Research from UAB Center for Exercise Medicine Members
1R01AG046920 Novel Actions of Metformin to Augment Resistance Training Adaptations in Older Adults (aka MASTERS Trial)
The overall goal of the MASTERS trial is to test the central hypothesis that adjuvant metformin may improve the responses to progressive resistance training in the elderly by altering the muscle tissue inflammatory environment, thereby enhancing mechanisms that drive myofiber regrowth and associated improvements in muscle function. For more information on the study or to submit an interest form click here.
MASTERS Trial Team: PIs: Marcas Bamman, PhD (UAB), Phillip Kern, MD (UK), Charlotte Peterson, PhD (UK) Co-investigators: Fernando Ovalle, MD (UAB), Samuel T. Windham, MD (UAB)
1R01HD084124 Overcoming TWEAK Signaling to Restore Muscle and Mobility after Joint Replacement
This randomized clinical trial is designed to test the central hypothesis that progressive resistance training plus adjunctive functional mobility training after THA/TKA will more effectively restore muscle mass and mobility function to healthy standards than usual care and, because individuals with abnormally high muscle TWEAK signaling are predicted to suffer failed muscle recovery and persistent dismobility under usual care, the impact of the intervention will be greatest among these patients. To request more information on the study click here.
TWEAK Trial Team PIs: Marcas Bamman, PhD (UAB), Lou Bridges, MD, PhD (UAB) Co-investigators: ChiChi Aban, MS, PhD (UAB), C. Scott Bickel, PhD (UAB), K. David Moore, MD (UAB), Samuel T. Windham, MD (UAB), Jasvinder Singh, MD, MPH (UAB)
R01HD085186 Scale Up Evaluation of a Physical Activity Program for Adults with Physical Disability
The study uses a theory-driven eHealth platform and innovative PA program referred to as movement-to-music (M2M) to deliver a customized, home-based PA intervention for adults with physical disability. Participants will be recruited through a large physical medicine and rehabilitation network of clinics specializing in treating patients with physical disability. Clinicians and their patients will be cluster randomized to one of three groups: a) M2M; b) M2M plus social networking (M2Mplus); and c) attention control (AC). Participants will be followed for 48 weeks to obtain objective measures on physical activity, fitness and self-reported measures on health at four time points. Participant physicians will receive information on their patients’ progress (i.e., adherence and outcomes) across the 48-week study period. The study will compare the effectiveness of M2M and M2Mplus in increasing physical activity and adherence compared to the AC group, estimate the improvements in health of M2M and M2Mplus compared to the AC group, and examine the mediators and moderators of the hypothesized treatment effect to understand for whom and how the intervention is effective.
Principal Investigator: James Rimmer, PhD; Co-Investigator: Amie McLain, MD
Counseling and Exercise (CALM) Research Study
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of 12 weeks of exercise alone or exercise plus counseling on weight loss, fitness, cholesterol, triglyceride, blood sugar levels, behavior and mental health in overweight females between the age of 25 and 44. For more information contact Dakota at 205-996-1656 or CALMStudy@uab.edu, or Dr. Jane Roy at 205-934-1757. Informational flyer
CALM Study Research Team: Jane Roy, PhD (PI), Sean Hall, PhD, Eric Plaisance, PhD, Larrell Wilkinson, PhD, Larry Tyson, PhD
U01CA136859 Enhancing Physical Activity Adherence after Breast Cancer Diagnosis: Randomized Trial (BEAT Study)
The purpose of the study is to compare the effects of a walking program on long term exercise adherence and on changes in health related outcomes after breast cancer diagnosis. Volunteers will be asked to attend four fitness assessments within a year and may be asked to attend twelve supervised exercise sessions and six group sessions within a 3-month period. You will also have your metabolism measured through two techniques.
No medications or treatments other than exercise will be given as part of the study. All individual exercise sessions will be supervised by trained exercise specialists.
We hope the study results help us to better understand breast cancer and benefit patients with this disease in the future. Studies such as these would not be possible without volunteers.
Please contact the Exercise and Cancer Research Team at (205) 975-1247 if you would like to learn more about the study.
BEAT Study Team: PI: Laura Rogers, MD MPH (UAB), Co-Investigators: Philip Anton, PhD (SIUC), Edward McAuley, PhD (Illinois), Kerry Courneya, PhD (University of Alberta), Patricia Hopkins-Price, PhD (SIUSOM), Robert Mocharnuk, MD (SIUSOM), Steve Verhulst, PhD (SIUSOM), Sandra Vicari, PhD (SIUSOM), Robert Oster, PhD (UAB)
Healthy Eating Activity Rest Together (HEART) Matters
The HEART Matters Program is a way to promote healthy behaviors among Black men. Through funding from a MHRC grant, the program offers health coaching from Dr. Larrell Wilkinson to Black men ages 24-64 who are overweight or obese and have a desire to become healthier. The program aims to promote a more active lifestyle, a healthier diet, stress management and resting among Black men. The grant also allows for the training of men to become leaders in their peer groups to help other men become healthier. The health coaching approach used embraces a philosophy of placing the individual first and weight management second. The hope of the HEART Matters Program is to unite African American men in solidarity to help one another improve their health, their quality of life, and take the lead on health issues in their families. For more information on the study contact Dr. Larrell Wilkinson.
HEART Matters Team: PIs: Larrell Wilkinson, PhD, Eric Plaisance, PhD
MARS - Machines Assisting Recovery from Stroke: Robotic Activity Mobility Center in a Fitness Center for People with Neurologic Disability
This study, funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), compares walking outcomes associated with two different training programs in people who have experienced a stroke. The two training programs are each a 10 week intensive treadmill training program with 5 different exercise regimens. Both forms of training make use of a robotic device called the KAMX. The KAMX is a robotic device that allows full freedom of motion for the body and pelvis during walking and balance tasks, and also helps to control posture to enhance balance and stability.
Dr. David A. Brown, Professor of Rehabilitation Science and his team are currently recruiting individuals who have experienced a stroke and who have difficulty with walking and balance. For more information contact the UAB LocoLab. 
