Clinical trials

Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) can affect a newborn infant's ability to eat, sleep, and be consoled after exposure to opioids before birth. Standard care at the participating neonatal units uses the Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) approach, which emphasizes supportive care and involvement of parents and caregivers. VOICE-NAS is a two-centre feasibility study evaluating whether a recorded parent/caregiver voice can be safely and practically added to usual ESC-based care for infants with NOWS. Approximately 15 to 20 infants will be enrolled at HSC Women's Hospital and St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A parent or caregiver will make a short voice recording in their preferred or native language. The recording may include natural talking, reading, singing, storytelling, or comforting words. The recording will be played for the infant during clinically appropriate feeding and settling periods, usually during the latter part of a feed and/or after feeding while the infant is trying to settle or sleep. Playback will generally last about 20 minutes and will be delivered at a controlled sound level. The main purpose of the study is to determine whether the intervention can be delivered consistently and safely within routine NICU care. The study will measure whether usable voice recordings can be obtained, how often planned playback sessions are successfully delivered, reasons sessions are missed or stopped, caregiver acceptability, staff workflow issues, and any signs of intolerance. Clinical information such as ESC assessments, feeding support, medication treatment for NOWS, and hospital length of stay will also be described. The study is not designed to determine whether recorded voice therapy is effective. Results will be used to help design a future larger clinical trial.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) can help prevent osteoradionecrosis (ORN) after dental extractions in adults who previously received radiation therapy to the head and neck. ORN is a condition in which jawbone damaged by radiation does not heal properly and may become exposed. The main question this study aims to answer is: Does placing PRF into dental extraction sites lower the chance of developing ORN within 6 months after extraction? PRF is made from a small sample of a participant's own blood. The blood is processed in a centrifuge to form PRF, which can then be placed into the tooth extraction site. Researchers will compare participants who receive PRF in addition to standard extraction care with participants who receive standard extraction care alone. Participants will: Have one or more teeth removed from an area of the jaw that previously received radiation therapy. Be randomly assigned to receive either PRF plus standard care or standard care alone. Return for follow-up visits at approximately 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after extraction. Have their healing, pain, any potential postoperative complications, and development of ORN assessed during follow-up.

The improvement in health and welfare in modern society has led to an increase in life expectancy. Alternatively, the longer one lives, the more likely to experience deterioration in memory, cognitive ability, and executive function skills in our brains. While some cognitive impairments can be typical results of normal aging, a decline in spatial cognition can be a sign of dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD). Based on the neuroplasticity of the brain even at old ages, there are some hopes to combat dementia by repeated use of cognitive exercises in the form of a serious game designed for older adults. A popular new technology to be used to design serious games is virtual reality (VR) designs. Aside from the gaming applications, the focus of VR experiments in medicine and neuroscience is to simulate a naturalistic environment to investigate brain function and/or use it for cognitive training. A virtual reality driving simulator (VRDS) has been developed by our team that is proposed to be installed in an existing car model at Riverview Health Center (RHC) dementia units. The VRDS has different levels of difficulty so that it can be utilized by people with different levels of cognitive impairments. However, in this study, the users will probably use only its level 1. The aim is to investigate the efficacy of the VRDS amongst institutionalized Alzheimer's/dementia patients, who are not capable of performing standard assessments. The goal is mainly to improve their mood and quality of life as many of these patients miss driving. Thus, their plausible mood change are assessed by asking the dementia unit nurses to share their observations of the patients in relation to VRDS usage; it will be a free-format anecdotal observation. In addition, while these patients are not expected to show any significant learning, playing this VRDS may improve patients' implicit memory; which can be observed by how well or poor they drive the simulated car; for example, how many times they crash to the curb or how many times they hit an animal, or how many times they ignore the red traffic light, etc.; these are reflected in the game's score. It is anticipated that this VRDS will have an overall positive effect on users' moods, and also it may result in an implicit memory improvement.

This study will investigate whether low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (LiESWT) can help men recover erectile function after nerve-sparing prostate cancer surgery. Erectile dysfunction is common after this surgery, and current rehabilitation treatments mainly help manage symptoms rather than directly promoting recovery of the affected penile tissues. LiESWT is a non-invasive treatment that uses low-intensity shockwaves and may help improve blood flow and tissue recovery. The study will include 80 men undergoing nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either standard penile rehabilitation alone or standard rehabilitation plus eight LiESWT treatments. Erectile function, urinary function, pain, and potential side effects will be assessed throughout the 36-week study period. The main goal is to determine whether adding LiESWT increases the number of men who recover normal erectile function 24 weeks after surgery. The findings may help improve penile rehabilitation and sexual health outcomes for men recovering from prostate cancer surgery.

