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Abdominoplasty is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures performed in Australia. A common complication of abdominoplasty is the formation of post operative seroma, which is thought to be influenced by dissection technique utilised by the surgeon. We propose to conduct a study of patients undergoing abdominoplasty, comparing seroma rates with three different diathermy settings. The proposal will be a prospective, randomised, study of consecutive patients undergoing abdominoplasty, with no exclusion criteria. Only patients consenting to involvement will be included. For excision of tissue and dissection of flaps, a monopolar coagulation diathermy with power setting of 20W will be used for one group, a monopolar coagulation diathermy with power setting of 35W will be used in the second group, and a monopolar cutting diathermy with power setting of 35W will be used for the third group. All three diathermy settings are well within usual range of setting used for diathermy and pose negligible additional risk to patients in either group. We hypothesize that the lower diathermy and cutting settings will result in lower seroma rates, due to less soft tissue damage during dissection. The general surgical technique involves scalpel skin incision, monopolar dissection, liposuction, rectus divarification repair where indicated, and layered soft tissue closure. Compression garment’s will be placed at the conclusion of surgery and continued fulltime for 6 weeks. Patient demographic factors and surgical technique baseline characteristics will be compared. Drains will be emptied at midnight daily by ward nurses who are blinded to the study, with outputs documented at 24-hour intervals. Postoperative mobilisation commences on day 1, with a physiotherapist. Drains will be removed when they were <30ml/d for 2 consecutive days. Data collected will include: baseline demographics, surgical technique, daily drain outputs, time to removal of drains, development of postoperative complications. If complications include seroma or haematoma, the size, location and subsequent management will be noted. Follow up period for the purpose of this study will be 6 weeks post operatively.

The DAB study (ACTRN12613000316707) was a pragmatic, randomised study of corticosteroids and nebulised adrenaline in children with bronchiolitis admitted to intensive care. It showed that, compared to standard care alone, the combination of steroids and nebulised adrenaline reduced the duration of positive pressure respiratory support (PPS). The evidence was particularly strong in the sickest children requiring, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and mechanical ventilation (MV), and those who had Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection. Chest hyperinflation is a common clinical sign in children with severe bronchiolitis. It occurs because of lower airway obstruction during expiration and subsequent gas trapping in the lung. Chest hyperinflation can be identified clinically but it is also a chest x-ray finding with varying severity. Chest x-ray findings include, flattened hemidiaphragms, an increased number of rib markings and widened intercostal spaces. Children with bronchiolitis and hyperinflation may be more responsive to the bronchodilator effects of combination corticosteroid and adrenaline therapy compared to those without hyperinflation. Moreover, hyperinflation may be associated with RSV infection, and the presence of hyperinflation in this group may explain the strong effect of steroids and adrenaline. We hypothesise that the degree of hyperinflation predicts the response to steroids and adrenaline on duration of PPS in children with bronchiolitis. We also hypothesise that hyperinflation is associated with the presence of RSV infection. The primary aim of this study is to investigate whether chest hyperinflation, based on x-ray findings, predicts the response to corticosteroids and inhaled adrenaline on the duration of positive pressure support in children enrolled in the DAB study. The secondary aims are to investigate whether chest hyperinflation predicts the presence of RSV and human metapneumovirus or other viruses, and to assess the concordance between radiologists of their assessment of the degree of hyperinflation.

Contemporary treatment of early oesophageal (food pipe) cancer, involves minimally invasive endoscopic procedures; while surgery is reserved only for cases with the highest-risk of the cancer spreading into the surrounding tissues. The risk of cancer spread is determined by samples removed at endoscopy, in which a pathologist is looking to see the depth of cancer spread into the wall of the oesophagus or for abnormal characteristics of the cancer. The purpose of this study is to try and identify patients who are considered higher risk by conventional practice, who are actually at low risk for cancer spread; and, thus can forgo the need for a major operation with poor post-operative outcomes with respect to quality of life, morbidity and mortality. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 years or older and you have been diagnosed with a high risk oesophageal cancer removed at endoscopy. Study details This observational study will be reviewing the medical records of patients who meet the inclusion criteria only. Participants who meet the inclusion criteria will not be required to attend any additional clinic visits or complete assessments; all relevant information will be extracted from medical records directly. It is hoped this research will determine which patients, with lower risk of cancer spread would be considered candidates for non-surgical management, to avoid an unnecessary (major) oesophageal operation.

