ANZCTR search results

The study will be undertaken within community mental health services across one local health district in New South Wales, Australia. A two group multiple baseline design will be utilised to assess the effectiveness of a 12 month intervention. The 12 month intervention will be implemented sequentially across the two groups, and involve clinical practice change strategies to increase clinician provision of three elements of care for clients (assessment, brief advice, referral) for four health risk behaviours (smoking, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, harmful alcohol consumption and inadequate physical activity). Primary data collection will consist of repeated cross-sectional computer assisted telephone interviews (CATIs) undertaken with clients receiving care from the community mental health services. The interviews will measure client reported receipt of preventive care on a weekly basis for 36 months. Surveys will commence in both groups six months prior to the intervention implementation in the first group of services, and continue until six months post the intervention implementation in the second group of services. To supplement the client data, CATIs will be undertaken with community mental health clinicians pre and post the intervention periods, to measure clinician self-reported preventive care provision.

Study Aim The proposed research aims to measure whether functional splinting in addition to motor training leads to improved upper limb function in children with cerebral palsy and brain injury Background A functional splint is a device that is used to support a weak or ineffective joint or muscle, in order to improve a person's ability to use the limb which the splint is supporting. Splinting to facilitate hand function is a widely practiced intervention in the treatment of children with neurological conditions, although there is little evidence to support the effectiveness of this intervention. There is emerging evidence to support interventions that focus on active use of a limb to improve function. These repetitive, task-specific interventions aim to bring about changes at the neural level. The use of a functional splint may lead to an immediate improvement in function, however, as this in effect inhibits active use at the joint it is supporting, both the short-term and the long-term effect on function when using these splints is unknown. This study seeks to address the gap in literature regarding functional splinting efficacy, and make an important contribution to the evidence base in this field.

The trial will invite patients at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria presenting with acute decompensated heart failure to participate in a study of a dietary supplement (Beetroot extract - Dietary Nitrate) within 48 hours of their hospital admission. Heart failure is a condition where the heart fails to provide enough blood pumping power for the needs of normal body function. At times the condition may worsen significantly leading to fluid retention, low blood pressure, kidney failure and breathlessness, which usually each requires hospitalization. Currently there are limited treatment options available for these patients and there is a high risk of further hospitalization or death in subsequent months after the patient’s admission to hospital. In this study we propose to study the effects of dietary nitrate in th patients described above. There is a growing body of evidence that dietary nitrate in the form of concentrated beetroot supplementation has beneficial cardiovascular effects including lowering blood pressure and enhances exercise performance during sub-maximal exercise. Forty patients will be invited to participate in the trial. After obtaining informed consent, twenty patients will be randomly assigned to treatment with oral Dietary Nitrate (70ml concentrated beetroot juice, manufactured by James White UK) or nitrate depleted placebo once daily for five days. This is in addition to any other medication prescribed by their treating doctor. At enrolment the patients will be educated and counselled about the trial and the intervention medication. Various parameters will be monitored on a daily basis, including objective and subjective symptom review, observations, blood vessel function, weight, kidney function, and medication requirement. Blood samples will also be taken and stored for analysis. We will contact the patient by telephone after 30 days to ask about their health. The primary objective of the trial is to see whether the administration of dietary nitrate will improve blood vessel function and overall treatment outcomes.

Reduced balance and gait are debilitating impairments associated with PD. A home-based interactive stepping videogame has been shown to be an enjoyable and effective form of training in the general older population. The aim of this randomised controlled trial is to determine if a home-based, interactive, stepping videogame for people with PD is effective in improving balance and gait. Secondary aims are to determine the effect on muscle power, mobility, fear of falling and freezing of gait, and to provide data that will establish an effect size for fall rates to inform the design of future trials. The use of the online blog to enhance participation and engagement in the training, as well as gauge acceptability of the interactive stepping videogame program, will also be evaluated. Since poor balance is a major risk factor for falls in people with PD, the development of effective, sustainable and engaging exercise programs to improve balance is an urgent research priority.

This project will investigate the clinical accuracy of the Invisalign(TM) orthodontic aligner system (Align Technology, California, USA) by comparing computer-proposed tooth movements with actual clinical tooth movement, following an increase in the rate of tooth movement per set of aligners from the default 0.25mm per fortnight to 0.5mm per fortnight.

The study is to determine the efficacy of duct tape in treating verruca pedis compared to cryotherapy. Current literature consists of low-quality studies on the use of duct tape for treating verrucae revealing inconsistent results. Thus, this study will assess the efficacy of duct tape in comparison to cryotherapy according to the criteria of total resolution, dimensions, resolution of surrounding warts, pain, adverse effects, participant satisfaction and cost effectiveness.

Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CEMRI) of the breast is the most accurate imaging test to show the size and extent of breast cancer. A new technique, Contrast Enhanced Spectral Mammography (CESM) is also capable of showing areas of abnormal blood flow in the breast that are associated with breast cancer, similar to the way in which contrast enhanced breast MRI works. Due to limited availability and cost, CEMRI is not routinely used to assess all breast cancers in Australia; rather its use is reserved to answer specific questions. Whilst approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), CESM is not routinely used for breast cancer assessment as its role in planning treatment is not yet clear. This study aims to see whether this new technique is as effective as CEMRI in showing the full extent of cancer in the breast - a finding that has been suggested in other studies of CESM. We hope that proof of this will allow more accurate assessment of women with potential cancerous areas in their breasts without the need for CEMRI, which is not suitable for everyone and not widely available due to cost and limited access to MRI machines.

This project will consist of a case series trial of an intervention for chronic pain. The intervention, based on behavioural principles, has previously been successfully applied to treat major depression, anxiety disorders, and chronic fibromyalgia pain. This project aims to extend the existing research by applying the treatment to a small number of individuals with chronic neck pain. It is expected that there will be a clinically significant decrease in pain anxiety, depression, and pain intensity, and increases in activity levels, rate of reinforcement, and quality of life at post-treatment, and at 3 month and 6 month follow-up.

The study is designed to examine the lifestyle and health risk factors of participants in an older age group, living in retirement setting. Those most at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will then be given curcumin /placebo to examine its abiltity to reduce or slow the risk of developing the AD.

The primary aim of the study is to examine if a telephone based intervention designed to increase confidence and motivation (i.e. Motivational Interviewing) increases physical activity in people living in the community following a hip fracture. Secondary aims relate to the effect of this intervention on confidence, quality of life, mental health and mobility.