ANZCTR search results

Modern medical care can provide many medications for problems, whether simply short-term medications like antibiotics or longer-term medications like those used to treat high blood pressure. But we do not know enough about ceasing medications, especially in elderly patients. We know that often medications are ceased while a patient is hospitalised; sometimes medications are not ceased. We want to collect data about those patients who had medications stopped and those who did not, and compare the two groups later to look for any differences. Many elderly people complain about being on too many medications. People on lots of medications might wonder what would happen if one or more of their regular medications was ceased. Our purpose is to understand better any benefits for older people to be on fewer regular medications and any unforeseen risks of stopping regular medications in older people. Hospital doctors often cease a regular medication. We will not influence when and how that happens for your loved one, only observe whether or not it does happen, and call you after discharge to find out how he or she is feeling. What does participation in this research involve? Nothing about their hospital care will be different. The patient will be treated just like any other patient. Sometimes a patient is hospitalised as a result of a side effect of a medication which is then stopped. Sometimes a patient is admitted to hospital for a different reason but a medicine needs to be stopped in hospital. And sometimes no medications need to be stopped. These measures are all part of routine hospital care. We simply want to check on your loved one after his or her hospital stay to see how he or she is feeling. What are the possible benefits of taking part? After discharge, the patient will be given extra attention in the form of a follow-up phone call, either to you, the patient, or the patient’s General Practitioner. If, during this phone call, it becomes evident that the patient needs urgent or semi-urgent attention, the re-search assistant will immediately contact the Chief Investigator, who will then contact either the Residential Care Facility where the patient lives, the next of kin (or person responsible), or the General Practitioner to develop a plan to address the patient’s needs. What are the possible risks and disadvantages of taking part? The only burden to you might be a follow-up phone call. If, during this phone call, you seem anxious or distress because of the questions, the interview will be stopped.

CoPhenylcaine Forte Nasal Spray is routinely used in the field of Otorhinolaryngology during ward rounds, clinics and theatre. The active ingredients, lignocaine and phenylephrine hydrochloride anaesthetise and cause vasoconstriction of the nasal passage to allow a clearer visual field for endoscopy with less discomfort for the patient. Multiple studies along with anecdotal evidence almost universally supports the notion that the spray has a distinctly unpleasant taste for patients. As is often done with medications that have an unpleasant taste, we are aiming to improve the overall taste profile and tolerability of CoPhenylcaine for patients, without affecting its efficacy, by adding a concentrated flavour and masking agent to the spray

An assessment of the role of FMT in the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Eligible participants will be randomised to either the intervention group or the control group. Regardless of allocation group, each participant will receive best practise exercise and weight loss dietary advice (high vegetable intake to maintain healthy microbiome) provided verbally and in writing. Each participant will then undergo a colonoscopy and take an inulin-type fructans supplement orally twice daily for the study duration. The intervention group will receive a faecal transplant from a specimen provided by a healthy donor. The control group will receive an autologous faecal transplant.

The purpose of this pilot study is to determine how different information discussed with, or given to, people suffering with heart failure might affect their quality of life, mood and overall well-being. Studies in this area of research may improve our understanding of how best to provide information and a palliative approach to care patients for with heart failure.

Current evidence suggests that the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in minors should comprise a multimodal treatment approach, including stimulants medications. However, many children with ADHD also suffer from co-morbid tics, which can create significant impairments. Moreover, stimulants (which are frequently prescribed to children with ADHD) can make tics even worse. In this project we will use EEG-based neurofeedback as a non- pharmacological approach to treat ADHD and tic symptoms in children, with the aim of avoiding stimulant medication.

Non communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of illness, disability and death in Australia, accounting for 90% of all deaths in 2011. NCDs have an intricate association with modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and smoking. Population approaches to NCD management are based around the modification of the associated risk factors- uptake of regular physical activity, smoking cessation and dietary modification. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a blend of MI/CBT, which are interventions to increase motivation and confidence around behaviour change. This office based intervention may educate, support and motivate participants through a range of strategies for health related behaviour change. This intervention will specifically will target adults aged 18 to 69 years from an elective non-admitted hospital clinic in regional Australia. Participants will be required to be insufficiently active (< 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week), and be fluent in conversational English. It is hypothesised that by the end of the intervention, compared to the minimal intervention group, the participants in the intervention group will show significant improvements in the primary endpoint physical activity, and in the secondary endpoints: physical activity self-efficacy, quality of life, type 2 diabetes mellitus risk, and anthropometric values. This office delivered telephone support model may be a cost-effective and relatively straightforward way of promoting health behaviour change. The project aims to test the effectiveness of this in a well-designed and rigorously conducted trial.

