ANZCTR search results

Women who respond poorly to ovarian stimulation in an IVF cycle have been shown to have compromised blood flow to their ovarian follicles when compared to women with normal ovarian responses. Research suggests acupuncture may exert a sympatho-inhibitory effect reducing uterine artery impedance and thereby increase ovarian blood flow and subsequently follicular health among women with poor response to IVF treatment. The pilot study will recruit 20 women with a history of poor response to IVF. The methodology with involve experimental design with subjects acting as their own self control. The study will include an initial baseline measurement of study outcomes during a normal IVF cycle, and secondly, an acupuncture intervention, followed by measurement of outcomes of oocyte retrieval. The acupuncture diagnosis and treatment will follow an algorithm, and three acupuncture treatments will be administered prior to egg retrieval. The effects of blood flow and the follicle will be assessed by changes from baseline to egg retrieval, as measured by: peri-follicular blood flow, levels of follicular fluid VEGF, and level of follicular fluid anti-mullerian hormone.

To try to develop a less risky method for measuring brain fluid pressure.

This trial will randomly allocate participants with PTSD to either cognitive behaviour therapy with long prolonged exposure (CBT/Long) or cognitive behaviour therapy with brief exposure (CBT/Brief) or Wait-List. After the Wait-List participants were assessed after 3 months, they were randomly assessed to either CBT/Long or CBT/Brief.

The primary purpose of this study is to determine whether measurements obtained from an ultrasound scan of the bowel with the use of a contrast agent provides useful information on the disease activity of patients with Crohn's disease.

Radiotherapy to the upper-abdomen is challenging due to the presence of the kidneys. We will couple single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with X-ray computed tomography (CT) to determine the effect of radiotherapy on kidney function. Combining the imaging with information on delivered radiation dose will enable us to examine the complex interactions between radiation and kidney response in order to develop unique models for optimizing radiation dose delivery and predicting outcomes.

Cardiovascular disease is a major disease burden, accounting for over 45% of all deaths. Obesity, and its consequences, the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes increase the risk of heart disease potentially leading to early death or disability. Reducing dietary salt is a neglected, valuable intervention with the potential to reduce cardiovascular events. The primary aim of the study is to determine, in a 12 week study the effect of a reduced salt diet (6g salt/day, 100mmol Na/day) compared to a usual salt diet (10g salt/day, 166mmolNa/day) on blood vessel function, as assessed by the ultrasound measurement of blood flow in overweight people with and without the metabolic syndrome who are at increased risk of heart disease. The expected outcomes are that a lower salt intake will have a beneficial effect on the way blood vessels work and reduce an individual’s risk for heart attack. The results will support moves to reduce salt in the food supply thereby reducing heart disease risk in the general community as well as in individuals at higher risk. Data from this study will provided a very strong incentive to reduce dietary salt.

The hypothesis of this study is that the LAGB procedure and the aftercare program would be acceptable and feasible and engender sufficient compliance that a group of Indigenous people with type 2 diabetes will benefit from the weight loss with remission of type 2 diabetes equal to that observed in a Caucasian group of the Melbourne RCT trial. To ascertain success-factors for the LAGB procedure and give appropriate health education with a view of improving their compliance to obtain the hypothesised results the study would assess the perceptions and beliefs of diabetes patients and their health care service providers. The central aim of the study is to achieve a substantial and durable weight loss. The principal outcome is the frequency of remission of type 2 diabetes in response to this weight loss. Additional outcomes would include measure of side effects and complications, compliance, acceptability and costs.

This study aims to see whether providing an educational program to people with psychosis who take a stable anti-psychotic medication do better than people with psychosis on a stable anti-psychotic medication who recieve usual care from their General Practitioner or case manager. We are particularly interested in people's engagement with treatment, psychiatric symptoms and everyday functioning.

In the majority of individuals with mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders there is a steady decline with time of muscle mass and strength, and with reducing mobility there is a high risk of reduced bone mineral density and fracture. There are currently no therapies that have been shown to be consistently effective in this cohort of patients. Rett syndrome is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder. Amongst other clinical problems there is a high risk of reduced bone mass, primarily related to reduced mobility and nutritional intake, and poor perfusion of lower limb extremities. Aims: 1. To investigate if whole body vibration training is effective and well tolerated over the medium-term in patients with mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders or Rett syndrome. 2. A medium-term home based training program in patients with mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders will evaluate if whole body vibration training influences: a. Muscle power and force b. Muscle mass c. Bone mass 3. A medium-term home based training program in patients with Rett syndrome will evaluate if whole body vibration training influences: a. Muscle mass b. Bone mass c. Lower limb skin blood flow

This study involved the development and pilot / phase I testing of a psychoeducational intervention involving tailored nursing consultations combined with peer telephone support to address the psychosocial needs of women with gynaecological cancer being treated with radiotherapy. The intervention was found to be feasible and acceptable to patients and clinicians. This intervention was then further modified and is being tested in a larger RCT to identify whether the support program reduces psychological distress, unmet supportive care needs, psychosexual difficulties, and improves quality of life and adherence to dilator use. The ACTRN is the initial development & pilot testing phase is: ACTRN12609000312246. A second ACTRN is for the phase III trial for which this study was the initial development & pilot testing phase has also been submitted: ACTRN12611000744954.