ANZCTR search results

The trial will determine the effects of intensive weight-bearing exercise after hip fracture. The outcome variables will be walking speed, quadriceps strength, mobility, balance, activities of daily living and quality of life. The experimental hypothesis is that intensive weight-bearing exercise will produce better mobility, strength, balance and other outcomes with no additional complications (including falls and fall related injuries) than non-weight-bearing exercise at 1 and 4 months after recruitment.

Corneal abrasion or ulceration following trauma is the most common ophthalmological condition which presents to Emergency Departments. The cornea is the clear covering over the iris (coloured part of the eye) which is usually injured by objects hitting the surface of the eye (eg during grinding metal or fingernail scratches). Because of the large number of nerve endings in the cornea, surface damage is generally very painful, especially in the first 24 hours. Despite minor corneal trauma being common, the management remains controversial. There is general agreement that oral analgesics should be recommended and that topical antibiotics should be prescribed, although this has been debated. It has been thought in the past that spasm of the eye muscles around the pupil (dark part of the eye) might add to the pain which people experience after minor corneal trauma. A number of eye drops can paralyse these muscles so that this does not occur. This means that the pupil remains large and cannot alter in size in response to changes in light or attempts to focus. This leads to some light sensitivity and blurring of vision, which also occur anyway when the cornea is injured. Some text books recommend use of pupil dilating drops after corneal injury, but a recent literature review on the topic did not recommend their use because one study found no benefit. A recent survey of emergency physicians in Canada found that now only just over half of them are using dilating drops in this setting. This project aims to determine if homatropine 5% (a strong pupil dilating drop) given every six hours for a twenty-four period is effective in reducing eye pain associated with minor corneal abrasion. A total of 60 patients will be asked to participate in this study. Patients will be recruited by doctors working in the emergency department at Dandenong Hospital. Patients who satisfy the trial entry criteria will be asked to instil either homatropine 5% eye drops or hypromellose 0.5% eye drops (inactive placebo). All patients will be prescribed an antibiotic eye ointment to prevent infection in the affected eye. Patients will also be given paracetamol tablets with direction to take two tablets every six hours when required for pain. The visual analogue scale (VAS) will be used in this study to measure the level of pain in patients with corneal abrasion. Statistical analysis will involve comparing the mean pain scores at 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours to find if there is a clinically significant difference between homatropine 5% and hypromellose (placebo). A reduction in VAS score of more than 20mm is considered clinically significant, so a change of this level would support future homatropine use, while a lesser change would not.

This project is associated with a similar correspondence-based treatment for alcohol misuse. It is a randomised controlled trial in which participants are assigned to standard care by their GP or standard care plus correspondence-based treatment for either alcohol or alcohol and depression. After three months, those in the standard care only group are randomly assigned to one of the two experimental groups. The correspondence-based treatments are based on empirically supported cognitive behaviour therapy and comprise four weekly and four fortnightly letters. The alcohol only treatment covers topics such as motivation enhancement, goal setting, dealing with urges, planning for high risk situations, problem solving and relapse prevention. The alcohol and depression treatment group contains the same material on alcohol, but also addresses depression in each letter.

This project is associated with a similar correspondence-based treatment for alcohol misuse co-morbid with depression. It is a randomised controlled trial, in which participants are assigned to standard care by their GP or, standard care plus correspondence-based treatment. After three months, those in the standard care only group are provided the same treatment as the experimental group. The correspondence-based treatment is founded on empirically supported cognitive behaviour therapy for alcohol misuse and comprises four weekly and four fortnightly letters covering topics such as motivation enhancement, goal setting, dealing with urges, planning for high risk situations and relapse prevention.

The purpose of the study is: Find out if patients receiving sorafenib will live longer. Find out if sorafenib has any effect on patient reported outcomes. Find out if sorafenib prevents the growth of or shrinks liver tumors and/or their metastases. Determine the pharmacokinetics (PK) in patients with liver cancer.

The primary purpose is to determine whether growth hormone and androgens alter protein metabolism in a way that will reduce protein loss in long-term glucocorticoid users. If so they may be a potential therapy to reduce the skin thinning and muscle weakness that occurs during longterm glucocorticoid use.