ANZCTR search results

The aim of this study is to investigate whether providing dedicated Greek interpreter services to patients for post-operative care improves health status and self management outcomes compared to usual care for patients who undergo total knee replacement.

Mangosteen pericarp has potential to act as a tolerable and adjunct treatment option for schizophrenia, however a clinical trial is required to establish efficacy.

This study investigates the use of metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes with an aim to develop a population pharmacokinetic model to describe the pharmacokinetics. It involves obtaining a medical history of the patient and asking patients about their metformin formulation, dose, dosing times and their compliance to the medication.

There is some preliminary evidence that the endometrial administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) several days prior to embryo replacement leads to a substantial and rapid improvement in endometrial thickness . The rationale for its use is that it is has successfully been used in the treatement of recurrent miscarriages. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a cytokine which stimulates neutrophilic granulocyte proliferation and differentiation. It is expressed and produced by the decidual cells, and its receptor, c-fms, is expressed by the trophoblastic cells. In addition, in an animal model, G-CSF showed a marked anti-abortion activity. G-CSF is safely used in the treatment of neutropenia during cancer chemotherapy, and no embryotoxic effects of this substance have been reported and its safety profile is reassuring. Since experimental findings showed a positive effect on the trophoblast and particularly thickening of the endometrium in previously very resistant patients we would like to prospectively observe the influence of G-CSF on endometrial development in patients with poor endometrial development. It has a very short half life and is administered to the endometrial cavity 5 days prior to embryo replacment so it is not present in the endometrial cavity when the embryo is placed in the uterus.

The principal aim of this study is to obtain information that will enable the development of an effective sustainable head lice education, screening and treatment program suitable for implementation in all primary schools. The proposed study builds on the results of a pilot study we conducted in 2008 where we tested the feasibility and acceptability of whole-school head lice screening and the use of oral ivermectin as a treatment for head lice among those found to be infested. As screening hundreds of students is time consuming and therefore expensive and the provision of oral ivermectin free of charge to the consumer is also expensive the proposed study is designed to identify a more efficient approach. The specific objectives of the proposed study are to determine if (1) parents/guardians (hereafter parent(s)) are as efficient at identifying head lice as trained screeners, (2) if oral ivermectin is an acceptable treatment for head lice in primary school children and their household members and (3) the most acceptable way to provide oral ivermectin treatment for head lice. An instrument to enable parents to screen their children for head lice has been developed and will be tested and validated; the acceptability of oral ivermectin, provided in three ways (free of charge to all infested students and their infested household members, through user pays prescription to all infested students and their infested household members and free of charge only to hyper-infested students and their infested household members (infested with more than 12 lice), will be ascertained using questionnaires, uptake of ivermectin and telephone contact (acceptability) and rescreening of infested and treated students (effectiveness)

The study examines the efficacy of online CBT for the treatment of adolescent anxiety disorders, with minimal therapist assistance, compared to clinic-based therapy. In turn, the effects of both treatments are compared with a wait list control condition. The role of factors such as working alliance, therapy compliance, and family factors in the prediction of outcome of online CBT will also be examined.

Very little research has examined the potential interventions for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in children following accidental injury. This trial aims to evaluate and compare child only and child plus parent versions of a cognitive-behavioural early intervention. It is hypothesised that children within the treatment conditions will significantly reduce in their post-trauma symptoms compared to those children who do not receive any therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, it is hypothesised that children in the child plus parent condition will reduce in their post-trauma symptoms at a greater rate than those children who receive the intervention without parental assistance. The principal clinical question under investigation is the efficacy of an early, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural intervention for the treatment of PTSD in children following accidental injury. Specifically, we compare the efficacy of two active treatments (child-focused and family-focused CBT) and a waitlist control (no therapy) to determine which is associated with greater reductions in psychological and health-related outcome measures over time. The primary outcome will be a reduction in trauma symptoms on a diagnostic interview in the active treatments compared to the waitlist control and greater reductions in the family- compared to the child-focused condition. In doing so, this project will also trial a method of stepped screening and assessment to determine those children requiring early intervention for PTSD following accidental injury.

Traditionally, youth anxiety programs have adopted a generic approach where the same treatment program is used regardless of the particular anxiety disorder. The failure to tailor treatment to the specific anxiety disorder may partly explain why a significant proportion of young people fail to respond to such treatments. We propose that a disorder-specific approach will more effective than a generic program in internet-based therapy for youth anxiety. The study involves a randomised controlled trial in which young people with social phobia are randomly assigned to either generic (transdiagnositic) or specific cognitive behaviour therapy, through online delivery, or to a wait list control condition. The impact on anxiety symptoms will then be evaluated over time.

This study examines factors that predict treatment outcome in cognitive behaviour for child and adolescent anxiety disorders. In particular, it will examine the role of family factors (such as parental mental health problems, parent relationship problems, and family environment), and the role of compliance and the quality of the working alliance between the online therapist and family members, in predicting the impact of treatment. The study will have sufficient sample size to enable us to examine whether family factors and working alliance have their impact upon treatment outcome through their influence upon compliance with therapy tasks.

The Victorian Government’s commitment to improving breastfeeding rates includes the development of the Victorian Breastfeeding Action Plan. The Victorian Breastfeeding Research Project (SILC project ) is part of this action plan. The SILC project will assess strategies to increase the maintenance of breastfeeding. The research will consist of a three arm cluster randomised control trial. It will determine if home visiting by a Maternal and Child Health Nurse (MCHN) for women with breastfeeding issues increases the maintenance of breastfeeding, and then if a drop-in centre additional to the home-visiting further enhances breastfeeding rates. The three arms of the trial will consist of a comparison (control) group receiving standard care, a targeted home-visiting group receiving home-based breastfeeding support visits by a MCHN and the third group receiving the targeted home visits plus access to a facilitated local drop-in centre.