ANZCTR search results

Do balance performance measures (both static and dynamic balance) on the low cost HUMAC Balance device have similar classification accuracy for balance impairment as the Neurocom EquiTest (Registered Trademark) System in healthy people over 60 years and people over 60 who have had a stroke

The research is aimed at investigating and comparing two surgical techniques practised for hip replacement surgery. The standard approach used across many health institutions is the posterior approach. This study compares the outcomes between the posterior and the anterior approach. The anterior approach is a well established technique that is widely used in Europe and the USA. There is reportedly a reduced rate of dislocation and quicker recovery time. However it is a technique that requires a higher level of skill and specialized equipment. The study aims to determine if the anterior approach for hip replacement surgery is equal if not better when compared to the standard posterior approach. Participants will be randomly allotted into one of two groups. One group will have surgery via the anterior approach and the other via the posterior approach. Participants will only know which group they are allotted to post operatively.

This study is the first three-phase mixed method sequential design conducted to investigate the effect of Lavender or Lemon Balm on agitation in older people living in residential aged care facilities [RACFs]. This study will investigate the clinical effect of the essential oils on agitation and the situation, RACF setting, in which the clinical investigation is being conducted to identify perceptions or bias which may influence the study and outcomes. This proposed study is guided by the following questions: *What is the effect of Lavender or Lemon Balm aromatherapy on agitation in older people living in RACFs? *Are there differences between the agitation behaviour, frequency or severity experienced relative to no dementia or the degree of dementia? *Is the effectiveness of agitation management with Lavender or Lemon Balm dependent on no dementia or degree of dementia? *Can aromatherapy management affect the quality of life for the older person living in RACFs? *Can a nurse’s pre conceived perception and clinical experiences of aromatherapy effect methods and outcomes in essential oil investigations? This research seeks to answer the research questions by addressing five hypotheses: *Participants when receiving the Lavender or Lemon Balm aromatherapy treatment will experience less agitation than when receiving placebo treatment. *Participants who have dementia will experience greater agitation than participants who have no dementia. *Aromatherapy affects agitation differently in older people with no dementia to those with dementia. *Participant’s quality of life will improve with aromatherapy treatment groups than those receiving the placebo. *Bias in the study will be identified through nurses’ perceptions of aromatherapies effectiveness and practicality in RACFs

This study is a single-blind randomized controlled pilot of a cognitively-enriched dance intervention called “We Think You can Dance!” for aged care facility residents with dementia. Residents will be randomly assigned to the dance program (n=8) or passive listening to a classical music and socialisation control group (n=8), for three 45-minute sessions a week for 16 weeks. Assessments will be conducted before, immediately and 2 months after the 16 week intervention period. We hypothesise that residents who participate in the dance group will improve in cognition, clinical assessment of change, agitation, physical function and activities of daily living relative to the control group.

Attempts have been made to predict kayak performance at the elite level by measuring parameters such as physiological conditioning, body measurements and flexibility. However, certain areas of the body that have been identified as regions of high strain during kayak paddling have not been studied for their effect on performance. The spine is an example of one of these regions. The aim of this project is to test the effect of spinal manipulative therapy on the performance of elite kayakers. The study will measure the change in stroke pattern, rowing performance and muscle activation following administration of a stretching program with and without spinal manipulation. Rowing performance will be assessed on an ergometer (fixed rowing machine). Stroke pattern analysis will be conducted using a multi-camera digital recording system while muscle activation will be assessed using surface electromyography (EMG). All of these measures will be taken pre and post rowing performance.

The study will compare the effectiveness of standard deprivation therapy and radiation therapy combined either with enzalutamide or with currently available antiandrogen drugs for improving the survival in men with localised prostate cancer at high risk of recurrence. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are a male aged 18 years or more who has been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the prostate, judged to be at high risk for recurrence. You must also be deemed suitable for external beam radiation therapy. Study details Participants in this study will be randomly (by chance) allocated to one of two treatment groups. Participants in one group will be treated with 160mg Enzalutamide daily by mouth for 24 months. Participants in the other group will receive currently available anti-androgen drugs for 6 months. Anti-androgen drugs block testosterone and related androgens from attaching to molecules in the cancer cell called “androgen receptors.” Blocking this attachment prevents androgens from having their effect. This might provide additional benefit in treating the cancer although this has not yet been proven. Participants will be regularly assessed in order to determine which of these treatments is best at improving the survival of men, as well as the ability of treatments to control prostate cancer, the safety of the treatments, the effects of the treatments on quality of life, and differences in the costs of care.

