ANZCTR search results

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Kidney Health for Life (KH4L) program in improving self-management for people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), at two key stages: after diagnosis and prior to and after commencing dialysis. Participants will be stratified into two groups, (1) people who have been diagnosed with stage 1-4 CKD and (2) people who are preparing to commence or currently receive dialysis. Participants of both groups will then be randomised to receive the intervention (KH4L program) or standard support (control). Participants will be assessed at three time points, at baseline, week 6 and week 18 post randomisation. We hypothesise that (1) participants in intervention groups will show greater self-management behaviours, disease-related knowledge, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being than participants in the control groups and over time, and (2) disease related knowledge, self-efficacy, psychological well-being and selected sociodemographic variables will be predictors of self-management behaviours. We will also ask participants of the intervention groups to provide some general feedback on the intervention. While this will not be a specific outcome of the study, it will be useful to consider their feedback on how they found the intervention so as to provide guidance for future adjustments to the program, post study. Throughout the course of the study, we will monitor adherence to the intervention by monitoring usage of the KH4L online health hub and record attendance at group sessions. The research team will oversee module completion and activate reminders to those who are lagging on module completion.

This multisite prospective study will validate the SERIAS (Seizure-Related Impact Assessment Scale) for use in clinical epilepsy research and practice. 50 adult patients attending the Comprehensive Epilepsy Centres at The Alfred and The Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, will be consented and enrolled in the study. Participants will complete the novel SERIAS instrument, and a battery of validated instruments to assist with validation. These questionnaires will be completed at baseline, 3-, and 6-month timepoints. A subgroup will also form a test-retest cohort, repeating the instruments within a 2 week period.

Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which tissue similar to that lining the uterus grows on other organs, leading to scarring and adhesions and causing pain, menstrual irregularities, and infertility. Impacting 11% of Australian women and those assigned female at birth, endometriosis is under-recognised due to the variability in symptoms, reliance on surgery for diagnosis, and stigma of menstruation. Usual care, comprising of hormone and pain medications, has limited efficacy, is associated with adverse effects, and is discontinued by up to 40% of people. Recognising the inadequacy of the current biomedical healthcare approach to treating endometriosis, there is a need to address the complex psychosocial burden of endometriosis, and there are calls for urgent improvements in access to consumer-centred pain management. The current study will refine the structure and content of 'CodeEndo' – an online modular supportive care program for people living with endometriosis. The project will then evaluate the efficacy of the CodeEndo program using a randomised controlled trial, comparing it to waitlist control on quality of life and other important endometriosis-related biopsychosocial outcomes.

The immune system defends us against infection by bacteria, viruses and cancer. An important part of the immune system is white blood cells, which include lymphocytes, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. We can identify and classify different white blood cells according to molecules expressed on their surface, their size and function. We have established a substantial programme of research at the Ian Frazer Centre for Children’s Immunotherapy Research (IFCCIR), where we aim to investigate how we can harness the power of the immune system to fight paediatric diseases. To do so, we need to understand what is unique about children’s immune systems, so we can identify the best therapeutic strategies. Thanks to innovative technologies, we are now able to measure up to 20 thousand parameters in a single cell from thousands of individual cells from a single drop of blood. By analysing hundreds of healthy children across all ages, we will build a Paediatric Immune Cell Atlas. This atlas will act as a reference that will help us identify much needed immunotherapy targets for paediatric diseases, including cancer and auto-immune diseases. Who is it for? You might be eligible for this study if you are a child aged 0-18 years old. Children without immune diseases can be consented to the 'Healthy cohort', children with Immune diseases can be consented to the 'Immune disease cohort'. A subset of children who are considered healthy from the immunological point of view, but who are scheduled to have open heart surgery can be consented to the 'Cardiac Surgery cohort'. Additionally, children consented to the 'Healthy cohort' might opt to consent for serial blood collections every 6 months for a period of 2 years. Study details All participants will be requested to provide 1 to 2 teaspoons of blood. The study team will collect discarded thymus tissue from participants in the Cardiac surgery cohort. All participants will be requested to complete a study questionnaire at each collection timepoint.

