ANZCTR search results

Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by the presence of beta- amyloid plaques in the brain. More recently it has been proposed that these beta- amyloid plaques may first appear in the retina, at the back of the eye, before the plaques are detectable in the brain. This longitudinal study will investigate if the amyloid plaques identified in the retina increase in number and size over time. Curcumin, found in the spice turmeric, is a food additive that has molecular and optical properties that enable us to image amyloid plaques in the retina. Participants will be asked to have eye imaging done before and after taking curcumin for 7 days. The participant's image will be compared with other results from their participation in the NVI 1003 and AIBL studies. In addition, the results from participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment will be compared to the results from Healthy Control participants.

This project aims to determine: 1. the prevalence of weight gain in patients with T2DM who are treated with insulin at RMH; 2. the impact of weight gain on clinical variables such as blood pressure and lipid levels; and 3. to find factors that predict the occurrence of weight gain in people with type-2 diabetes treated with insulin. Hypothesis:Weight gain prevalence will be greater than 60% in the studied population of type 2 diabetics treated with insulin. This weight gain will be variable depending on baseline characteristics such as starting weight, insulin characteristics and use of oral hypoglycaemics. Patients who gain weight will show a worsening of their cardiovascular risk profile when compared to those who do not.

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a brief, group-based parenting intervention for parents of children ages 3 to 10. The parenting intervention aims to assist parents in enhancing their knowledge about child sexuality, improving their communication of age-appropriate sexuality topics to their children and increasing parental confidence and self-efficacy in this area. It is expected that participating in a group-based parenting intervention has the potential to increase parental knowledge, skills and confidence as well as improve parent-child communication about sexuality. Research has shown that increased parent-child communication, parental involvement and monitoring is associated with later onset of sexual intercourse and reductions in risky sexual behaviours in adolescence.

This research will determine the effectiveness of a non-pharmacological intervention, aquatic exercise (WSC), designed to reduce behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) compared to an attention control. The WSC aims to rekindle positive memories of swimming in people with dementia and get them involved in a safe, regular physical activity. Swimming is an activity that has the capacity to address physical health needs, because it involves exercise; psychological health needs, because it is fun and relaxing; and social health needs, because it involves interactions with other people. The WSC is designed for municipal swimming pools that are widely available in Australian communities. A training manual and DVD are available to address safety and incontinence issues and to support feasibility and sustainability.

Recent important discoveries reinforce the idea that CFS is associated with gut flora imbalances. However, the idea that this can have a major effect on sleep and daytime functioning requires further supporting research. This project will determine whether those participants with CFS who, at baseline, are highly gram-positive (determined via stool analysis and indicative of abnormal gut functioning) and respond to antibiotic treatment (such that the amount of gram positive flora is reduced below a certain threshold) also demonstrate significant and ongoing improvements in sleep, daytime activity, mood and self-reported fatigue symptoms. Eligible participants will follow a baseline, treatment and follow up protocol, across a total of 22 days. The treatment phase involves taking a course of the antibiotic, Erythromycin, for 6 days. This is an open label pilot research program which aims to determine whether this treatment leads to improvements during treatment and follow up phases, compared to assessments made in the baseline phase. A second Bioscreen stool analysis will also determine whether reduced gram-positive status has been achieved in the gut.

The primary purpose of this study is to define the PK profile of the Maxigesic oral suspension plus the clinical efficacy and safety of the high dose and low dose groups. The other purpose of the study is to define the concentration-response relationship for the high dose and low dose of Maxigesic oral suspension

This study will evaluate the usability, acceptability and impact of the Keep It Real website for young cannabis users with psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). Participants will be asked to evaluate a new website about cannabis use and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). This evaluation will determine the impact of the 'Keep it Real' website on PLEs and cannabis use in young people. 180 participants will be given 6 months' access to the website. Half of these participants will comprise a waitlist control, whose access to the website will be delayed by one month. They will complete an online survey at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months' follow up. This will assess outcomes such as PLEs, cannabis use, psychological distress and functioning. Information will be collected about the number of times the website was used; the date, time and duration of each session; the sections of the website accessed and data entered.

In many cases, an IVF cycle can result in many embryos of good quality. In Australia, Single Embryo Transfer (SET) is preferred and therefore remaining embryos are either discarded or undergo vitrification, which is a process of rapidly cooling embryos, and stored at -196°C. The embryo vitrification protocol causes rapid changes in temperature which can cause instability in some embryos and result in a failure to survive the thaw process, with approximately 1 in 10 embryos failing doing so. It is proposed that in order for an embryo to survive vitrification, it needs to “collapse” from its expanded state, to a compact group of cells. In its collapsed state the embryo is thought to be protected. Around the world, fertility clinics are changing vitrification protocols to include assisted or artificial collapse of the embryo prior to vitrification. This has resulted in many clinics demonstrating significant improvements in both the number of embryos surviving vitrification and pregnancy outcomes. We plan to compare our normal vitrification protocol with this new method of artificial collapse prior to of normal vitrification protocol, to see if we can improve both embryo survival and pregnancy outcomes.

This is a pilot study assessing the useability of a kit designed to assist re-intubation in patients with a difficult airway. 30 patients presenting for elective surgery will be intubated using the Cook Staged Extubation Set. A difficult airway will be simulated by releasing pressure on the laryngoscope to obtain a grade 3 view. The procedure will be timed and evaluated for difficulty by the intubator.

This study aims to investigate whether ongoing treatment with prednisolone and dexamethasone can supress multiple myeloma as post-autograft maintenance therapy. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or above and have received lenalidomide maintenance as part of the LEOPARD study as immediate therapy prior to relapse or progressive disease. Study details. All participants in this study will receive a therapy consisting of Pomalidomide and Dexamethasone. Both will be taken orally at a 28 day cycle, Pomalidomide at a dose of 4mg (starting dose) daily from Days 1 to 21, and Dexamethasone at a dose of 40mg (starting dose) weekly on Days 1, 8, 15, 22. Blood tests will be taken every cycle (28 days) to assess safety, tolerability and efficacy of the treatment. A bone marrow biopsy will be performed at the beginning of the study and whole body x-ray will be taken at the beginning and end of the study. Participants will be followed-up until they complete the study to determine response rates, survival and safety and toxicity of the this treatment.