ANZCTR search results

The purpose of this study is to determine if a telephone call 2 weeks prior to colonoscopy procedure improves patient understanding of the risks of colonscopy.

This study will investigate the effects of a workplace exercise intervention on cardiovascular disease risk, physical fitness and psychological health in adults aged 18-65 years working within an academic institution. It is hypothesised that adherence to a regular exercise program will result in decreased cardiovascular disease risk and increase physical fitness and psychological health.

This project aims to increase the accessibility of an innovative, evidence-based psychological treatment (Healthy Lifestyles Treatment) for reducing tobacco use, improving cardiovascular and mental health among tobacco smokers with depression, psychosis, or neither of these conditions, by translating it to internet-based delivery (iHeLP) and running a small-scale pilot study of the efficacy of this mode of delivery of treatment.

The National Health and Medical Research council’s Guideline for non-surgical management of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis includes recommendations for the use of quadriceps strengthening specifically, and resistance training more generally. However, further research is needed to best identify what exercise prescription has maximal benefit. Individuals with late stage osteoarthritis have been shown the preferentially activate the muscles more laterally when compared with healthy individuals. The aim of this study is to identify which clinical exercises cause a more balanced activation between the medial and lateral muscles of the lower limb. The results of this study may help give better understanding into roles of specific muscles in knee osteoarthritis patients, in ways to better distribution load, thereby, assisting practitioners in prescribing efficient exercises in treating symptoms and preventing knee osteoarthritis. It is expected that modified clinical exercises will result in a more balanced, or more medial activation of the muscles crossing the knee

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of three commonly used treatments for managing heel pain. It is anticipated that more customized interventions will be more effective in reducing pain.

Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has evolved as an effective therapy for drug-refractory AF, and the indications have broadened in recent years. Despite decreased procedural times, reduced complication rates, post-ablation freedom from AF has not improved proportionately in recent years. Metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia in conjunction with obstructive sleep apnoea, excessive alcohol intake and smoking has been associated with increased incidence of AF. However, the impact of modifications of these risk factors on recurrence of AF after catheter ablation is unclear and has not been tested prospectively. Also, these patients are typically not included in risk-factor reduction programs. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of a structured weight managment program as part of the management of atrial fibrillation. It is also intended to assess the effect of weight reduction on the efficacy of atrial fibrillation following catheter ablation and the effect of weight and risk factor management on autonomic tone/pro-arrhythmic substrate.

This study is looking to evaluate physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes using the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents (MARCA) and accelerometers. This study will also evaluate associations between physical activity/sedenatry behaviour and markers of diabetes control. Results from this study will be compared to a nationally representative sample of healthy children and adolescents that have similar evaluations of physical activity and sedentary behaviour.

Violence is a leading cause of death and injury worldwide and a large percentage of prison inmates have histories of violent offending. Numerous studies attest to a strong association between poor impulse control (impulsivity) and violent crime. Impulsivity has been shown to be associated with reduced tone in neural pathways within the brain for which serotonin is the principal neurotransmitter. In a number of studies of impulsive-aggressive individuals, the administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has been associated with reduced aggression, impulsivity and depression. To date, there has been no systematic study of the potential benefits of SSRIs for incarcerated impulsive violent offenders who are at high risk of repeat offending. This trial will examine the effectiveness of treatment with an SSRI in impulsive violent offenders on reoffending using a double blind RCT design.

The aim is to investigate the effect on insulin sensitivity of a high lean red meat diet with minimal dairy; a high dairy diet with no red meat; and a diet that has no red meat and minimal dairy with protein coming from chicken, fish and other sources. Evidence is conflicting about the benefits or risks of consuming meat and dairy products and there is little understanding of the mechanisms behind the findings observed in epidemiological studies. The primary hypothesis was that the red meat diet would produce greater insulin resistance than the high dairy diet with secondary hypotheses that the high dairy diet would produce greater insulin sensitivity than the diet without dairy and that these changes would be greater in those with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) than in those with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).

Despite the best efforts of medical practitioners, a short period of severe post-operative pain is still experienced by many patients undergoing surgery. This is particularly so in patients that undergo laparoscopic repair of a hiatus hernia, since there are limited pain relief options that do not cause nausea and vomiting (as these could ultimately lead to disruption of the surgical repair). Many studies have shown that intravenous lignocaine infusion in the perioperative period is safe and has clear advantages in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. These same studies concluded that further research is needed to determine the optimum dose, timing and duration of infusion of lignocaine in this setting. This study aims to evaluate the benefits and validate the safety of intravenous lignocaine for pain relief for patients undergoing laparoscopic repair of hiatus hernia.