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Improved participation in screening for bowel cancer is desirable. Currently population scale bowel cancer screening program delivery is by mailed offer, without prior warning, from a central screening service and invitations include a occult blood kit. Invitees may reject this process as they are unprepared to receive such an offer. One approach is to improve communication between screening providers and invitees through improved population scale interpersonal contact. We have developed a preliminary letter to precede an postal invitation to bowel cancer screening. The letter simply informs invitees that they will soon receive a screening invitation and provides them with some basic information about bowel cancer screening. We will randomly select invitees from the electoral roll and compare population screening participation between groups with or without the preliminary letter to determine which program results in the greater participation rate. Improved participation in screening will ultimately reduce deaths from bowel cancer

The response to two different gait training protocols will be compared

To evaluate the efficacy and the safety of I-131 rituximab in relapsed large B cell lymphoma administered as induction treatment and followed by standard non-radioactive rituximab as consolidation and maintenance treatment for one year in 40 patients in a single centre phase II open-label non-randomised study.

The study is a multi centre double blind, randomised, placebo controlled parallel design. There will be three arms - placebo, sea cucumber extract and sea cucumber extract plus Boswellia serrata. Three comparisons can be undertaken from this design - 1. sea cucumber extract alone versus placebo 2. the combination of sea cucumber extract with Boswellia serrata extract versus placebo 3. sea cucumber extract alone versus the combination of sea cucumber extract with Boswellia serrata extract.A sample size calculation, setting a and b at 0.05 and 0.8 respectively, was undertaken based on the variability of FEV1 in men (mean 3.5, SD 1.5) and setting d at 15% (0.7L) required 60 subjects in each arm. The study will aim to recruit 72 subjects in each arm. Total 216 subjects. Allowing for up to 15% drop-out should secure a minimum of 60 subjects in each arm.Randomisation and BlindingSubjects will be randomly allocated to one of the two treatments or placebo. Study subjects and investigators will not know the treatment assignment. Use of the double blind design will prevent ascertainment bias. The placebo will be identical in size, shape, colour and weight to the active counterparts. Both preparations will be odourless.Study SitesThe study will be carried out in four centres Lismore, Ballina, Casino and Brisbane. In Lismore the study will be based at the Teaching Clinic of the School of Natural and Complementary Medicine. The study will be based at local council facilities in Ballina and Casino. In Brisbane the study will be conducted at Greenslopes Private Hospital using the University of Queensland Department of Surgery clinic facilities. In NSW Lismore is the largest population centre and it is therefore considered that Lismore is likely to be the largest contributing centre to the study. Lismore will have four clinics per week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Ballina two clinics on Monday and Wednesday, Casino two clinics on Tuesday and Thursday. Clinics will be held between 4pm and 8pm. In Brisbane, clinics will be held on Monday and Thursday between 4pm and 9pm.Safety MonitoringA full blood count, liver function test; and urea, creatinine and electrolytes will be taken at the start of the study, the mid-point of the study (week 8) and at the end of the study. At each follow up visit subjects will be carefully assessed for adverse events ie any new complaint or symptom that emerges during treatment with the study medication or any new complaint or pre-existing symptom that increases in frequency and/or intensity during treatment with the study medication.

Potential subjects attended a screening clinic where they were assessed by the principal investigators. Those included were photographed (full face and left and right profile) and the film and frame numbers recorded in the subjectÿ¢ÿ¿ÿ¿s records. The study nurse, who was blinded throughout the study by the wearing of a rhino clip, then applied the active and placebo treatments to opposite sides of the face and forehead. Fresh gloves were worn during the application of each separate treatment. In subsequent clinics a study nurse washed and dried the subjectÿ¢ÿ¿ÿ¿s face with a mild dermatological soap and recorded subjective opinions of perceived changes in acne. Four photographs were taken of each subjectÿ¢ÿ¿ÿ¿s face representing the upper and lower parts of each of the treated and placebo sides. Active and placebo treatments were applied as described above. Subjects were photographed using a Minolta Dynax 600si camera with a Sigma 105mL macro lens, multi-directional studio flash lighting with soft boxes and Fuji Reala film. This film was used because it has high acutance and extended tunnel range. Colour was standardised against 18% grey card to ensure reproducibility. The camera was fixed to a tripod and the position marked on the floor to maintain consistency in future photography. Subjects were collected and returned to their homes by a University car to maximise compliance.

This study is a two arm open comparison of two different dosage regimes undertaken in a homogeneous population comparing baseline measurements with effects of treatment.

The study is designed to determine whether an antibiotic called azithromycin (1gram dose) given once a week for a year will reduce the number of chest infections, the severity of these chest infections and decrease the damage these chest infections are doing to the lungs of Aboriginal adults with lung disease.