ANZCTR search results

The primary aim of the study is to reduce the number of ED re-presentations in the target population. Specifically, the aim of this study is to determine whether there are differences in outcomes for individuals who present to ED with non-cardiac chest pain and receive psychological intervention vs those who receive usual care, in relation to ED re-presentations over a 6-month period. The secondary aim is to study if the intervention will result in an improvement in other patient outcomes, such as symptomatology, the quality of life and reduction in psychological distress and whether or not this intervention is cost effective This is a Single-blind randomised controlled trial in which the assessor is blind to treatment vs standard care condition. All individuals who meet the selection criteria will be invited to participate in the research. Consenting participants who meet the selection criteria, will be randomly allocated to either -: A) Psychological treatment group consisting of 6 sessions of psychotherapy over 6-8 weeks, which will be conducted by a fully qualified Psychologist (Director of Psychology, THHS) B) Usual care/ Wait list controls (Wait list controls have been included to ensure that all patients in the trial have access to treatment eventually should they so desire, since this treatment is evidence based) Outcomes will be assessed for both groups at baseline, 8 weeks; 16 weeks and 24 weeks.

Musculoskeletal conditions, low back pain, neck pain/whiplash and osteoarthritis of the knee are one of the highest contributors to years lost to disease. The PACE intervention aims to identify patients at risk of poor prognosis to improve their management in primary health care settings. Patients identified as low risk will receive minimal intervention (up to 3 sessions of guideline based care advice and exercises). Those identified as medium to high risk will be referred to a specialist musculoskeletal clinician who will undertake a more complex examination of individual physical, psychological and pain factors. The specialist clinician will then liaise with the patient and the primary health care practitioner to decide further care. We hypothesize that implementation of this novel musculoskeletal clinical care pathway will result in improved health outcomes and be more cost-effective. If successful PACE will be a useful addition to primary care musculoskeletal care management.. This study will include embedded observational studies that will evaluate patient perceptions, experience, health professional practice and inter-professional collaboration

Many people with Huntington’s disease (HD) experience problems with motivation, often referred to as “apathy”. This is thought to be because of how HD affects the frontal lobes of the brain. There are currently no effective treatments for apathy in HD. Recent research has looked at whether non-invasive brain stimulation can improve motivation in people experiencing other neurological conditions (e.g., stroke) with some promising results. The type of brain changes caused by HD mean that a gentle, non-invasive type of brain stimulation called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) may be most effective. But there are different ways that tACS can be used, and some ways may be more effective than others. The purpose of this project is to investigate the best way of using tACS so that it changes brain activity and improves performance on a motivation task in people with HD as well as people without HD. If we can find an effective way of using tACS, then this may help in the development of interventions for reduced motivation in HD. This research project requires participants to attend three separate testing sessions during which they receive 20 minutes of tACS, have their brain activity recorded via EEG, and complete a task exploring motivation. During each session participants receive tACS targeting a different frequency. By frequency, we mean electrical brain waves. In one session they receive tACS at a low frequency (i.e., in the “delta” frequency range). In another session they receive tACS set at a middle frequency (i.e., in the “alpha” frequency range). In a third session they will receive sham (i.e., placebo) tACS.

Previous studies have shown that short term (3-7days) overfeeding and overfeeding with high fat (with predominantly saturated fat) can lead to increased fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance as well as impaired insulin sensitivity in humans. But it is not known if the impaired glucose tolerance induced by short term high fat overfeeding is linked to impaired microvascular blood flow in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. This is what we aim to test in this study. We hypothesise that 7 days of overfeeding will impair skeletal muscle and adipose microvascular blood flow and contribute to glucose tolerance.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of ecofit, which is an innovative community-based multi-component physical activity intervention that promotes aerobic and resistance-based physical activity through smartphone technology, social support and recently installed outdoor exercise equipment in Newcastle area, NSW, Australia. Participants in the intervention group will have access to the ecofit smartphone app, an introductory group session and up to 10 exercise locations, whereas the 'wait-list' control group only have access to the exercise locations. To assess the effectiveness of ecofit program, the intervention group will be compared to a 'wait-list' control group. We will measure upper and lower body muscular fitness (co-primary outcomes) and a host of secondary outcomes at baseline, 3- and 9-months.

