ANZCTR search results

The effect of muscle relaxation on latissimus dorsi ease of flap dissection are unknown though the technique has frequently ben recommended. The purpose of the trial is to measure the facilitation of flap dissection by means of assessing the force (N) required to lift the flap a few centimetres off its surface, thus mimicking surgical handling of the flap. The measurement is done with a sterile scale. 3 measurements will be done: 1. baseline, 2. after either rocuronium or saline administration intravenously, and 3. after administration of the drug (rocuronium or saline) not yet given at 2.. The measurement will be done by a researcher blinded to the administration sequence of the drugs.

This study aims to describe the symptoms, quality of life and supportive care needs of people diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma (MM). Additionally, we aim to describe the nutritional and functional status of people with MM, and to assess the relationship between psychological factors (anxiety and depression) and quality of life and other outcomes. Who is it for? You may be eligible to joint this study if you are aged 18 years or more and have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Study details Participants in this study will be asked to complete a range of patient reported outcome measures at 6-12 week intervals for up to 2 years. These measures will include assessment of health related quality of life, anxiety and depression and unmet supportive care needs. Optional sub-studies will involve nutritional assessment, functional assessment and donation of additional blood for the analysis of inflammatory markers.

This project aims to investigate the effectiveness of daily supplementation with Glycomax 'trademark' Lactoferrin and bovine whey-derived Ig-rich fraction on symptoms of atopic dermatitis. The study is a double-blind placebo-controlled parallel trial and consists of two phases, a 56 day supplement period followed by a four week post supplement follow up. The study group will consist of both male and females adults (n=45). Participants will range in age from 18-60 years with a confirmed diagnosis of atopic dermatitis made by a dermatologist.

Endurance training stimulates many muscular adaptations such as an increase in mitochondrial content and enzyme activity, which enhance an athlete’s ability to utilise both fat and carbohydrate as energy sources during exercise. When exercising continuously at low to moderate intensities (50-60% of maximal aerobic capacity [VO2max]) the energy for muscular work comes predominately from fat-based fuels, with less reliance on carbohydrate-based fuels (Romijn et al., 1993). However, athletes typically compete at higher intensities (>80% of VO2max). At such work rates, there is a reliance on carbohydrate-based fuels for oxidative metabolism. For example, O’Brien et al (1993) reported 97% of energy from carbohydrate-based fuels when running a marathon (42.2 km) in 2 h 45 minutes, in comparison to a 68% contribution when running the distance in 3 h 45 minutes. Whilst well-trained individuals may be more efficient at utilising fat-based fuels during training, at race pace in events lasting 90-100 minutes carbohydrate-based fuels are the major source for muscle metabolism. However, to date few investigations have determined the contributions of fat and carbohydrate to fuel metabolism during races lasting ~90 minutes. The current study will quantify substrate utilisation during simulated half-marathon time trials and determine if blocking fatty acid metabolism (lipolysis) will impair performance in well-trained runners. We hypothesise that blocking lipolysis by administration of Nicotinic Acid during a half-marathon time trial will not affect performance.

This study is investigating the prevalence and severity of genitourinary symptoms in postmenopausal women receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy for early stage breast cancer and the impact on sexual function and quality of life. Who is it for? You may be eligible to joint this study if you are a postmenopausal female, aged 18 -75 years, with early stage breast cancer and hormone receptor-positive tumours, for which you are about to commence adjuvant endocrine therapy with either tamoxifen (TAM) or aromatase inhibitors (AIs). You will need to be sufficiently competent in English in order to complete the study questionnaires. Study details All participants in this study are asked to complete self-administered questionnaires at baseline (prior to starting endocrine therapy), and 6-, 12- and 24-month follow-ups. The standardised questionnaires used relate to genitourinary symptoms, sexual function and quality of life. The findings from this study could be used to identify patients at risk of developing genitourinary symptoms and also to offer appropriate interventions early to prevent and ameliorate such symptoms which are likely to have a negative impact on quality of life and may contribute to a low compliance with treatment. We believe that this study has the potential to document the extent and impact of genitourinary symptoms in breast cancer survivors about to start adjuvant endocrine therapy and what happens over time. It will also lead to intervention studies in the future.

