View clinical trials related to Neuromuscular Diseases.
Filter by:The study observes the effect of a pre-event massage on the gastrocnemius and Hamstring muscles on muscle activity.
Reaching active aging makes it important to implement new methods affecting the biological age of a person. Biochemical parameters of a blood test are aging biomarkers that are ones of the most accessible for testing. We know that, with age, there is increase in levels of LDL, triglycerides, homocysteine and other biomarkers relating the body state. Methods of extracorporeal hemocorrection showed good results in this area. For instance, the use of plasmapheresis is very effective during prophylaxis, treatment and rehabilitation after various diseases/injuries. The main effects of plasmapheresis are related to removal of endo- and exotoxins, including products of lipid peroxidation, and to draining effect as a result of a heavy flow of interstitial fluid containing products of pathometabolism into the blood stream within concentration gradient (by "dynamic equilibrium" in concentration of different substances in intracellular, interstitial and intravascular compartments). These effects are also related to release of receptors, their sensitization to their own neurohumoral regulation mechanisms, to insulin, in particular (as consequences, lower glucose tolerance, lower substrate glycation).
This study aims to evaluate perceived clinical and psychosocial experiences of patients and their families during the Covid-19 pandemic. it is important to understand the implications of the pandemic for this population, particularly given its likely protracted course, and resultant limitations to daily activities and clinical care. This will help clinicians plan support and adaptations to the services they provide in the medium to long term.
Dysphagia and the intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) are common and outcome-relevant neuromuscular complications in critically ill patients, especially after prolonged mechanical ventilation, sepsis and multi-organ failure. However, the impact of these two complications on the clinical course of critically ill patients needs further investigation. Furthermore, the standard diagnostic procedure to detect and grade the acquired dysphagia using the fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and the Medical Research Council sum score (MRC-ss) to detect ICU-AW are time-consuming and strongly dependent on patient compliance. An early and easy-to-use detection of these neuromuscular complications is currently difficult to be achieved in this patient population. Neuromuscular ultrasound (NMUS) and the measurement of neuromuscular damage blood biomarkers became increasingly interesting for clinical researchers in the recent years due to their broad availability and their simple and non-invasive application. However, the value of these new diagnostic tests to evaluate dysphagia and ICU-AW needs to be verified.
Background: Neuromuscular diseases (NMD) represent a broad group of rare genetic and acquired disorders, affecting over 300,000 people in Canada. Given the multiple different NMD subtypes, almost half of patients with NMD remain undiagnosed. Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify genetic or other markers in patient biosamples (e.g. blood, muscle, skin samples), electrodiagnostic studies or imaging that may help physicians and scientists provide faster ways to diagnose patients with NMD, study disease progression, and discover underlying disease mechanisms that may lead to future NMD therapies. Eligibility: Adults with NMD Design: Participants will have blood and/or tissue samples, and data from clinical information, imaging, and electrodiagnostic studies collected. Sample and data collection at the Neuromuscular Center, The Ottawa Hospital may include blood, DNA, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, urine and stool samples, skin or muscle biopsy, and routine diagnostic imaging studies such as electrodiagnostic studies, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging.
"Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are computer-based systems that acquire brain signals, analyze them, and translate them into commands that are relayed to an output device to carry out a desired action. BCIs represent a very active and promising field of research among devices for people with severe motor disabilities. As the currently available systems correspond to research prototypes, they are not adapted to daily live situations. On the other hand, some systems have recently been commercialized, principally for video games but they are not satisfactory for use as a substitute technology in disability. A BCI's prototype for alternative communication using a virtual keyboard, the P300 Speller, has been developed by the National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology (Athena team - Nice University). This prototype includes an EEG-cap with gel based active electrodes. A recent study conducted on 20 patients with ALS (University Hospital, Nice) demonstrated the usability of the system and the patient satisfaction concerning the ease of use and utility. To achieve a system that can be used in daily live in severely disabled patients, technical developments are necessary. The investigators have conceptualized and developed an ergonomic, comfortable, headset, including dry electrodes to allow a prolonged use of the system. The purpose of the study conducted all along the development of the headset is to improve the developed system until a successful system is achieved. This study is a monocentric usability study conducted on ALS people.
The instrumental evaluation of standing postural control by posturographic analysis supplements the clinical evaluation and, as such, is recommended by the French National Authority for Health (HAS 2007). The quantitative data obtained after a standardized postural examination appear relevant for the longitudinal follow-up of neuromuscular patients and hemiparetic patients. Neuro muscular (NM) diseases are progressive, these instrumental evaluations can highlight a deterioration or stabilization of postural control possibly not observable with the scores on clinical scales. The K-Force Plates, recently developed appear to be an interesting alternative to the stabilometry platforms currently used. Static and dynamic conditions in upright position are tested. Moreover, posturologic, kinematics data and clinical scores are correlated to increase understanding of strategies during postural control tasks in patients with stroke and in patients with NM disorders.
To determine the quality of life of patients living with chronic respiratory failure and the impact interventions have on it.
Patients with neuromuscular diseases (NMD) can suffer from a range of respiratory problems due to respiratory muscle weakness. Cough muscle weakness means secretion clearance from the airways can be problematic, a source of infection, and importantly a cause of death, in this patient group. Therefore, these patients are often supported with devices to aid clearance, such as mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MIE). Although evidence supports the use of these devices, the optimal technique or settings on the device are not clear. Increasingly, higher pressures are used during MIE and recent work has demonstrated that there may be a physiological benefit to this. However, higher pressures increase the risk of causing lung collapse and may cause detriment to blood flow back to the heart, which is important as NMD patients frequently have concurrent heart muscle weakness. Further, recent work has demonstrated that higher pressures can cause closure of the throat, which is counter-productive in secretion clearance. The overall aim of this study is to investigate methods to manipulate MIE to improve secretion clearance in patients with NMD. The questions it seeks to answer are: (i) how can we maximally improve lung recruitment during inspiration, whilst maintaining patient comfort and lower pressures (ii) what is the smallest pressure difference required in expiration to achieve an improvement in cough (iii) do these proposed changes to MIE also cause throat closure (iv) what factors do patients believe contribute to their adherence to MIE therapy? Patients with slowly progressive or stable neuromuscular diseases will be included in the study. Participation will involve two visits to the Lane Fox Respiratory Unit, each lasting approximately four hours. Patients will be recruited from specialist neuromuscular respiratory clinics by their clinical teams.
This exploratory observational study evaluates autonomic function using measures including heart rate variability in adults with childhood-onset neuromuscular and neurological disorders (NMD) who use non-invasive ventilation (NIV) as part of their long-term care. Autonomic function will be correlated with measures of symptom burden, disease severity and complications.