View clinical trials related to Physiological Stress.
Filter by:Climate change not only affects the planet's natural resources, but also severely impacts human health. An individual's ability to adequately cope with short- or long-term increases in ambient temperature is critical for maintaining health and wellbeing. Prolonged increases in temperature (heatwaves) pose a serious health risk for older adults, who have a reduced capacity to efficiently regulate body temperature. However, information regarding the impact of age on body temperature regulation during prolonged exposure to extreme heat is lacking, as is research on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing heat strain in such situations. This project will address these important knowledge gaps by exposing healthy young and older adults to a prolonged (9 hour) heat exposure, with conditions representative of heatwaves in temperate continental climates. An additional cohort of older adults will complete the same heatwave simulation but will be briefly (2 hours) exposed to cooler conditions (22-23°C) mid-way through the session (akin to visiting a cooling centre or cooled location). The investigators will evaluate age-related differences in the capacity to dissipate heat via direct air calorimetry (a unique device that permits the precise measurement of the heat dissipated by the human body) and their effect on the regulation of body temperature. The investigators anticipate that older adults will exhibit progressive increases in the heat stored in the body throughout the simulated heatwave, resulting in progressive increases in body core temperature. Further, older adults exposed to brief-mid day cooling will rapidly gain heat upon re-exposure to high ambient temperatures. As a result, by the end of exposure body temperatures will be similar to the group not removed from the heat.
An individual's ability to adequately cope with short- or long-term increases in ambient temperature is critical for maintaining health and wellbeing. Prolonged increases in temperature (heatwaves) pose a serious health risk for older adults, who have a reduced capacity to regulate body temperature. Currently, however, there is a lack of information regarding how different environmental conditions experienced during heatwaves impact body temperature regulation and physiological function. This is particularly important in the context of ambient conditions in the home, where older adults spend the majority of their time. This project will address this important issue by exposing healthy older adults to prolonged (8-hour) simulated heatwaves comprising a range of environmental conditions representative of an actively cooled domicile through to a worst-case scenario (i.e., no capacity for home cooling). The investigators will directly measure their ability to regulate their body temperature and the associated impact on the autonomic control of the heart. The investigators anticipate that physiological strain will be mild during prolonged exposure to conditions below the currently recommended thresholds set by Toronto Public Health (26°C). However, at higher indoor temperatures, impairments in body temperature and cardiovascular regulation will be seen.
This study aims to test the central hypothesis that adding to the diet daily yogurt with honey provides beneficial effects on digestive health and subjective mood in healthy adults.
This study aims to investigate the effects of short, psychological interventions on bio-psychological stress responses after an acute stressor. The efficacy of two different approaches (expectation-bases vs. acceptance-based) will be compared to a control-group.
Mechanical ventilation may be necessary to save the life of a patient due to an accident, pneumonia or surgery. The ventilator then temporarily takes over the function of the respiratory muscles. During treatment in the Intensive Care, the amount of support provided by the ventilator is usually lowered gradually, until the point that the patient can breathe unassisted once again. However, in a large fraction of patients (up to 40%) it takes days to weeks before the patient is able to breathe unassisted, even after the initial disease has been treated. This is called prolonged weaning. A possible cause of prolonged weaning is weakness of the respiratory muscles. The diaphragm, the largest respiratory muscle, can become weakened if it is used too little, much like all other muscles in the body. Additionally, damage and weakness of the diaphragm can occur when the diaphragm has to work excessively. Therefore, it is important that the diaphragm works enough; not so little that it becomes weakened, but not too much either. Measurements of pressure generated by the diaphragm are needed to determine the current level of diaphragm activity in a patient on mechanical ventilation. However, these measurements are rarely performed, because they are time-consuming and require placement of two additional nasogastric catheters. This is a shame, as adequate loading of the diaphragm might prevent development of weakness, leading to shorter duration of mechanical ventilation. Finding alternative measurements of diaphragm effort might be a solution to this problem. It has been hypothesized that the electrical activity of the diaphragm provides a reliable indication of diaphragm effort. This study aims to determine whether there is a correlation between pressure generation by the diaphragm and electrical activity of the diaphragm over a wide range of respiratory activity, from low effort to extreme effort, in healthy volunteers.
This study aims to evaluate the benefits of yoga as a 'mind-body' practice, by measuring it's effects on health-related psychological and physiological variables. The study also aims to investigate whether an association exists between subjective (psychological) and objective (physiological) measures, with a particular focus on stress as the primary outcome.
To evaluate the effect of dietary intervention on metabolic risk profile, and on potential simultaneous changes in physiological and cognitive functions and to collect a unique database using state-of-the-art technologies on variables related to the above mentioned areas.
The aim of this study was to characterize the psychophysiological demand in different Capoeira performances in male experienced individuals. Eleven men healthy and experienced in Capoeira. Participants were invited to five visits in different days: 1) anamnesis and anthropometric assessment; 2) aerobic performance assessment; 3 to 5) performance of 90s in three Capoeira styles (Angola, Benguela and São Bento). Main Outcome Measure(s): The physiological demand through the heart rate (HR), R-R interval (RRi), blood pressure (BP), blood lactate ([Lac]), and glucose ([Gluc]) and rating perceived effort (RPE), feeling scale (FS) and perceived activation (PA) were assessed after 10min of rest and during recovery (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9min) of each performance. HR and RRi records also occurred during each performance.
This research intervention aims to examine the effects of a fermented dairy beverage on changes in behavioral and biological measures of cognition and stress among adults.
This study takes place in rural Mam-Mayan communities of Guatemala characterized by high rates of childhood stunting. It aims to characterize women's exposure to nutrition, infection and psychosocial stressors vs. resilience factors, to evaluate the cumulative impact of maternal-level factors (nutritional, infectious, psychosocial), social factors (autonomy, social support, domestic violence), and household factors (socioeconomic status, food security) on early infant growth, and to evaluate whether maternal cortisol may be a mediator in the vertical transmission of stress.