ANZCTR search results

This study aims to see whether common herbs and spices have the ability to lower high blood pressure.

Stepping Up is a cluster randomised controlled trial that examines the effectiveness of the “Stepping Up” program in general practice to help patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes for whom insulin is indicated move onto insulin in a timely evidence-based manner. The Stepping Up program involves two elements that address key factors we have found to be important and influential in the way insulin is or is not initiated in general practice. These elements are: -supportive education for GP, Practice Nurse (PN) and Credentialed Diabetes Educator–Registered Nurse (CDE-RN) that addresses inter-professional culture and clarifies roles and -practice systems change that is congruent with work practices of GP and PN and needs of patients to facilitate timely introduction and titration of insulin.

The aim of this study is to investigate the acute and chronic effects of LONGVIDA® Optimized Curcumin on cognitive function, mood and potential biomarkers of action in older individuals who are either cognitively healthy or show evidence of cognitive decline. Participants will attend Swinburne University Hawthorn for one screening and practice visit, during which informed consent will be obtained, eligibility will be confirmed and participants will be familiarised with study measures. In Stage One of the study participants will attend two testing sessions at baseline and four-weeks. During these sessions a fasting blood sample will be collected and participants will complete cognitive and mood assessments prior to treatment administration, one hour post administration and three hours post administration. Between testing sessions participants will be required to take one capsule (curcumin or placebo) every day between breakfast and lunch. At the conclusion of Stage One a subset of participants will be invited to complete Stage Two of the study. In stage Two participants will complete two testing sessions at baseline and eight weeks. During these sessions a fasting blood sample will be collected and participants will complete cognitive and mood assessments prior to treatment administration and one hour post administration. At three hours post administration particiapnts will complete cognitive assessment tasks while undergoing an fMRI scan.

Measurement of the hepatic venous pressure gradient is performed in patients with cirrhosis to assess for portal hypertension and monitor effectiveness of portal venous pressure-lowering therapies. These include treatment with the non-selective beta-blocker, propranolol, while the broad-spectrum antibiotic, rifaximin, has also been shown to be effective. Whether these treatments to reduce portal venous hypertension in patients with cirrhosis are also associated with reduced bacterial translocation from the intestine and whether reduced bacterial translocation, in turn, results in amelioration of liver dameg are currently unknown. The aim of this study is to meaure markers of bacterial translocation and liver damage in patients with portal venous hypertension complicating cirrhosis who are undergoing hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement at baseline and after four weeks of propranolol therapy. Should the portal venous pressure not be improved satisfactorily after treatment with propranolol alone, then rifaximin will be added and the portal venous pressure and markers of bacterial translocation and liver damage will be reassessed after a further 28 days. Patients intolerant of or with contraindications to propranolol will be studied at baseline and after 28 days of rifaximin monotherapy.

Breastfeeding has many benefits for mothers and babies, but although many women in Victoria start breastfeeding, many stop sooner than they had planned. Telephone support from another mother with breastfeeding experience has been found to increase breastfeeding in other countries, but we don’t know whether this approach would work here in Australia. The aim of the project is to find out whether providing breastfeeding support by telephone could increase the percentage of women breastfeeding for at least six months.

Polyps which are tiny growths in the large intestine can be classified into two categories: adenomas which have a potential to transform into large intestine cancer compared with hyperplastic polyps with minimal potential to transform into cancer. Majority of polyps found at colonoscopy are small (<6-9mm) or diminutive (<5mm) and half of these are hyperplastic. The current gold standard for assessing what category the large intestine polyp falls under is histology (review of the tissue under a microscope), however this results in significant cost to the health system in the form of specimen transportation and pathologists assessment. This delay in polyp diagnosis also leads to indirect costs such as outpatient clinic review post procedure to discuss timing of surveillance colonoscopy pending histological diagnosis of colonic polyps. Advancements in colonoscopy technology has led to improvements in the ability to diagnose the polyp category visually during the procedure (optical diagnosis) which would allow the polyp tissue to be discarded and a surveillance date for repeat endoscopy provided directly after the procedure circumventing the need for review in the outpatient setting. Our aim is to assess the accuracy of optical diagnosis by consultant gastroenterologists in comparison to the gold standard of histology for diminutive large intestine polyps. Secondary end point includes cost benefit analysis of resect and discarding diminutive polyps based on optical diagnosis. The importance of this study relates to possible impact on costs to the health care system. There will be no impact on patients as standard practice of polyp resection and histological assessment will remain unchanged. Instead endoscopists will be asked to document polyp histology based on optical diagnosis and subsequent surveillance colonoscopy interval based on current NHMRC guidelines on data collection sheets post procedure separate to the colonoscopy report. Due to the nature of data collection, the patient will not be required to give up any of their time to participate in this study. In terms of safety this study does not involve changes to standard endoscopic practice and therefore safety precautions.

