ANZCTR search results

The bacterium pneumococcus causes invasive disease, pneumonia and otitis media in young children. Seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has been provided for Aboriginal and high risk children since 2001 and all Australian children since 2005. There are two new pneumococcal conjugate vaccines to be licensed in Australia by the end of 2010. These have 10 pneumococcal serotypes in common but one also offers protection from H. influenzae infection and the other has 3 additional pneumococcal serotypes. H. influenzae causes otitis media and non-bacteraemic pneumonia but is rarely cultured from blood cultures and thus is considered a less invasive pathogen. For Aboriginal children however, H. influenzae is the major pathogen associated with perforated tympanic membranes (ear drums) and it is thought to be an important cause of pneumonia. Invasive disease caused by the additional serotypes, particularly 19A, has increased in Australian non-indigenous population. Thus it is anticipated that most jurisdictions will choose to use the PCV13. However, because Indigenous children have much higher rates of infection due to H. influenzae than non-Indigenous children, Indigenous children may benefit from both vaccines. There are no studies that directly compare these two vaccines to determine overall clinical benefit. This Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) will directly compare the two vaccines as well as an early 3+1 combination schedule, commencing at one months of age. Immunological, microbiological and clinical outcomes will be assessed.

this preliminary study aims to determine if yoga practice including adapted exercise, relaxation and meditation can reduce symptoms of BCRL and improve quality of life of women living with this condition.

The main aims of this study is to determine the impact of posture and meal volume on gastric emptying (GE), gut hormones, glycaemia, plasma insulin, haemodynamics, absorption, appetite, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).

This new research will investigate the prevalence of persistent cough, breathing difficulties and voice changes following H1N1 (swine flu) infection. We will also be investigating the role of cough risk factors including asthma, rhinitis (hayfever), reflux, Ace-Inhibitor use (for high blood pressure), obstructive sleep apnoea (a sleep disorder), voice changes, etc. As well as characteristics of persistent cough including length of cough, how severe the cough is, cough sensitivity, associated symptoms, breathing and voice changes. The current H1N1 influenza pandemic provides an opportunity to address many of the knowledge gaps in post viral cough. Our hypotheses are that there will be a prevalence of 10% of persistent cough and upper airway dysfunction following H1N1 infection. That upper airways disorder and heightened cough reflex sensitivity will be increased following H1N1 infection, and that voice changes will be more prevalent following H1N1 infection.

People with kidney failure often develop a condition called ‘uraemic neuropathy’, where the function of the nerves in the hands and feet is impaired. These changes cause weakness, numbness and tingling. Our studies have shown that high levels of potassium in the bloodstream may cause uraemic neuropathy. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether reducing the amount of potassium in a patient’s diet may help prevent neuropathy.

A randomised controlled trial is required to compare Computer assisted surgery with Patient Matched Instrumentation to see which provides best alignment with minimal operating time.

The aim of this project is to determine whether therapy using the Nintendo Wii Fit computer game is as effective as practise of more traditional therapy activities for older people in hospital.

The aim of this study is to investigate the benefits of a 12-week intervention involving 10 weekly treatment sessions delivered by a physiotherapist on a one-to-one basis. The study will examine the effectiveness of a combined exercise and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention compared to each intervention (CBT or Exercise) alone. Hypothesis: A 12-week intervention that combines exercise with CBT will be more effective in improving pain (visual analogue scale) and physical function (WOMAC subscale) than either a 12-week intervention of exercise alone or CBT alone in individuals with painful radiographic knee OA.

This study is a pilot study to take place prior to a larger Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) "Garlic and Candida: An Exploratory Study." The RCT proposes to investigate the biological plausibility of oral garlic reducing recurrences of vaginal thrush by reducing the vaginal colonisation of Candida albicans. The RCT will involve women taking either oral daily garlic tablets or placebo, keeping a daily diary, and self collecting daily vaginal swabs and posting them to the laboratory during the second half of their menstrual cycle. This pilot study will evaluate the methodology by assessing the tolerability of the garlic tablets, the postage of the swabs, and the daily diary. It will also include a validation study on postage of vaginal swabs.

A double blind trial designed to assess the pain associated with the injection of lignocaine (Xylocaine) and mepivacaine (Scandonest) two local anaesthetics commonly used in podiatric practice. So, is mepiviacaine a less painful anaesthetic to be injected into a toe than lignocaine. Subjects will be selected from the University of Newcastle Podiatry Clinic, the subjects have been selected would require nail surgery of both big toes. The practitioner and the subject will be blinded to which anaesthetic has been used in each of the toes. After each injection the subject will be asked to complete a visual analog pain scale.