ANZCTR search results

Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) have complex sleep issues and a higher incidence of sleep disturbance than typically developing children. Sleep disturbance has serious impact on their physical and mental health, development, daytime function and well-being, and that of their caregivers. Although management of body temperature is frequently identified as an issue affecting sleep of children with CP, there is no reported information to guide clinical practice in this area. The primary purpose of this research is to determine the effects of thermoregulation materials which are used to manage body temperature during sleep of children with CP. This study will measure the effects of specialised bedding on thermoregulation during sleep of children with CP and will be conducted as an intervention study. In a cross over randomised design, children with CP who have sleep and thermoregulation problems will be randomly assigned to begin a four week trial period using either the intervention bedding or the control (sham bedding). This will be followed by an immediate reversed sham or thermoregulation intervention period for four weeks. Measures of body temperature, thermal comfort, perspiration, and sleep, will be taken during each phase. Measures of children’s and caregivers’ activity, participation and quality of life will be taken at the start and at the end of each phase.

The purpose of this study is to investigate if restoring sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation by cardioversion is associated with impairment of endothelial function, arterial stiffness and inflammation. The hypotheses to be tested include: 1) Restoration of sinus rhythm by cardioversion will adversely affect endothelial function, arterial stiffness and inflammation. 2) The length of time patients remain in sinus rhythm will correlate significantly with changes in endothelial function, arterial stiffness and inflammation.

This project aims to investigate the effects of consuming whole grain foods, whilst following a weight reduction diet for 3 months, on body weight as well as indicators of disease including cholesterol levels, blood levels of insulin and glucose, blood pressure, inflammation markers and antioxidant measures. Therefore, this study is a very important step towards building evidence for specific whole grains as important foods in appetite control that may aid weight loss, as well as reduce the risk of disease.

This prospective study 0f 20 patients.In both the groups Bilateral TAP catheters will be placed using an ultrasound guided approach post-operatively with the bolus dose of 20 ml of 0.5% Ropivacaine bilaterally. In post anaesthetic care unit (PACU) an infusion of Ropicavaine 0.2% will be administered @ 8ml/hr for 2 days in the Continuous group. Whereas in Intermittent group only bolus doses 20ml 0.2% ropivacaine will be administered by the Acute pain service personnell every 8 hrly for 48 hrs. Patients in both groups will be provided with Paracetamol 1 gram 4 times a day (orally or IV) and a Fentanyl PCA device (bolus 10 to 40 mcg; lockout time 5 min; no back-ground infusion) as part of a multimodal analgesic approach. The following parameters will be registered: Numerical Rating Scores for Pain (NRS-P; 0-10) at rest and on coughing in PACU at 0 and I hour and in the postoperative ward at 24 hrs, 48 hrs. Fentanyl use in PACU and postoperative ward on day 1 & day 2. Procedure related: material costs and other issues will be noted. Any rescue medication used. A 4 point ‘Likert’-scale will be used on day 2 and during a follow-up telephone call at one month to assess patient satisfaction with the analgesic technique used. discharge time and cost analysis will be assessed. All results will be recorded on a data collection sheet in a prospective fashion and subsequently entered in a protected database

The effect of muscle relaxation on latissimus dorsi ease of flap dissection are unknown though the technique has frequently ben recommended. The purpose of the trial is to measure the facilitation of flap dissection by means of assessing the force (N) required to lift the flap a few centimetres off its surface, thus mimicking surgical handling of the flap. The measurement is done with a sterile scale. 3 measurements will be done: 1. baseline, 2. after either rocuronium or saline administration intravenously, and 3. after administration of the drug (rocuronium or saline) not yet given at 2.. The measurement will be done by a researcher blinded to the administration sequence of the drugs.

This study aims to describe the symptoms, quality of life and supportive care needs of people diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma (MM). Additionally, we aim to describe the nutritional and functional status of people with MM, and to assess the relationship between psychological factors (anxiety and depression) and quality of life and other outcomes. Who is it for? You may be eligible to joint this study if you are aged 18 years or more and have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Study details Participants in this study will be asked to complete a range of patient reported outcome measures at 6-12 week intervals for up to 2 years. These measures will include assessment of health related quality of life, anxiety and depression and unmet supportive care needs. Optional sub-studies will involve nutritional assessment, functional assessment and donation of additional blood for the analysis of inflammatory markers.

