ANZCTR search results

This research is motivated by the notion that we feel alive and valued when we can make and share things. It looks at the benefits of a purposefully designed makerspace and arts in health intervention for long-term patients in assisting them to deal with the change and challenges they face. It examines the experience of a group of adult hemodialysis patients and their interaction with a mobile makerspace, created for this project, the ‘Makeway Lab’. The project will consider the participatory act of ‘making’ and the impact of the Makeway Lab in a hospital setting and deliver a series of digital maker activities with a group of people on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. For the participants the project provides them interesting and engaging activities, to stimulate them socially, cognitively and physically. For the hospital the project accounts for the social and mental health of the participants and provide an innovative arts in health intervention. At a time of growing international acceptance of the notion that participation in the creative arts can be beneficial for wellbeing and health (Clift, 2012), this study will provide a unique hospital inquiry and patient testimonies for the value of a makerspace for human health.

PTSD can be characterised by reactivation of memories of past events, which were viewed as being severe and possibly life threatening at the time. The study looks to evaluate if reframing the original memory, creating a vision of a happy and ptsd free future and then reinforcing this with listening to a meditation twice a day for 8 weeks will result in short term and then long term improvements of the symptoms of PTSD.

The underpinning pathophysiologic basis for the study is that elevated left atrial pressure is often observed in patients with AF. The hypothesis for the current study is that left atrial decompression using an IASD may improve hemodynamic and electrophysiologic outcomes in patients undergoing repeat pulmonary vein isolation for AF treatment. This study is a pilot study to assess safety and feasibility, together with exploratory hemodynamic and electrophysiologic end-points.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility and safety of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effectiveness of isometric exercises in the management of de Quervain's syndrome, and compare low load to high load exercises. All participants will receive a thermoplastic orthosis and education regarding the condition. Participants will then be randomised into low load (25% of max) or high load (70% of max) thumb extension exercises.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease that causes raised, red, scaly patches to appear on the skin as a result of a sped-up skin production process. The typical life cycle of a skin cell is 1 month (www.healthline.com/health/psoriasis). Typically, skin cells grow deep in the skin and slowly rise to the surface and eventually fall off. In people with psoriasis, this production process may occur in just a few days resulting in rapid overproduction and build-up of skin cells. This study is investigating a new vaccine called FPP003 which is being developed to treat patients with moderate - severe psoriasis. This study will investigate the safety and tolerability of FPP003. It will also look at the pharmacokinetics (how much of the drug remains in the blood at certain timepoints) of the drug and how effective it is with escalating dose levels. These investigations will be compared with placebo under the same conditions. This study will be conducted in 4 successive, dose escalated, cohorts. In each cohort, participants will receive a subcutaneous dose of the study drug (FPP003 or placebo) on Day 1, Day 15 and Day 29. The study will be divided into a screening phase lasting up to 28 days. The total duration of the study for participants completing the study is about 5 months, with a total of 8 visits to the study unit.

Childhood nutrition is intricately tied to trajectories of health, growth and wellbeing across the life-course. Children from low-income backgrounds have been found to be more likely to experience poor nutrition and attendant consequences including obesity. Childcare services are potential sites for intervention prior to school entry. International studies have highlighted that poor quality mealtime interactions between educators and children, including low sensitivity and mealtime rigidity, inhibit a child’s learning to like a variety of nutritious foods. This study will apply direct in-situ observation methodologies and parent survey to 1) observe mealtimes in childcare in low income communities; and 2) identify how childcare settings can support healthy food environments. The key hypothesis, tested within this study, is that positive feeding practices in childcare moderates the relationship between parent feeding practices and child eating behaviour in preschool aged children.

Few cases of periodontitis continue to have residual periodontal pockets with bleeding on probing despite well performed non-surgical periodontal therapy. It is unclear if the use of adjunctive systemic antimicrobials can provide clinical benefits in these cases. If the adjunctive systemic antimicrobial has additional anti-inflammatory properties it may help in the modulation of the host response. Azithromycin is one such antimicrobial with additional anti-inflammatory and host-modulating properties. Although the anti-microbial properties of azithromycin have been studied extensively, there are few studies on its host-modulating and anti-inflammatory properties in the treatment of periodontitis. It is hypothesized that adjunctive administration of azithromycin results in a gain in clinical attachment levels, decreased probing depths, decrease in Periodontal Inflammatory Surface Area (PISA) scores, decreased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and decrease in the number of pathogenic bacteria in the periodontal pockets among patients non-responsive to initial periodontal therapy.

Occupational therapists and physiotherapists face challenges to providing evidence-based rehabilitation and require support to implement clinical practice guidelines. The aim of this study is to test the feasibility of two different implementation packages which aim to improve guideline adherence, and to explore effect on patient upper limb outcomes. Using a non-randomised clustered design, the study recruited occupational and physiotherapy rehabilitation services (n=3 inpatient and n=3 outpatient services) which were allocated to one of three groups: (Group A) Facilitator-mediated implementation package, (Group B) Self-directed implementation package, or (Group C) Usual care (control); we recruited n=1 inpatient and n=1 outpatient service per Group. Outcomes of feasibility, adherence to guidelines (medical file audits), and patient upper limb impairment (Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity Assessment), activity (Box and Block Test), and practice (minutes/week) were collected at baseline and after 3-months of intervention.

Being overweight affects more than 1 billion adults worldwide and it is reaching epidemic proportions in Australia. Snacking is commonly associated with an excessive intake of high-fat and high-sugar foods, and is considered to be a predisposing factor to obesity. Even being mildly to moderately overweight (body mass index [BMI], 25-28 kg/m2) increases the risk of complications such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease. Although participating in calorie reduced weight loss programs and correcting inappropriate eating habits (i.e. by increasing fibre and protein content) are often sufficient in people who are moderately overweight; maintaining adequate nutrition habits over time is often difficult and thus leads to weight regain. Probiotic Super Green Powder™ is a new commercially available nutritional supplement that contains white kidney bean, blood orange and green tea extracts in addition to probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium longum). These active ingredients have been reported to have body weight reduction effects when looked at individually in scientific investigations. Based on these investigations, it has been hypothesized that a supplement containing a cocktail of these ingredients would influence weight reduction and snacking behaviours. The primary purpose of this study is to assess the potential benefit of using Probiotic Super Green Powder™ to sustain the commitment of overweight people trying to control their body weight over an 8-week period. The specific aims of the study will determine the effects of an 8-week supplementation period from either a Probiotic Super Green Powder™ supplement or a placebo and subsequent 4-week follow up on: - Food cravings, food preference, snacking behaviours and mood status - Body mass, body composition and waist circumference - Gut microbiota - Serum concentrations of lipid levels (including triglycerides and cholesterol) and glucose - Serum concentrations of inflammation and hormonal regulators of appetite (including C-reactive protein, ghrelin and insulin)

The goal of this pilot study is to evaluate whether exercise can reverse the acquired von Willebrand syndrome occurs in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD). We hypothesis that increasing pulsatility (vasoconstriction process) through performing active exercise might preserve vital coagulation protein (vWF) from excessive degradation and even restore normal vWF profile. This is a prospective, single-centre observational pilot study designed to assess the effect of exercise on the recovery of a vital coagulation protein vWF in patients supported with CF-LVAD (n = 15) compare to heart transplant patients (previously requiring a CF-LVAD) (n=15) and healthy volunteers (n =15).