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Literature and clinical experience have shown that children undergoing major spinal surgery or craniotomy are at particular risk of low sodium levels. The optimal management of fluid and electrolytes in this group of children has received much attention in the literature, but to date there is still no consensus on this matter. Although many studies have described post-operative hyponatraemia, there has not been to our knowledge a prospectively conducted randomised controlled trial of the post-operative use of hypotonic dextrose/saline (standard paediatric intravenous fluid therapy) versus isotonic saline therapy following major corrective spinal surgery or craniotomy to prevent hyponatraemia in a paediatric population. We will be conducting a randomised controlled trial of Hartmann's and 5% Dextrose compared with 0.45% Sodium Chloride and 5% Dextrose. We hypothesise that Hartman's and 5% Glucouse will minimise the postoperative fall in serum sodium following spinal surgery and craniotomy.

Hypothesis The null hypotheses are: 1. In women with an hCG ratio < 0.8 (fall in serum hCG over 48 h of more than 20%) there is no difference in success of conservative management whether managed expectantly or medically with methotrexate. 2. In women with an hCG ratio > 0.8 surgery is needed whether or not methotrexate is given as first line management.

Patients with stage I and II low grade follicular lymphoma are randomised between standard therapy (involved field radiotherapy) and investigational therapy (involved field radiotherapy plus chemotherapy). The main endpoint is progression free survival but overall survival and the influence of t(14;18) status will also be studied.

Osteolymphoma is a cancer of the bone marrow that responds well to radiation therapy and chemotherapy but may come back in other parts of the body. This trial will determine the results of combining radiation therapy and chemotherapy in a standardised way.

The surgical facemask has been in use in operating theatres to protect patients from infection since the late 1800s. More recently, the focus has changed from protecting the patient, to protecting staff from splashes of body fluids. Although the mask is clearly useful for scrubbed staff for this purpose, it remains unclear whether wearing face-masks by unscrubbed operating room staff results in any benefit or harm to the patient undergoing surgery. The objective of the current study is to use a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effect of wearing a face mask, by non-scrubbed operating room staff, on surgical site infection (primary outcome) and cost (secondary outcome). This will be the largest such trial to be undertaken and results will have broad implications for Queensland Health across the state.

This study is designed to determine the safety and efficacy of PI- 88 combined with dacarbazine as a first line treatment in patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma, compared to the current standard treatment of dacarbazine alone. PI-88 is a new drug which blocks new blood vessel growth in tumours, which starves the tumour of nutrients and therefore it cannot grow. Dacarbazine is a chemotherapy drug which has been used for many years to treat melanoma and it works by stopping the tumour cells from growing. It is hoped that by combining these two drugs patients will have better outcomes than if they were treated with dacarbazine alone. The results of this study will be analysed to see if it is worthwhile for the 2 drugs to be tested in future studies involving larger numbers of melanoma patients.

This study will determine if macadamia nuts are an appropriate food to include in diets to address weight loss and other factors associated with coronary heart disease.

To determine if acupuncture using a low power infrared laser has a benefit greater than that achieved by non- specific factors(placebo) in the treatment of chronic low back pain.

Rituximab has been used extensively for the treatment of other immune diseases and for a blood cancer, lymphoma. This trial is to determine if rituximab is also effective in the treatment of bullous skin diseases such as bullous pemphigoid. We want to assess if rituximab is a good alternative to other standard treatments for bullous pemphigoid including immune suppressive drugs, or if it can be effective in those patients that have not responded or are intolerant to either steroid treatment or immune suppressive treatment. The aim of this trial is to determine if there is any improvement in the skin lesions or if the dose of steroids or immune suppressive drugs can be reduced. Rituximab is only currently approved in Australia for the use in lymphoma and is not currently approved for the use in bullous skin disease. Rituximab will be administered as four doses, each a week apart and then patient assessment will take place at 1 month and 3 months post treatment and 3-monthly thereafter to assess response

There is compelling evidence for the efficacy of screening and brief intervention (SBI) for hazardous drinking, yet it is not widely available in primary healthcare. Electronic (computer/web-based) intervention offers the prospect of ease, simplicity, and economy of access. The objective was to examine whether electronic SBI (single- and multi-intervention) reduces hazardous drinking and related problems compared with an information leaflet alone (control condition). Design and Setting: Randomized controlled trial at a university health service (enrolment 8/2003), with follow-up measures taken at 6 and 12 months.