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Fractures of the forearm can be managed conservatively in plaster casts if are simple and stable in nature. However, more unstable fractures require surgery and internal fixation using plates and screws. Post-operatively pain can limit movement and ultimately the duration of which functional limitations persist. Currently, post-operative analgesia involves, administration via the bloodstream (intravenous), into the skin (subcutaneous) and orally. We would like to assess the potential benefits (improved pain control and earlier functional return) of using a low dose infusion of local anaesthetic into the surgical wound site. We would like to recruit participants for the study from the group patients with these injuries that come through the PA Hospital Emergency Department. Our aim is to use 40 participants. Twenty of whom will receive an infusion of ropivacaine - a local anaesthetic (treatment group) and twenty who will receive an infusion of normal saline (placebo group). Patients will be blinded to their allocation to either group. The participants will be identified by orthopaedic consultants, registrars and residents. These patients will receive an information sheet and the written consent will be required for their participation. A written data collection form will include the following fields: Range of motion; Time to discharge from hospital; Use of other analgesia in the postoperative period; Rate of wound infection; Patient satisfaction with the procedure and postoperative care. This will be completed by the hand therapists from the orthopaedic department on the wards and at subsequent follow-up therapy sessions based on their rehabilitation protocol. This is standard data that is collected by therapists and should not be of inconvenience. Once data is collected we will analyse the data for any statistically significant variations in long or short term post-operative recovery between treatment and placebo groups.

Respiratory function involves movement of structures related to the Cervical and Thoracic spines. Evidence exists that the application of spinal manipulation to these areas can alter respiratory function. This study tests the effect administering spinal manipulation with exercise has on the respiratory function of normal individuals. The aim is to develop a pulmonary rehabilitation protocol that includes spinal manipulation for use in the management of chronic respiratory disease.

The study is being undertaken because compared with normal weight women, obese women have lower fertility both in natural and ART cycles. Obesity is a risk factor for many maternal and fetal morbidities. Maternally these include an increased miscarriage rate, increased rates of pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes, hypertension), increased operative delivery rates and increased thrombotic events. Fetal risks include increased congenital anomalies and birth injuries.

The purpose is to study whether different techniques of haemostasis of the scalp edges during the operation of craniotomy lasting more than 2 hours have any influence on the speed and acceptability of healing of the wound

The study will measure how safe it is to continue with apricitabine treatment long term in people with HIV-1 infection who previously were treated with apricitabine for a shorter period in a previous study

The primary purpose of the GAS study is to determine whether different types of anaesthesia (Spinal Vs General) given to 660 infants undergoing inguinal hernia repair results in equivalent neurodevelopmental outcomes. The study also aims to describe the incidence of apnoea in the post-operative period after both spinal and general anaesthesia for inguinal hernia repair in infants. This study is important as it will provide the greatest evidence for safety or toxicity of general anaesthesia for human infants.

Purpose of the Study: To assess the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on symptoms of mania and depression in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder. Hypothesis: Supplementation with omega-3 capsules will improve symptoms of mania as measured by the Young Mania Rating Scale and symptoms of depression as measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder.

The ENAR® therapy device is said to combine Western biofeedback with Eastern energy medicine. It is an emerging technology which uses a varying frequency waveform similar TENS, and it alters its resultant frequency spectra according to areas of greater skin resistance. This pilot study investigates the effects of ENAR, TENS and a Sham protocol on 24 non-complicated, chronic neck pain sufferers is conducted.

People with brain injuries often experience problems with prospective memory. Prospective memory is memory to complete future tasks, such as recalling to pick up milk on the way home, or remembering to keep an appointment. It is common for people with poor prospective memory to use a memory device. With improvements in technology increasing the use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) in the non-brain injured population, anecdotal evidence suggests that PDAs would allow people with brain injuries to recall important information. Despite their increasing popularity, no studies have determined the effectiveness of PDAs for promoting prospective memory recall after brain injury. Results of the study will provide clinicians with evidence to support or refute the use of PDAs for the management of memory impairment in adults with brain injury.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes has almost doubled since 1981 in Australia, which has one of the highest rates recorded anywhere in the world. Diabetes carries with it a great excess of suffering, mortality, and health care costs, particularly in relation to cardiovascular disease. Although diet and aerobic exercise have been advocated as the basis of treatment for type 2 diabetes, many older adults find that losing weight is nearly impossible, and aerobic exercise regimens may be difficult to start or comply with regularly. This is often due to other medical problems such as arthritis, foot pain, walking difficulty, cardiac disease, or shortness of breath, all of which are also common in overweight adults. Therefore, diabetic drug or insulin treatment has become the primary management tool of physicians. Drugs do not typically address these underlying problems of fat, muscle and fitness, however, and therefore do not directly change the disease process or the risk of cardiovascular disease. This study will assess the benefits of weight lifting exercise on health status in older adults with type 2 diabetes. Weight lifting decreases fat and increases muscle, while making the body more sensitive to the action of insulin. Although a few studies strongly suggest that weight lifting exercise is very beneficial for diabetes and its associated conditions, there is a need for well-designed, large, long-term trials of this mode of therapy. This treatment regimen, if successful, could simultaneously improve metabolism of glucose and insulin, physical fitness, blood pressure, cardiovascular disease risk, muscle mass, and fat mass, even without an overall change in body weight. Older adults with diabetes will be randomly assigned to either supervised weight lifting or a very low intensity program with no training effect, for 3 days per week for one year, in addition to their usual health care. Measures of disease control and physical fitness will be assessed at 0, 6 and 12 months in all subjects.