ANZCTR search results

This tissue collection substudy aims to store primary tissue samples at the Breast Cancer Trials (BCT) Tissue Bank in Newcastle, NSW, for use in future research projects to investigate various aspects of cancer. Who Is It For? Patients who are randomized to the ANZ 1501 POSNOC study in Australia and New Zealand. Trial Details: If you decide to take part in the main POSNOC study, you will be asked to sign and date a consent form. As part of the study, researchers will take samples of your tumour from your breast cancer surgery for use in future research. You will not need to have any additional tissue biopsies taken as a result of giving your permission to use your tissue for this purpose. All primary tumour tissue samples will be stored at the BCT Tissue Bank for use in future research projects to investigate various aspects of cancer. All future research on stored tissue will have ethics approval and will be conducted under the supervision of the BCT Scientific Advisory Committee. Research conducted on the tissue samples will not be used for commercial gain. Tissue banking is a way of securely storing samples for use in future research when new tests may become available, so we expect to keep your samples for a long time. The use of banked tissue in future research may help researchers learn more about different types of cancers and how to treat them. The diversity within cancer tissue means that the most reliable information about breast cancer is obtained from clinical trials, as these often look at very specific types of breast cancers. Therefore, they can aim to tailor treatments to the individual patient to find the best outcome for that patient. Translational research (looking at what happens in tissue/tumour cells and then translating the findings to find the most effective way to treat a patient) is best conducted when linked to the information gained from a clinical trial. Patients will not be identified by name. The only identification of tissue will be by a patient study number, hospital or clinic number, patient initials and date of birth. All testing performed on tumour tissue will be performed anonymously. Tumour tissue will be stored indefinitely.

We wish to demonstrate that in adult patients with thoracic trauma requiring tube thoracostomy, the insertion of a sterile, flexible endoscope into the intercostal catheter at the time of insertion will allow direct visualization and guided placement of the catheter into the ideal position. The aim of this small, prospective, preliminary Phase 1 equivalent study is to refine the set-up, procedure, logistics and Trauma Team mechanics related to video-assisted ICC placement. It will be the basis for a larger, randomized trial to determine whether this new technique will remove the commonest complication of ICC insertion for trauma and lead to improved outcomes and a reduced length of hospital stay.

This study aims to reduce student experience of pain, fear and anxiety associated with school-based vaccinations. Our previous research in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney has identified that needle related anxiety is a common experience, and that for some adolescents vaccination can be very distressing. This study will determine if using an iPad application (‘app’), called BrightHearts, during the school vaccination process can improve this experience for students. It will also explore feasibility, acceptability and implementation issues associated with students using the app in this setting. BrightHearts is an award-winning artwork and mobile ‘app’, (2012 Australian Business Arts Foundation: Arts and Health Foundation Award, and 2012 National New Media Art Award, Queensland Art Gallery) developed at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, NSW, for the purpose of teaching children relaxation techniques to cope with pain. It uses an iPad to display a colourful geometric artwork and also plays musical sounds that respond to changes in heart rate transmitted by a wireless pulse monitor worn on the child’s earlobe. Decreases in heart rate animate the sounds and visuals on the app, which is achieved by focusing on relaxing thoughts and taking big slow breaths. This gives the child feedback that their body is more relaxed. We will be inviting at least 120 Year 8 students from three schools in WA to trial the BrightHearts app during a routine school vaccination day. Students will be assigned by chance to either use the BrightHearts app or to be vaccinated without the app (as would usually occur). After vaccination we will ask all students to complete a short questionnaire on an iPad. Students will be asked questions about how they usually feel and how they felt before and during vaccination, including whether they experienced any pain, fear or anxiety. If they used the BrightHearts app they will also be asked what they thought about this. Researchers will also observe the school vaccination days and invite one immunisation nurse and one school staff member from each school to participate in an interview, which will assist in understanding whether BrightHearts is useful and to identify any implementation issues.

Despite increasing use of non-caloric sweeteners in western diets, it is not known whether habitual high intake alters glucose absorption in healthy subjects. This is critical knowledge, as an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes may occur in regular, heavy consumers of non-caloric sweeteners, potentially due to increased uptake of glucose in the intestine. The outcome of this diet supplementation study will, accordingly, be of enormous public health interest as it determines whether intestinal sensors for sugars and artificial sweeteners (intestinal sweet taste receptors) set absorptive capacity in humans.