Surgical removal of the adrenal glands is in our unit performed by a posterior approach were the adrenal is accessed from the back with keyhole surgery. The retroperitoneum (space around the adrenal) is inflated with pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) to create an operative space. Normally, we use a starting pressure of 25mmHg, which may be increased to 28 mmHg, at the surgeon’s discretion. Occasionally, CO2 retention with increasing levels of CO2 in blood can occur and the retroperitoneum needs to be deflated for the patients CO2 levels to recover. On the other hand, with too low pressure, bleeding may increase and visibility may become be impaired. In the early experiences of retroscopicadrenalectomy, centers reported that they used pressures of 12mmHg to 15mmHg with success. However, many authors claim to have less bleeding and better visibility using pressures over 20-24mmHg. Also, in the largest cohort of retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy published, a pressure between 20mmHg and 28mmHg was routinely used without any excess of adverse events. The implications of using different pressures have been reported in a few studies. The first one compared pressures at 15 mmHg and at 20mmHg in retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy and showed a statistical, but not clinical, significant difference in arterial pCO2 levels. Another study did not show any difference in arterial carbon dioxide pressure between patients undergoing open and retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy at 12 to 16mmHg. There are no studies examining the different physiological effects of pressures between 25-20mmHg in retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy, but nonetheless high pressures are routinely used in general practise with very few adverse events. The current study proposes to start with a pressure of 25 mmHg in group A and 20 mmHg in Group B as insufflation pressures during retroperitonescopic (keyhole) adrenalectomy. Routine clinical blood samples (arterial line blood gases) will be drawn every 30 minutes, and these samples are, together with selected clinical data, recorded for data analysis.

This project is a cross-sectional observational study examining the association between and among cognition, type and severity of brain injury and upper limb bimanual performance in a large sample of children (n=150), aged 6 to 12 years, with unilateral CP. The project will be conducted across 5 Australian sites specializing in the management of children with CP. The aim of this Project is to: (a) describe the association between and among cognition and upper limb bimanual performance in children with unilateral CP; (b) describe the association between and among cognition and upper limb bimanual performance and type and severity of brain injury in children with unilateral CP.

Chest pain is a common cause for presentations to hospital Emergency Departments (ED). The clinical investigation of undifferentiated chest pain must include the expeditious assessment for acute coronary syndrome. To date, there have been no large-scale clinical trials comparing coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTCA) based care to exercise treadmill electrocardiography (ExECG)-based care in possible acute coronary syndrome patients The CT Coronary Angiography Compared to Exercise ECG (CT-COMPARE) study was a prospective randomized trial that compared dual source CTCA with ExECG as part of the standard of care in low-intermediate risk possible ACS patients presenting to the ED. The primary endpoints were the diagnostic performance measures and the hospital-based costs of CTCA-based care as compared to ECG-based care

One of the major adaptations of muscle to endurance training is a slower utilization of carbohydrate stored in the muscle (muscle glycogen) and blood glucose and greater reliance on fat oxidation during low intensity exercise. . These adaptations are thought to play an important role in the large increase in the ability to perform prolonged strenuous exercise that occurs in response to endurance exercise training. However, the results of early studies demonstrate ‘carbohydrate dependence’ during prolonged endurance events (i.e. marathon running) lasting up to 3 hours, with little (<10%) contribution from fat to the total fuel requirements of exercise. Using a pharmacological agent Nicotinic acid(also known as Niacin or Vitamin B3) to block the breakdown and liberation of free fatty acids into the bloodstream(lipolysis) and impair rates of fat oxidation during exercise, we will test the hypothesis that carbohydrate is the predominant (>90% of total energy requirements) fuel for muscle oxidation during cycling time trials lasting from 60-120 min. Using a repeated measures design, we will test our hypothesis in 10 well-trained cyclists who, after a standardised diet/exercise control, will each perform six maximal, all-out cycling time-trials (over 60, 90 and 120 min duration), three under conditions where lipolysis and fat oxidation are ‘blocked’ and three under normal conditions (control). We hypothesise that there will be no differences in the time-trial performance for any duration, and that carbohydrate oxidation will be the major fuel for oxidative energy production.

A number of studies have been published which appear to show that performing an endometrial biopsy results in an increase in pregnancy and live birth rates. Most of the studies have been conducted in a focussed subgroup of women, such as those with recurrent implantation failure, and there is little data available on the utility of endometrial biopsy prior to frozen-thaw embryo transfer. To address these limitations, PIP-IVF is a pragmatic randomised trial recruiting all women undergoing autologous embryo transfer, and has been powered to allow detection of subgroup effects such women undergoing their first IVF cycle and women undergoing frozen-thaw transfers.