The lifetime prevalence of Bipolar II is 0.4% with the time spent with depressive symptoms outnumbering the time spent with hypomanic symptoms by 35 to 1. Regarding current treatment options, psychotherapy is effective for managing depressive symptoms, with CBT being particularly efficacious. Unfortunately, CBT is often not a feasible treatment option. Electronic CBT (e-CBT) is more accessible for treating various mental illnesses with evidence suggesting it can increase treatment adherence and patient satisfaction. Moreover, e-CBT is suggested to have comparable outcomes to in-person CBT in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Typically, patient-clinician interactions of e-CBT are administered through email however, this is an insecure, unsustainable, and non-scalable treatment delivery method. The proposed study will use the Online Psychotherapy Tool (OPTT), a secure cloud-based platform for the delivery of e-CBT. The aim is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of using OPTT for the treatment of BAD-II with depressive symptoms, while also analyzing social, cultural, and personal factors affecting patients' experience. Participants (n = 80) diagnosed with BAD-II in a depressive episode will be recruited from the Mood and Anxiety Clinic at Providence Care Hospital in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Eligible participants will then be randomly assigned to either the treatment group (e-CBT plus treatment as usual (TAU)) (n = 40) or the control group (TAU) (n = 40) where they will complete the 12-week program. Participants in the TAU group will be offered the e-CBT program after the first 12 weeks if they wish to take part. Participants in the e-CBT group will complete weekly modules mirroring in-person CBT content and complete homework assignments that will be evaluated by a clinician who will provide personalized feedback through OPTT. Progression/regression of participants will be analyzed using the MADRS, YMRS, and CGI-BP-M questionnaires administered at baseline, after week 6, and after week 12. Personal, social, and cultural factors impacting participant experience will be investigated through an in-depth interview utilizing focus groups. The findings from this study will be the first on the effectiveness of delivering e-CBT to patients with BAD-II with residual depressive symptoms. This approach can provide an innovative method to address the barriers associated with in-person psychotherapy.

Early use of robotic gait trainers have shown many benefits, however why these benefits occur and how to maximize them is unknown. There are a few options for how a robotic gait trainer can be used, however, there is not much understanding of how these options impact rehabilitation and compensate for impairments. The investigators aim to evaluate the impacts of as single session of Trexo robotic gait training and the impact of different modes of the Trexo robotic gait trainer. The investigators will evaluate how the different settings impact things like physical activity, walking, brain activity, spasticity, and fatigue. Investigators will arrange for a familiarity and fitting session to start, so that study team members can fit the participant to the Trexo and so that participants can become familiar with the feeling of using the Trexo robotic gait trainer. After the initial fitting sessions, follow up sessions will be completed to evaluate different settings on the Trexo, for example in "endurance" mode (where the robot completes the movements for the participant) and in "strength" mode (where the robot requires some assistance from the participant). Investigators may also test different fitting settings, for example with and without the supportive seat in the Trexo. Only three visits are required (one fitting/familiarity session and two testing sessions), however participants and/or their families may choose to complete more testing sessions if they want to assess other aspects of the training. For example, if the first two testing sessions assessed physical activity, participants and their families may choose to return for further sessions to assess brain activity. The aim of the study is to determine how robot assisted gait training impacts rehabilitation and compensates for impairments, as well as to provide suggestions on how the robotic gait trainer might be improved or modified. This study is exploratory to find out more about how these robotic gait trainers, specifically the Trexo, impacts various aspects of rehabilitation.

The goal of this clinical trial is to assess whether the use of intermittent superficial parasternal intercostal plane blocks reduces opioid usage in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with median sternotomy. Participants randomized to the intervention group will receive the blocks with 0.2% ropivacaine administered via catheters placed in the superficial parasternal intercostal plane bilaterally under ultrasound guidance. Researchers will compare this group with a control group given 0.9% saline through similarly placed catheters. The primary outcome will be cumulative postoperative opioid use (measured as Milligram Morphine Equivalent (MME)) up to 72 hours following catheter insertion.

This study uses a meal-challenge protocol to assess if patients with anorexia nervosa show a differential metabolism in response to food in comparison to healthy controls. This study determines how heritable and biochemical factors influence food metabolism in anorexia nervosa in order to develop more effective treatment strategies.

Masters level cyclists are a population above the age of 35 years who frequently participate in prolonged as well as heavy-volume training. Like most endurance-trained athletes, a greater recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein of 1.2-1.4 g/kg/bw is suggested. Dietary protein intake is vital for maximizing the benefits of training and ensuring optimal recovery. Dietary recommendations traditionally have been determined through nitrogen balance techniques, however, recent research indicates how this method is potentially underestimating protein requirements. Therefore, there is a need to reassess current dietary recommendations in order to meet the demands of physical activity for highly active populations. Recent efforts to understand protein requirements during rest and following exercise have been completed using the indicator amino acid technique (IAAO). This non-invasive method is reported to provide a robust measure of protein requirements. However, there is limited work in older (≥60 years) active populations. The purpose of this study is to measure the protein requirements in master cyclists, following an endurance training session, using the non-invasive IAAO technique.

