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This trial looks at the effectiveness of a 'decision aid' as a means of improving informed consent for women invited to participate in a breast cancer prevention trial (IBIS-II). Who is it for? You can join this study if you are a woman who has had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or if you have a strong family history of breast cancer, and are considering joining the IBIS-II trial. (This is a study evaluating the role of anastrozole - a drug designed to reduce the hormone oestrogen in the body, in order to reduce the risk of developing invasive breast cancer.) Trial details Participants will be randomly divided into two groups. One group will receive a decision aid plus the standard information sheet, and the other group will receive the standard information sheet alone. The aim of the study is to discover whether a purpose-designed decision aid will increase women's understanding, and make it easier for them to make a decision which fits with their beliefs and values. Standard information includes clear factual information about the disease. A decision aid also provides clear factual information but adds more graphs and pictures and leads the woman through a process of weighing up the pros and cons of trial participation. If this study is successful, decision aids may be used more widely to help people decide whether or not to join a clinical trial.

Combination antiretroviral therapy for the treatment of HIV has a high pill burden. Two dual-tablets, abacavir-lamivudine and tenofovir-emtricitabine, are now licensed in the United States and will be available in Australia in December 2005. Data available suggest that the potency of these tablets are similar in controlling replication of the HIV virus, but not have not been directly compared in regard to clinically significant toxicities. We therefore aim to compare the overall safety and efficacy of the two dual-tablets over a 2 year period in HIV infected adults. We hypothesise that the two dual-NRTI treatments will be similar in efficacy and safety.

This study will compare 3 beta blocker tablets routinely used in treating patients with heart failure. There are theoretical reasons for differences between the tablets (particularly with respect to lung function and blood pressure changes), although this has not been tested in head-to-head comparison.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful and costly condition. Wedged shoe insoles are a simple intervention that may reduce pain and slow disease progression in people with knee OA and bow legs. They are thought to work by changing the alignment of the knee, altering muscle activity and ultimately reducing load across the knee joint. This project will compare the effect of a lateral wedged insole and a flat insole to see whether the lateral wedges are a useful treatment for people with knee OA. Participants will be screened over the phone first then will attend the Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine for further screening to assess their suitability. If they pass the screening, they will undergo baseline testing at the Centre which will take around 2 hours. They will complete questionnaires about their knee pain and function, quality of life, expectation of treatment benefit, physical activity levels and self motivation. Measurements will also be taken of walking, muscle strength, and foot type. Participants will attend the Epworth Hospital for a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the knee which will take about 1 hour. Participants will be randomly allocated into one of two groups (i) wedged shoe insoles (ii) control shoe insoles (with no wedging). Participants will wear the insoles in both shoes full time for 12 months. They will be provided with several pairs for replacement and for different shoes. Participants will be asked to complete a log-book during this time to record their insole wear compliance, any negative effects of the insoles, medication use, visits to health professionals and any additional home support. Some of the questionnaires will be completed at home after wearing the insoles for 6 months. At 12 months, participants will return to the Centre for repeat testing and to the Epworth for another knee scan.