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The aims of the project are twofold 1. To determine the true Surgical Site Infection incidence in children following Paediatric Surgical operations at Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, using parent-taken photographs of the wounds that are then uploaded to a secure site for review. 2. To determine if this extension of hospital and departmental care alters parental perception of their engagement with the hospital, assessed via qualitative methods. This project is a pilot study, with a view to a larger 'all-comers' cohort study.

Study Design: This is a prospective, non-randomised observational study which will follow post operative progress of patients who have been diagnosed with symptomatic Epiretinal membrane and will undergo epiretinal membrane peeling surgery over a 12 month period. Population: 100 eligible subjects will be recruited from Sydney Retina Clinic & Day Surgery, Australia. Study Duration: The study will be conducted over 18 months (6-month recruitment period and 12 month treatment and follow up period). Primary Objective: To evaluate the rate and amount of macular functional recovery using visual acuity, MAIA microperimetry and visual functioning questionnaires and to correlate this with anatomical change on SD OCT over 12 months. The aim will also be to determine prognostic indicators of poor visual outcome post surgery. 3. The change of retinal function measured by Macular Integrity Assessment (MAIA) microperimetry (including central threshold, average threshold, fixation stability and macular integrity) at months 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Secondary Objectives: 1. Mean change in visual acuity at months 1, 3, 6 and 12 compared to the baseline using snellens chart at 6m 2. Mean change in central macular thickness measured by SD-OCT at months 1, 3, 6 and 12 compared to the baseline

The purpose of this project is to conduct a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate an app-based intervention to reduce stress and improve wellbeing in young adults caring for a friend or relative with a physical or mental condition/disability. The Stress-Less Mobile App monitors stress responsiveness throughout the duration of the intervention, and uses this information to obtain a risk profile of stress responsiveness, which can be used to predict periods of greater risk of distress and illbeing. In instances where greater risk is identified, participants are recommended to use the intervention resources immediately. It is hypothesized that this guided use will lead to improvement in subjective wellbeing and stress coping appraisals, and additional weekly check-ins provided by the research team will improve cohort engagement throughout the intervention period.

This research project is being conducted to look at the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics (PK, how the human body processes a substance) of a ETX2514 when given to healthy volunteers intravenously as a single dose, and when given as multiple intravenous doses for up to 8 consecutive days. As it is anticipated that ETX2514 could be used as a treatment for Acinetobacter baumannii (a type of bacteria) infections, this project will also look at whether ETX2514 will interact with the current treatments for these infections when they are administered at the same time.

This study aims to determine the current practices of adults with cystic fibrosis in relation to exercise and airway clearance techniques in Australia. It will also examine the beliefs of these individuals regarding the use of exercise as a form of airway clearance. Potential demographic and disease-related variables will be examined to determine if they are related to the participants current practices and beliefs regarding exercise and airway clearance techniques.

Diabetes is one of Australia’s greatest health issues, affecting more than 1.5 million Australians. One of the most devastating consequences of the disease is deterioration in foot health that, in severe cases, can lead to amputation. The feet are one of the first parts of the body to be affected by diabetes resulting in muscle weakness, poor circulation and a loss of sensitivity. Clearly, addressing the loss of foot muscle strength and restoring normal foot function will have important implications for the thousands of adults with diabetes who suffer from poor foot health. This study will determine the feasibility and effectiveness an exercise intervention that aims to increase foot muscle strength in people with diabetes. Upon recruitment into the project, participants will undergo a baseline assessment and will then be randomised into either a control or supervised exercise group. We hypothesise that after completing the resistance training program, participants will display improved foot muscle strength and decreased forefoot plantar pressures. The research will address critical health issues related to the ageing foot, with ancillary benefits in the context of falls prevention and foot care for at risk populations. The outcomes of the project will provide vital evidence to develop treatments to restore foot function to this vulnerable group within our community.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a lifestyle intervention based on behaviour change theories on liver enzymes and metabolic abnormalities in patients diagnosed with Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or Hepatitis C and not receiving anti-viral therapy. We hypothesised that if successful; such an intervention would reduce the metabolic risk profile of patients and thereby lead to a reduction in the drivers of hepatic steatosis and inflammation.

The purpose of the study is to address the gap in literature regarding the use of exercise as an intervention to improve quality of life in overweight or obese individuals. The rates of obesity and overweight are increasing rapidly in Australia and worldwide. Overweight and obesity increase the risk of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and other health conditions. In addition to these risks, increased weight is linked to lower health related quality of life (QOL) scores when compared to healthy weight individuals. The effects of exercise for improving body weight have been well established from previous studies. Physical activity has also been found to improve cardiovascular disease risk factors, with or without weight loss. An increasing number of studies involving overweight or obese participants are utilising QOL as an outcome measure as it is now considered a vital part of an individual’s health status. Exercise and lifestyle change studies have found improvements in QOL scores in these individuals. Exercise programs that achieve weight loss have also been found to improve QOL scores, with and without the inclusion of dietary change. Despite these findings there have been no studies to date which have investigated the optimal exercise intensity to maximise improvements in QOL in overweight or obese individuals. Current Australian physical activity guidelines for overweight or obese individuals recommend approximately 300 minutes of moderate intensity activity, or 150 minutes of vigorous activity per week to achieve weight loss. In contrast to these clear recommendations there exist no clinical guidelines regarding exercise prescription for maximising improvements in QOL in these individuals. Most previous trials targeting QOL in overweight or obese peoples or in the general population follow the physical activity guidelines for achieving weight loss and have not attempted to compare the effect of differing exercise intensities on QOL improvements. This research study aimed to show the impact of regular physical activity as a method of improving QOL in overweight or obese persons. It also aimed to establish whether low or moderate intensity exercise was superior for maximising improvements in QOL in these individuals.

Cocoa contains polyphenols that are thought to be beneficial to vascular health, but no previous dose-response study has assessed the impact of chocolate containing distinct levels of cocoa on cerebrovascular function and cognition. This research aims to investigate the acute effect of chocolate consumption (80% cocoa [dark] versus 35% cocoa [milk] versus 0% cocoa [white]) on vascular endothelial function, cognition and cerebrovascular function in postmenopausal women. The results have the potential to provide insight into the effect of cocoa polyphenols on systemic blood flow responses and cognitive ability.

The purpose of this project is test whether mobile dermatoscopes can help assist consumers conduct home skin examinations to detect potentially cancerous skin spots or moles. Who is it for? You may be eligible to participate in this trial if you are aged 18 or over, are considered high risk for skin cancer, own an iPhone 5 or above and have a partner/relative/friend willing to assist you with skin examinations. Study details: Participants will be randomly allocated (by chance) to either the usual care naked-eye skin self-examination group or the intervention teledermoscopy group. The teledermoscopy group will receive a magnifying device which attaches to their smartphone to assist with skin self-examinations. All participants will be asked to complete two questionnaires (baseline and 2-month), conduct three skin examinations at home (baseline, 1-month and 2-month) and have a whole-body clinical skin examination with one of our study dermatologists at a study clinic after the 2-month skin self-examination. Intervention group will be asked to use a mobile dermatoscope to conduct their home skin examinations. It is hoped that this trial will provide information on whether mobile teledermoscopy may be accurate and cost-effective for assisting high risk individuals with skin self-examinations.