This is an international, open-label, stratified randomized controlled trial with Bayesian adaptive stopping rules to compare the effects of therapeutic-dose heparin vs. usual care pharmacological thromboprophylaxis on outcomes in patients admitted to hospital with community acquired pneumonia (CAP).

The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of sound analysis for: a) sleep apnea detection both during wakefulness and sleep, and b) flow-sound relationship during both wakefulness and sleep in patients and control individuals. The ultimate goal of our research is to simplify the current assessments for sleep apnea detection so that it is more convenient for patients and also much faster than the current techniques.

This pilot, randomized, sham-controlled, single-blind study will evaluate the effectiveness of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) in reducing pain in adults with tennis/golfer's elbow or carpal tunnel syndrome. Approximately 40 participants will be randomly assigned to active or sham stimulation delivered over two consecutive days. Outcomes, including pressure pain threshold, subjective pain ratings, and local tissue oxygenation (fNIRS), will be assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and during follow-up up to 6 months to evaluate both clinical effects and underlying physiological mechanisms.

Families of children with neurodevelopmental differences (NDDs) experience disproportionately high levels of parenting stress and mental health difficulties, including elevated depression, anxiety, and caregiver burden. These challenges are often compounded by increased caregiving demands, system navigation stress, and limited access to timely, tailored mental health supports. Parental mental health plays a critical role in family functioning and child outcomes; however, existing services for families of children with NDDs are frequently fragmented, inaccessible, or focused primarily on child behavior rather than caregiver well-being. As a result, many caregivers experience unmet mental health needs that persist throughout early and middle childhood. To address this gap, our team developed BEAM (Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health), an app-based parenting and mental health intervention that integrates psychoeducation, peer support, progress monitoring, and coached support. Clinical trials evaluating BEAM with parents of young children have demonstrated promising improvements in parental depression, anxiety, and parenting stress, as well as reductions in harsh parenting practices. Building on this evidence base, the current trial examines the implementation and outcomes of BEAM delivered as-is to families of children with NDDs (BEAM-NDD), without content adaptation, to evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness within this high-need population. This trial uses a single-arm pre-post design to evaluate BEAM-NDD among parents and caregivers of children with diagnosed or suspected neurodevelopmental differences. Primary aims are to (1) assess feasibility and acceptability of BEAM-NDD, including recruitment, retention, engagement, satisfaction, and perceived unmet needs; (2) examine changes in caregiver mental health and parenting outcomes following program participation; and (3) explore individual differences in engagement and outcomes to identify for whom BEAM-NDD may be more or less effective. Participants will complete a 12-week intervention delivered through the BEAM app, consisting of weekly parenting and mental health videos, progress tracking, a moderated peer forum, and optional peer-coaching support. Assessments will be completed at baseline prior to program initiation (T1), immediately post-intervention (T2), and at follow-up (T3). By evaluating BEAM-NDD within real-world service contexts, this trial aims to determine whether an existing evidence-based digital parenting and mental health intervention can support caregiver well-being among families of children with NDDs without requiring adaptation. Findings will inform the scalability and sustainability of BEAM-NDD as an accessible mental health support for families facing long waitlists, limited specialized services, or geographic barriers to care.

This randomized cross-over pilot clinical trial aims to evaluate the feasibility and effect of a relaxing virtual reality (VR) experience on glucose response after white bread consumption, compared to a stress-inducing VR, a VR clinical room, and a real clinical room, in healthy adults. Participants will use a head-mounted display to experience either one of the VR environments, or they will simply sit in an actual clinical room for 15 minutes. After this pre-meal condition, participants will consume 66 grams of white bread within 10 minutes, accompanied by 250 mL of water. They will then continue their assigned pre-meal condition for one hour, followed by an additional hour of sitting in the lab for further assessments. The feasibility of the study will be assessed by calculating: 1) Screening to randomization ratio, 2) Recruitment rate of participants per week, 3) Retention rate, 4) Data Completeness of Finger-Prick Glucose Measurements, and 5) VR intervention tolerability measured by Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) score. Postprandial glucose response, stress levels, heart rate, and skin conductance will be assessed at baseline (15 minutes before white bread consumption), immediately before consumption (time 0), and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes post-consumption. Palatability will be evaluated immediately after the meal consumption. Motivation to eat will also be assessed at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes. Sense of presence will be measured immediately after VR exposure. Additionally, simulator sickness will be assessed at the beginning of the study and after VR exposure. The results will help us better understand the potential feasibility and benefits of using relaxing VR for postprandial glucose management. These findings will also provide evidence to optimize the design of future definitive randomized clinical trials and enhance the development of VR interventions.