There are two purposes to this trial. First, to assess the rate of change in axial length when wearing single vision contact lenses with an edge pattern against single vision contact lenses with no edge pattern. Second, to assess the rate of change in axial length when wearing single vision spectacle lenses with a spectacle film containing an edge pattern and adhered on top of the spectacle lens and single vision spectacle lenses with no spectacle film (i.e., no edge pattern). Axial length will be measured with a standard optical biometer. Contact lenses are made from ocufilcon D and spectacle films are made from polycarbonate. It is hypothesised that study products containing edge patterns will have a lower rate of change in axial length.

Trans young people often have poor mental health outcomes and high rates of depression and anxiety. These poor mental health outcomes have been shown to be associated with the abuse, rejection and discrimination that many trans young people experience due to anti-trans attitudes in broader society, referred to as minority stressors. This study will evaluate the Trans Adolescent Group ThErapy for Alleviating Minority stress (TAG TEAM) intervention, which is a group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) program that focuses on experiences of minority stress and aims to improve symptoms of depression and anxiety. The results of the study will be used to inform the clinical care of trans young people.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease of the elderly, with knee OA more common than hip or ankle OA. Primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been used successfully for decades to treat osteoarthritis. While a mechanical alignment (MA) of the prosthesis was initially pursued, this is increasingly being abandoned with the knowledge of the large variability of individual anatomy and knee biomechanics. New techniques involving patient-specific implantation techniques based on individual cutting guides and robotic-assisted implantation techniques have become more prevalent. While 3D-printed cutting guides are used to plan and perform osseous resections based on the individual bony anatomy, robotic-assisted techniques take into account the ligamentous stress ratios in flexion and extension. The purpose of this study is to determine whether planning based solely on the patient's bony anatomy achieves similar medial and lateral ligamentous tension ratios after total knee arthroplasty as a robotic-assisted technique that implements resections based on ligamentous tension ratios and bony anatomy.

This project will investigate a new, short-term mobility program known as the HiWalk program. HiWalk is a physiotherapy program provided at a time of need - meaning if the stroke survivor is experiencing challenges with their mobility or has a new mobility goal (even years after stroke), then this three-week program may assist their walking ability. Our preliminary research has demonstrated that HiWalk could be successfully implemented in the community after stroke and that the HiWalk program was enjoyed by people after stroke. The next, phase of research for the HiWalk program is a pilot trial of HiWalk allowing us to test the program in a clinical trial setting.

This study evaluates teledentistry and artificial intelligence (AI) in the screening of new orthodontic referrals as well as during braces treatment in Australian adolescents and adults. Its goal is to improve access to public orthodontic services. 208 participants will submit photos using a smartphone-compatible platform called Dental Monitoring (DM). Based on these, patients will have their elgibility status assigned according to NSW Health Policy. Participants will also be assessed at a face-to-face appointment. The outcome of these two methods will be compared to determine the validity of teleorthodontics. Patient satisfaction, oral hygiene status, gingival health status, reduction in waiting lists and the cost-effectiveness will also be assessed.

The primary objective of this program of research is to examine the acceptability and efficacy of videoconferencing delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for social anxiety disorder. The secondary objective of this research project is to examine the efficacy of an imagery rescripting (ImR) enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy intervention for individuals with social anxiety disorder. It is anticipated that high-intensity videoconferencing delivered CBT will (1) be acceptable to individuals with SAD; (2) result in significant reductions in symptoms of social anxiety compared to waitlist control at post-treatment and follow up; (3) ImR enhanced CBT will result in similar reductions to standard CBT.

The intervention group will receive knowledge of results feedback during a physiotherapy session. Knowledge of results feedback is an objective measure of performance, for example, last session you were able to put 20kg through your leg for 15 out of 20 repetitions, this session you were able to put 20kg through your leg for 18 out of 20 repetitions. This information will be given to the participants immediately after each set of exercise repetitions within the treatment session and will be recorded on a recording sheet. The same type of knowledge of results feedback will be used for each exercise across sessions so that participants can see changes in their performance. The control group will receive usual therapy only which does not consist of the routine use of knowledge of results feedback. Change in motivation to practice and intensity or practice (,measured as exercise repetitions per minute) will be compared between the two groups to ascertain the effect of knowledge of results feedback. Hypothesis: The provision of knowledge of results feedback during therapy will increase stroke survivors’ motivation to practise and their intensity of practice.