ANZCTR search results

4 month diet and and exercise program. Pre and Post ssessment of anthropometry, sleep disordered breathing, cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, blood pressure, glucose.

Obstructive sleep apnoea can be treated using a mandibular advancement dental device. This study will look at the effectiveness of an adjustable device on sleep apnoea severity and whether objective feedback to subjects about its effectiveness results in adjustment and better effectiveness compared to adjustment without objective feedback.

The primary purpose of this study is to test the acceptability of snus, compared to nicotine pouch (the pouch is like a sachet), compared to nicotine gum, and the degree to which each of these products reduces the number of cigarettes that people smoke. The hypothesis is that people will find snus and the nicotine pouch more acceptable than nicotine gum, and that the snus and the nicotine pouch will result in a larger reduction in number of cigarettes smoked per day than is acheived using nicotine gum. We have no hypothesis about the relative accepability or smoking reduction effectiveness of snus compared to nicotine pouch.

Women in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy will be compared to a matched control group of non-pregnant women. Outcome measures will be measures of memory and sleep.

There is evidence to suggest that female sex hormone changes (primarily progesterone), during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, have protective effects against airway collapse in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), thus maintaining airway patency and preventing occlusion. In premenopausal women, who have a cyclical pattern of hormone concentrations over the menstrual cycle, OSA appears to be milder, suggesting that OSA is underdiagnosed in this population sub-group. The treatment of choice for OSA by most sleep physicians is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), in which positive air pressure is applied to the upper airway via a mask to splint the pharynx during sleep. To date there appears to be no investigations into the effects of female sex hormones on CPAP pressures as a result of menstrual cycle stage. This study aims to determine whether there is a significant change in the optimal CPAP pressures delivered by an autotitrating CPAP machine over the course of the menstrual cycle in relation to changes in female sex hormones progesterone and oestradiol. For the purposes of this study, optimal pressure is defined as the pressure which is 95% of the maximum pressure delivered by an autotitrating CPAP machine over the sleep period (Pmax 95). Patients will be provided with a ResMed AutoSet (Ryde, Australia) CPAP machine for a period of 5 weeks. Each CPAP machine is capable of continuously recording CPAP pressure levels, air leak, and respiratory events throughout each night. This recorded data will be downloaded onto a desktop computer at the end of the study period. The menstrual cycle will be followed using body temperature measurements (digital oral measurements) measured by the patients each morning at home immediately on arousal from sleep, and a weekly intravenous blood sample will be taken from the patients for competitive binding immunoassays of plasma progesterone and oestradiol levels. Patients will be required to note any changes in their normal daily activities as well as medication and alcohol or caffeine intake, in a daily journal supplied by the investigators.

Calcium supplementation has been shown to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis and related fractures. Currently Calsup (calcium carbonate) is marketed widely in Australia. This study is to compare the effects of Calsup with a newer calcium supplement, Citracal (Calcium citrate) on reducing serum markers of bone resorption. The hypothesis is that citracal may be equally effective in smaller doses and would have less side effects.

Worldwide obesity has increased over the last decade. Paediatric obesity is known to be an independent risk factor for adult obesity. Adolescent obesity is associated with atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is preceded by endothelial or blood vessel dysfunction that can be assessed by ultrasound. Endothelial dysfunction occurs in severely obese children. Early interventions to improve endothelial dysfunction in obesity, in addition to metabolic and weight control may potentially prevent atherosclerosis and heart disease. Folic acid has been proposed as one of the strategies to reduce atherosclerosis and hasn't been investigated in obesity.

ACV1 was discovered in the venom of an Australian marine cone snail. It blocks a type of receptor in the peripheral nervous system, which may then have a pain decreasing effect in types of neuropathic pain (nerve pain). Neuropathic pain is the category of pain having the greatest need for improved drugs. This trial is in patients with sciatica, which is caused by damage or compression of the sciatic nerve which runs from the lower spine down both legs. The trial aims to examine whether giving ACV1 to these patients provides pain relief.

This study seeks to evaluate whether a multimedia approach improves performance and adherence of children to a home based exercise program prescribed by physiotherapist. This study will compare the usual current practice of providing verbal instructions and information leaflet to the new approach of providing a multimedia package in addition to verbal instructions.The hypotheses of this study is that a multimedia approach will improve the child’s motivation to perform exercises and therefore increase their adherence to the prescribed program. We also hypothesised that providing an audio-visual reference for children will aid learning and increase their technical proficiency in performing the exercises. This trial will involve patients ranging between 6-18 years recruited from orthopaedic outpatient’s clinic (RCH), who require stretching exercises for either their calf or thigh muscles as part of their treatment. Patients will be divided randomly into two groups. Each group will receive either an instructional leaflet or a multimedia CD containing the exercise program to be taken home. They will also receive a diary to record their adherence to exercise. Patients will be asked to return to the clinic 4 weeks after the initial consultation, and their exercise technique will be recorded on video and later evaluated by blinded expert panel.This information will then be analysed to see whether there is any improvement in the frequency (adherence) and the quality (performance) of the exercises.