ANZCTR search results

100,000 Australians have Parkinson’s disease (PD) at any one time and up to 68% of these people will fall each year. Reduced balance, reduced leg muscle strength and freezing of gait have been identified as risk factors for falls in people with PD. This project will test the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an exercise program in reducing falls in people with PD. Participants will be randomly allocated to an exercise group or a control group. Both groups will receive standardized falls prevention advice and will keep a falls diary. The exercise group will also participate in a home-based balance and leg strengthening exercise program for 6 months, with the option of attending a once a month support-group based exercise class. Evidence-based cueing strategies will be used to assist participants to manage freezing. The study has been designed using the criteria developed by the Cochrane database and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) for best practice in the conduct of randomized controlled trials. The effect of the program on frequency of falls, lower limb strength, balance, fear of falling and quality of life will be investigated as well as the cost-effectiveness of the program. Any reduction in the frequency of falls for people with PD will reduce the personal and financial costs to individuals with PD, their families, health care resources and the community.

This study is designed to investigate nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy’s efficacy to improve important intermediate markers of cardio-metabolic health (visceral fat, insulin sensitivity, central blood pressure, arterial stiffness).

Osteoporosis fractures are common, costly and cause significant death and disability. They may be reduced by improving the amount of bone laid down in childhood. Childhood vitamin D deficiency is common and is harmful for bone development. The use of vitamin D supplements in children to improve bone health needs further investigation. This study aims to determine what effect vitamin supplementation has on bone development in adolescents who have mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency. This will be tested through a placebo controlled randomised controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation in a sample of mild to moderately vitamin D deficient adolescents aged 15 to 17 years.

This trial will randomly allocate patients with PTSD to either standard cognitive behaviour therapy or augmented cognitive behaviour therapy.

This trial is looking at the analgesic efficacy of transversus abdominis plane block (TAP block) using ropivacaine following abdominal surgery.

To determine whether use of the Funhaler,as a spacer for administation of asthma preventive treatment, has an influence on adherence to medication, drug delivery, and eventually if its use can improve asthma control.

To examine the effectiveness and tolerability of Intravenous Levetiracetam in the acute seizure setting

This is a pilot trial looking at the safety and feasability of running a local anaesthetic infusion to improve the post-operative pain relief of patients who have had abdominal surgery. The local anaesthetic, called ropivacaine, will be run via a transversus abdominis plane catheter. This will be placed in both sides of the abdomen between two muscle layers. The study will look at the effect of the infusion on how much morphine the patient requires after their surgery. The study will also look at the levels of ropivacaine in the blood during the infusion, which will run for three days.

The overall aim is to establish an objective, empirically and statistically valid basis for the biochemical confirmation of age-related Androgen deficiency in older Australian men. This will be based on development of an age-stratified reference panel of healthy middle-aged and older Australian men with good quality of life.