ANZCTR search results

The LoDoCo VRIC study aims to investigate the effect of low dose colchicine on inflammatory markers and coronary artery disease as measured by a surrogate marker, brachial artery flow mediated dilation in a stable coronary artery disease population.

The standard clinical advice for individuals who suffer from recurrent headaches is that ‘the best way to prevent headaches is to avoid the triggers’. There is a plausible argument that such advice may be counter to the interests of headache suffers as it could lead to increased sensitisation and decreased tolerance of headache triggers and therefore more headaches. Research results suggest that it should be possible to increase individual’s tolerance of headache triggers through prolonged exposure for desensitisation or providing exposure as an opportunity to practice coping with headache triggers. The proposed study seeks to compare a psychological treatment that advocates avoidance of headache triggers, with a coping approach that uses exposure to triggers (supported by relaxation and cognitive techniques) except where this is not possible or would seem inappropriate. It is predicted that exposure will increase tolerance to headache triggers and lead to fewer headaches in the long term, whereas avoidance may at best provide short term relief. The study results will have important implications for our understanding of how headache disorders can be more effectively managed in the future.

The REVITAHIP trial is a multicentre randomized-controlled trial examining the effects of early high-dose vitamin D replacement compared to placebo in improving mobility and reducing disability in older people following a hip fracture

Recent research indicates that shoe inserts are effective in treating some individuals with knee pain. However, not all individuals benefit from shoe inserts and research to determine who is most likely to benefit is limited. Therefore, this study is aiming to identify predictors of individuals with knee pain most likely to benefit from shoe inserts.

This pilot study aims to gain preliminary information on the utility of C-MET and FLT PET-CT imaging for distinguishing ‘pseudoprogression’ from ‘true’ progression in patients receiving chemoradiotherapy for high grade glioma. C-MET and FLT PET-CT scans will be performed at the same time as their routine mid-treatment MRI (after 2-3 cycles of chemotherapy. Patients will be followed to record radiological and clinical responses to chemotherapy. Patients will also be followed up for survival. This data will be used to obtain preliminary information of the prognostic significance of C-MET and FLT PET-CT imaging in glioma

Food allergies are common and result in a significant burden to families and the health care system. One approach to prevent food allergies may be to introduce specific foods earlier than currently recommended. The study will compare early regular introduction of egg from 4-6.5 months of age compared to the more common practice of egg avoidance until 10 months of age. If successful at reducing egg allergy, this approach will have a significant impact on reducing the burden of allergic disease.

This study aims to investigate the efficacy of a social cognitive remediation program for adult individuals with schizophrenia. The program is tailored to individual ability discerned from baseline assessment but conducted in a group setting for increased peer support and interaction. It is hypothesised that completion of the program will result in improved social cognitive ability in three primary domains. It is also hypothesised that such improvements will extend to social functioning in the community and overall symptomatology.

The aim of this project is to assess the effectiveness of an online system designed for healthcare consumers, called healthy.me, to support healthcare management. healthy.me provides consumers condition specific information, as well as online tools to manage their care including a personal health record. We hypothesise that use of healthy.me will improve the uptake of preventative activities and this randomized controlled trial will specifically test whether system use is associated with an increased rate of influenza vaccination among university students and staff over the respiratory infections season.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a neurodevelopmental disorder secondary to injury of the fetal or infant brain causing dystonia, choreoathetosis, and / or spasticity. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) improves motor function and quality of life in other forms of dystonia. There are case reports suggesting that DBS improves motor function in dystonic CP as well. This is a proposal to investigate the impact of DBS on motor function and quality of life in adolescents and adults with CP in a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled design.

The purpose is to investigate whether one method of removing a chest drain is better than another with at reducing complications such as pneumothorax (“collapsed lung”) which can occur when a chest drain is removed. Chest drains are commonly removed in one of two ways – either after the patient has taken a deep breath in, or whilst the patient is blowing out. Pneumothorax is a known complication following removal of chest drains, but it is not clear which of these two methods of chest drain removal results in a lower incidence of pneumothorax.