ANZCTR search results

The MARRC Study aims to address the gaps in current evidence for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition in older adults. The project aims to answer: “Among malnourished older adults admitted to rural rehabilitation units in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, does engaging the informal carer as part of nutrition support improve nutrition status, functional status, quality of life, rehabilitation outcome (length of stay and institutionalisation), incidence of hospitalisation and cost-effectiveness of care at discharge and 90 days post-discharge compared with usual care?” The intervention involves nutrition intervention, which is a one off counselling session involving the patient and their informal carer and post-discharge telephone reviews for the informal carer. The control group receives standard care, which does not involve the informal carer or post-discharge support.

Speech and language therapy results in positive communication and psychosocial outcomes for people with aphasia. However, access to services is difficult and research into alternative service delivery models is needed. One such alternative is telerehabilitation which allows access to treatment remotely. This project will investigate the feasibility of telerehabilitation treatment of aphasia. AIMS: This research project has the following specific aims: 1.To determine the feasibility of using telerehabilitation to provide intensive aphasia therapy, group therapy and communication partner training to people with aphasia using computerbased multipoint videoconferencing. 2.To describe the perceptions and experiences of people with aphasia and their communication partners participating in telerehabilitation aphasia treatment programs.

In this clinical study we aim to assess the difference, if any, in intra-operative soft tissue balancing in computer navigated and conventional total knee replacement (TKR). Computer navigated TKRs have been shown to produce better alignment of the components compared to conventional TKR. Whether there is any long term advantage of computer navigated TKR in terms of function and durability and patient satisfaction is as yet not proven. In this prospective, randomised, patient blinded study, we shall measure the ligament balancing in both groups intra-operatively. This will be done using a tensiometer instrument. There is no morbidity associated with the use of this device which gives an instantaneous reading.

We aim to determine whether a purse string suture to a patients groin is more or less effective than manual pressure in preventing complications such as bleeding and bruising following ablation procedures. We intend to randomise patients in a 1 to 1 fashion to either use of a purse string suture or manual pressure over the femoral vein to achieve haemostasis following ablation procedures. We intend to randomise patients in this fashion who need anticoagulation for their procedure with the hypothesis that the purse string suture is a more efficient and more effective way to provide groin haemostasis for patients post ablation.

There is evidence that oxidative stress contributes to the pathogenesis of hypertension. The primary objective of the study was to determine if vitamin C and polyphenols, alone or in combination, can lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.

Summary The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of adding mitomycin (a chemotherapy drug) to best current treatment in patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are at least 18 years of age and have been diagnosed with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. You should have undergone transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) within 8 weeks prior to enrolment with no visible disease remaining. Trial details Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is common, causes substantial suffering, and requires radical removal or irradiation of the bladder within 5 years in over 30% of people with high risk tumours despite best current treatment. Recent preliminary studies show promising results from adding mitomycin, a chemotherapy drug, to best current treatment with BCG. Participants in this trial will be randomly (by chance) allocated to one of two groups. Participants in one group will receive the current standard treatment. This involves direct instillation of the drug, Bacillus of Calmette-Guerin (BCG) into the bladder weekly for 6 weeks, and then monthly for 10 months. Participants in the other group with receive BCG and the chemotherapy drug, mitomycin, via instillation into the bladder weekly for 9 weeks, and then monthly for 9 months. Participants will be regularly assessed for up to 5 years in order to determine the effects of adding mitomycin on cure rates, survival, side effects, and quality of life.

The study is evaluating the safety and feasibility of zoledronic acid to prevent joint complication (osteonecrosis) following chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoma in children and adolescents. Who is it for? You or your child may be eligible to join this study if you/they are aged between 5 and 16 years and have been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma. Trial details: In participants more than 10 years of age the drug zoledronic acid will be intravenously infused (i.e. administered directly into the vein) on day 8 of chemotherapy and again 6 weeks later (Group 1). Children between 5-10 years of age will not receive zoledronic acid (Group 2). Both groups will be regularly monitored by blood tests and radiological interventions for up to 2 years post treatment in order to determine the feasibility and safety of zoledronic acid and the incidence of osteonecrosis (joint complication of cancer treatment).

Recent investigations into a range of native Australian species grown commercially for the food industry have emphasised the need for further research into the potential health benefits of these species, in particular, Davidsonia pruriens (Davidson Plum). An open label exploratory pilot study is proposed to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of an extract of Davidson Plum in humans. Additionally, a range of physical and cognitive screening tests will be trialled that incorporate known markers of health status, including lung function, grip strength, mobility impairment, mood and quality of life. It is hypothesized that the oral administration of the study medication over 2 weeks will result in a statistically significant change in markers of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory status. Both smokers and non-smokers will be enrolled. The analysis will look at the total population and then at smokers and non-smokers separately.

We hypothesize that ICU patients have changes in the structure of their small intestinal cells that predisposes them to malabsorption of nutrients. To investigate this, we are comparing biopsies from 15 ICU patients and comparing them to biopsies from 15 healthy patients. We will analyse the samples with an electron microscope.

Postnatal depression and anxiety in women are associated with disability and diminished caregiving capacity and are of national concern. The 2009 National Perinatal Depression Initiative addresses identification of and treatment for currently symptomatic women. However, a comprehensive health service response also requires strategies to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders. To date, interventions to prevent postnatal mental health problems have had limited success, perhaps because they focused only on women and did not include fathers or the baby; addressed needs for support by providing increased professional care rather than attempting to enhance a woman’s intimate relationships, and did not take history of mental disorders into account. The common agenda of the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development; the Mental Health Division of the Victorian Department of Health, the Parenting Research Centre and the Jean Hailes Research Unit, Monash University is to optimize maternal mental health and wellbeing through evidence-based universal approaches. This inclusive Partnership is essential to the implementation and testing of a novel intervention to meet these needs. What Were We Thinking (WWWT) is a well-theorized, salient, structured, gender-informed, couples-based early postpartum psycho-educational intervention provided in maternal and child health services. It addresses the intimate partner relationship, infant behaviour management, and the mediating effects of occupational fatigue. We have promising early evidence from a controlled before and after study that WWWT prevents postpartum mental health problems in women. This cluster randomized controlled trial will establish whether WWWT is effective in reducing the 30 day prevalence of depression, anxiety and adjustment disorders in primiparous women and improving infant behaviour, mother-infant relationship and partner relationship at six months postpartum.