ANZCTR search results

This study will compare 3 beta blocker tablets routinely used in treating patients with heart failure. There are theoretical reasons for differences between the tablets (particularly with respect to lung function and blood pressure changes), although this has not been tested in head-to-head comparison.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful and costly condition. Wedged shoe insoles are a simple intervention that may reduce pain and slow disease progression in people with knee OA and bow legs. They are thought to work by changing the alignment of the knee, altering muscle activity and ultimately reducing load across the knee joint. This project will compare the effect of a lateral wedged insole and a flat insole to see whether the lateral wedges are a useful treatment for people with knee OA. Participants will be screened over the phone first then will attend the Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine for further screening to assess their suitability. If they pass the screening, they will undergo baseline testing at the Centre which will take around 2 hours. They will complete questionnaires about their knee pain and function, quality of life, expectation of treatment benefit, physical activity levels and self motivation. Measurements will also be taken of walking, muscle strength, and foot type. Participants will attend the Epworth Hospital for a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the knee which will take about 1 hour. Participants will be randomly allocated into one of two groups (i) wedged shoe insoles (ii) control shoe insoles (with no wedging). Participants will wear the insoles in both shoes full time for 12 months. They will be provided with several pairs for replacement and for different shoes. Participants will be asked to complete a log-book during this time to record their insole wear compliance, any negative effects of the insoles, medication use, visits to health professionals and any additional home support. Some of the questionnaires will be completed at home after wearing the insoles for 6 months. At 12 months, participants will return to the Centre for repeat testing and to the Epworth for another knee scan.

Objectives: To determine if changes in motor performance following a course of exercise in patients with mechanical neck pain (MNP) were dependent on the primary behavioral demand of the exercise performed. Design: Randomised clinical trial Setting: University laboratory. Participants: Sixty volunteers with chronic MNP were randomly allocated into either an endurance training group (ETr) (n=20), a coordination training group (CTr) (n=20), or an active mobility training group (MTr) (n = 20). Intervention: Exercise targeted to improve cervical motor performance Main Outcome Measures: Changes in cervical motor performance (strength, endurance, coordination, active mobility) following the training program were evaluated immediately following the 10 week training program, and at a 26 week follow-up. Results: Between group comparisons revealed significantly greater gains in endurance (P = 0.01) by the ETr group, and significantly greater gains in coordination (P = 0.02) by the CTr group. All three groups experienced improvement in pain (P < 0.05) and disability (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Changes in motor performance in individuals with MNP in response to an exercise program were dependent on the specific mode of exercise performed, with minimal improvement in other domains of motor performance

1. To investigate the effect of HIV infection and treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy on individual steps of reverse cholesterol transport and vascular function. 2. To investigate the effect of HIV infection and anti-HIV drugs on intracellular cholesterol metabolism.