Mental Disorders — Tai Chi Effects on Chronic Insomnia in Breast Cancer Survivors: Immune Mechanisms
Citation(s)
Bower JE, Ganz PA, Aziz N, Olmstead R, Irwin MR, Cole SW Inflammatory responses to psychological stress in fatigued breast cancer survivors: relationship to glucocorticoids. Brain Behav Immun. 2007 Mar;21(3):251-8. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2006.08.001. Epub 2006 Sep 27.
Irwin MR, Olmstead R, Oxman MN Augmenting immune responses to varicella zoster virus in older adults: a randomized, controlled trial of Tai Chi. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007 Apr;55(4):511-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01109.x.
Irwin MR, Pike JL, Cole JC, Oxman MN Effects of a behavioral intervention, Tai Chi Chih, on varicella-zoster virus specific immunity and health functioning in older adults. Psychosom Med. 2003 Sep-Oct;65(5):824-30. doi: 10.1097/01.psy.0000088591.86103.8f.
Motivala SJ, Sarfatti A, Olmos L, Irwin MR Inflammatory markers and sleep disturbance in major depression. Psychosom Med. 2005 Mar-Apr;67(2):187-94. doi: 10.1097/01.psy.0000149259.72488.09.
Tai Chi Effects on Chronic Insomnia in Breast Cancer Survivors: Immune Mechanism
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
