ANZCTR search results

The meal study is to assess the acute effects of red meat and dairy on glucose metabolism. This follows a longer term dietary trial that investigated the effect on insulin sensitivity after following three 4-week long diets: one high in lean red meat diet with minimal dairy; one high in dairy with no red meat; and a diet that had no red meat and minimal dairy. Evidence is conflicting about the benefits or risks of consuming meat and dairy products on insulin sensitivity and there is little understanding of the mechanisms behind the findings observed in epidemiological studies.

This study is an imaging study which aims to evaluate whether the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided audiovisual biofeedback system can improve the precision of lung cancer radiotherapy. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or above and have been diagnosed with stage I-III lung cancer for which you will be treated with radical radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. Study details All participants will attend 3 additional sessions to standard care. The first session is a breathing training session with audiovisual feedback. This will involve a visual display of a respiratory waveguide. Participants will be asked to regulate their breathing to keep a red ball within the blue wave guide. The aim is for the ball to stay within the line by adjusting breathing by the participant. The second and third sessions participants will undergo MRI scans with and without audiovisual feedback. These MRI sessions will occur pre-radiotherapy treatment and mid-treatment (3 to 6 weeks later). All imaging protocols used are approved clinical procedures. The acquired images will be used to evaluate the reproducibility of respiratory-related tumour motion and whether this leads to improved treatment precision i.e. a reduction in radiotherapy dose delivered to healthy tissues.

The prone position is a body position in which a person lies horizontal with the chest down and back up. With appropriate pillows and positioning, it is a safe position for pregnant women and because of this the position is utilised in the allied health fields and for relaxation and massage in pregnant women. In this position uterine compression of the large maternal vessels is alleviated. Yet, despite this, the prone position is rarely used in the medical setting in pregnant women and there is very little information about the position in the medical literature. There is no published information about the prone position in women with hypertension in pregnancy including preeclampsia. We have recently published a new unified theory of preeclampsia. It proposes that the development of hypertension in pregnant women is an adaptive response to the demands of a growing fetus and is driven by an imbalance between maternal oxygen supply to the fetus (which may be caused by inadequate blood flow to the uteroplacental unit) and fetal oxygen demands. When thinking about the prone position in the light of this new theory we hypothesise that placing a pregnant women, with new onset pregnancy associated hypertension, into this position may reduce her blood pressure by eliminating abdominal compression of blood vessels thereby reducing abdominal vascular resistance and improving blood flow. This proposed study aims to test this hypothesis.

The administration of intravenous fluid is a common intervention in acutely unwell patients. Although normal saline has been the dominant crystalloid fluid worldwide for more than century, at present, intensive care specialists in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) broadly regard all intravenous crystalloid solutions, including normal saline and plasmalyte as equivalent. They will administer one of these two fluids for resuscitation or rehydration according to personal preference or clinical judgment in the absence of evidence that one is superior to the other in terms of clinical outcomes. Before definitive multicenter double-blind randomized controlled trials can be performed, pilot studies are necessary to guide their optimal execution. Such pilot work makes it possible to assess the following crucial aspects of trial execution: feasibility of study design, degree of biochemical and physiological separation achieved with study interventions, safety of study approach, likely recruitment rate, likely effects, likely amounts of fluids used per patient, and power calculations. Accordingly, we propose to perform a pilot multicenter randomized double-blind controlled trial to compare the feasibility, safety, biochemical and physiological effects of treating patients requiring fluid resuscitation with either normal saline or plasmalyte. On the basis of previous comparative data, we plan to study 60 patients (30 treated with saline vs. 30 treated with plasmalyte) and to use base excess during the first 4 days (when most of fluid administration takes place) in ICU as the primary outcome measure.

