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In Australia, the population is ageing due to lower birth rates and increased life expectancy. The implication of this changing demographic means that the age group with the greatest needs will be the elderly. Research in this area includes studies assessing the efficacy of fish oils and multivitamins to improve memory and cognitive function in the elderly. Research is also focussing on the potential neuroprotective effects of these supplements to protect the elderly from more insidious cognitive decline, such as Alzeimer’s disease. The primary aim of the current study is to investigate whether supplementing diets with fish oils and multivitmains improve cognitive function in a healthy cohort of women and men aged 50 to 70 years of age. This research could potentially have significant bearing on the cognitive health of the elderly as well as the predicted economic burden in decades to come. Based on previous research, it is hypothesised that diets supplemented with a high dose of fish oil will improve cogntive performance namely spatial working memory performance and attentional processes. It is also anticipated that a high dose of fish oil compliemented with a multivitamin will provide additional benefits to cognitive performance as the multivitamins will limit oxidation of the Omega-3's once they have been ingested.

Participants attend Swinburne University Hawthorn for one practice visit where they go through the screening questions and provide informed consent. They also practice all cognitive and mood tasks that they will be doing on their subsequent testing sessions. They are then randomised to receive either the multivitamin treatment or placebo for 4 months. Participants come in for 3 testing sessions, the first one week later (V1), the second 2 months later (V2) and the third and final visit after 4 months (V3). At each testing session they complete congitive and mood assessments, together with blood flow, arterial stiffness, saliva cortisol, sleep quality and blood biomarker assessments. A subset of participants (40 males and 40 females) will also complete weekly cognitive and mood tests from home using mobile phones provided. Another subset of participants (40 males and 40 females) will also complete Steady State Probe Topography (SST) brainwave recording at Baseline, V2 and V3.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a treatment regimen of variable-dosing ranibizumab and regular subtenons triamcinalone (STTA) for exudative age related macular degeneration. Our aim is to reduce the number of intravitreal injections required with the same or better visual outcome as currently accepted treatment regimens.

This project will evaluate the efficacy of the Take a Breath Parent Program, which targets parents from three months following a traumatic event (their child's diagnosis of a serious childhood illness/injury). The overall aim is to assess if the Take a Breath Parent program leads to improvements in psychosocial distress for parents exhibiting early signs of posttraumatic stress. Specifically the trial will assess if participation results in: improvements in parental psychological flexibility, committed actions, valued living and quality of life and reductions in parental posttraumatic stress symptoms, experience of the illness/injury as distressing, and referrals to additional supports (e.g., mental health/counselling). Secondly improvements in child quality of life and child behaviour, family functioning and postive outcomes of the illness/injury will be assessed.

Disturbing numbers of children in Australia are overweight, bullied or have poor mental health – problems that are often inter-related. Recent decreases in outdoor play may be partly responsible. Outdoor play “pulls for” social interaction and physical activity; indoor play is often sedentary and solitary. Most young children love active outdoor play but parents and teachers fear injury. This project is a school-based intervention to increase outdoor play by: (1) adding 'loose part' materials to the playground and (2) helping adults change their views of risk associated with active play. We expect to demonstrate a significant effect on children’s activity levels, coping and social skills through strategies that are replicable in every school playground in the nation and to contribute to policy regarding play, health, and education.

People with cardiac disease who have type 2 diabetes have higher readmission rates (22%) than those without diabetes (6%) (Wu & Chang, 2008). Although self-management is an effective approach to achieve better health outcomes, there are no such programs specifically designed for patients with both conditions. Such programs need to be enhanced by user-friendly technology and supported by patient peers. This project aims to extend the development of a peer support based Cardiac-Diabetes Self-Management Program (CDSMP) by preparing a DVD to support persons' engagement in follow-up study.

In patients between 60-80 years with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the current standard treatment is R-CHOP chemotherapy (consisting of the drugs Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Prednisone). However the probability of being alive and free of lymphoma 5 years after diagnosis is only 54%. Lenalidomide is an immune system modulating drug that has anti-lymphoma properties demonstrated in smaller studies of patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL. Given the high risk of relapsed DLBCL in this older patient population this study is aimed at determining whether Lenalidomide maintenance taken orally for 21 days every 4 weeks can safely reduce the risk of progression/relapse of DLBCL. Who is it for? This study is open to patients aged between 60 and 80 years and currently underoing R-CHOP combination therapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Trial details Participants will be randomised into one of two arms, (1) 25mg daily lenalidomide for 21 days of a 28 day cycle of maintenenace therapy for up to 26 cycles, or (2) a placebo instead of the active drug over the same period. The aim of the study is to reduce the risk of progression/relapse of DLBCL

Binocular rivalry occurs when different stimuli are presented to the left and right eye simultaneously. Under these conditions the observer will consciously perceive only one of the two images at a time, with the respective dominance of the two images alternating every few seconds. A similar phenomenon is also observed in hearing. Previous studies have shown that the rate of alternation is affected by certain medications that affect the serotonin system. We will administer two such medications to healthy individuals to further investigate how the serotonin system is involved in perceptual rivalry. The main implications of this study relate to pure research and understanding the neural mechanisms underlying perception. There is currently no clinical aim for this study.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive disorder which affects muscle strength in boys and results in the loss of the ability to walk between 9 and 13 years of age. Along with muscle weakness the boys often also experience muscle tightness, particularly in their calf muscles. This in turn causes them to walk on their toes, which makes standing and walking balance more precarious. Boys with DMD undertake physiotherapy prescribed stretching programs and use night splinting to address this muscle tightness but commonly these are not sufficient to overcome the muscle shortening. Surgical lengthening has been shown to have a beneficial effect on ankle contracture in boys with DMD. This is very invasive and has not been shown to be associated with any improvement in strength or function. Below knee serial casting is used in some overseas centres as a treatment option for calf shortening. This project aims to assess the effectiveness of below knee serial casting on the length of calf muscles and walking ability in boys with DMD. We hope to assess whether short periods of serial casting will maintain calf muscle length, improve gait, and maintain or improve motor function. The boy’s gait, muscle length and motor function will be assessed before and after serial casting and then at 3 monthly intervals for a twelve month period.

This is a one year study to identify the effect of Zoledronate on marrow fat in patients who have suffered a minimal trauma fracture. Changes in marrow fat in femur and vertebrae will be quantified using CT and MRI images analised using an image analysis software (Tomovision).