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Asthma is the most common serious medical problem to complicate pregnancies worldwide, with a prevalence between 8-13%, and affecting around 12% of pregnant women in Australia or 36,000 pregnancies each year. The health expenditure on asthma is significant and the economic burden of asthma is high. A recent meta-analysis demonstrated clear associations between asthma in pregnancies and adverse perinatal outcomes, with a 22-54% increased risk for low birth weight, small-for-gestational age, preterm delivery and pre-eclampsia. Previous work the laboratory also indicates asthma exacerbation contributes to poor outcomes including preterm delivery, growth restriction and stillbirth, and occurs in up to 55% of pregnancies. Oxidative stress is a potential mechanism driving the increased incidence of asthma exacerbation in pregnancy. Oxidative stress and inflammation manifest during pregnancy; however asthma in pregnancies further intensifies oxidative stress. We have previously identified that there are altered pathways regarding oxidant and antioxidant status in pregnant women with asthma, and consumption of antioxidant rich foods are beneficial for asthma control in non-pregnant adults with asthma. It has not been investigated whether antioxidant-rich foods can improve the elevated oxidative stress that occurs with asthma in pregnancies, thereby improving asthma control. We will reverse this oxidative burden through intervening with antioxidant-rich foods. We propose that 12 weeks of increased consumption of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains will modify the maternal biochemical profile of pregnancies complicated by asthma such that markers of oxidative stress will decrease and levels of antioxidants will increase. This novel approach will counteract the added oxidative stress caused by asthma during pregnancy and subsequently improve asthma control. No dietary guidelines exist for asthma management during pregnancy. Outcomes from our study will provide an avenue for which the development of new asthma management strategies can be devised.

The primary purpose of the study is to see if assisting 8 renal units to actively put certain clinical practice guideline recommendations into practice will result in fewer infections and a longer time to first infection in their peritoneal dialysis patients. The study hypothesis is that assisting nephrologists and renal nurses to follow infection prevention guidelines in their daily practice will lead to better patient outcomes in terms of less PD-related infections, better quality of life, less need to remove Tenckhoff catheters and less technique failure (and transfer to haemodialysis or withdrawal from dialysis altogether).

This is a double blind randomized trial post burn injury comparing groups receiving either intensive exercise or light exercise. Outcome measures will be levels of cortisol, lipids, resting energy expenditure, body composition, depression, post traumatic stress syndrome and generalized anxiety disorder.

This study is looking at the effect of Triamcinolone Hexacetonide, a long acting steroid (drug that decreases inflammation and pain) on the hip bone shape in children and adolescents with Perthes Disease. We will look to see if this drug is able to help improve range of movement, function, reduce pain and result in better overall outcomes for patients with Perthes disease. We also believe this drug may shorten the overall duration of the disease.

This study looks at treatment with a targeted biological therapy (Anti-Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (Vectibix sequence) Targeted, Doxorubicin Loaded EnGeneIC Delivery Vehicles [VEDVsDox]) in people with recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). Who is it for? Patients may be able to join this study if they have recurrent WHO Grade IV advanced malignant GBM which expresses EGFR. Trial details The study will be conducted in two parts: Part 1 - Dose Exploration and Part 2 - Dose Expansion. Part 1 of the study is aimed at determining the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). It will commence dosing at 2x10^9 VEDVsDox and escalate to 5x10^9 VEDVsDox evaluating the safety and tolerability of VEDVsDox. The dose expansion phase (Part 2) will begin upon completion of the dose exploration (Part 1) and up to 46 subjects with recurrent GBM will be treated at the Recommended Phase Two Dose (RPTD) The treatment phase of both parts of the trial is divided into cycles. Each cycle is 8 weeks long and will require that the patient come to the hospital to receive the study treatment every week for 8 weeks. This will involve an intravenous injection (injection into a vein) of a 20mL of EDVs over a period of 20 minutes. The time spent at each hospital visit will vary and may be between 1 and 5 hours. During the treatment phase at various times the patient will have the following procedures performed: * An MRI scan every 8 weeks; * A physical examination, weight and a neurological examination; * Blood sample collection of 40ml (2 tablespoons) and urine sample collection and testing to assess overall health; *Electrocardiogram (ECG) to assess the health of the patients heart; *Vital signs including resting pulse, respiration, blood pressure, temperature will be measured; * Patients will be asked questions about quality of life and any side effects; * Blood sample collection of 9ml (1/2 tablespoon) for pharmacokinetic analysis in the first cycle only. The Patient may continue to receive cycles of study treatment for as long as the cancer remains stable or continues to reduce in size, and they are tolerating the treatment. When the patient has stopped treatment they will be asked to return to the hospital for a safety follow-up visit approximately 1 month after the last study treatment. This visit will be similar to the treatment visits.