While many childhood cancers can be treated with standard therapies that have proved to be effective, in some cases, children with cancer might benefit from treatments that match their tumour characteristics. These treatments are known as personalised medicine. Information about personalised medicine for childhood cancer can be found in two main sources: clinical trials and medical literature. The process of determining the best drug, or combination of drugs, for a child can be challenging because there is an ever-growing collection of both of these sources. The process of sorting through hundreds of search results is very time consuming and requires highly specialised knowledge. This means that finding the best treatment can be a complex process, which can make it difficult to choose the best treatment for each child. In this study, we are partnering with researchers in CSIRO to develop Oncology Search Clinical Assistant Registry (OSCAR), a search tool designed to help paediatric oncologist find personalised treatments for childhood cancer. Study Details: What does participation in this research involve for my child? A. Allowing your child’s Molecular Profiling results from ZERO2 to be used to evaluate OSCAR: Your consent will allow ZERO2 clinicians to use your child’s ZERO2 results to evaluate the OSCAR search-engine. Clinicians trying to find adequate treatment for your child will do side-by-side comparisons of results doing manual searches with results obtained using the OSCAR search-engine. There are no costs associated with participating in this research project, nor will you or your child be paid. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are a child who has been diagnosed with cancer and has been enrolled on one of the studies led by the ZERO Childhood Cancer Program (ZERO2/PRISM). We hope this study will: • Compare the quality of results generated by OSCAR to results obtained by doing manual searches. • Determine if OSCAR can help save time when searching for personalised treatments for childhood cancer.

In this study we want to look at the impact starting on the new treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF) - Elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI – also known as Trikafta) has on children ages 6-11 years in Australia. In the clinical trials conducted before a drug is approved for sale, there are various controls and measures around which children receive the treatment and what is measured. The results of these clinical trials showed that ETI is likely to improve lung function and health related quality of life. This study is about finding out if the same improved lung function and quality of life is seen in the real world, where there are less controls around which children can take the medication. We are adding this study to the BEAT CF project as the data we need to work out the impact of Trikafta in the real world is the same type of data that is being collected in BEAT CF.

Patients with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) requiring admission to the ICU, commonly receive sedative drugs to reduce the brain’s demand for oxygen and glucose. These patients often also require pain-relieving (analgesic) medications. Ketamine is a combined sedative and analgesic medication that is not currently used in acute TBI but has the potential to benefit this patient group for several reasons: 1. It can reduce the need for high doses of other sedatives and analgesic drugs which may accumulate or cause low blood pressure 2. It can reduce or eliminate the need for other drug infusions which are required to maintain a normal or high blood pressure during the treatment of TBI 3. It has been shown to reduce the incidence of damaging waves of brain activation that travel across the surface of the brain after severe TBI (Spreading Depolarizations). This pilot feasibility study aims to demonstrate that using Ketamine sedation is safe in acute TBI patients admitted to the ICU and will establish the methodology for a larger randomised controlled trial.

Physical inactivity is estimated to cause almost one in ten premature deaths worldwide. A pilot clinical trial conducted by the Lambert Initiative (University of Sydney) and scientists at Griffith University found that the non-intoxicating phytocannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD), had an effect to increase ratings of pleasure during aerobic exercise; specifically, in endurance-trained males running at a fixed, moderate intensity. This initial finding suggests that CBD has the potential to support physical activity (PA) participation. However, further research is required to confirm and better understand the observed effect. The overall objective of this trial is to determine whether CBD can enhance affective responses to self-paced aerobic (running) exercise in recreationally active individuals – and, thus, support PA participation. Participants will complete two treatment sessions involving the oral administration of CBD (150 mg) or a placebo in a randomised, double-blind, crossover design. Affective valance will be measured at baseline (pre-treatment), pre-exercise, at 6-lap intervals throughout a 25-lap run (~10 km) on a standard outdoor athletics track, and post-exercise using validated scales. Exercise enjoyment, motivation to exercise, and exercise self-efficacy will also be assessed. We hypothesise that CBD will increase ratings of pleasure during self-paced aerobic exercise – as well as exercise enjoyment, motivation, and self-efficacy.

Sulforaphane is a naturally occurring organophosphur able to upregulate phase II detoxification enzymes resulting in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Sulforaphane has been widely investigated outside of pregnancy in a wide variety of clinical trials including cancer, autism spectrum disorder and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Sulforaphane is generally administered in the form of glucurophanin via broccoli sprout supplements and has variable formulations and manufacturing pathways. It is hypothesised that sulforaphane will provide beneficial effects to various pathological states of pregnancy. It is important to compare the various formulations of sulforaphane commercially available to inform decisions for clinical trial design and analysis of sulforaphane trial outcomes. This study will compare three different commerically available broccoli sprout extracts and their circulating concentrations in healthy pregnant participants.

Broccoli sprout extracts contain glucurophanin which converts into a compound called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is a natural inducer of nuclear related ECH-like related factor 2 (Nrf2) activity which promotes production of endogenous anti-oxidant enzymes and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Numerous disorders of pregnancy result in states of oxidative stress and inflammation including fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia with risks of resultant neuroinflammation on the fetus and possibly adverse neurodevelopment. This study aims to investigate the possibility of sulforaphane transfer via the placenta and in expressed breast milk.