This study will investigate the efficacy and tolerability of the Mona Lisa Touch C02 laser procedure on vulvo-vaginal symptoms in breast cancer patients on hormonal therapy. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 and above, have been diagnosed with hormone positive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ, receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy and are experiencing vulvo-vaginal symptoms. Study details Participants in this study are randomly allocated (by chance) to one of two groups. Participants in one group will receive 3 Mona Lisa Touch C02 laser treatments 4 weeks apart over 8 weeks. Participants in the second group will receive the same Mona Lisa Touch C02 laser treatments but 8 weeks after the first group. No treatment (outside of treatment they were already receiving prior to enrolment) will provided to participants in the first 8 weeks in this second group. Vulvo-vaginal symptoms and quality of life will be assessed using questionnaires before and after treatment. It is hoped that the results of this trial will provide evidence to determine the efficacy and safety of the procedure in patients with a history of breast cancer on hormonal treatment.

The proposed project aims to show that immunomodulation (IM) using a bacterial lysate can deviate the immune system towards more natural responses and away from those that lead to wheeze and do this by reprogramming key response pathways. We plan to use a state-of-the-art, systems biology methodology to precisely identify the responses involved as the basis of establishing IM as a safe, practical and scientifically-sound therapy. We will recruit “high-risk” wheezing preschool children and give a 12 months course of bacterial lysate with the inclusion of a placebo arm so that we can accurately determine how bacterial lysates perturb these responses. To ensure that the immunological data relate to a clinically relevant change, the study is designed to achieve a parallel clinical outcome. The knowledge this project will obtain is essential to understand how current IM agents deviate the immune system away from responses leading to wheeze and asthma. In turn, this information is essential to allow this field of research to develop to improve health translation by identifying the key regulatory checkpoints that can be targeted for novel asthma therapies as well as the development of more focused and efficient IM preparations with potentially permanent effects.

In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 50 adults who are currently experiencing unsatisfactory sleep will be randomly assigned to receive tablets containing either a saffron extract (28mg a day) or placebo for 28 days. We will assess change in sleep habits, sleep quality, severity of insomnia, restorative effects of sleep, and depression, anxiety, and stress scores via several validated self-report measures (to be completed at various time points throughout the study).

Dementia is a major health problem with 200 Australians diagnosed every day and at least as many having mild cognitive impairment which often precedes dementia. Early diagnosis is seen as critical for interventions yet many older adults at risk do not receive a timely diagnosis. Objective assessment of cognitive abilities is essential for accurate diagnosis at mild or early stages. Traditionally, this is performed by specialist neuropsychologists using lengthy pen and paper neuropsychological test batteries, but these services are limited and associated with high healthcare costs. Computerised neuropsychological assessments (CNAs) have received considerable attention in recent years. Potentially CNAs are more time- and cost-effective, scalable, accessible, precise and can be administered by people with less expertise. But can CNAs improve timely diagnosis of dementia over pen and paper tests? There is limited information about the usability of these tests, and their validity and reliability in the older population. This type of information is critical before we can use these tests in the clinic. CogSCAN will be the first study to systematically evaluate and compare several of the most prominent and widely used CNA batteries in healthy older adults. CogSCAN will evaluate suitability and user-experience in older adults and examine relationships between test performance and the individual’s level of computer familiarity and attitude towards computers. CogSCAN will investigate how CNA test results compare to traditional pen and paper neuropsychological assessment results as well as how CNA results compare when retested at different time points. CogSCAN will assess the validity of the CNAs in people with different cognitive classifications (cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment and dementia). It will also examine the relationship between demographic and clinical variables (e.g. age, years of education, occupation, premorbid IQ, anxiety and depression symptoms) and CNA test performance. CogSCAN will measure agreement amongst CNAs for categorisation of normal or cognitively impaired as determined by internal norms provided by the CNA developers. We anticipate this study will move the field forward and have a major impact on the practice of cognitive testing in older adults.

Our research team is part of a group that has been awarded a grant to establish the Prevention Hub Mental Health Research Program. The Prevention Hub will focus on implementing and evaluating preventative strategies for anxiety and depression in workplace, school, and healthcare settings to achieve the greatest possible impact and reach. This pilot study covers one part of the overall research program; the pilot evaluation of a comprehensive online training program for physician supervisors to enable them to better manage the mental health and work environment of doctors-in-training. Medical students and doctors are often exposed to high levels of stress and trauma, and many experience mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. This training will be based on two types of manager mental health training that have been shown to be effective in other industry groups, but in a modified format suitable for this high-risk workforce. Research Aim: To develop an online, mobile responsive, education program for physician supervisors that enhances their confidence in supporting the mental health needs of their trainees and promote managerial behaviour most likely to result in a more mentally healthy workplace Research objective: To ascertain the feasibility and acceptability of this tailored online training program among physician supervisors. The findings from this pilot study will inform the content for a future evaluation of the effectiveness of physician supervisor training through a randomised controlled trial.