The aim of the study is to determine to effectiveness of a lower limb home-based exercise program compared with an upper limb home-based exercise program to prevent falls and upper limb dysfunction in older people. A definitive pragmatic randomised controlled trial (n=576) will be undertaken. People will be eligible to participate if they are: 65 years and older; not participating in an exercise program similar to either the lower limb or upper limb exercise program twice per week; do not have a cognitive impairment that would stop them providing informed consent and being able to follow instructions and understand program materials; able to speak and read English; and obtain medical clearance to participate. Recruitment will be via paid advertisements in local papers. Participants will be randomised into the lower limb exercise group or upper limb exercise group after providing informed consent and after completion of the baseline assessment (eg strength, balance and physical activity measures; self-administered questionnaire). Outcome assessors will be blinded to group allocation. The exercise programs will be delivered in three workshops (weeks 1, 4 and 12) by experienced physiotherapists. The lower limb group will be given exercises to improve balance and lower limb strength. The upper limb group participants will receive exercises designed to prevent upper limb dysfunction. All participants will be provided with a calendar to record their exercises and falls on a monthly basis; a program manual and weights. Participants in the lower limb exercise group will also receive a book/booklet about preventing falls. Participants will receive a 5-10 minute booster phone call at nine months after participation commencement. Participants will be asked to complete their exercises at home three times per week for 12 months. The weight to be used at the beginning of the program and progression of exercise intensity will be individualised and determined by the physiotherapists. Participants will be asked to return their calendars to the research team at the end of each month in the supplied reply paid envelopes.

The aim of this pilot pragmatic randomised controlled trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a new online self-help program for people who are having difficulties controlling their gambling. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the program under two different conditions: 1. pure self-help - delivered without any practitioner guidance; and 2. guided self-help - delivered with practitioner guidance via email. It is hypothesised that the guided self-help intervention will lead to better outcomes than the pure self-help intervention.

The primary purpose of this study is to compare the effects of targeted hip strengthening with those of traditional care in a total knee replacement rehabilitation program. The hypotheses of this study are: 1. The targeted hip strengthening program will result in greater performance and patient reported outcomes when compared to usual care rehabilitation. 2. The targeted hip strengthening program will result in greater increases in hip strength than the usual care rehabilitation program.

The objective of this project is to develop methods to allow adaptive radiotherapy for cervical and other gynaecological cancers. Adaptive radiotherapy refers to incorporating patient specific changes over time to tailor the delivery of radiotherapy throughout the course of treatment. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or older, and have been diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer for which you have been recommended radiotherapy to the pelvis. Study details Participants will undergo usual radiotherapy treatment, with additional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans taken just prior to beginning treatment, and weekly during radiotherapy treatment until a maximum of 6 scans have been taken. The results of these scans will not alter the treatment received by participants. Data will be used to aid development of new radiotherapy treatment protocols. It is hoped that the findings of this study will lead to the development of the technical requirements required to implement adaptive radiotherapy using MRI. The potential benefit of this is to improve outcomes for women with gynaecological cancers, and reduce the rates of side effects from treatment.

The COPS trial is a prospective multicentre randomised study to examine the effect of adding low-dose colchicine to standard medical therapy in patients who have had a heart attack. A total of 1009 participants will be recruited from hospitals across Australia over the study period. Participants will be randomised to either (a) standard medical therapy or (b) standard medical therapy plus low-dose oral colchicine. Participants will be followed up for 12 months for predefined major adverse cardiovascular outcomes via telephone interviews. We hypothesise that the addition of colchicine to standard medical therapy will reduce long-term major adverse cardiovascular events in patients who have had a heart attack.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and usefulness of an online information and skills development intervention for carers of individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). Method: Thirty-seven carers and seventeen individuals with AN were recruited; carers completed the intervention Overcoming Anorexia Online (OAO), with random allocation to receiving additional clinician guidance (OAO-G) or no guidance (OAO-NoG). Level of expressed emotion, distress, depressive symptoms, experience of caregiving and impact of eating disorder symptoms were assessed in carers and perceptions of changes in their carers’ expressed emotion were assessed in individuals with AN. Participants completed questionnaires at pre-intervention, post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Results: Significant reductions were found for carer intrusiveness, negative experiences of caregiving and the impact of starvation and guilt. Within group effect sizes suggested mixed findings with respect to whether greater benefits were conferred for carers receiving clinician guidance. Decreases in perceived intrusiveness of the carer by the individual with AN were associated with a large effect size. Discussion: Results demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of an online intervention for carers. Further examination of the efficacy of the intervention for both carers and individuals with AN is warranted.