The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) is an organization established by researchers, health care providers, and people living with scleroderma (systemic sclerosis; SSc) from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Australia, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The objectives of SPIN are (1) to assemble a large cohort of SSc patients who complete outcome assessments regularly in order to learn more about important problems faced by people living with SSc and (2) to develop and test a series of internet-based interventions to help patients manage problems related to SSc, including a self-management program (SPIN-SELF Program). The SPIN-SELF Program was designed by SPIN members based on key tenets of behaviour change that have been successfully incorporated in programs for more common diseases and on patient input. It utilizes social modelling through educational videos of SSc patients describing their challenges and what they have done to cope with SSc, as well as videos teaching key self-management techniques. After an introduction to self-management and instructions on how to navigate the program, patients will have access to modules that are most relevant to their symptoms and disease management challenges. The program's modules address (1) pain; (2) skin care, finger ulcers, and Raynaud's; (3) sleep problems; (4) fatigue; (5) gastrointestinal symptoms; (6) itch; (7) emotions and stress; (8) body image concerns due to disfigurement; and (9) effective communication with healthcare providers. The proposed study is a feasibility trial with progression to full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT), depending on whether stoppage criteria are met, of the SPIN Self-Management Program. The SPIN-SELF Program was previously feasibility tested as an online only, self-help intervention. However, uptake was low, thus the investigators have moved to a group-based format. SPIN-SELF participants randomized to intervention will access and use online self-management material, and this will be supported by videoconference group sessions, led by trained peer facilitators. In the SPIN-SELF feasibility trial with progression to full-scale trial, the investigators will evaluate the disease management self-efficacy of participants who use SPIN-SELF compared to usual care. Eligible SPIN Cohort participants and externally recruited participants, with low disease-management self-efficacy, will be randomized to the SPIN-SELF Program or to usual care only. In the feasibility portion, 40 eligible participants will be randomized. Unless the trial team determines, based on stoppage criteria, that trial procedures need important modifications thereby re-setting the full scale trial as a new trial, the outcome data of the participants in the feasibility portion will be utilized in the analyses of the full-scale trial. In the full-scale RCT, 524 participants will be randomized.

Suicide is the leading cause of death due to illness among Canadian youth, claiming more lives than any medical illness, including cancer. Suicide prevention is possible, and early intervention is needed. The investigators will examine the effectiveness of a previously-piloted, ED-based suicide prevention intervention, across Canadian sites, using a randomized clinical trial design. The investigators will determine whether the patient- and family-centered intervention is more effective than enhanced usual care in reducing suicide-related behaviors in 330 youth at high-risk of suicide.

Children with medical complexity (CMC) often have trouble breathing at night and need to use a breathing machine. This breathing machine is called noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NiPPV). The use of NiPPV has been shown to improve quality of life and survival in children. Before it is used, NiPPV must first be tested to see what the correct 'machine settings' are for each child. This is usually done in the sleep laboratory at the hospital during a one-night stay. However, sleep studies in the hospital are disruptive and hard for CMC and their families because of the new environment and limited access to the equipment, supplies, comfort items and the routine their child has at home. Patients and families would prefer to start NiPPV at home but there needs to be more research on this to make sure it is possible and safe. This study will evaluate a new model of care to start NiPPV in the home. CMC aged 5-17 years old and starting NiPPV will be assigned at random, like a coin toss, to start NiPPV in the home or to start NiPPV in the sleep laboratory. The investigators will assess the feasibility and safety of the two ways to start NiPPV. This study will be the first step towards developing a study to evaluate if home NiPPV starts are effective. Starting NiPPV at home has the potential to improve the use of NiPPV (ie early adherence predicts long-term use) resulting in both medical benefits as well as improved quality of life for CMC and their families.

Creatine supplementation improves measures of muscle accretion and performance compared to placebo during a resistance training program. However, the optimal creatine supplementation protocol for maximizing these improvements is unknown.

Double blind, double dummy trial of the use of IV acetaminophen versus oral acetaminophen for the prevention of delirium after cardiac surgery. The underlying hypothesis is that better pain control and less use of narcotics will lead to a lower incidence of delirium from day 1 to 7 following cardiac surgery. Other important secondary outcomes are the total use of narcotics, ICU and hospital stay, improved cognitive function at 6 months and 1 year post surgery, NSAID use at each centre and associated NSAID complications.