ANZCTR search results

Aims: Determine how, in people with neck pain, segmental spinal mobility changes following manual therapy. Background: Little is known about the specific mechanisms underlying neck pain, the subsequent limitation of movement, or the mechanisms of manual therapy interventions. There has been an international focus on improving the understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of spinal pain and on the pathophysiological effects of treatment to improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost and disability associated with spinal pain. One way of accessing this problem is to investigate what aspects of the person's condition changes when they improve following an intervention. Recently, methods involving MRI have become available that will allow such investigations to occur. Experimental procedure: Participants will be required to: (i) Undergo a standard physiotherapy assessment which includes taking a patient history and conducting a physical examination to ensure the patient is suitable for manual therapy treatment and that they have a limitation of rotation of at least 10 degrees. (ii) Attend Allamanda Private Hospital or a local radiology facility for assessment and treatment. Here one MRI of the cervical spine examination will be performed. (iii) Following the MRI, pain and range of rotation will be measured. One therapist will perform a palpation assessment. One segment considered to be contributing to the patient’s symptoms will be marked by taping a 0.8mm diameter sphere that will be visible on the fluoroscopic images. A second therapist will apply a manual therapy treatment for up to 4 mins to the segment selected. The treatment will be repeated until there is an increase of greater than 10 degrees in rotation or up to a maximum of 8 mins, whichever comes first. A second fluoroscopic examination will then be conducted.

The purpose of the study is to determine the best shock wave therapy protocol for a widely used treatment for calcific soft tissue conditions in musculoskeletal medicine. We would like to see whether the addition of ultrasound to shock wave therapy in treatment of calcific soft tissue pathologies improves patient outcome as determined by decrease in pain, improvement of function and decrease in size of the calcification. We believe that treatment outcome may be similar between groups. However it is possible that for superficial conditions patient guided protocols may be slightly superior. In deep structures such as the shoulder tendon the addition of ultrasound to target the exact area of calcification may be slightly superior . This study will hopefully help answer these questions.

The primary aims of this study are to determine whether the electroretinogram (ERG), particularly the Phototopic negative response (PhNR) can be improved in patients with glaucoma who take oral supplementation with Resveratrol (RSV) of different doses. Participants undertake full-field ERG testing and their recordings of responses are examined to determine whether there is a difference in ERG parameters between glaucoma patients taking different doses of RSV and after a wash-out period after stopping RSV.

A prospective randomised controlled study is to be conducted over 3 separate clinics to determine efficacy of PDT eze (a topically applied, naturally occurring pain receptor blocker) in managing sensory components, such as pain and discomfort, in relation to photodynamic therapy (PDT) and other causes of inflammation. The study will examine patients receiving treatment for solar dermopathy with photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilizing standardized protocols with 5 amino-levulinic acid (5ALA). Differences in both acute and late phase pain and inflammation will be measured. PDT eze and a placebo spray will be used on split body treatment, either arm or face, and therefore the participants are their own control. There will be 10 patients for each treatment area in each individual clinic, with a total of 60 participants included. PDT eze and the placebo will be applied via a spray prior to treatment with PDT. Both will be applied to each participant in a split body application. Application of active and placebo treatments will be randomized and only known to clinician administering. Participants will be asked to give pain scores for both treatment areas on a scale of 1-10 following illumination. These will be recorded and compared to other participants ratings to determine whether PDT eze has an effect on the pain and discomfort experienced during inflammation caused by PDT.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of telephone-administered CBT on outcomes for clients with diagnosed COPD who are assessed as having at least mild to moderate levels of depression and/or anxiety. It is expected that COPD patients completing telephone CBT in addition to usual pulmonary rehabilitation will have greater reductions in depression and/or anxiety scores than patients receiving usual pulmonary rehabilitation care and placebo phone contact.

This trial seeks to determine if one of 2 currently used treatment regimens for chronic antibody mediated rejection of the renal allograft is superior to the other in terms of preventing chronic damage. The 2 arms include conversion to tacrolimus, mycophenolate and oral prednisolone with pulse methylprednisolone. Arm one has the addition of 3x monthly doses of IVIg. A second round of therapy will be offered if at 3 months a renal biopsy shows ongoing rejection. Chronic damage will be assessed by chronic allograft damage index scores at 12 months.

We aim to investigate the efficacy and cost-efficacy of dietary improvement in the treatment of Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) using a randomised controlled trial.

This study is a 6 months intervention using a mobile devices to collect food intake data, provide dietary feedback and ongoing tailored nutrition messages to promote dietary change in young adults aged 18 to 30 years.

This study aims to investigate the efficacy of naturally occurring edible compounds, that effect (block or activate) ion channels on nerves and some cells involved in inflammation, used topically to reduce the symptoms of chronic eczema. The eczema study will investigate patients with Dermatologist or Allergist diagnosed eczema who have significantly impaired quality of life and frequent need for moisturising creams and topical steroids. A randomized, controlled, crossover clinical trial will be undertaken with 2 sequential arms of treatment, 13 weeks duration each, and a 2 week washout period between each arm. One of the treatment arms will be active and one will be placebo. Patients will have a SCORAD completed at weeks 0 and 13 of each treatment arm with weekly PO-SCORAD measurements for self completion in between. Use of steroid cream, number of infected eczema episodes and quality of life measures will also be recorded. Patients will be recruited through specialist allergist and dermatology rooms.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a well-established first line psychological treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. In the addictions field, it has been suggested that clients presenting with addictions have a concomitant history of trauma, and comorbidity rates of up to 75%. However, few studies to date have documented the use of EMDR in this area, and its efficacy as a treatment for addictions remains unclear and less well established in the literature. In the utility of EMDR for the treatment of alcohol dependency, the limited research available has suggested promising results in reducing craving for alcohol. The experience of craving for substances has been suggested by researchers to be one of the factors maintaining alcohol/drug use, as well as a precipitating factor for relapse. Implications for establishing the efficacy of EMDR in addiction treatment therefore includes the potential to improve existing relapse prevention programs, and consequently to reduce relapse rates. The current study aims to examine and evaluate the application of EMDR in the treatment of individuals with substance dependence. Specifically, the efficacy of an EMDR treatment that targets the experience of craving for substances will be investigated. Research questions for the study are as follows: 1. Is the application of EMDR in targeting craving effective as an adjunct to treatment for substance dependent individuals? 2. How does adding EMDR to a standardized treatment program for substance dependence compare to the: (a) addition of an active relapse prevention program (Mindfulness-based relapse prevention, MBRP)? and (b) addition of a program unassociated with craving and relapse prevention (cognitive rehabilitation)?