The purpose of this study is to advance the development of the WI/CDIC supplemented foods by evaluating the acceptance and feasibility of the supplemented food bars within the Wellness Institute's Weight Loss Clinic program (WLC) or an equivalent weight loss program in Winnipeg or the surrounding area. The main questions it aims to answer are: * To determine whether the incorporation of WI/CDIC supplemented foods into the WI weight loss clinic design is feasible. * To determine whether weight loss is supported by a plant-based supplemented food. * To assess efficacy of the supplemented food by measuring changes in lifestyle behaviours and risk factors for chronic disease compared to non-supplemented food weight loss program members. Researchers will compare the WLC program plus supplemented food to the WLC program without the supplemented food to evaluate the implementation of the supplemented foods into the WLC. Participants will follow their WLC program for the initial 16 weeks, and those in the intervention group will begin their supplemented food. Participants will consume one supplemented food bar each day and will record this in the product consumption log.

Babies born very prematurely are at risk of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), which is bleeding in or around the fluid-filled spaces of the brain. Most IVH occurs during the first week after birth. Human colostrum and early breast milk contain growth factors, neurotrophic factors, immune-modulating substances, antioxidants, and other biologically active components that may have neuroprotective effects. This study will evaluate whether giving very small amounts of a baby's own mother's fresh breast milk as nasal drops during the first 7 days of life may help prevent IVH in infants born at 29 weeks' gestation or earlier. Approximately 67 eligible infants will be enrolled prospectively at Women's Hospital and St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. At each scheduled study care session, fresh mother's own milk will be administered intranasally at 0.2 mL per nostril (0.4 mL total) before routine nursing care and, if tolerated and the infant remains clinically stable, repeated after care. Thus, a completed care session provides up to 0.8 mL. Study administration will be coordinated with 2-4 routine care sessions per day for 7 consecutive days, corresponding to a planned total daily volume of 1.6-3.2 mL. The main study outcome is whether IVH of any grade is present on the routine cranial ultrasound performed at 4 to 7 days of life. Other outcomes include severe IVH, progression of IVH, post-hemorrhagic ventricular complications, mortality before hospital discharge, and the safety and tolerability of intranasal mother's own milk. Outcomes in the prospectively treated infants will be compared with those of eligible infants previously cared for at the same neonatal intensive care units between 2020 and 2025. Statistical methods using propensity score weighting will be used to account for measured differences between the prospectively treated infants and the historical comparison group.

The main purpose of this trial is to determine whether the addition of the VIEWER virtual care platform to usual care will lead to a reduction in composite emergency department (ED) visits and/or hospitalizations/or increase the perceived safety of virtual care among patients and providers.

The objective of this initiative is to develop and evaluate a risk-based, provincial public health screening program for chronic kidney disease (CKD) that provides proactive care for adults at high-risk of kidney failure who have not previously been referred to a nephrologist, through risk stratification, triage, education, and follow-up. Overall, we aim to demonstrate that an integrated risk-based provincial public health screening program for CKD is feasible, and improves identification of high-risk individuals, subsequently creating a model of care that can be adopted by other jurisdictions.

Two-Spirit (2S) Métis individuals often encounter significant barriers and discrimination in healthcare settings. This multisite randomized controlled feasibility trial evaluates a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) designed to assess and improve Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) residents' competencies in delivering culturally safe, trauma-informed, and identity-affirming care to 2S Métis patients. Up to 90 Ob/Gyn residents across three Canadian academic sites (University of Alberta, University of Manitoba, and University of Saskatchewan) will be randomized 1:1 to complete either a 2S Métis Academic Half Day paired with AI-assisted OSCE evaluation or standard institutional anti-racism training with AI-assisted OSCE evaluation. The primary focus is to evaluate study feasibility (recruitment, retention, and delivery fidelity) and resident performance on clinical communication, trauma-informed care, and cultural humility evaluated using a 2S Métis co-developed scoring rubric.

The overall objective: to co-design and implement targeted and timely community led strategies to improve the health of the Next Generation and end the intergenerational impact of T2D in this population.

Our overall objective is to decrease the prevalence of multiple sedentary-related diseases that are secondary consequences of spinal cord injury (SCI). SCI affects motor, sensory and autonomic systems and can cause very limited exercise capacity which then leads to very high rates of obesity, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This randomized controlled study aims to determine whether and how transcutaneous spinal electrical stimulation (TSES) alters acute (immediate) exercise responses in people living with SCI. Exercise responses will be tested during incremental tests to fatigue, and during steady state tests. Testing will occur over several study visits and results will be compared within each individual as well as between groups (tetraplegia and paraplegia) and to a group of reference controls. A number of outcomes will be monitored, including whole-body metabolic responses using a metabolic cart, muscle responses using EMG sensors and muscle oxygenation using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) sensors, time to fatigue, power output, as well as perceptions about fatigue and effort. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence regarding whether and how TSES might improve acute exercise responses in people living with SCI.

