ANZCTR search results

Evidence suggests that making healthier food choices is beneficial for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and making dietary changes can give people with MS a sense of control over their disease. People with MS often turn to the internet for information about diet, and are faced with conflicting information from the “special diets” promoted for MS. People with MS want clear information on what dietary changes to make, and how to make healthy food choices. To meet this need, we will develop and run an online nutrition education program for people with MS, using a variety of ways to present the information. The free six-week program will be co-designed with people with MS and MS health professionals, and will provide information on diet and MS, including: how diet might affect MS symptoms; gut health; foods to eat and avoid; meal-planning; dietary supplements; understanding scientific research; current and emerging research in diet and MS; and “special diets” promoted or sold for MS. We expect that completing the program will help people with MS make healthier food choices and improve their nutrition knowledge and skills. We will assess the suitability of the content, format, and duration of the program.

PET biomarkers (i.e. Aß and tau) are currently used to identify and characterise individuals with pre-clinical and clinical dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD), for research purposes. Therefore, to get a better understanding of dementia, it is desirable to evaluate separately both the brain distribution of Aß and tau accumulation. The primary aim of this phase II trial is to quantify global and regional Amyloid (Aß) and tau in older adults at various stages of dementia risk. Further, we aim to analyse how PET markers change over time. This will allow for comprehensive clinical characterisation of a sample of older adults at-risk for developing dementia. This 5-year study will recruit a subsample of participants involved in an ongoing long-term observational study being conducted through the Healthy Brain Ageing clinic, Sydney, Australia. Participants will be enrolled into the study after the informed consent process has been completed and met all inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria. PET scans will be acquired at the imaging facility according to sites where PET tracers will be available (i.e. Macquarie University, Liverpool Hospital, Royal North Shore Hospital and North Shore Private Hospital). Depending on funding, tracer availability, and participant willingness, they may be offered follow-up scans every two years for the duration of the study, leading to a maximum of three scanning sessions over five years (Year 1, Year 3, Year 5).

Migraine symptoms overlap with those of ocular surface disease. We hypothesise that by treating dry eye disease, and hence reducing neuroinflammation, and the stress stimulus to corneal nerves, that we can reduce the severity and frequency of migraines in migraine sufferers. Treatment for dry eye disease with topical lubricant eye drops is likely to be preferable to existing therapies for migraine as the side effect profile is minimal. This study will randomly allocate people with migraines to either Systane Hydration eye drops (test) or saline eye drops (control), each to be used as one eye drop to each eye, four times a day for four weeks. At four weeks, participants will be evaluated for their migraine severity and frequency and swapped over to the alternate eye drop for a further four weeks, followed by a final visit.

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of an internet-based self-help intervention program on seizure frequency for individuals with functional seizures. The first aim of this project is to develop an internet-based therapy for patients with functional seizures. To assess this new therapy, patients with a documented diagnosis of functional seizures will undertake a 5-week e-intervention, called re-PROGRAM, either guided by a therapist or on their own, followed by standard care. A third group of participants will receive standard care, which involves an appointment with a psychiatrist every 6 weeks. A goal of the research is to find out whether undertaking re-PROGRAM is more effective than standard care, and whether undertaking re-PROGRAM while guided by a therapist provides any further benefit to patients than engaging with the program with limited therapist contact. The second aim of this project is to assess the cognitive function and behavioural characteristics in patients with functional seizures and to identify predictors for successful treatment outcomes. Establishing why some people respond to treatment better than others will assist in developing more tailored therapy approaches and provide a better understanding of patients’ therapy experiences.

To evaluate the effect of an intervention comprising a coordinated and integrated medication management service (Home Medicines Review HMR)) provided for patients in primary Care with Osteoporosis (OP) and Minimal Trauma Fracture (MTF). This intervention aims to improve the medications patients are taking to minimise their risk of falls and improve their bone strength.

Evidence suggests that health coaching is an effective approach to encourage healthy lifestyle habits, including physical activity engagement. These healthy lifestyle changes have been shown to improve patient outcomes and reduce personal healthcare expenditure and care-seeking. Telephone-based health coaching is a promising and emerging intervention for chronic low back pain and has shown to improve physical activity and enhance expectation of recovery in physiotherapy patients. In chiropractic settings, this approach is novel and has the potential to optimise the effectiveness of chiropractic care and encourage patients to take up healthy lifestyle habits through a telephone-based mechanism of support alongside their chiropractic care. Chiropractic patients will participate in a health coaching feasibility study, which will inform the potential for a larger interventional study to explore effectiveness and offer long-term patient engagement with healthy lifestyle habits, such as physical activity. The health coaching intervention includes chiropractic patient participants receiving a patient-centred physical activity plan developed with the advice of the health coach. This physical activity plan will specifically suit patient needs and preferences. Participants will be encouraged to develop goals to suit and gradually increase their physical activity. Health coaching will involve up to 5 individual online / virtual session. We hypothesise that participants in the health coaching program in addition to receiving concurrent usual chiropractic care, will demonstrate improved levels of physical activity, function and reduced levels of pain and rate of care­seeking for low back pain. We also hypothesise that participants will build healthy lifestyle habits, and potential to positively impacting physical and mental health, quality of life and healthy ageing.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of daily consumption of gold kiwifruit on psychological health and other health related outcomes including biochemical parameters, and gut symptoms in adults aged 18-60 years with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Gold kiwifruits contain exceptionally high levels of vitamin C. vitamin C is recognised for its important role in mood, cognition and physical health and wellbeing. Gold kiwifruit has the potential to infer beneficial effects on the constructs of psychological wellbeing and aspects of physical health. The CSIRO will lead a 10-week randomised crossover trial involving daily delivery of gold kiwifruit in adults experiencing current psychological distress.

The INFINiTE-CV2 Phase IIa trial aims to assess whether nasal delivery of an Interferon (IFN -1)/ Hyaluronic Acid formulation improves clinical course of COVID-19 infection and viral clearance. This study is being performed to address an unmet urgent clinical need for a simple effective treatment for a pathogen of global health significance. It is hoped that this treatment is shown to be safe and effective with potential implications for both treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

The aim of this randomised controlled trial is to increase adoption of the lunchbox nutrition program ‘SWAP IT ’in primary schools located in the Central Coast Local Health District. This trial will evaluate whether a theory-based multi-component dissemination strategy targeting barriers to adoption can improve the adoption rates of the nutrition program. Schools will be randomly allocated to receive either a month multi-component dissemination strategy over a 3 month period, or a minimal intervention control group. Intervention effectiveness will be determined by comparing, relative to control, the absolute difference in the proportion of schools adopting the program at 6-month follow up. The trial aims to generate evidence regarding the effectiveness of strategies to inform broader dissemination of the lunchbox nutrition program.

The current study aims to evaluate whether Goodnight Poor Sleep, a brief sleep intervention, improves sleep, daytime functioning and mental health outcomes in university students.