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The instructions for contact lens case hygiene vary from source to source. Poor contact lens case hygiene has been shown to increase the risk of corneal infection in the eye. The aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of a new contact lens case cleaning method in reducing the level of microbial contamination and compare its efficacy with the current contact lens case cleaning guidelines. Aims: We aim to: - Determine the level of microbial contamination in the contact lens cases of wearers in the community. - Compare the level of microbial contamination present after using the manufacturer’s lens case cleaning guidelines with that of the newly developed guidelines. - To further refine the contact lens storage case cleaning guidelines

The primary aim of the study is to determine the concentrations of thiamine in blood taken from a sample of Australians who have had alcohol related motor vehicle offences. These measurements will allow an estimation of the prevalence of thiamine deficiency in this sample. Given flour has been supplemented with thiamine in Australia for twenty years a secondary aim is to evaluate whether this public health intervention has prevented thiamine deficiency in the main target group (chronic alcohol misusing persons).

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a major public health problem. To reduce the burden of this disease, factors that increase the likelihood of disease progression need to be identified and treatments that slow progression need to be developed and tested. This is an emerging area and is the focus of this study because presently there are no established disease-modifying treatments for knee OA. One way to slow progression of the disease may be to reduce knee loading as this is one of only a few modifiable factors currently known to predict disease progression. This study will evaluate whether neuromuscular exercise, which aims to improve balance, alignment of the lower limb and trunk and muscle activity, reduces knee joint loading and thus has the potential to slow disease progression in people with knee OA, compared with the current standard physiotherapy treatment of strengthening the thigh muscles. If shown to be effective, recommendations can then be made to incorporate neuromuscular exercises into rehabilitation programs for knee OA.

Weight gain has been associated with increased inflammation and fish oil supplementation has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties. This study is investigating whether fish oil supplementation will reduce inflammation and assist weight loss and weight loss maintenance

There is emerging evidence that people who break up their sitting time with activity breaks (such as light walking) may have better blood glucose and blood fat levels than people who sit for prolonged periods without activity breaks. This study aims to test the cumulative effects of three consecutive seven hour days of prolonged sitting on blood glucose and blood fat levels with and without intermittent breaks of light-intensity activity.

The C-Pulse System is a new Heart Assist Device that is currently being studied in seven hospitals in the United States under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines

Emerging evidence has suggested that the sensation of breathlessness includes domains for intensity, sensory quality (descriptors) and unpleasantness).The sensation of breathlessness differs between people with and without chronic medical conditions and is thought to reflect the different mechanisms initiating the sensation. While breathlessness is common in people who are overweight/ obese, to date, no previous study could be found which specifically describe the sensory quality of breathlessness in this population. It is unclear whether the sensation of breathlessness experienced by people who are overweight/obese is unpleasant and if so, does this unpleasant sensation encourage early cessation of physical activity. There is a difference in the sensory quality between recall and exercise-induced breathlessness in people with chronic pulmonary disease. This might be simply due to the difference in the context under which breathlessness was recalled or induced. However, influence of the memory, emotion, expectation, and other psychological factors could very well play a role. This uncontrolled pre-post design aims to determine whether the recalled sensation of breathlessness differs from the sensation induced by exercise in adults with overweight or obesity. Sixty people between the ages of 18 and 80 years with overweight /obesity (BMI kg/m2 >25) will be invited to participate in this study. Participants will be excluded if they have a prior diagnosis of heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, memory or cognitive disorders or a visual disorder which limits the ability to interpret visual analogue scales. After height, body mass and body mass index have been assessed, participants will complete a structured interview for the sensation of breathlessness before and immediately after breathlessness in induced by a 2 minute step test. This interview includes assessment of breathlessness intensity (visual analogue scale), unpleasantness(visual analogue scale) and sensory quality (descriptors volunteered and selected from a pre-existing list of 15 breathlessness statements). Descriptive analysis (e.g. mean, standard deviation, frequency) are planned for age, gender, weight, height and BMI. Paired t-test will be performed between baseline and exercise-induced VAS scores to determine the degree of breathlessness induced by the 2-minute step test. The frequency of descriptors volunteered and endorsed by each subject will be allocated into sensory categories. Language data will then be converted to a binary form (subjects do or do not volunteer or endorse a particular language category). Within each sensory category, the difference between the recalled and exercise-induced language will be compared using McNemar’s test, with p < 0.05 regarded as significant.

Weight gain has been associated with increased inflammation and n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (fish oil) supplementation have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties. This study is investigating whether presupplementation with fish oil, then followed by supplementation with fish oil while following a weight loss program, may assist weight loss and reduce inflammatory biomarkers

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a cognitive activity program, specifically designed for people with mild AD and their companions can reduce or slow further cognitive decline and improve quality of life for people with AD. It will also investigate the benefits of this type of program to the companion.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioural disorder of childhood with negative adult outcomes. The disorder is characterised by problems of attention, impulsivity (e.g., acting without thinking) and hyperactivity (e.g., being constantly on the go). The disorder appears to be strongly genetic with the most likely situation being one in which many genes each contribute a small amount of risk for the disorder. ADHD is also associated with a range of cognitive problems (i.e., problems of concentrating, planning etc). This project takes an imaging genetics approach, using functional MRI to understand the functional effects for brain and cognition of a genetic risk factor for ADHD- the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) - which we have previously shown to influence attention. It is also well-established that not all children with ADHD achieve equal benefit from stimulant medications, such as methylphenidate (MPH), either in terms of behavioural, cognitive or academic outcomes. We will therefore examine the interaction of DAT1 genotype and MPH treatment on the neural correlates of spatial attention using fMRI. This project will help to elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms of ADHD.