Clinical trials

This study examines how voluntary fast, deep breathing (hyperventilation) affects the way healthy adults perceive their own body. Participants wear a virtual-reality (VR) headset and see a virtual body; a glowing halo around it either pulses exactly in time with their own breathing or is time-shifted. During the study, breathing, heart activity, blood-oxygen level, the carbon-dioxide content of exhaled air, and brain activity (EEG, measured non-invasively from the scalp) are recorded continuously, and participants complete questionnaires about their experience. The aim is to understand whether and how altered breathing changes the interplay between what people see and what they feel inside their body, and thereby the sense of being located within one's own body. The study uses a 2×2 within-subjects design crossing Breathing (normal vs. hyperventilation) with Visual synchrony (synchronous vs. asynchronous), with the asynchronous and normal-breathing conditions serving as within-subject controls. No medication is administered and no medical device is being tested; the instruments used serve only for monitoring and measurement. Participation involves a screening visit (including a short, \~5-minute guided-hyperventilation tolerance test) and an experimental visit.

This clinical study will test if adding a non-invasive stimulation of the vagus nerve through the ear during physiotherapy brings an improvement to FND (Functional Neurological Disorder) patients with motor symptoms. First, the investigators will test the normal functioning of the motor regions of the brain in FND patients and in healthy volunteers for comparison, using a painless method called TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation). Then, the investigators will further test how brain regions communicate with each other in FND patients, using fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, also painless). Additionally, the investigators will ask both FND patients and healthy volunteers to answer questions about their health and wellbeing, and will assess the exact symptoms of FND patients. The FND patients will then be assigned to two groups randomly, and neither they nor the researchers will know in which group they are. Both groups will do 5 sessions of their usual physiotherapy - one group with a real stimulation of the vagus nerve, and the other group with a fake stimulation. This is important to obtain reliable results. At the end, both groups of patients will be tested again to see if the way brain regions communicate with each other has changed. They will also answer again questions about their health and wellbeing, and their symptoms will be assessed again, to see if any changes happen. The results of the two groups of patients will be compared to isolate the effects of vagus nerve stimulation from the effects of physiotherapy alone.

Introduction. Switzerland, like most Western countries, faces a paradox: an ageing, multimorbid population needs general internal medicine (GIM) physicians more than ever, yet fewer young doctors choose - and stay in - the specialty. Career decisions during residency are intertwined with well-being, mental and physical health, and work-life balance, and distress in training has been associated with depression, burnout, attrition and poorer patient care. Longitudinal data following GIM residents across these domains, and linking them to actual career trajectories, are lacking. The COMET study establishes a multicentre prospective cohort of GIM residents to fill this gap. Methods and analysis. COMET is a prospective, open, multicentre cohort conducted in the departments of (general) internal medicine of Fribourg Hospital (HFR, four sites), Bern University Hospital (Inselspital) and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). All GIM residents providing direct patient care are eligible (≈334 residents; expected enrolment ≥267, assuming 80% participation). Participants complete an annual online survey (REDCap; French or German) at baseline and for at least four years, covering sociodemographics; job characteristics; career intentions and 24 factors for or against a GIM career; well-being (Physician Well-Being Index, Professional Fulfillment Index, quality of life, work-life balance); mental health (CES-D, Perceived Stress Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy); and physical health (step counts, physical activity, fatigue, sleep, healthcare utilisation). Primary endpoints are the longitudinal course of well-being and distress (PWBI, PFI, CES-D) and residents' career trajectory. Analyses combine descriptive statistics, mixed-effects and regression models, and comparisons with the population-based CoLaus\|PsyCoLaus cohort.

In this research project, we want to investigate whether the combined intake of proteins and tea extract has an influence on muscle regeneration compared to the sole intake of proteins or a placebo product. In the study, you will be randomly assigned to one of 3 groups. Neither the research group nor you will know which group you are assigned to. The study lasts 5 days for you as a participant. During these 5 days you will have to attend a total of 5 appointments in our laboratory. The groups differ only in the intake of the regeneration product, otherwise all measurements and appointments are identical. You will jog downhill for 30 minutes on the first day in order to strain your muscles. In order to be able to draw conclusions about the regeneration of your muscles, we will carry out the following measurements on all 5 days: Blood sampling at the fingertip, ultrasound of the thigh muscle, pain tolerance of the thigh muscle, strength tests of the thigh muscle, muscle function of the thigh muscle and jumping performance.

The clinical performance study is collecting data from the use of a CE mark product used within the scope of its intended purpose to intraoperatively visualize tissue specimen. The subjects are not submitted to invasive and burdensome procedures compared to the standard of care surgical practices and regular use of the CE mark product.