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Many Australian children are insufficiently active to obtain the health benefits known to be associated with physical activity. The school setting provides opportunities for children to develop the skills needed to participate in physical activity. Reviews of school-based physical activity interventions have demonstrated that multicomponent interventions are effective at increasing students Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) levels and Fundamental Movement Skill (FMS) proficiency. Despite this, few trials have been conducted with the aim of implementing effective school-based physical activity programs at the population level. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of an intervention to facilitate the implementation of a school-based physical activity program with proven efficacy – the SCORES program. The study will randomise 64 primary schools across the Hunter New England region to either a 6-month intervention group or a no intervention comparison group. The existing SCORES program will be modified slightly to enable the implementation of the intervention at a population level. The SCORES program includes the following strategies: a) Teacher professional development to deliver quality physical education lessons; b) Development of a school physical activity policy; c) Provision of recess and lunch physical activity sessions; d) Incentives to engage students in physical activity; and e) Parental engagement via newsletters. To facilitate the implementation of the SCORES program, multiple evidence-based strategies will be used including: 1) Executive support; 2) Staff training; 3) Tools and resources; 4) Academic detailing; 5) Ongoing support; 6) Recognition and incentives; and 7) Performance monitoring and feedback. The effectiveness of the intervention will be determined by collecting post-intervention data at 6 months. It is expected there will be: 1) an 11 minute difference between the mean MVPA of intervention group students and control group students, measured via accelerometers; and 2) a 10% difference in the proportion of school teachers that conduct PE lessons in an engaging, motivating and physically active way, measured via observation using the SAAFE checklist. Process and acceptability data regarding the implementation of the SCORES program will also be collected via an online, self-report survey of teachers.

Around 25% of adolescents report excessive and uncontrollable worry and many adult high worriers report that their excessive worry began in late adolescence (Kerts &Woodruff-Borden, 2011). Younger adults (16-29 years of age) report a higher frequency of worry than older adults about school or work, finances and social interactions (Goncalves & Byrne, 2012). Worry functions as a cognitive avoidance response, suppressing images and somatic activation and preventing the individual from emotional processing of fear that is important for successful habituation and extinction (Stapinski, Abbott, & Rapee, 2010). Such avoidance brings initial relief but results in anxiety maintenance. Worry is an essential feature of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and is a presenting characteristic across all anxiety disorders and depressive disorders (Starcevic, et al., 2007). Thus, worry presents an ideal target for transdiagnostic treatment that targets the common features across anxiety and depression. To target worry as a transdiagnostic process, Chen et al. (2013) developed and evaluated a transdiagnostic approach targeting avoidance strategies in adult worriers by using Behavioural Activation treatment. Behavioural Activation (BA) was originally developed to address avoidance in depression (Addis & Martell, 2004) and its efficacy has been shown in a number of randomised controlled trials. When applied to worry, BA is expected to break down patterns of anxious avoidance through repeated exposure to goal orientated behaviours. Viewing worry as a form of avoidance, BA encourages clients to identify avoidance patterns and increase alternate behaviours in the face of worry-provoking situations (Chen, et al., 2013). Compared to more complex treatment packages, two key advantages of BA are: 1) it is simpler to deliver (Hopko, et al., 2003); and 2) it is efficacious, even when delivered by mental health professionals with minimal training (Ekers, et al., 2011). This simplicity is especially appealing for treating young people as some researchers have criticised that the “extreme comprehensiveness” of the CBT protocol is a primary problem for youth and recommended a low-intensity intervention (Hollon, Garber, & Shelton, 2005). The effect of BAW on anxiety and depression has been demonstrated in our pilot trial (Chen et al., 2013) within a community sample of adults. Findings revealed that participants who received an 8-week group based BAW showed significantly greater reduction in worry, depression and characteristics such as cognitive avoidance, intolerance of uncertainty and problem-solving orientation than the waitlist. Twice as many individuals showed clinically significant reductions in excessive worry after BAW compared to the waitlist. These results provide promising support for BAW as a practical transdiagnostic treatment for worry. Hence the current project aims to investigate the efficacy of BAW in young people. Recent developments in cognitive models of worry and treatments for youth are mostly based on adult research (Vasey, 1993) and studies have demonstrated the applicability of the cognitive model or processes in adults to youth (Laugesen, Dugas, & Bukowski, 2003). However, differences in cognitive, social, and emotional development between adolescents and adults must be taken into account (Vasey, 1993). The present project will examine whether BAW is superior to a waitlist control condition in improving worry in anxious and depressed youths after an 8-week treatment/waitlist and a 3-month follow-up. We will also compare the effect of BAW vs. waitlist on a series of secondary outcomes (i.e., distress, behavioural activation, intolerance of uncertainty, life impairment).

