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This study compares surgery using a laparoscope (keyhole surgery) compared with open surgery in treating colorectal (bowel) cancer. You can join this study if you have been diagnosed with primary cancer of the rectum or lower bowel (stage T 1-3 N 0-1 M 0-1) that requires surgery. Trial participants will be randomly divided into two groups. One group will receive surgery using a laparoscope (keyhole surgery) while the other will receive the standard open surgery. Patients will be assessed 6 weeks prior to surgery, with follow up checks at day 3 and day 14 post surgery, and then at 4–6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months and annually at 3, 4 and 5 years. Surgical resection of the tumour is the most important treatment for rectal cancer. Laparoscopic-assisted techniques allow the tumour to be removed with smaller incisions, and less invasive surgery. This study aims to determine whether these new techniques offer a safe and viable alternative to standard surgery. The primary aim of this study will be to determine whether laparoscopic-assisted resection of rectal cancer is non-inferior (or equivalent) in safety and efficacy to the open technique of laparotomy and surgical resection. The secondary aim of the study will be to determine whether laparoscopic-assisted rectal resection is equivalent to open rectal resection in providing comparable recovery outcomes and in terms of disease recurrence and survival, and quality of life.

This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of post-operative chemotherapy for 12 weeks versus 24 weeks in patients with locally advanced colon cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are 18 years or above and have stage III colon cancer which has been fully resected (i.e. removed by surgery). You should not have undergone any previous chemotherapy for your cancer. Trial details Participants in this trial will be randomly (by chance) allocated to one of two groups. Participants in one group will undergo chemotherapy for 12 weeks. Participants in the other group will undergo chemotherapy for 24 weeks. Chemotherapy will either be with the drugs oxaliplatin/5-FU or oxaliplatin/capecitabine depending on the preference of your treating doctor. Participants will be regularly assessed for a period of up to 7 years to determine disease free survival, overall survival, toxicity, cost effectiveness and quality of life.

The primary purpose of Part 1 of this study is to determine the safety and tolerability of 100 mg SCH 527123 when dosed for 14 days in healthy adult subjects. The information from this part will provide evidence for/against using 100 mg SCH 527123 in future trials that may involve patients (ie, COPD subjects) The primary purpose of Part 2 of this study is to determine the dose-response relationship between doses of SCH 527123 and compared with inactive treatment (placebo, sugar pill) and active treatment (prednisone). The information from this trial will be used to compare the oral mucosal neutrophil response between SCH 527123 with active (prednisone) and inactive (placebo) treatment.

Much cardiovascular disease could be prevented if GPs could encourage their patients to improve their diet, physical activity and smoking behaviour. Communication of risk to patients may change their behaviour but the effectiveness of individualised cardiovascular risk feedback in general practice is not yet known. This study aims determine whether feedback of their cardiovascular risk to patients in general practice can improve lifestyle behaviours associated with cardiovascular disease.

Early warning scores may be used to identify an individual’s deterioration by combining clinical parameters into a single score. Early warning scores compliment clinical decision making and assist in communication between health care professionals. The application of a Paediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) has the potential to identify the deteriorating child early and allow more time for intervention. This may make adverse outcomes less likely or reduce their severity. In this study new, age appropriate observation charts will be introduced into wards 4A and 4B at The Canberra Hospital. These charts will be used to calculate and record a paediatric early warning score for each child. High scores will automatically prompt the bedside nurse to call an appropriately qualified practitioner for timely review of the patient. This is expected to initiate earlier management.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate pulp agents and techniques used for management of deep decay in children's primary molar teeth. Previous investigations suggest that there should be no difference in outcomes among various techniques, provided that proper diagnosis and good coronal seal are achieved. However, differences in chemicals may lead to different pulp responses. The study will determine which materials are most suitable.

Skin changes such as lipohypertrophy and lipoatrophy affect around 20% of patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus during the course of their illness. There has been very liitle previous research in this area. Little is know about the psychological impact of these changes, the pathophysiology of the changes, or the best treatment. The aim of this study is 1) to investigate clinical, immunological and allergic factors that may be associated with these skin changes, 2) examine the histology of the skin (ie look at the structure of the skin under the microscope) and cells involved in lipodystrophic skin

It is well known that being physically active is important for maintaining good health. However, new evidence has emerged showing that being sedentary (sitting for prolonged periods) is associated with indicators of poor health, such as elevated blood glucose and blood fats. Importantly, it appears that the effects of sedentary behaviour are independent of a person’s physical activity level. This suggests that each should be looked upon as being separate behaviours, meaning that a person could engage in appropriate physical activity (30 minutes of daily activity), yet spend many hours for the rest of the day being sedentary, such as at an office desk. More recently, data from observational research (AusDiab) indicates people who break up their sitting time throughout the day with light-intensity activity (such as light walking) may have better blood glucose and blood fat levels than people who sit for prolonged periods without activity breaks. The implications of these findings are that lifestyle strategies to reduce the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease may need to also focus on reducing sedentary time through regular activity breaks, in addition to the promotion of regular physical activity. However, before such intervention strategies can be developed and tested, we need to understand the short-term effects of being sedentary (sitting) on blood glucose and blood fats within a well-designed experimental trial. Therefore, this study aims to examine the short-term effects of prolonged sitting with and without intermittent activity bouts. The study will provide information that will assist in the design, implementation and evaluation of strategies that target reducing sedentary behaviour in older, overweight adults.

Obesity is a risk factor for the development of heart failure. Many apparently well obese subjects have cardiac dysfunction that is detectable with specialized techniques, but which may contribute to the development of heart failure. There are several potential causes for this problem, but fibrosis (scarring) of the heart may be an important one. In this study, we plan to identify whether this can be treated with the aldosterone blocker, spironolactone.

A before and after study of scabies and strongyloidiasis prevalence in a remote Aboriginal community following the introduction of an ivermectin MDA delivered at months 0 and 12. The assessment of prevalence will be through a population census at months 0 and 12 with a cross sectional survey of treatment failure rates and acquisition rates at months 6 and 18. All residents in the remote Aboriginal community are eligible for enrolment. Each household in the community will be visited by the research team to explain the project and obtain informed consent. The population census includes screening for scabies and strongyloidiasis and collection of non-specific disease markers. Participants will then receive ivermectin if they are not pregnant, weight is 15kg or more and they have not been given ivermectin in the previous 7 days. Tretment regimens for those not eligible for ivermectin are: - Pregnant females will receive 5% permethrin cream only -weight >3.5kg and <6kg 5% permethrin only, if diagnosed with strongyloidiasis discuss with medical supervisor - weight >6 kg and <15 kg albendazole 200mg (6-10kg) or 400mg (>10kg)and 5% permethrin. - weight <3.5kg 10% crotamiton only Participants diagnosed with scabies or strongyloidiasis will receive a repeat treatment after 2-3 weeks.