The aim of this project is to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of an intervention, recently shown to have promise in the US, in Australia. The intervention targets depression by increasing nursing home residents’ involvement in simple, enjoyable activities. The pilot project will be conducted in two Brisbane Residential Aged Care (RAC) facilities and will involve working with residents and staff to increase resident involvement in enjoyable activities. The intervention is inexpensive and relatively simple to implement and will be assessed for effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability.

Given the range of observed (randomised controlled trials) and purported (anecdotal and epidemiological evidence) effects of both multivitamin and Omega-3 supplementation has upon mood and behaviour the general aim of the study is to investigate the combined effects of Omega-3 and multivitamin supplementation. The study will focus on the effects on mood, workplace stress and cardiovascular health in a workplace sample. More specifically, a three month supplementation with Healthy Body Vitamin Pack is expected to improve the experience of workplace stress, workplace variables, cardiovascular risk parameters and mood in conjunction with an improvement in biological measures such as antioxidant status and triglycerides.

The general aim of this study is to investigate the effect of Executive B Stress Formula supplementation on mood and workplace stress in a healthy workplace sample. More specifically, a six month supplementation is expected to improve participants' experience of workplace stress, workplace variables, and mood in conjunction with biological measures. The participant group will be 165 full time employees, who report feeling stressed in the workplace. These participants will be aged between 30-55 years, who are able to commit to two visits to Swinburne University to provide blood samples and complete computerised cognitive assessments. They will also be asked to complete online questionnaires on a monthly basis. Participants will be randomly assigned to take either Exectutive B tablets or placebo daily for 24 weeks.

PINBALL Synopsis Background CABG surgery remains the treatment of choice for many patients with severe ischaemic heart disease, the leading cause of death in Australia and worldwide. Patients undergoing CABG surgery are increasingly older, have greater comorbidities and are at high-risk of serious adverse postoperative outcomes. Prophylactic IABC may reduce postoperative mortality and morbidity in high-risk patients however current evidence is inconclusive and use remains low. Aim To describe the incidence and outcomes of high-risk patients undergoing CABG surgery. Objectives 1. Assess the crude and adjusted odds ratio for the association between prophylactic IABC and six-month postoperative mortality 2. Determine the combination of preoperative characteristics identifying a group of patients in whom prophylactic IABC may be of greatest benefit 3. Describe current perioperative management strategies of high-risk patients undergoing CABG surgery 4. Determine the quality of life at six months of high-risk patients who have undergone CABG surgery 5. Obtain information critical to the design of a RCT of prophylactic IABC in high-risk patients undergoing CABG including the calculation of sample size, determination of recruitment rates and treatment protocols for the intervention and control arms Methods We will conduct a prospective multi-centre inception cohort study of high-risk patients undergoing CABG surgery. All patients booked for CABG surgery with at least two of four high-risk characteristics, (left ventricular fraction less than 30%, redo cardiac surgery, left main coronary artery stenosis greater than 50% and unstable angina), will be included in the study. A telephone follow-up will be conducted at six months post surgery to measure vital status and quality of life. Outcomes Primary outcome: -Six month all-cause mortality Secondary outcomes: - Incidence of high-risk surgery - In-hospital and 30-day mortality - Composite of in-hospital mortality, CVA, AKI, AMI - Duration of MV, ICU and hospital LOS - Adverse events directly attributable to IABC - Six month quality of life

To determine the interactions between lung disease, nocturnal sleep disordered breathing and daytime functioning in patients with cystic fibrosis. Overnight polysomnography will be compared with cough recordings and Sonomat recordings to evaluate sleep disruptions including cough, grunting, snores, shallow breathing and respiratory related arousals in cystic fibrosis patients. In addition, the study will evaluate if the sleep abnormalities, measured non-invasively, can predict the onset of a pulmonary exacerbation in a cystic fibrosis patient.