General anaesthesia, whilst very safe, has some undesirable side effects. Two of these, a fall in body temperature and a fall in blood pressure, are usually very mild and require little treatment. Occasionally, more severe changes can result requiring significant intervention by the anaesthetist. Whilst prewarming of patients prior to surgery is sometimes employed to reduce the drop in body temperature seen with anaesthesia, it is not known whether this warming may also help reduce the fall in blood pressure. Warming patients results in dilation of blood vessels, with some of the circulating blood volume then moving into more peripheral tissues. This is similar to the process that happens under anaesthesia, with the relaxation of blood vessels caused by anaesthetic drugs resulting in lowered blood pressure. This is usually mild and easily correctable with medications and intravenous fluid administered by the anaesthetist, though occasionally can be more serious. This study aims to answer the question of whether prewarming patients may reduce the fall in blood pressure seen with the onset of anaesthesia, due to blood vessels already being dilated, and hence reduce the need for intervention by the anaesthetist.

Postoperative ileus (gut stasis) is a common event seen in patients following major surgery involving bowel resection, contributing to significant postoperative morbidity including delayed resumption of nutritional feeding, patient discomfort, prolonged hospitalisation and increased healthcare cost. The economic impact of postoperative ileus in patients following colectomy is estimated at approximately 1 billion US dollars per year in the United States alone (1). Current management is largely supportive with no widely accepted treatment found to be effective in reducing the period of ileus in postoperative patients. Given the scale of potential benefit, the main aim was to conduct a well-constructed trial involving an adequate number of patients to determine whether gum chewing in the early postoperative period does help to reduce duration of ileus, improve patient experience and decrease length of hospital stay. Reference (1): Schuster R, Grewal N, et al. Gum Chewing Reduces Ileus After Elective Open Sigmoid Colectomy. Arch Surg. 2006 Feb; 141(2): 174-6

This study aims to examine the impact of extra education on patients' warfarin knowledge and anticoagulation control. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or above who has been admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and newly commenced on warfarin. Study details Participants in this study will be randomly allocated (by chance) to one of two groups. Participants in one group will receive the standard hospital warfarin education, delivered by pharmacists. Participants in the other group, in addition to the hospital education, will receive an extra hour of warfarin education once they have left hospital. This will be delivered by the primary investigators. All participants will be asked to complete a 20 question multiple choice test to assess their knowledge of warfarin 6 weeks after they have left hospital. We also ask participants for permission to collect their INR data to check their warfarin control. It is hoped that this project will provide guidance as to whether we need to do more to educate patients about their warfarin therapy, or whether the education system we have in place currently is sufficient.

This study aims to examine the impact of supportive care screening and follow up on patients being treated at the Royal Women’s Hospital for gynaecological cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are a female aged 18 years or above who has a new diagnosis of gynaecological cancer for which you are undergoing treatment at the Royal Women’s Hospital. Study details Participants in this study will be randomly allocated (by chance) to one of two groups. Participants in one group will receive the standard hospital supportive care screening tools. Participants in the other group will receive an 'enhanced model of supportive care screening'. This incorporates a single supportive care intervention where the participant has a face-to-face conversation with one of our researchers regarding psychosocial stressors that may be impacting on the patient's cancer diagnosis and what can be done to alleviate some of those stressors. All participants will be asked to complete some questionnaires between 3-6 months post enrolment in order to evaluate their patient experience and quality of life. The study will also audit the process of the patient treatment pathway and review modifiable and non-modifiable factors in the patient commencing in, remaining in, and completing treatment, and describe any complexities arising from this process. Furthermore, it is hoped that this project will provide evidence to inform future psychosocial practices and evidence based guidelines within gynaecological cancer care.

