ANZCTR search results

A phytochemical- and mineral-rich filtered sugarcane molasses concentrate (FMC), when added to carbohydrate-containing foods as a functional ingredient, lowers postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses. We hypothesized that this beneficial effect would also occur if FMC was administered as an oral supplement taken before a meal. This study measured the postprandial glucose and insulin responses elicited by different doses of FMC administered immediately prior to a standard breakfast to healthy subjects. Each subject was given three or five breakfast meals once, on different days. The composition of the meals was identical, except for the addition of either placebo syrup (Test Meal 1), or increasing doses of FMC (Test Meals 2-5).

To assess clinical outcomes of patients who received direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (DPEJ) for enteral feeding.

This study aims to investigate the efficacy of daily supplementation of a commercially available fermented milk product (Yakult) to increase gut microbial content. Specifically, it is hypothesized that ingestion of Yakult for 14 days will increase the concentration of intestinal Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) in 25 young healthy adults (18 - 35 yr).

When a neonate requires intubating it needs to occur quickly. Successful intubation can be challenging in small infants. It entails visualization of the glottis followed by insertion of the endotracheal tube through the cords, in a timely manner with minimal compromise to the infant. The current method is to use a laryngoscope to allow direct vision of the vocal cords. Direct vision requires a line of sight along the laryngoscope blade with a light source to view the vocal cords. In the neonate achieving a good view can be a challenge. The videolaryngoscope enables an excellent view of the glottis and its use has been widely studied in adults and paediatric surgical patients. Although many neonatal intensive care units (NICU’s) have integrated the use of this tool into standard care, there is limited evidence for its’ use in neonates. Intubation is a specialised skill and takes time to learn. The more attempts and longer it takes to intubate can potentially impact on an infant due to hypoxia or local trauma. We need to expand our knowledge of the safety of this instrument in acute neonatal care, value in the usefulness of the tool and determine its potential for teaching. If the videolaryngoscope is superior to the standard method, then its use may become even more widely implemented.

The aim of this project is to investigate the effects of a 6 month lifestyle intervention, based on a diet and exercise program, on cognitive function, mood general health and well-being. The intervention will be conducted in those aged 60-90 years who live independently in age care accommodation. We have published data showing that it is possible to improve mood and cognitive parameters in younger individuals with as little as 10 days adherence to a Mediterranean diet. The six month intervention period represents maintenance over a longer period of time important for longer term adoption of a change of lifestyle.

The study is to investigate the safety and tolerability of propagermanium on patients exhibiting proteinuria and who are already taking standard irbesartan therapy.

We are undertaking a randomised, placebo-controlled trial of a twice daily protein preload (20 g whey preload mixed with 5 g guar), taken before breakfast and dinner, to test the hypothesis that glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) will be reduced by at least 0.5% compared to baseline at 12 weeks, in patients with type 2 diabetes who have relatively good glycaemic control (HbA1c less than or equal to 7.9%) on diet or metformin therapy alone. We will also test the secondary hypothesis that the whey preload (i) will induce slowing of gastric emptying, stimulation of incretin hormones and insulin, and reduce appetite and glycaemia after a standardised meal, and that these effects are sustained over 12 weeks; (ii) will induce greater reduction in HbA1c in subjects with more rapid gastric emptying at baseline; (iii) is not associated with weight gain, due to “compensation” for the increased protein load; and (iv) will reduce HbA1c independently of changes in insulin resistance, weight, or body composition.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of Laughter Yoga on patients with kidney disease undergoing haemodialysis. The hypothesis was that laughter would have an affect on psychological variables such as happiness.

Brown Fat, unlike ordinary 'white fat', functions like generators, burning fat to produce heat and dissipate energy. Brown fat protects animals against cold and from developing obesity. In humans, it was previously believed that brown fat disappears after infancy. However, research including our own has shown that brown fat is present in most if not all adult humans and is located mainly around the neck. Brown fat activity in humans is detected by a PET scan based on uptake of glucose that is tagged with a small amount of radioactivity. This is a widely used diagnostic method in medicine. Brown fat is more abundant in lean than in obese individuals. Stimulating its activity may be a simple way of controlling body weight in humans. Apart from the cold exposure, very little is known about what regulates brown fat in humans. Our research aims to identify factors that regulates brown fat in humans. Aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid hormone produced from the adrenal glands. In animals, it was found that aldosterone suppresses the activity of brown fat. In this study, we will study in humans whether aldosterone suppresses brown fat activity and removal of aldosterone-producing tumor by surgery reactivates brown fat activity, and whether the changes in brown fat activity is associated with changes in energy expenditures.

The aim of this project is to extend our recent work and examine the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of modifying the physical environmental and policy factors, and to assesses the potential psycho-social variables that might influence change in school playground physical activity levels among primary school children. A secondary outcome is to assess the association between bullying and its effect on playground physical activity levels.