Studying effect of exercise on cognition
Did you know there’s a special exercise program specifically for U.S. veterans 65 and older? It’s called Gerofit, and it started at the Veterans Affairs office in Durham, North Carolina, in 1986. In 2012, the program began to become more popular after a demonstration was released on a DVD. Currently, more than 30 VA centers offer the program to their older veterans. It’s ... READ MORE
Study volunteers needed for daily walks
We all know that exercise is good for us, but as we age, our joints might feel creaky or we may have more aches and pains. That may make exercise harder. Now a new study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health hopes to help people age 65 and older get moving again. “Sit less by moving more,” explained Amal Wanigatunga, Ph.D., the principal investigator of the... READ MORE
Background noises might improve sleep
You may have heard of white noise used to mask background sounds. Now, it has colorful competition. There’s a growing buzz around pink noise, brown noise, green noise — a rainbow of soothing sounds — and their theoretical effects on sleep, concentration and the relaxation response. The science is new, with only a few small studies behind it. But that hasn’t stopped thousands... READ MORE
What’s in it for health study volunteers?
Clinical research is medical research that involves people like you. When you volunteer to take part in clinical research, you help doctors and researchers learn more about disease and improve healthcare for people in the future. Types of clinical research include: Epidemiology, which improves the understanding of a disease by studying patterns, causes and effects of health and... READ MORE
Study aims to improve older adults’ sleep
If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you know how difficult it can be to feel alert the following day. How well we sleep at night affects how we think, feel and act during the day. Now researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have launched a new study for older adults with sleep problems such as insomnia — and no in-person visits are... READ MORE
VA studies ways to help veterans avoid falls
Baltimore retiree and 30-year U.S. Army veteran David Webber has had so many falls, he said, “I stopped keeping track.” He’s fallen down stairs, while vacuuming, on a ladder and off a deck. One day he received a letter from Veterans Affairs asking for volunteers in a fall-prevention study. “I answered right away,” he said. After 12 weeks of exercise classes at the VA in Loch ... READ MORE
Volunteers with asthma needed for NIH study
If you or someone you love suffers from asthma, you know how frightening an asthma attack can be — gasping for breath, unable to get enough air. Researchers want to know what causes inflammation in the lungs that leads to asthma and other diseases. A study is underway now at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute comparing lung cells from healthy people with those of people with ... READ MORE
Test a new combo flu and Covid vaccine
When children get immunized for measles, mumps and rubella, they get one shot, known as MMR. Same with diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis, or DTaP. So why not bundle the flu shot with a Covid vaccine? A study of a combined flu and Covid vaccine is under way now at Velocity Clinical Research in Rockville, Maryland. “Right now, we have a Covid vaccine and we have a ... READ MORE
Can personal training help prevent falls?
As we age, balance begins to decline, starting at about age 50, according to most research. Of course, lack of balance can lead to devastating falls. Researchers at the University of Maryland and Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center are recruiting 100 people 65 and older for a study involving personal training to try to reduce fall risk. “The long-term goal of this research is... READ MORE
Exercise may fight residual Covid effects
If you’ve had a bout of Covid and are still feeling tired or out of breath, you’re not alone. As many as 20% of people who have recovered from an initial Covid infection have residual symptoms that affect their daily lives. That’s why the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center launched a study to determine whether exercise can help people recover faster. “The... READ MORE