Data collection using new technology has the capacity to improve the efficiency of data collection and reduce transcription errors in large data sets. As well, it has potential clinical relevance for management of client assessment and re-assessments. Functional reach is a validated measure of dynamic balance that is used for measuring limits of stability in response to a self-generated perturbation. It is widely used for a variety of clinical populations and compares well with other balance measures for clinical utility. Traditionally values are measured by a clinician reading values from a tape measure or ruler adjacent to the client. New motion capture software and cameras has the capacity to improve efficiency in both research and clinical contexts by accurately measuring, recording and storing information. As well, costs for this commercially available technology have reduced dramatically in recent times, making it cost-effective for a wide range of practical applications. The Kinect camera has been validated for range of motion, and several functional tasks like Timed Up and Go, however, to date no validation studies have been done using the Kinect for windows to compare its accuracy and clinical utility in a dynamic balance task. Recent advances in camera technology (last 5 months) have increased the sensitivity of motion capture and allowed us to test it in this way. Previously published validation studies using this technology are typically small Potential advantages include: *Reduced time for data collection *Improved storage of data *Reduced data collection time *Easy ability to securely gain and store data The aim of this project is to determine if the new camera technology is *accurate and * reliable

In this research project, we are trying to boost immune response against Epstein-Barr virus, with the aim of delaying the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and decreasing symptoms. Specifically, this trial aims to improve the killer T cell response against EBV, to enable the effective killing of virus-infected B cells. To do this, we are testing an experimental treatment for MS called adoptive immunotherapy. Adoptive immunotherapy involves collecting a patient's own blood, and then stimulating their T cells in the laboratory. This stimulation causes the EBV-specific T cells to multiply. Once the patient's EBV-specific T cells have been grown in the laboratory, they will be transferred back into the patient's blood, with the aim that they will recognise EBV-infected B cells in the brain and kill them. However, because some laboratory studies have suggested that EBV-specific T cells might aggravate inflammation in the brain and actually worsen MS, this treatment needs to be used cautiously.

Many people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) experience problems with walking, which can make day to day activities difficult and often leads to falls. Improving walking ability is, therefore, of primary importance in maintaining health, independence, and quality of life in people living with MS. Walking problems in MS are often caused by a combination of typical symptoms, such as altered function of muscles, nerves, and senses. The key to improving mobility is, therefore, to use a range of different treatment techniques which address each of these symptoms. Foot sensation plays an important role in keeping the body upright and balanced whilst walking, yet, we know from previous studies that people with MS often have poor sensation on the soles of their feet. It is, therefore, possible that wearing a specially designed shoe insole, which enhances sensory information at the feet, could help people affected by MS to walk better. This would offer health care professionals a new, additional treatment technique to help manage walking problems in MS. This study will explore whether long-term wear of a textured shoe insole can improve walking in people with MS. We will analyse how people with MS walk over an even and uneven surface, when they are wearing the insoles for the first time, and after wearing the insoles for three months. We will explore whether wearing the insoles changes the way the body moves, or the leg and trunk muscles work during walking. We will also monitor any changes in the perception of foot sensation and the awareness of foot position, to help us better understand how our insoles may bring about their effects on walking. The benefit for people affected by MS is that this study could lead to the development of a new treatment technique, specifically an inexpensive, easy-to-administer shoe insole, which could help towards improving mobility and independent living.

To determine of masters sport participation increases physical, psychological, cognitive and social functioning Hypothesis - masters sport participation will increase physical, psychological, cognitive and social functioning functioning