ANZCTR search results

People with cancer are required to monitor and to initiate self care activities to manage side effects at home. In haematological cancer patients these side effects are often severe and life threatening. Safe home care requires close communication with the health team. We will test if a mobile phone based system can support patietns to monitor their side effects, promote the delviery of evidence based self care advice in a timely manner, and mediate the role of nurses to effectively provide real-time patient support.

The aim of this pilot study is to assess whether or not objective health criteria (inclusion criteria), coupled with a portable home monitor (ApneaLink) could be a more reliable and valid method of screening for obstructive sleep apnoea in Rail Safety Workers, when compared with the current self reported Epworth Sleepiness Scale.

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax occurs when a lung collapses due to air escaping from a small hole in the surface lining. It occurs predominantly in young people who have no other lung disease. The symptoms are variable but may include chest pain and breathlessness. Currently the treatment recommended by international guidelines is to try to remove the air from the chest and re-expand the lung by inserting a plastic tube through the chest wall. This is done using local anaesthetic but can be uncomfortable and may be associated with complications. It may take up to a week for the lung to re-inflate, during which time the patient must remain in hospital. In some cases air continues to leak out of the lung and surgery is required. However, there are historical reports suggesting that simply observing a pneumothorax and allowing it to re-expand slowly may be as effective as inserting a tube in hospital, although it may take 4-6 weeks to fully resolve. This study will compare the current standard treatment using a tube, to simple observation, in a group of 342 patients with pneumothorax. The proportion in each group who have resolved on an X-ray at 8 weeks will be compared.

The objective of the proposed research is to evaluate a brief motivational interviewing discussion (Ecstasy Check-Up) for regular ecstasy users (1 session) compared with an extended series of discussions (Ecstasy Check-Up Plus), which involves 1 session of motivational interviewing based discussions plus two session of cognitive behavioural based discussions. Our long-term goal is to decrease ecstasy use in Australia by motivating ecstasy users to reduce their use through providing research based information and discussion. The primary hypothesis of the proposed study is that the Ecstasy Check-Up Plus will be associated with lower levels of ecstasy use and problems than will the Ecstasy Check-Up. E Check Up sessions in which the specialist more strongly adheres to motivational interviewing principles are expected to have better outcomes. Additionally, our secondary hypothesis is that participants in the study will like and gain some positive aspects from both conditions, regardless if they have been assigned one or three sessions of discussions on their Ecstasy use. The research is of benefit to participants as it offers an opportunity for them to manage their ecstasy use. This lifestyle change has many benefits including improvements in physical and mental health. This benefit, however, cannot be guaranteed; it is dependent on participants’ engagement with the discussion. At the baseline session, all participants will be assured that any information they provide will remain strictly confidential (within the limits of legal confidentiality and duty of care). After written informed consent is provided and all questions and concerns have been answered, the baseline assessment will occur. At one-, four-, and six-month follow-ups the research assistant will conduct follow-ups with all participants using the measures collected at the baseline assessment. The outcome measures will be modified to assess the relevant durations at each visit. For example, the measures will assess the last 90 days during the baseline assessment, and the past 30-days at the one-month follow-up.

This study is been carried out to investigate if transplanting the nerve from the opposite side to replace the damaged one will help restore sensation to your numb cornea. If procedure is successful, it will restore sensation to your cornea and help prevent the cornea from developing ulcers. This procedure has previously been shown to be successful in restoring sensation to numb corneas.

This study compares the effects of a specialised nutritional supplement to boost the immune system compared with the standard formula, both before and after surgery, in people undergoing major surgery for oesophageal cancer. You can participate in this study if you are scheduled to have oesophagectomy or oesophago-gastrectomy for oesophageal cancer. Participants will be randomly divided into one of four groups. One group will receive a nutritional supplement with added immunonutrition (IN) pre-surgery and the standard isocaloric nutritional supplement post surgery. A second group will receive IN both before and after surgery. The third group will receive the standard supplement prior to surgery and IN following surgery, whilst the fourth group will receive the standard formula both before and after surgery. Patients will be monitored at 7 and 1 day before surgery and 14 and 42 days after surgery. The study aims to see whether the IN product before and/or after surgery will decrease the rate of infective and non-infective complications that often occur in people undergoing this surgery.

This study aims to to determine if the addition of contingency management (CM) to a brief motivational intervention (Quik-Fix) improves treatment retention and outcomes in young people who use cannabis. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted to compare the mental health, substance use, and functional and treatment outcomes of 40 young people who receive Quik-Fix only to 40 young people who receive the Quik-Fix + CM intervention. Participants will be followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months. Methodology Participants will consist of 80 young people who have used cannabis at least weekly for the previous one month period. Participants will be provided with a two session Quik Fix brief motivational intervention. It is individually administered and incorporates motivational interviewing, and cognitive-behavioural skills delivered within a harm minimisation framework. A three-track incentive CM system will be used to increase participant attendance and abstinence from drug and alcohol use. 40 participants will be allocated to the Quik-Fix only group and 40 will be allocated to the Quik-Fix + CM group. It is hypothesized that young people receiving the Quik-Fix + CM will have reduced substance use, depressive symptom and improved functioning outcomes, as well as improved treatment attendance, completion and attendance, compared to those receiving Quik-Fix only, at 1, 3, 6 and 12 month follow-up.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are the second leading cause of disability among Australian boys. Despite this, for many years we have lacked an understanding of the brain impairments that underlie autism, and accordingly we have no biomedical treatments that target the core symptoms. A promising new biological explanation that has emerged within the past decade is the “mirror system hypothesis” of autism, which states that brain regions and neurons devoted to understanding other people, which are known as mirror systems, are deficient in ASD. This study will investigate whether mirror system activity in individuals with ASD can be improved using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). tDCS is a safe and non-invasive method of brain stimulation that can be used to modulate brain activity via electrodes that are placed on the scalp. The study will include 20 individuals with an ASD (either high-functioning autism or Asperger’s disorder) and 20 healthy controls. Participants will attend 3 sessions at the Alfred hospital. During each session participants will undergo assessment of mirror system activity using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) after undergoing 20 minutes of tDCS. Each session will involve a different type of tDCS (anodal, cathodal, and sham/placebo). To determine the effect of tDCS, mirror system activity will be compared within ASD and control groups across the 3 sessions. This research is a significant and novel investigation into an economical and well tolerated method for enhancing brain activity. This may provide an exciting avenue for developing treatments for ASD, a significant direction given the current lack of biomedical treatments for this group of debilitating disorders.

This proposed two-phase study is focused on improving nutritional intake in residents with cognitive impairment via a pilot randomised controlled trial of an intervention shown to increase intake. Phase one involves the collection of baseline data from the residents, identification of current meal time practices and family preferences for feeding interventions within the RACF. Phase two involves implementation of an intervention to improve nutritional intake of residents from baseline findings and determine if these interventions are efficient and effective.

There is currently an epidemic of caesarean sections performed in Australia and overseas. Although many caesarean sections are performed for concerns about fetal welfare, the majority of babies are shown to be well at birth, meaning that the operation, with its inherent short- and long-term risks, could have been avoided, without compromising the baby’s health. In this study, half the babies with a non-reassuring heart rate recording during labour will have a blood test to measure lactate and the other half will not. We will then determine whether having a lactate test makes a difference in the number women having caesarean births.