L), quality of life evaluation (SF36 and FOSQ), mood and anxiety (HADS y PASS20), circadian rhythm study and drugs consumption will be evaluated in both groups. Patients will be randomized to control group (usual rehabilitation program) or intervention group (usual rehabilitation program + sleep circadian intervention program-SCIP). The patient in the SCIP program will received the next intervention: 1) Educational and circadian rhythm intervention: general sleep hygiene recommendation and promotion of daily physical activity. 2) Sleep studies for sleep quality and sleep disorders diagnosis: full polysomnography 3) Sleep questionnaires for another sleep disorders. Based on the results of the studies, patients will be treated according to current guidelines for the management of sleep disorders. 6 month after the SCIP starts patients will be evaluated in the End of Study Visit (EOS) as in the BV and also in their functional improvement and health resources consumption.

Habits impact nearly every domain of one's physical and mental health. Evidence-based psychological treatments (EBPTs) are interventions targeting psychological processes that cause and/or maintain mental illness and that have been developed and evaluated scientifically. An implicit goal of EBPTs is to disrupt unwanted habits and develop desired habits. Yet, there has been insufficient attention given to habit formation principles, theory and measures in the development and delivery of EBTPs. In preparing to conduct a 5-year R01 on this topic, the investigators are conducting this experiment to better understand habit formation. The purpose is to distill, study and clarify key concepts in habit formation before embarking on the 5-year R01. This is necessary as there is surprisingly little research to guide key decisions, particularly for the process of dismantling unwanted habits. Hence, the aim of this experiment is to compare strategies discussed in the scientific literature, which have been minimally studied, to dismantle unwanted habits. The hypothesis tested is that each of the active strategies will be superior to the no intervention group. The study is exploratory as to which of the active strategies will be most effective.

The aim of this project is to determine the effect of nursing care provided to intensive unit care patients according to their circadian rhythms on sleep quality, pain, anxiety and delirium.