ANZCTR search results

Joint mobility is a key factor in determining stroke length in rowers. The aim of this project is to determine whether increasing the mobility of restricted joints in rowers by manual mobilisation can increase a rower's stroke length and consequently rowing performance.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common disorder which causes changes within the airways and blood vessels of the lung. As a result of these changes, it can cause problems with breathing and the way air and oxygen travels to different parts of the lung. We have several different ways of looking at how bad COPD is, however none of these are perfect. By understanding better the way in which airways behave in COPD, and the effects this has on blood flow within the lung, the better able we will be to investigate, develop new medications, and treat COPD. In this study we will be investigating the way COPD affects breathing and blood flow by looking at changes in lung function. We will then compare this information with pictures of breathing and blood flow obtained from a nuclear medicine scan.

Obesity is a major public health issue in Australia with approximately 67% of men and 52% of women overweight or obese. Obesity is associated with a number of life threatening diseases and is an independent risk factor for a range of cardiovascular diseases. Although group programs that involve weekly visits are regarded as the most effective strategy for treating obesity, there is an urgent need for the development of effective weight loss programs that are more widely accessible. The Internet may have considerable potential to deliver weight management programs for individuals who cannot access clinical programs or where frequent face-to-face contact is a substantial barrier. To date, little is known about the efficacy of online weight loss programs. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of an Internet-based weight loss program for men that incorporates key behavioural strategies including social support and self monitoring.

Pain and crepitus (a scraping feel and sound) can occur at the scapula (shoulder blade) restricting the shoulder's normal gliding motion. Previous studies have shown that removing a small supero medial portion of the scapula bone can correct this. This can be done arthroscopically (key hole surgery) but this area is difficult to see and access. We have previously published an article on anatomic studies demonstrating a safe new 'key hole' position which allows experienced arthroscopists better access to enable removal of the 'troublesome' bone. In this study we evaluated the outcome of patients who had this procedure with regard to their good and excellent return to work and sport. All patients thought it was worthwhile having the operation.

For many years the standard approach to lead placement has been the right ventricular apex (RVA). However, early evidence suggests that right ventricular high septum (RVHS) pacing may be more beneficial compared to RVA pacing. Patients with complete heart block requiring more than 90% ventricular pacing will be randomised into two groups; RVA vs RVHS pacing. The two pacing modalities will be compared to assess left ventricular function as measured by the left ventricular ejection fraction.

It is not known at what time definitive femoral shaft intramedullary nailing (IMN) should be performed to result in fewer complications for the patient. The trial will investigate the optimal timing of femoral shaft IMN in a single-centre phase II randomised trial. The null hypothesis is that there is no difference in organ dysfunction outcomes between multitrauma patients having a femoral shaft fracture nailed immediately (within 24 hours) or nailed 3-6 days later secondary to external fixation.

Gout is an inflammatory condition caused by the deposition of urate crystals in tissues/joints. Allopurinol is a common and effective treatment to prevent gout. Gout predominantly affects the older population who are at risk for cardiovascular disease such as hypertension and heart attack. Low-dose aspirin and hydrochlorothiazide are used for the prevention of such cardiovascular events. Therefore, co-administration of allopurinol and aspirin and/or hydrochlorothiazide is common in older individuals. However, there has been no investigation of this combination of drugs with respect to control of urate concentrations in the body. This study will examine the interaction between allopurinol and aspirin and hydrochlorothiazide.

Empyema is the accumulation of infective fluid around the lung and occurs in about 1 percent of pneumonias in children. The bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of empyema. There has been a national vaccination program in Australia for the past 5 years which covers 7 types of Streptococcus. There is evidence in other countries that a type called Serotype 1 is emerging and this is not covered by the vaccine in this country. There is also evidence that following the introduction of the vaccine in other countries there has been a rise in the number of empyemas in children. The aim of this project is to accurately assess the types of Streptococcus causing empyemas in children in Australia using molecular techniques which can increase our identification of the bacteria causing empyema greater than our current standard techniques. The significance of the project is that it has the potential to affect the national vaccination program. If the project highlights that there is a large proportion of types of Streptococcus causing disease in children not covered by the current vaccine, then it may influence the Department of Health and Ageing in changing to another vaccine with a broader coverage. In addition, it is not known how best to manage children with empyemas and we will get data from different sites on how they are treating these children. We aim to develop a position paper for the Australian Paediatric Respiratory Group on managing children with this disease in Australia.

A randomized comparison of two types of troponin testing for ED patients.Currently ED patients with possible coronary syndromes wait significant times to be "cleared " or declared low enough risk for stress testing or discharge. One component of this wait is the time for troponin results to become available which may be reduced by using bedside or point of care(POC) tests.This could result in acute ED bed space being more efficiently utilized.Many other factors however may affect the speed of patient flow and a controlled trial will help to quantify this.

Up to today, there is no gold standard available for the assessment of pain in young children after operations. Aim of this trial is to investigate the correlation between pain obtained by behavioural or nurse rated assessment with skin conductance readings obtained at the same time. We hope that by that means we may be able to measure pain objectively and be able to conclude about wether or not a child requires acute pain relief. We will include 180 patients in 3 age groups (1-3, 4-7 and 8-16 yrs) and observe their pain (nurse assessed, behavioural, self assessed) in the recovery room. At the same time we will obtain skin conductance readings via 3 sticky dots on the hand (a method which itself is absolutely pain-free). From these readings we will try to find correlations or certain patterns that might allow conclusion about the level of pain by simple skin conductance assessment.