ANZCTR search results

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the success of two types of surgical procedures in the treatment of women with exertional or activity related urinary incontinence, commonly brought on by coughing and sneezing. Modern advances involve development of minimally invasive procedures which saw the introduction of tension free vaginal tapes (TVT) and transobturator tape (e.g. Monarc) which provides good success rates when compared to the traditional operation, although with the advantage of a quicker recovery. Both the TVT and Monarc tape have a success rates in the order of 85-90% but do attract complications such as bleeding and bladder injury (4-9%) at the time of needle passage, difficulty in passing urine, urinary urgency (2.9%), mesh material making its way through to the vagina (1%) or thigh pain. The MiniArc sling is a procedure that places the tape in a different way. It is inserted through a small vaginal incision with no exit site and acts more as a “hammock”. It may have less complication than the Monarc slings because of its exitless design. We aim to compare the success rate of MiniArc versus Monarc slings in treatment of female stress urinary incontinence with the hypothesis that MiniArc has at least the equivalent success rate

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This study will examine the effectiveness of a psycho-educational intervention aimed at promoting coping and psychological wellbeing in family caregivers caring for a relative receiving home based palliative care. The intervention will be offered in a full version (two home visits and one phone call) and the 'rural' format (one home visit and two phone calls). The main hypotheses are: 1. Primary family caregivers who receive the intervention will report: increased perceived competence for their caregiving role; increased perceived preparedness for their caregiving role; increased positive emotions associated with their role; decreased unmet informational needs; decreased levels of psychological distress, when compared with caregivers in the control group one week after the intervention. 2. Family caregivers receiving the intervention will report decreased levels of psychological distress when compared to controls 3 months following bereavement.

The study is a randomised, double-blind, multi-centre clinical trial to evaluate the use of Chinese herbal medicine in the management of endometriosis. Formulated Chinese herbs will be assessed against an inert placebo. Trial participants will be randomly allocated to either Chinese herbal medicine or placebo. Neither participants nor researchers/assessors will have knowledge of the allocation. It is a prospective clinical study in which participants are reviewed monthly for six months, and three month follow up. Stringent methodology includes an objective laparoscopy diagnosis of endometriosis and suitable outcome measures. The study also includes ensuring participants completing the trial and, facilitating consistent data collection and validity. The trial will be a multi-centre clinical trial with participants recruited and reviewed at several health centres. This will be the first clinical trial in Australia combining Chinese herbal medicine, an objective diagnosis (laparoscopy) and a strict methodological protocol.

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common form of dementia and is a major cause of mental and physical disability in the elderly. There are currently no satisfactory or widely accepted medical options to help alleviate the symptoms associated with this disorder. Traditional Chinese medicine has a well-documented history of using herbal formulations for treatment of dementia-like disorders, but its therapeutic effectiveness has very little or no scientific validation. This controlled clinical trial will investigate the therapeutic effectiveness of a Chinese herbal medicine formula used in the treatment of VaD. 120 patients will be recruited to trial this formula over a four-month period.

Some evidence suggests that Chinese & western herbs may help reduce menopausal symptoms. Therefore, this study will investigate the effectiveness of a herbal formula to alleviate menopausal vasomotor symptoms and improve quality of life. The trial will consist of two arms, an intervention and a placebo group, with random assignment of participants. All participants and trial researchers will be blinded to treatment allocation. Preliminary data will also be gathered on the effect of herbal therapy on bone metabolic markers.

To describe the prevalence of cancerous growths in the small bowel as assessed by capsule endoscopy in a group of patients previously diagnosed with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). These patients are known to have previously identified cancerous growths and this study aims to compare the findings of capsule endoscopy to correlate this with the findings by other investigative techniques. These techniques are abdominal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning, barium follow through examination(SBFT), and gastrointestinal side-viewing endoscopy.

Finger prick blood tests are a widely accepted method of small blood volume collection. Blood collection via finger prick is painful. A reduction in pain and anxiety from finger prick may assist subjects who require numerous procedures. The aim of this study is to assess whether amethocaine reduces the pain and anxiety of finger prick blood sampling

The primary purpose of the study is to determine whether or not acute administration of amphetamine produces schizophrenic-like brain function and cognitive effects.

Lipids form an outer layer of the tear film, which is essential in retarding evaporation of the aqueous layer of the tears. Contact lenses, after being inserted onto the eye, adsorb tear lipids. Analysis of tear lipid changes before and after contact lens wear may reveal which lipid component causes problems (in terms of ocular discomfort and inflammatory responses) with contact lens wear. The study hypothesis is that contact lens wear and/or lens care solutions change the tear lipid profile and thereby influence lens performance.