Alcohol-removed wines are relevant to reducing the risk of DNA damage and other alcohol-related pathologies in (i) the foetus in utero and the mother/father for those couples who choose to continue drinking wine before and during pregnancy, (ii) those who habitually exceed current alcohol drinking recommendations and are trying to maintain their social habits, (iii) those who are genetically susceptible because they can not metabolise alcohol properly and/or detoxify its carcinogenic metabolite acetaldehyde (i.e. ALDH2 defect commonly found in Asians), (iv) those who want the health benefit of increased wine phenolic intake without the detrimental effect of alcohol in wine or the high sugar in grape juice (e.g. diabetics) and (vi) those who want to drink wine phenolics because of the emerging evidence of their protective effects against neurodegeneration and their role as potential caloric restriction mimetics. The direct benefits of de-alcoholised wine may be particularly relevant to obese individuals because they exhibit higher levels of DNA damage and oxidative stress as well as being at a higher risk of developing diseases associated with increased DNA damage such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The main aim of the project is to test whether daily consumption of either 187.5 ml of Eden Vale de-alcoholised Shiraz for 8 weeks followed by consumption of 375.0ml for another 8 weeks prevents age-associated genome pathology and metabolic stress in overweight/obese men and women who are at least 50 years old. The hypothesis we are testing is “Increased consumption of de-alcoholised red wine prevents DNA damage and other biomarkers of ageing in overweight/obese older men and women”.

The objective of this study is to explore the efficacy of a targeted exercise intervention as a mental health care service for prostate cancer patients. In particular the aim is to a)examine whether a tailored exercise intervention can help manage psychological distress in men with prostate cancer and b) evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the program to promote mental health in men with prostate cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join if you are a male aged 18 years and over and experiencing psychological distress after a prostate cancer diagnosis. Trial details: Participants in this study will be randomly (by chance) divided into two groups. Participants in one group (i.e. Exercise intervention group) will attend a 3 month physical exercise intervention program that involves resistance (i.e. lifting weights) and aerobic exercise (e.g. walking, jogging, cycling) undertaken 3 times per week at various community based fitness centres/gyms throughout Melbourne . Exercise sessions will take approximately 60 minutes and will be conducted in small groups under the supervision of an accredited exercise physiologist. Participants in the second group (i.e. Usual care) will maintain usual care for 6 months and will then be offered the exercise intervention. All participants will be required to complete a number of questionnaires at baseline, 3 months and 6 months, in order to assess mental health and quality of life. They will also undergo fitness tests and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans to evaluate changes in physical fitness levels and body composition.

There is significant interest from researchers, general practitioners and the public re: the administration of Vitamin B12 supplements for health maintenance or disease treatments. The aim of this study is to evaluate the absorption characteristics of a selected group of Australian and U.S MARKETED OVER THE COUNTER (OTC) VITAMIN B12 PRODUCTS. As such this study purposes to evaluate the absorption characteristics of these products.

No studies have examined the potential for cognitive or cognitive-motor training to prevent falls in older people, despite good evidence of fall-related cognitive and physical improvements following both intervention types. We have developed and validated a home-based computerised training intervention that can be delivered identically, either while seated (cognitive) or while standing and undertaking balance exercises (cognitive+motor). This unique design will allow us to assess whether cognitive and cognitive+motor training can prevent falls, as well as the neural, physiological, physical and neuropsychological mechanisms behind the intervention effects. We will conduct a randomised controlled trial of 750 older people, to determine the effects of cognitive and cognitive+motor training, compared with a no-intervention control group, in preventing falls and related physical, cognitive and neurological measures in older people. We hypothesise both interventions will significantly prevent falls and fall-related measures of physical and cognitive functions. Any differential effects of the interventions will provide valuable insights into the intervention components required for efficacious fall prevention, and those required for neural, neuropsychological and physical benefits.