The PMH physiotherapy and plastics department would like to review the current practices of how we manage children with the simpler, uncomplicated finger fractures (broken bones). We want to see if we can provide treatment in a more time efficient and cost effective way, whilst ensuring the fractures continue to heal well. These fractures tend to managed with a 3 week immobilisation in a plaster cast. Currently, after seeing the doctor and having the cast removed, families and patients may wait over two hours to see the physiotherapists for advice on exercise and a home program to help with the stiffness after the cast is taken off. This long wait to see the physiotherapy continues despite many changes made to the way we run the clinics in an attempt to decrease this wait time. Many families have complained about this long wait time. We have investigated how other children’s hospitals in Australia manage simple fractures of the hand. We found that the treatment varies between the Australian states and there is little in the medical literature that gives us guidance as to whether children have any short or long term problems if they don’t have physiotherapy after the cast is taken off. We want to determine if children with simple hand fractures are able to achieve full active movement of all the fingers and wrist with just the provision of an education and physiotherapy exercise handout alone, instead of the one-on-one hand therapy currently provided by the physiotherapist. This in turn will reduce the burden on the family to travel to PMH for unnecessary appointments and decrease the wait time for physiotherapy, as fewer children will need this service during clinic. It will also ensure the physiotherapist can safely prioritise patients with other more complicated fractures where physiotherapy is essential to improve their recovery. The outcome of this study will identify the most efficient and effective way of managing the simple finger and hand fractures. Other Australian states are interested in changing their practise based on our results.

This project builds on an earlier project and seeks to examine the efficacy and acceptability of the Wellbeing Course for Arabs. We expect overall the Course that symptoms of anxiety and depression will improve in the culturally-adapted group. However, we expect that the participants who are more acculturated will do better in the culturally adapted version of the Wellbeing Course.

In this study, we will address the following specific research question: can a single-dose of tocilizumab prevent allergen-induced airway inflammation and bronchoconstriction? Tocilizumab will be administered intravenously as a single dose of 8mg/kg seven days before allergen challenge. This combination of dose and route of administration is currently approved in Australia to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis monthly. Lung function will be assessed periodically in the 7h following allergen challenge. Airway inflammation will be measured at 7h and 24h following allergen challenge. Bronchoconstriction and airway inflammation will be compared between the TCZ and placebo groups to determine drug efficacy.

Auditory hallucinations (AH) are one of the most common and distressing symptoms of schizophrenia, occurring in more than 70% of patients. Whilst the primary form of treatment for AH is antipsychotic medications, a significant proportion (30-40%) of patients fail to respond significantly to pharmacological therapy. Novel treatment options are therefore needed. A substantial body of evidence suggests that auditory hallucinations may be improved with repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), although in these studies, and in our clinical experience, only a small proportion of patients respond to this treatment. The majority of studies which have demonstrated modest response rates to rTMS for AH have used a relatively standard approach for targeting the brain regions believed to be implicated in AH; namely, the 10–20 EEG system for localising the left temporoparietal cortex. It is therefore reasonable to propose that by more accurately targeting brain regions implicated in AH for each individual patient, a greater reduction in the intensity and frequency of AH may be observed. We propose to investigate this using neuro-navigational methods combined with resting state functional connectivity MRI-based scanning to more precisely pinpoint the site of stimulation in individual patients. We will recruit participants with a diagnosis with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who experience auditory hallucinations, and they will undergo a resting state MRI scan prior to treatment. They will then receive rTMS treatment either based on an analysis of their MRI scan, or treatment localised using the standard 10-20 EEG method. This study has the potential to substantially contribute to the development of rTMS as a new therapeutic tool for treatment-resistant auditory hallucinations.