ANZCTR search results

The study aims to determine if a comprehensive behavioural lifestyle intervention promoting physical activity and encouraging healthy diet can achieve short-term behaviour change in overweight/obese women with a recent history of gestational diabetes, in a real world setting.

This research project is a prospective, randomised clinical study. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the change in medial joint-line position (JLP) of patients implanted with the Unity Total Knee System, in both flexion and extension, from preoperative to six months postoperative. A comparison of the change in JLP of patients having received the Posterior Stabilised versus the Cruciate Retaining surgical technique will be conducted. Secondary objectives are to track clinical outcomes, functional results and imaging assessments of patients implanted with the Unity Total Knee System over a 5-year follow-up period. The study will require 150 participants, equally randomised to receive either the Posterior Stabilised (PS) or Cruciate Retaining (CR) surgical technique. Both PS and CR techniques are reasonable standards of care employed on the basis of surgeon preference. RSA analysis will be performed on a randomised cohort 100 study participants (50 CR and 50 PS). Participants will be assessed preoperatively and postoperatively at discharge, 6 weeks, 6 months, 1 year, 2, 3 and 5 years. All Corin Unity Study procedures adhere to the standard operating procedures at the International Musculoskeletal Research Institute Inc.

The primary purpose of this study is to identify a practical and cost-effective tool to assist overweight and obese people undergoing dietary and lifestyle changes to lose weight and sustain their weight loss.

More than 106,000 Australians suffer from hearing loss and chronic ear infections related to perforations of the ear drum. Closure of these perforations traditionally requires surgery lasting up to an hour or more under general anaesthesia. Conventional myringoplasty has closure rates of ~85% in non-Indigenous populations and 50-70% in Indigenous populations. This project validates a new approach for closure of perforations requiring minimal surgery. Adults are treated under local anaesthesia with a Celgro Trademark Type I/III Collagen Bioscaffold mixed with fibrin glue placed into the perforation, thereby promoting the self-healing capacity of the eardrum.

The purpose of this research project is to study whether it is possible to use a lower total dose of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) and small daily radiation treatments to treat choroidal melanoma, in order to increase the chance of keeping vision in the eye and to reduce the severity of radiation side-effects but without affecting the chance of cure. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged less than or equal to 70 years and have been diagnosed with primary choroidal melanoma (small and medium sized) by an ophthalmologist. You should not have received previous treatment to the affected eye with radiation, laser or thermotherapy. Study details All participants in this study will receive reduced dose FSRT to a dose of 60Gy in 30 fractions, given 5 fractions per week over 6 weeks. It is known that small daily doses of radiation (2Gy) will protect normal tissues from radiation injury when compared with large daily doses. When small daily doses are used it is called full fractionation. Tissues such as the eye nerve and the blood vessels at the back of the eye are especially protected by full fractionation. FSRT is a technology that makes it possible to use full fractionation to treat choroidal melanoma, so this may make it possible to reduce side-effects and keep better vision in the eye. Participants will be followed for up to 10 years to evaluate disease response, vision and any radiation side-effects.

Individuals with intellectual disability experience around twice the rate of mental health difficulties than typically-developing individuals. Anxiety is a common problem, however not only will the majority of people with intellectual disability not receive specialist psychological services, there is a paucity of research on evidence-based treatment approaches for this population. This study will adapt a well-validated psychological treatment (cognitive behavioural therapy; CBT) for use with adults with mild intellectual disability and anxiety. This new treatment program will be evaluated to investigate whether it is effective in treating anxiety in adults with mild intellectual disability.

The purpose of this study is to investigate sedentary behaviour in people with cardiovascular disease undergoing a cardiac rehabilitation program at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility and impact of a goal-setting intervention at decreasing daily sedentary time in people with cardiovascular disease. A secondary aim of this study is to describe the sedentary behaviour (total duration and type of activities) of people with cardiovascular disease before and after undertaking a cardiac rehabilitation program.

BRIEF BACKGROUND SUMMARY 1. Low serum testosterone levels are common in men with advanced liver disease 2. Symptoms and signs of testosterone deficiency are common in men with advanced liver disease 3. Low testosterone levels correlate with increased mortality in men with advanced liver disease HYPOTHESES 1. Testosterone therapy is not associated with significant adverse outcome in men with advanced liver disease 2. Testosterone treatment will increase muscle mass and bone mineral density in men with advanced liver disease SPECIFIC AIMS To conduct a single centre randomised controlled trial to assess the efficacy of 12 months of testosterone therapy in men with advanced liver disease and low serum testosterone

Many people live with the distress and difficulties arising from breathlessness which continues despite treatment of the disease which is causing it. Exercise is known to be important and helpful for breathlessness, but the breathlessness itself, inevitably triggered by exertion, often puts people off persisting with this. Simple measures such as the use of a hand held battery operated fan to give cool airflow to the face can be helpful in easing breathlessness. The fan is cheap, easy to use and to carry around and something that both patient and their carer can manage, but it has never been assessed to see whether such a simple device could support people to exercise more as part of their daily routine. However, it is likely that in order to test this question, we will need a big study with several research teams who have an interest in the area working together. This study is the first step in planning such a study involving colleagues in the UK and Australia. This first stage, therefore, is to see how we should set up such a study with regard to the following: 1. Will patient participants find the study we propose acceptable and practical? 2. What are the practicalities of working together with colleagues from the UK? 3. What number of participants would we need to make the full study able to answer our research question and is it possible to recruit sufficient numbers?

The need for this research study is evident as work-related upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders have become increasingly common conditions being treated by hand therapists in recent years. It is for this reason that there is a continual need to enhance treatment methods that are in line with current evidence-based interventions used with clients. With this increase in work-related overuse injuries, there is a strong demand for both effective treatments and improved self-management strategies for these longstanding, debilitating injuries. Kinesiotape, a form of elastic therapeutic tape, was developed by Dr. Kenso Kase in the 1970’s and is a relatively new elastic therapeutic tape used for treating a variety of injuries in clinical practice. The principle behind kinesiotape is the theory that it supports injured muscles and joints and helps to relieve pain by lifting the skin and allowing improved blood and lymph flow. Despite its popularity and widespread clinical use, there is relatively little high quality evidence available to support the effectiveness of kinesiotape for injuries, let alone specific upper limb overuse injuries. Amongst rehabilitation practitioners, there is a strong need for further research into the claims of kinesiotape’s effectiveness, especially due to its recent widespread use. More rigorous higher level evidence is required so practitioners can be informed about using this treatment modality with their patients. It is anticipated that the results of this research study will enhance evidence for the use of kinesiotape in treating upper limb overuse injuries at a broader level and, more specifically, lead to the development of a clinical pathway at Toowoomba Hand Therapy for the management of lateral epicondylitis with the use of kinesiotape. Aim 1: To assess the effectiveness of elastic therapeutic tape in treating lateral epicondylitis in adults when compared to sham tape or exercise, massage and activity modification advice. Aim 2: To assess the effectiveness of the use of elastic therapeutic tape in early return to work compared to sham tape or exercise, massage and activity modification advice. Aim 3: To investigate people’s experience with using elastic therapeutic tape, adherence with treatment and the impact on their recovery, function and return to pre-injury roles. It is hypothesised that the use of elastic therapeutic tape will play a role in the short term reduction of pain for people with lateral elbow tendinosis.