View clinical trials related to Cooling.
Filter by:With the increasing regularity and intensity of hot weather and heat waves, there is an urgent need to develop heat-alleviation strategies able to provide targeted protection for heat-vulnerable older adults. While air-conditioning provides the most effective protection from extreme heat, it is inaccessible for many individuals. Air-conditioning is also energy intensive, which can strain the electrical grid and, depending on the source of electricity generation, contribute to green house gas emissions. For these reasons, recent guidance has recommended the use of electric fans as a sustainable cooling alternative. While fans may increase sweat evaporation and heat loss in healthy, young adults, evidence supporting their use in older adults is scarce. Further, studies show that when environmental temperature exceeds skin temperature, fans are not effective and can even exacerbate hyperthermia in older adults. While older adults only account for ~13% of the population, they account for ~40% off all hospitalizations. In the context of sustainable cooling interventions, this is of particular importance given that many hospitals and long-term care homes do not have air-conditioning and rely on ceiling fans to enhance sweat evaporation while participants are bed-resting. While recent biophysical modelling has suggested that pedestal fans likely provide a clinically meaningful cooling effect (proposed to be ≥0.3°C) in temperatures below ~34°C in older adults, the efficacy of ceiling fans in mitigating heat strain in these conditions is currently unknown. To address these knowledge gaps, this randomized crossover trial will evaluate body core temperature, cardiovascular strain, orthostatic intolerance, dehydration, and thermal comfort in adults aged 65-85 years exposed for 8-hours to conditions experienced during indoor overheating occurring during a heat wave in a temperate continental climate (31°C, 45% relative humidity). Each participant will complete two randomized exposures that will differ only in the airflow generated by a ceiling fan: no airflow (control) or standard airflow. Participants will remain in a supine position for the duration of the 8-hour exposure period, except for during hour 7 when they will complete a series of cardiovascular autonomic response tests.
New research in animal models of MS suggests that greater training intensity is required to restore lost functions. We have developed and tested vigorous intensity cool room treadmill training that people with MS who have fatigue and heat-sensitivity can tolerate. This study will focus on the appropriate dosage of training.
Abstract Background: Local external cooling of the postoperative field is a treatment paradigm aiming for enhanced recovery after joint surgery. It is supposed to reduce pain and improve mobilization, enabling same day surgery. Hypothesis: Systematic postoperative cooling and compression after knee arthroscopy will reduce pain and also be reflected by changes in local levels of metabolic and inflammatory variables in the synovial membrane. Study design: Prospective randomised study; Level of evidence 1. Methods: Forty-four otherwise healthy patients were included in the study and randomised to systematic cooling and compression or NO cooling and compression after knee arthroscopy. Microdialysis of the synovial membrane was performed postoperatively with measurements of PGE2, glucose, lactate, glycerol, glutamate and blood flow (ethanol exchange ratio). Local temperature was monitored as well as postoperative pain (VAS and NRS). Results: The application of a cooling and compression device after knee arthroscopy resulted in significantly lower temperature in the operated knee (skin, joint capsule and intraarticularly). The cooling and compression diminished energy requirements in synovial tissue and a 3 temperature sensitive influence on inflammation (PGE2) were shown. No effect on postoperative pain was detected. Conclusion: Local cryotherapy and compression after knee arthroscopy significantly lowered local knee temperature postoperatively. A correlation with synovial PGE 2 and temperature was shown. Since PGE2 is a pain and inflammatory marker this implicates a positive anti-inflammatory effect induced by postoperative local cooling and compression. Hypothermia is proposed to have a protective effect in ischemic tissue. This is probably due to a decreased metabolic rate and therefore decreased energy requirements as shown by stable levels of lactate despite lower blood flow indicated by increasing ethanol ratio.