The overall aim of this project is to understand the independent roles of maternal factors, intrauterine exposures, genetic factors, and postnatal environment on the development of obesity and youth-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) in childhood.

The overall aim of the project is to elucidate the primary bio-psycho-social (BPS) risk factors for albuminuria in youth with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the mechanisms by which they cause renal injury. The Study aims include: 1. Characterize the primary BPS risk factors associated with prevalent and progressive albuminuria in youth with T2D. 2. Determine individual, family and community level factors that influence biological and psychological risk factors and behaviors (adherence) that could be modified to protect against prevalent and progressive albuminuria. 3. Determine if systemic and renal inflammation is the common pathway through which BPS risk factors lead to albuminuria in youth with T2D. Study Hypotheses include: 1. Biological factors (poor glycemic control and systolic ambulatory hypertension), and psychological and social adversity (stress, mental distress and poverty) are significant predictors of prevalent and progressive albuminuria in youth with T2D. 2. Community and family support will be negatively associated with stress, and a lower risk of both prevalent and progressive albuminuria. 3. Systemic and renal inflammation is the common pathway through which BPS risk factors lead to albuminuria in youth with T2D.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are serious, life-changing blood cancers. Patients with MDS and AML commonly experience complications related to infection, which affect patient quality-of-life and can sometimes lead to hospitalization or death. The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of levofloxacin (antibiotic) in MDS and AML patients to safely reduce the risk of infection. In this study 50% of patients will be randomized (like a flip of a coin) to receive levofloxacin and the other 50% will receive usual care (control). The primary objective of the trial is to demonstrate the feasibility of a pragmatic pilot trial necessary to inform our planned phase 3 trial. Additionally, the investigators will monitor both groups of patients to see if the investigators improve the risk and/or severity of infection. Levofloxacin is commonly used in other clinical settings but has not been studied in patients with MDS or AML receiving outpatient chemotherapy (ie, chemotherapy that can be given from clinic, rather than a hospital).

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects about 1 in 100 Canadians, shortens life expectancy, and places a large burden on individuals, families, and the healthcare system. Genetics are known to play a major role, but current research explains only part of the inherited risk because most studies have looked at only a small portion of the genome and have mainly focused on people outside Canada. This project will create the first large-scale Manitoba-based schizophrenia whole-genome sequencing database by studying 1,500 Manitobans with and without schizophrenia using both short-read and advanced long-read genome sequencing technologies. Researchers will combine genetic data with lifelong provincial health records to better understand rare genetic variants linked to schizophrenia and how genetic differences influence medication response, side effects, hospitalizations, and treatment outcomes. The study aims to fill important gaps in schizophrenia research in Canada, improve understanding of the disorder's biology, and support the development of more personalized and effective treatments for people living with schizophrenia.

This study aims to investigate how sepsis and critical illness can impair the cardiovascular system and microcirculation in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, which can lead to long-lasting muscle weakness/dysfunction or ICU-Acquired Weakness (ICU-AW) and exercise limitations.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting more than 50 million people globally, including more than 260,000 Canadians. Cannabidiol (CBD) reduces seizure frequency and improves quality of life for adults and children with Drug Resistant Epilepsy (DRE). Several uncontrolled, small, open label studies reported that CBD-enriched Cannabis Herbal Extract (CHE) resulted in a reduction of seizure frequency, but we lack critical information on efficacy, comparative effectiveness and dosing of CBD and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in children and adults with DRE. CAN-DRE is an early phase, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial to answer the questions of if cannabinoids work to reduce seizures in children and adults (24 months to 55 years) with DRE and if CBD works better in an isolate or in a CBD-enriched Cannabis Herbal Extract. The primary outcome of CAN-DRE is reported monthly seizure count from baseline to maintenance phase.

CANnabinoids in Pediatric ONCology is a randomized, double blind, adaptive clinical trial looking at the tolerability of cannabinoids in children with cancer across 3 Canadian children's hospitals.

This project aims to create and improve a VR-based breathing exercise program for patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). It involves three phases: (1) developing an interactive VR application with guided breathing exercises and real-time biofeedback tailored for ILD patients, (2) testing its feasibility by evaluating usability and acceptability, and (3) refining the intervention based on feedback from the feasibility study.

The proposed study aims to improve the psychosocial health of adolescents living with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The study will generate knowledge and support knowledge mobilization about the effectiveness of a novel model of care for psychosocial health and self-management for adolescents living with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The novel model of care is the recruitment and training if young adult mentors to deliver a behavioural intervention that empowers adolescents with T1D to increase daily physical activity. The study will also advance the development and implementation of this peer mentoring model to improve the psychosocial health of adolescents with T1D.