ANZCTR search results

The primary purpose ot the study is compare two of the commonly used needles in arterial blood gas taking and to determine the level of pain/success rate & complications. Whilst the smaller needle may be theoritically less painful, there is uncertainty whether it is more difficult to perform leading to lower success rates & complications.

Currently the doses of medication given to treat cancer are generally determined by a simple body surface area (BSA) calculation based on weight and height. However, physiological differences between individuals may affect the way cancer drugs are processed by the body, potentially leading to variable dose levels in the body, and differences in toxicity and efficacy between individuals. This study is looking at the way the body processes the drug doxorubicin (this is called pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics), to see if gender, stage of puberty, or body composition may impact the effectiveness or toxicity of doxorubicin. The study focuses on osteosarcoma, Ewing family of tumours and Hodgkin lymphoma because there is some evidence that there may be a difference between males and females in the response to chemotherapy for these cancers. These cancers mainly affect young people, many of whom are undergoing the physical changes of puberty, which are different for males and females.

The aim of this trial is find out the best type of fluids for patients after elective large bowel surgery. Nutrition plays an important role in recovering after surgery. At the moment after elective large bowel surgery, patients are fasted for a period before starting on a ‘clear fluids’ diet. If this is tolerated, they progress to ‘free fluids’ diet, then light diet, and then full diet. The theory is that there is no difference in outcomes, and therefore it will be safe to commence 'free fluids' as a first diet type post elective large bowel surgery

Impairments in motor functioning are well documented in autism and Asperger's disorder, and are associated with specific brain processes. The purpose of this study is to determine whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can be used to improve motor function in autism and Asperger's disorder. rTMS involves the administration of magnetic pulses to the scalp, and can be used to alter brain activity. Participants will complete 3 separate sessions (one week apart) in which a different type of rTMS will be administered. They will complete motor tasks before and after each rTMS application, and brain activity will be recorded via electrodes placed on the scalp. It is expected that stimulation of a brain region called the "supplementary motor area," which is involved in preparing movement, will result in an improvement of motor function.

This project involves undertaking a cluster randomised controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of an organisational knowledge translation model in order to make recommendations about its applicability for public health decision-making settings.

This trial aims to determine the relationship between diabetic myocardial disease and cardiac autonomic neuropathy and the response of cardiac autonomic function to exercise training in patients demonstrating evidence of subclinical myocardial disease. The patient cohort will comprise apparently healthy patients with type 2 diabetes. Subjects with known cardiovascular disease or other significant co-morbidities such as malignancy, psychiatric or renal disease will be excluded. Pregnant or breast-feeding women will also be excluded. 225 patients will be recruited and undergo screening using echocardiography for diabetic heart disease. Based on past research conducted by our group, approximately one-third of patients will demonstrate evidence of subclinical myocardial dysfunction. Previous exercise training interventions have demonstrated significant improvements in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) in patient numbers of less than 30, so a proportionate improvement should be detectable from the study group even allowing for a 30% drop-out. There are no previous studies investigating cardiac autonomic function in diabetic patients with myocardial disease on which this study can be powered. Baseline measures on all subjects will include: body mass index, waist and hip circumference and resting haemodynamic parameters. Fasting blood samples will be collected to assess haematological parameters, renal and hepatic function, lipid profile, glucose, insulin, HbA1c, and B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) concentrations. Urine collection for albumin to creatinine ratio for detection of diabetic nephropathy will also be performed. All study subjects will undergo a baseline transthoracic echocardiogram to assess for evidence of systolic or diastolic dysfunction using standard echocardiographic parameters. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) including tissue velocity, strain and strain rate will be employed to detect further subclinical abnormalities. All subjects will then undergo a standard treadmill exercise stress test before being re-imaged at peak heart rate for evidence of inducible wall motion abnormalities (indicative of ischaemic heart disease) and with TDI for subtle myocardial dysfunction which is not otherwise apparent at rest. Those with inducible wall motion abnormalities will be excluded based on their likelihood to have ischaemic heart disease. Appropriate clinical follow-up will be arranged. In addition to the echocardiography and exercise testing, patients will be studied for cardiac autonomic function using heart rate variability measured by electrocardiogram during supine rest. A standard 5-minute segment of R-R intervals will be analysed for both time and frequency domain parameters of heart rate variability. Patients will also undergo testing of cardiovascular reflexes (including heart rate responses to deep breathing, valsalva and standing and systolic blood pressure response to standing) to complete the battery of cardiac autonomic function tests. Patients with subclinical myocardial dysfunction or autonomic neuropathy will be allocated to exercise training (based on the current guidelines) or control for 6 months. Throughout the intervention, patients will receive 4-weekly follow-up to monitor for adverse events and compliance. Following the intervention, anthropometric, biochemical, autonomic, and imaging with rest and exercise echocardiograms will be repeated. Projected Outcomes: This trial aims to determine the efficacy of exercise training in diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy and subclinical myocardial disease. We hypothesise that exercise training will represent an effective treatment to improve exercise capacity and cardiac autonomic function, and that these improvements may represent mechanisms by which exercise training can improve myocardial function in patients with subclinical myocardial disease.

To compare in healthy, lean individuals the effects of (1) the three macronutrients, carbohydrate, protein and fat, (2) combinations of lipid and protein, on antropyloroduodenal motility, gut hormone release, appetite and energy intake.

The up-take (bio-availability) of carotenoids is not well understood and conventional methods (plasma anlayses) of determining up take is open to interpretation errors. This pilot study is aimed at assessing the ileostomy model as a model for estimation of bioavailability of nutrients from plant based foods.

The prospect of surviving cancer has improved over the past two decades and strategies to enhance survival are now a priority of research. This research aims to investigate the possible deleterious effects of high dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous stem cell transplants (ASCT), and assess the efficacy of a home-based physical activity program implemented during treatment in patients with lymphoma treated with HDC and ASCT, on the physiological and psychosocial outcomes that can possibly negatively impact the health status of patients. Outcome measures will include aerobic fitness, body composition, quality of life, blood markers, strength, physical activity levels, fatigue and symptom distress, which are currently not well understood in this population. Aims; 1. To assess the level of physiological and psychosocial deterioration up to three months post-chemotherapy as a result of HDC and ASCT as treatment for lymphoma. 2. To assess the efficacy of a home-based physical activity program completed during treatment compared to waitlisted participants on physiological and psychosocial deterioration as a result of HDC and ASCT as treatment for lymphoma. 3. To provide guidelines for future exercise interventions in patients with lymphoma treated with HDC and ASCT.