Study background: Research is now starting to make clear what is happening in the circuitry of the brain in Dyslexia. A number of research groups have shown that regions in posterior regions of the left hemisphere of the brain, where printed words are usually analysed and converted into speech sounds (phonemes), appear to be grossly underactive during the reading process. Dyslexic individuals also appear to over activate the posterior regions of the right hemisphere of the brain, regions more concerned with non-verbal processing. The evidence suggests that the brains of Dyslexic individuals compensate for difficulty with phoneme expression by over-recruitment of non-verbal pattern recognition to process the printed word. This would explain why the acquisition of reading skills in Dyslexia remains such an effortful and less fluid process. Study rationale: Neurotherapy holds promise as a different approach to the treatment of Dyslexia. In general, neurotherapy seeks to achieve its effects by improving brain function rather than use intensive training to compensate for underdeveloped brain functionality. Relevant to the findings reported above, Neurotherapy is expressly concerned with identifying and normalising relevant regions of the brain that are under or over active during psychological function. Numerous research studies have shown that Neurotherapy results in measurable and clinically significant improvements in psychological function, including attention, impulse control, mood, anxiety and learning and memory. There are good reasons to expect that the effectiveness of the approach will generalise to Dyslexia. However, research specifically addressing this question is still in its early stages. Aims of the project: The aim of the present study is to test the effectiveness of two forms of neurotherapy in treating dyslexia (DC-Stim and Neurofeedback), and in particular those dyslexic conditions specifically associated with phonological processing difficulties. It is hypothesised that neurotherapy will produce significant improvement in reading ability. In addition, it is predicted there will be normalisation in the pattern of brain electrical activity treated by neurotherapy.

90% of subjects undergoing dialysis for chronic kidney disease (CKD) require regular treatment of anaemia with iron and erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs), costing in excess of $150 million per year. Anaemia results from deficient production of erythropoietin and reduced Fe absorption and utilization. The latter results from excessive production of hepcidin in response to elevated interleukin 6 (IL6) levels. Recently, we conducted a 4-week pilot study of pentoxifylline (PTF) in anaemic patients with CKD and showed it was effective at reducing serum IL6 levels and improving haemoglobin levels. In this study we will determine longer-term efficacy by administering PTF to anaemic CKD patients for 6 months. If successful, we would recommend that therapy with PTF, which is 5% the cost of ESA therapy, could become the standard of care.

The Young Women’s Heart Health Study aims to assess the influence and sustainability of a 12-week multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention - comprising of physical activity, nutrition education and cognitive behavioural therapy - on cardiovascular disease risk factors in young inactive Caucasian women aged 18 to 30 years who have abdominal obesity. Cardio-metabolic markers analysed at baseline, post-intervention and 3-months post intervention will include: waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure, aerobic fitness, triglycerides, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, hsCRP HDL-cholesterol, cardiac structure and function, myocardial strain, vascular endothelial function and arterial intima-media thickness. It is hypothesised that the lifestyle intervention will reduce abdominal obesity and improve cardio-metabolic markers. The outcome of this work aspires to advance the understanding of heart health in young women.

The aim of this pilot study is to explore the feasibility and efficacy of a rehabilitative dance intervention designed to reduce disability and to improve quality of life in a small sample of adults with Parkinson’s disease. Twenty adults with PD will be recruited and randomly allocated to either a usual care group or an 8-week dance intervention. Gait, balance and quality of life will be measured in all participants at baseline, 8 weeks and 3 months. Additionally, the intervention will be assessed for feasibility in terms of adherence, attrition safety and participant acceptability. The results of this study are designed to inform and verify the methodology for a larger subsequent RCT and to determine the feasibility of dancing for a small group of people with PD