This project aims to investigate the effectiveness of daily supplementation with Glycomax 'trademark' Lactoferrin and bovine whey-derived Ig-rich fraction on symptoms of atopic dermatitis. The study is a double-blind placebo-controlled parallel trial and consists of two phases, a 56 day supplement period followed by a four week post supplement follow up. The study group will consist of both male and females adults (n=45). Participants will range in age from 18-60 years with a confirmed diagnosis of atopic dermatitis made by a dermatologist.

Endurance training stimulates many muscular adaptations such as an increase in mitochondrial content and enzyme activity, which enhance an athlete’s ability to utilise both fat and carbohydrate as energy sources during exercise. When exercising continuously at low to moderate intensities (50-60% of maximal aerobic capacity [VO2max]) the energy for muscular work comes predominately from fat-based fuels, with less reliance on carbohydrate-based fuels (Romijn et al., 1993). However, athletes typically compete at higher intensities (>80% of VO2max). At such work rates, there is a reliance on carbohydrate-based fuels for oxidative metabolism. For example, O’Brien et al (1993) reported 97% of energy from carbohydrate-based fuels when running a marathon (42.2 km) in 2 h 45 minutes, in comparison to a 68% contribution when running the distance in 3 h 45 minutes. Whilst well-trained individuals may be more efficient at utilising fat-based fuels during training, at race pace in events lasting 90-100 minutes carbohydrate-based fuels are the major source for muscle metabolism. However, to date few investigations have determined the contributions of fat and carbohydrate to fuel metabolism during races lasting ~90 minutes. The current study will quantify substrate utilisation during simulated half-marathon time trials and determine if blocking fatty acid metabolism (lipolysis) will impair performance in well-trained runners. We hypothesise that blocking lipolysis by administration of Nicotinic Acid during a half-marathon time trial will not affect performance.

This study is investigating the prevalence and severity of genitourinary symptoms in postmenopausal women receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy for early stage breast cancer and the impact on sexual function and quality of life. Who is it for? You may be eligible to joint this study if you are a postmenopausal female, aged 18 -75 years, with early stage breast cancer and hormone receptor-positive tumours, for which you are about to commence adjuvant endocrine therapy with either tamoxifen (TAM) or aromatase inhibitors (AIs). You will need to be sufficiently competent in English in order to complete the study questionnaires. Study details All participants in this study are asked to complete self-administered questionnaires at baseline (prior to starting endocrine therapy), and 6-, 12- and 24-month follow-ups. The standardised questionnaires used relate to genitourinary symptoms, sexual function and quality of life. The findings from this study could be used to identify patients at risk of developing genitourinary symptoms and also to offer appropriate interventions early to prevent and ameliorate such symptoms which are likely to have a negative impact on quality of life and may contribute to a low compliance with treatment. We believe that this study has the potential to document the extent and impact of genitourinary symptoms in breast cancer survivors about to start adjuvant endocrine therapy and what happens over time. It will also lead to intervention studies in the future.

Surgical removal of the adrenal glands is in our unit performed by a posterior approach were the adrenal is accessed from the back with keyhole surgery. The retroperitoneum (space around the adrenal) is inflated with pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) to create an operative space. Normally, we use a starting pressure of 25mmHg, which may be increased to 28 mmHg, at the surgeon’s discretion. Occasionally, CO2 retention with increasing levels of CO2 in blood can occur and the retroperitoneum needs to be deflated for the patients CO2 levels to recover. On the other hand, with too low pressure, bleeding may increase and visibility may become be impaired. In the early experiences of retroscopicadrenalectomy, centers reported that they used pressures of 12mmHg to 15mmHg with success. However, many authors claim to have less bleeding and better visibility using pressures over 20-24mmHg. Also, in the largest cohort of retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy published, a pressure between 20mmHg and 28mmHg was routinely used without any excess of adverse events. The implications of using different pressures have been reported in a few studies. The first one compared pressures at 15 mmHg and at 20mmHg in retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy and showed a statistical, but not clinical, significant difference in arterial pCO2 levels. Another study did not show any difference in arterial carbon dioxide pressure between patients undergoing open and retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy at 12 to 16mmHg. There are no studies examining the different physiological effects of pressures between 25-20mmHg in retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy, but nonetheless high pressures are routinely used in general practise with very few adverse events. The current study proposes to start with a pressure of 25 mmHg in group A and 20 mmHg in Group B as insufflation pressures during retroperitonescopic (keyhole) adrenalectomy. Routine clinical blood samples (arterial line blood gases) will be drawn every 30 minutes, and these samples are, together with selected clinical data, recorded for data analysis.