This study will determine whether a cognitive rehabilitation intervention, ReCog, has an effect on cognitive function in cancer survivors. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or above, have had a previous diagnosis of breast cancer, had chemotherapy treatment at Mater Cancer Care Centre, Brisbane, and completed all major cancer treatments. Study details All participants in this study will receive a group education and skills training intervention called “Responding to Cognitive Concerns” (ReCog). The program is based on self-regulatory cognitive rehabilitation and cognitive behavioural principles, and employs manuals for clinicians and participants. The program is run in small groups of approximately 4-9 participants. There will be four sessions run at weekly intervals by an occupational therapist and each session will last for 2 hours. Patients will be asked to practise the learnt strategies and skills in and between sessions, with the ultimate goal of generalising these strategies to their everyday life. Home tasks are expected to take approximately 15 minutes per day. Participants' performance on cognitive tasks (such as tests of memory and attention) will occur before and after the group program. Questionnaires on psychological distress, quality of life, psychological needs and satisfaction will be administered after the group program. It is hypothesised that both their cognitive performance on standard tests and reported everyday cognitive performance on questionnaires will improve.

This research is aiming to test an intervention led by the practice nurse in general practice to discuss people's risk of bowel cancer and screening tests to diagnose it early. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are a primary care patient aged between 50 and 74 years who has an appointment with a general practitioner (GP) who is participating in this study. Anyone who has had a previous colorectal cancer diagnosis will not be eligible. Study details: Participants in this study will be randomly (by chance) allocated to one of two groups. Participants in one group will continue to receive the usual care in the primary care clinic. Participants in the other group will go through a web-based colorectal cancer risk assessment with the practice nurse, who will then provide risk output and screening advice which can be discussed with their GP. Our primary aim is to determine how feasible the implementation of this tool is. The results of this feasibility study will assist in the design of a future Australian wide study before it is used more widely in practice. The research is part of a larger body of research: the 'NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence for Reducing the Burden of Colorectal Cancer by Optimising Screening: Evidence to Clinical Practice'.

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an inherited condition which results in excessively high levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream from birth, with increased risk of heart problems by age 40 or earlier if not treated. Early diagnosis and treatment are very effective and reduces long-term disease costs. This study examines the feasibility of employing a new method of detecting FH through GP clinics using a finger prick cholesterol blood test. If FH is diagnosed, close relatives will also be checked so early treatment can be offered. This proposed innovative approach will alleviate hospital load and allow FH to be managed by the patient’s GP and lipid specialist in shared care approach

Evidence suggests that mental imagery plays a causal and more potent role in anxiety disorders than verbal-linguistic activity. The proposed research will compare the efficacy of an Imagery Rescripting Group Cognitive Therapy (IR-GCT) protocol to traditional Group Cognitive Therapy (GCT) and waitlist control for social and performance anxiety. Participation will involve an initial assessment, completion of a 90-minute single IR-GCT, GCT intervention, or waitlist control, and post-treatment assessment. Comparison of treatment outcomes will identify whether imagery rescripting techniques are more potent than verbal-linguistic techniques in reducing performance/social anxiety. Analysis into potential mechanisms of change within both interventions may inform future treatment approaches.

Functional dyspepsia affects a considerable proportion of Australians and results in significant personal and economic cost. There is as yet no cure for this condition and current treatments are generally not effective for the majority of people with functional dyspepsia. New research into the causes of functional dyspepsia have found that the numbers of a type of immune cell, the eosinophil, are increased in the top of the small bowel in patients with dyspepsia. A treatment called Budesonide has been shown to lower the amount of the eosinophils in the top of the small bowel. Budesonide is already an effective treatment in the management of other diseases including coeliac disease, collagenous sprue, oesophagitis and bronchitis. It is suspected that Budesonide will also be a promising treatment for functional dyspepsia but this needs to be properly tested. In this study we aim to test the effectiveness of Budesonide in people with functional dyspepsia in a randomised placebo controlled, double blind study.

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), also known as N-(2-hydroxyethyl) hexadecanamide or N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-palmitamide is an endogenous saturated fatty acid derivative. This study aims to investigate the effects of PEA on pain and quality of life in subjects with mild to moderate osteoarthritis and is designed with two active group arms and one placebo arm. The two active group dosages of 300mg and 600mg per day of PEA are similar to dosages used in other studies. The primary outcome measure is the WOMAC OA Index questionnaire. The participant group includes otherwise healthy men and women aged between 40 and 65 years.