ANZCTR search results

Update The research project is comparing different devices for giving oxygen during the start of an anaesthetic. The different devices are called nasal prongs and nasopharyngeal cannula. Nasal prongs and nasopharyngeal cannula are already approved in Australia to supply Oxygen to patients in hospital. All participants will receive Oxygen through a face mask before they are put to sleep for an operation. In addition, participants may receive additional Oxygen through nasal prongs or nasopharyngeal cannula. You will then be given anaesthetic medication and will go to sleep as normal. In this study, we would like to see how patients’ Oxygen levels in their throat change once they are asleep, enabling us to compare the different devices in terms of their effectiveness and the extent to which they can increase oxygen levels. Our hypothesis is that each of the devices will increase Oxygen levels and we aim to determine if there is any difference between these two devices with respect which may be more effective at delivering Oxygen for this purpose.

Osteoarthritis is a major cause of pain and disability world wide. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of autologous mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) injections in treating hip OA. This study involves the use of autologous MSC, autologous meaning that the cells are taken from and injected back into the same person. Based on previous animal studies and initial human patients, these MSCs are expected reduce pain and assist in bone and cartilage tissue repair, supporting their potential in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a major cause of pain and disability world wide. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of autologous mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) injections in treating knee OA. This study involves the use of autologous MSC, autologous meaning that the cells are taken from and injected back into the same person. Based on previous animal studies and initial human patients, these MSCs are expected reduce pain and assist in bone and cartilage tissue repair, supporting their potential in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a major cause of pain and disability world wide. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of arthroscopic microfracture in combination autologous mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) injections in the treatment of full thickness cartilage lesions of the hip. This study involves the use of autologous MSC, autologous meaning that the cells are taken from and injected back into the same person. Based on previous animal studies and initial human patients, these MSCs are expected reduce pain and assist in bone and cartilage tissue repair, and improve cartilage quality post micro fracture - thus supporting their potential in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis.

The purpose of this research is to improve the diagnosis and treatment of chronic neck pain. Biomarkers from 10 individuals with chronic non-specific neck pain will be compared to 10 healthy age and gender matched control participants at baseline and six months from baseline. Neck pain participants will be randomised to either receive a chiropractic manual treatment technique (6 sessions) or be on a waiting list. For the neck pain group, biomarkers will be measured at baseline, immediately after treatment (6 weeks from baseline) and at 6-months from baseline. Outcome measures are pain (VAS), cortical biomarkers measured with magnetic resonance imaging (structural imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, resting-state functional MRI, and MR spectroscopy), kinematic biomarkers measured with 3-D motion analysis, and clinical measures including spinal stiffness, muscle performance on the deep neck flexor test, pressure pain threshold, cervical range of motion, Neck Disability Index, SF-12, Pain Impact Questionnaire, and General Health Questionnaire-28. This pilot study will (1) determine potential cortical and kinematic biomarkers that can be used to develop targeted interventions for neck pain, and (2) determine if chiropractic manual therapy has effects on cortical and kinematic biomarkers and reduces pain.

Cocoa flavanols have been associated with several health benefits including cardiovascular and cognitive functions. Cocoa flavanols increase the formation of endothelial nitric oxide, responsible for the increased blood flow and improved cardiovascular and vascular function. A small number of studies have tested the acute effect of cocoa on cognitive function, demonstrating benefits on alertness, fatigue, and mood using a cognitively demanding test in a population of young students. While early studies used high-flavanol cocoa powder compared with low-flavanol powder as control, a truly double-blind design using cocoa versus non-flavanol containing placebo tablets have been tested in a previous study undertaken by this team, eliminating potential confounding of low-dose flavanol products. While the team's previous study tested a population of young students (mean age = 23 years), the proposed project aims to explore an older population (mean age = 60 years) using the Swinburne University Computerised Cognitive Assessment Battery (SUCCAB) test, assessing speed and accuracy, which has been shown to correlate to cognitive decline through ageing. the study will test the hypothesis whether an acute dose of cocoa improves cognitive function in a middle aged population.

General activity level in patients being considered for spinal stimulation and the improvement in activity levels after stimulator insertion have not been documented and both are unknown. In this study physical activity measurements, as measured by the Garmin Vivofit device, will be compared to usual questionnaires that you complete for assessment of pain, pain relief and functional improvement before and after the insertion of spinal cord stimulator leads. This study involves wearing a wrist band (Vivofit, Garmin Ltd) for 2 weeks before and 1-2 weeks after the insertion of the spinal cord stimulator lead. The primary endpoint will be comparing Vivofit baseline (pre institution of neurostimulation therapy) total step count for 1 week prior to lead insertion to weekly total step count in the last week of the trial of stimulation. Secondary endpoints will compare Vivofit baseline step counts to self-report questionnaires (BPI, Dass21, ESS, PCS, PSEQ, SF36, OSW), TUG, 6MWT, in addition to medication usage at the same time points.

The primary purpose of the study is to assess the efficacy of a neurocognitive training program for improving executive function and arousal state modulation in adults with traumatic brain injury. It is expected that compared to a waitlist control, those who complete the training will show improvements on a rang of cognitive and behavioural measures of executive function, as well as improvement in their ability to regulate arousal state of the brain (brain activity measured by EEG).

Depression in pregnancy is common and also associated with detrimental consequences to both mother and child. Current treatments are limited in that they are not universally effective and also many pregnant women are reluctant to take anti-depressant medications during pregnancy, due to fear of negative foetal effects. Acupuncture may offer a safe alternative as preliminary evidence is suggestive that it is effective in reducing depressive symptoms both during pregnancy and also into the postnatal period. In order to strengthen this evidence base further research is required. How acupuncture may achieve this effect is also unknown and in order to investigate this further, this study aims to assess whether acupuncture positively influences a hormone that is involved in stress buffering, mood stabilisation and maternal / infant bonding.

Aim To determine whether the administration of an intravenous and oral antibiotic regimen is more effective than a placebo for reducing length of hospital stay, pain and symptoms of uncomplicated AD. Hypothesis That patients given the placebo will have a similar resolution of symptoms (as measured by patient reported scores) as those treated with antibiotics without an increase in recurrence or complications. Primary Objective To determine whether antibiotic administration results in a difference in length of hospital stay when compared to a placebo. Secondary Objectives To determine whether antibiotic administration results in a difference in; patient-reported symptom scores, length of stay, occurrence of complications, readmission within 30 days, symptoms of AD, and serum markers of inflammation when compared with patients receiving placebo.