ANZCTR search results

This study looks at the safety and tolerability of the traditional chinese medicine formulation GOPAC in patients with advanced malignancy. Who is it for? You can join the study if you have cancer which has recurred or spread to distant sites and you are not currently receiving chemotherapy. Trial details: Participants will all receive GOPAC capsules for 6 weeks. Each week they will be monitored with questionnaires, blood tests and measurement of any toxic response. GOPAC is a traditional chinese herbal medicine formulation consisting of 5 herbs in a capsule formulation. It has few reported side effects.

The intent of the study is to determine the accuracy of currently accepted methods of measurement of degree of liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. This would primarily benefit patients indirectly and may lead to improvement in the techniques used to measure the severity of liver cirrhosis in the future.

We have developed a unique non-invasive method to monitor oxygen levels of blood in large veins of the body and also the right side of the heart. Successful completion of this development will reduce serious complications in critically ill patients and generate cost savings for hospitals and the community by allowing valuable resources to be used more productively. This clinical trial will compare this novel device with the existing invasive technology.

The purpose of this project is to assess a new treatment for both alcohol withdrawal and alcohol abstinence maintenance in alcohol dependent patients who are admitted to hospital and wish to cease using alcohol. Alcohol withdrawal can be a severe condition. Usually it is treated with benzodiazepines such as diazepam, but these medications can have dangerous side-effects such as excessive sedation and depression of respiration. The new treatment uses a complementary medical supplement called Bioeffective A. Bioeffective A has antioxidant properties and may help to reduce the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms and shorten the duration of alcohol withdrawal without causing sedation or depressing respiration, and may also help to prevent relapse back to alcohol use once abstinence has been established.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Norspan (registered trademark)(Buprenorphine Transdermal Delivery System, BTDS) in reducing neuropathic pain in patients with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain (DPNP) compared with those on a placebo patch.

It is believed that tea became a part of human culture around 5,000 years ago. Although health benefits have been attributed to tea consumption since the beginning of its history, scientific investigations of this beverage and its constituents have been underway for less than three decades (Pan et al., 2003). Recent attention has focused on the potential neuroprotective effects of flavonoids (also known as catechins) which constitute approximately 30 to 40% of green tea. Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant catechin found in green tea, and has proven to have a variety of physiological functions that accounts for its beneficial health effects. More specifically, EGCG has been implicated in the prevention and treatment of various cancers, treatment of skin cancers, and a reduction in heart disease as well as diabetes. The majority of research has also investigated green tea in relation to oral health, stress and anxiety management, weight management and various cardiovascular diseases. In addition, EGCG has been found to play a preventative role in neurodegenerative memory disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Teavigo 'Registered Trademark' is a natural, caffeine-free, standardized extract from the leaves of the tea plant Camelia sinensis providing 94% ECGC. It is currently sold over the counter for its benefits in providing antioxidants, improving cardio-vascular and oral health, and assisting with weight management. However, to date, no study has investigated the acute biobehavioural effects of Teavigo 'Registered Trademark' as proposed in the current study. The objective of the present study is to assess the acute affects of Teavigo 'Registered Trademark', on cognition, mood, cerebral blood flow and arterial stiffness, brain electrical activity and stress reactivity. This will be a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study design involving a cohort of 32 healthy adult volunteers. Participants will first come for a practice day where they will undergo a general health assessment followed by a practice session of the CDR Computerised Assessment Battery. One week later, participants will return for their testing day where they will undergo a series of assessments. These assessments will take place under two conditions: before treatment, then two hours after treatment. The assessments include: The CDR Computerised Assessment Battery, the SUCCAB and the Rapid Visual Information Processor (RVIP). Participants stress levels will be assessed by the Defined Intensity Stressor Simulation (DISS) computerised battery. Brain electrical activity will be recorded by EEG. Blood flow velocity will be measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasound, and aortic blood pressure and arterial stiffness will be assessed using the SphygmoCor. Participants’ mood will be measured via the Bond-Lader, stress visual analogue scales (VAS) and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Participants will then return for a third day where they will complete the exact same assessments as the first day except they will receive a different treatment. The current study will provide a platform for further research on Teavigo 'Registered Trademark' and will allow a conclusion regarding the effects of acute consumption of Teavigo 'Registered Trademark' on the cognitive abilities, cardiovascular effects, brain electrical activity, mood and stress levels of healthy individuals.

Aerobic exercise can improve cardiovascular fitness, mobility and physical function following stroke but it is not known whether it has an effect on cognitive and neurological function. We intend to compare a 12 week exercise program with usual care to document changes in impairment, activity and participation, as well as performing a cost-effectiveness study.

Objective: Patellar taping is a conservative treatment that may reduce patellar malalignment and pain in people with patellofemoral (PFJ) osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to evaluate immediate effects of patellar taping on patellar alignment and pain in people with PFJ OA Methods: Patellar malalignment was measured from magnetic resonance (MR) (15 degress knee flexion) in 14 individuals with PFJ OA. In the PFJ OA group, MR data were collected in two randomly allocated conditions (tape; no tape). Patellar alignment indices were measured from de-identified axial scans by one examiner. Pain during squatting was recorded in the two conditions (tape; no tape). Results: In the PFJ OA group, patellar tape resulted in a significant lessening of lateral malalignment, with reduced lateral displacement (p = 0.028) and increased lateral patellar tilt angle (p < 0.001). Mean pain during squatting decreased with patellar tape by 15 mm on a 100mm scale (p = 0.045). Conclusions: Patellar tape may reduce malalignment and pain associated with PFJ OA.

This study looks at the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drugs Everolimus and Sunitinib, used in sequence, in treating people with advanced renal cell carcinoma. Who is it for? You can join this study if you have renal cell (kidney) cancer that has spread to distant sites and is at an advanced stage. Trial details: Participants will all receive the same treatment. This involves six-weekly cycles comprising four weeks of sunitinib 50 mg once daily followed by two weeks rest The second cycle comprises five weeks of everolimus 10 mg once daily followed by one weeks rest. The study aims to see the effectiveness of treatment by looking at survival and disease progression in patients after six months.

This study looks at the impact of TPF chemotherapy (combined Taxotere, Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil) on squamous cell (skin) cancer of the head and neck as measured by the oxygen levels in the tumour. Who is it for? You can join this study if you have locally advanced or locally recurring squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or laryngeal region, which has not been previously treated. Trial details Participants will all receive treatment with TPF (combined Taxotere, Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil) chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation which is the standard treatment for locally advanced or locally recurrent head and neck cancer. The study aims to test whether chemotherapy with TPF gets rid of low oxygen levels in tumours as detected by FAZA PET imaging uptake (a way to measure oxygen levels in the tumour) prior to chemoradiation. FAZA uptake is measured prior to treatment and again after 3 cycles of TPF. The response rate to chemotherapy will also be assessed with a CT scan before and after chemotherapy and the response to chemoradiation will be determined by a FDG PET scan at the completion of treatment. The response to treatment will be correlated with the level of hypoxia in the tumour.