ANZCTR search results

The primary aim of this trial is to compare the outcomes and adverse events of two different physiotherapy treatment approaches for people with clinical and radiological confirmation of lumbar disc herniation with associated radiculopathy. A secondary aim is to determine the perspectives of participants on the functional restoration program utilised in the trial.

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 may reduce inflammation and assist weight loss and weight loss maintenance

The study will determine the range of oral doses of vitamin D that are necessary to raise blood levels of vitamin D to an extent that may have positive effects in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This study will not examine rheumatoid arthritis outcomes, but the results will be used to plan a later study with rheumatoid patients to examine the effects of vitamin D.

Falls and falls-related injuries are a serious public health issue affecting people aged 65 years and over. It is estimated that 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 will fall every year. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalization and death in persons older than 65 years of age. They are often the key precipitating factor in leading to admission to an residential aged care (RAC) facility. People living in RAC have a higher rate of falls than older people living in the community. They are generally frailer with greater muscle weakness than their peers living independently at home. There are usually a number of causes of falls. Risk factors that contribute to falls include gait and balance disorders, visual problems, cognitive impairment, and the use of certain medications. Improving lower limb muscle strength and balance using exercise is an effective treatment in falls prevention. In the presence of osteoporosis, the incidence of fracture following a fall increases sharply. Once a person has sustained a fracture due to osteoporosis they are four times more likely to sustain another fracture in the proceeding 12 months than the non-fracture population. Recent interest has emerged on the use of Mechanical Whole Body Vibration (WBV) as a potential therapy that may produce improvements in muscle strength, bone mineral density and balance. WBV works by stimulating the stretch reflex causing a contract - relax cycle of muscle. Given the benefits that WBV has been shown to provide to muscle strength, balance and bone mineral density it has the potential to play an important role in falls prevention particularly in frail older people who have difficulty participating in an active exercise program. It has been suggested that 5 minutes of WBV provides benefits equating with 30 minutes of traditional exercise. This may more achievable in the older person. This study aims to assess the effects of WBV on the muscle strength, balance and falls of older residents living in a RAC facility. Participants who meet the criteria to participate in the study will have their balance and muscle strength assessed prior to commencing the study. Previous falls history will be recorded. All participants will perform a targeted group exercise program aimed at improving lower limb strength and balance. The exercise program will be run two times per week for 8 weeks with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes. Half of the participants will perform additional WBV exercise 3 times per week for 8 weeks under the supervision of a qualified physiotherapist who is experienced in the use of WBV exercise. Each WBV exercise session will be a maximum 10 minutes. At the end of the 8 weeks participants will have their muscle strength and balance reassessed. Information on Falls will be collected for a further 6 months.

This study looks at which types of exercise are most useful in reducing the side effects of hormonal therapy for prostate cancer. Who is it for? You can join this study if you are a man being treated for prostate cancer with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to reduce your level of male hormones. Trial details Participants will be divided into three groups. One group will undertake resistance/impact loading exercise. Sessions are 60 minutes each, twice weekly over 12 months. The second group will undertake resistance/cardiovascular exercise. Sessions are 60 minutes each, twice weekly over 6 months. The third group will be provided with a printed booklet with information about exercise for the initial 6-month period, and in the second 6-month period undertake twice weekly cycling exercise sessions. Participants in this group will be also offered a 3-month resistance exercise program following the completion of the second 6-month period. The study will measure cardio-respiratory capacity (maximum oxygen capacity), bone mineral density, blood pressure and artery stiffness, muscle function and other indicators of well-being before, during and immediately after the program. The use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is accompanied by a number of side effects. This study will investigate the effects of exercise on reversing musculoskeletal and cardiovascular related side effects.

Certain types of asthmatics do not respond well to usual medications. It is likely that this is due to the type of inflammatory cells found in the airways. Asthmatics with low levels of eosinophils and high levels of neutrophils may respond better if treated with a class of antibiotics called macrolides. Long-term use of macrolides helps people with a variety of types of inflammation in the lung. As yet, it is unknown whether this will help in asthmatics. The main purpose of this study is to see whether taking two Azithromycin (a macrolide) tablets three times per week for 48 weeks will help people with asthma. It is hypothesised that taking the Azithromycin will reduce the number of asthma exacerbations (or 'attacks'), decrease the general daily symptoms experienced and improve health status.

A previous intervention project saw patients with potentially suboptimal management of their asthma identified from their dispensed medication history – in particular, a high rate of provision of reliever compared with preventer medication for asthma. These patients were sent educational material from their community pharmacists and advised to seek a review of their asthma management from their general practitioner. The intervention resulted in a three-fold improvement in the management of asthma, measured by a significant shift towards more patients using preventer medications and relying less heavily on their reliever medications.1 There were also significant improvements in self-reported asthma control and asthma-related quality of life. This project is examining the long-term sustainability of the previously funded asthma intervention program by performing a 12-month follow-up and data analysis. If the effects of this low-cost, high-value intervention are sustained, it is envisaged that it will significantly impact on health policy in asthma management. If the effects are not sustained, further analysis of the data will be undertaken to determine frequency of the intervention required to gain sustained improvements. In addition, patients, community pharmacists and general practitioners will be invited to participate in qualitative face-to-face interviews to determine the perceived feasibility of the community pharmacy intervention on a national scale. Identification of key barriers and enables to the implementation of the intervention will lead to an improved process if necessary, with a higher level of satisfaction among the target population.

Liquid fish oil is increasingly used in the treatment of a range of inflammatory conditions, however there has not been any work conducted which investigates the acceptability of fish oil to older adults. Considering the evidence that there are numerous factors which affect taste sensitivity in the older population, it may be that fish oil acceptability differs in this group. The aim of the study is to determine the level of acceptability of fish oil to older adults and identify any differences in acceptability between patient groups.

This project will investigate whether the ABCD Parenting Young Adolescents Program assists parents to promote a range of factors known to protect adolescents from experiencing poor health outcomes and that delay or reduce their involvement in dangerous risk taking activities such as alcohol and other drugs. Specifically, the project will investigate whether participation in ABCD results in: improvements in parent-adolescent relationships; reductions in parent-adolescent conflicts; improvements in adolescent behaviour and improvements in parental confidence and wellbeing.

We are investigating a new educational strategy to support GPs in clinical decision making about dyspnoea (breathlessness) management in terminal cancer patients. Dyspnoea plagues patients with cancer at the end of life and management of breathlessness is a central challenge in the care of cancer patients. Effective strategies to translate known evidence into practice are needed. Most comprehensive educational programs are not useful in the real world because they are too complicated, time consuming or expensive. This educational program (academic detailing) is brief, easy to understand, based on the best evidence available and is acceptable to GPs. Academic detailing has a proven track record for improving patient-based outcomes by improving physician practice and patient personal care. This study aims to further our understanding of how academic detailing will work for cancer patients with breathlessness at the end of life. Findings from this study may provide us with information needed to undertake a larger definitive study that will include cancer patients at all stages of their illnesses. The ultimate goal of this pilot study is to improve the cancer patient’s breathlessness through the development of a comprehensive Randomised Clinical Trial (RCT) to determine the best method of initiating change in the primary care setting. Based on our findings, an implementation and training program could be developed which could be implemented nationally. Better management of dyspnoea has the potential to improve quality of life, reduce hospital admissions and reduce total cost.