ANZCTR search results

The primary objective of this observational study is to validate a phosphate-specific FFQ by comparison with two 24 hour multi pass recalls in a cohort of individuals with end stage kidney failure undertaking dialysis.

Delayed identification of childhood developmental and behavioural problems and its impact on school readiness have been consistently reported. Whilst Australia has an excellent State-based Child Health and Developmental Screening and Surveillance program its utilisation in children under 5-years is < 20%. Poor uptake is due, in part, to parental access issues, perceived usefulness and the clinical complexities of referrals and managements. At present there is no proven system to improve surveillance attendance and its impact on costs and school readiness. In this study we hope to test the efficacy of integrating a web-based comprehensive developmental surveillance and child health nurse triage supported system in primary care to determine if it effectively engages parents improving long-term attendance, early intervention and school readiness.

This study will measure whether an intensive, long-term rehabilitation program can be delivered safely and effectively to people living with chronic spinal cord injury in Australia. It will also measure whether long-term intensive rehabilitation improves overall health, social outcomes and functional recovery for people living with chronic spinal cord injury.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether intra-infusion exercise (exercise during chemotherapy infusion) can also improve chemotherapy side effects and physical activity levels in patients with breast, colorectal and ovarian cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged between 18-75 years old, have been diagnosed with Stage I-III breast, colorectal or ovarian cancer, and are currently undergoing or are planned to undergo chemotherapy. Study details The study consists of four chemotherapy treatment sessions with the first being used to obtain baseline measures, followed by three intervention sessions. After the initial baseline session, participants will be randomised (i.e. allocated by chance) to either an intra-infusion exercise group or usual-care control group. For each of the three intervention sessions, the exercise group will perform 20 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise during the chemotherapy infusion period. The control group will continue with routine clinical care. During the recovery period, the exercise group will be provided with exercise education by an accredited exercise physiologist. The control group will be involved in an education session during the infusion with the accredited exercise physiologist to receive the same exercise education as the exercise group. All participants will wear an Actigraph (a movement-detecting device) for one week following the baseline and post-intervention session and complete a 7-day symptom diary following each intervention session. A Fitbit will be worn continuously by the participant for the duration of the study to capture daily physical activity. Participants will also fill out a number of questionnaires before and after completion of the study. Participants will be asked if they would like to participate in an optional exit interview with a member of the research team at the end of the study. It is hoped that this study may demonstrate that intra-infusion exercise reduces chemotherapy side effects, improves quality of life, and increases physical activity levels in patients with breast, colorectal or ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Smoking throughout pregnancy causes irreversible harm to both the mother and fetus. Although smoking rates have declined considerably, rates of smoking during pregnancy remain steady among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. The Northern Area Local Health Network (NALHN) serves a substantially disadvantaged population with approximately 1 in 4 women smoking during pregnancy. Standard practice at NALHN is to refer women to the Quitline, yet it is widely acknowledged by women and health professionals that women rarely engage with the service (Fletcher et al. 2021, unpublished). Studies exploring the use of financial incentives in antenatal care to encourage smoking cessation have shown promising results. This project will explore the feasibility and acceptability of using financial incentives in antenatal care at the NALHN antenatal services

Depression is a serious health condition that has a considerable negative impact on both physical and mental health. It is one of the leading causes of disease worldwide and represents a huge burden on health care costs. The possible therapeutic impact of dietary changes on mental illness has been receiving increasing attention. Dietary intervention for the treatment of major depressive episodes has shown promise. Some of the many biological pathways by which dietary improvement may influence depressive illness focus on inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways, as well as brain plasticity, while more recently new evidence has focused on the gut microbiota. The intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in the bidirectional communication between the gut and brain (i.e. the so-called gut-brain axis). Probiotic supplementation can be viewed as a form of controlled dietary intervention that allows modification of the microbial environment. Recent demonstration that probiotic administration has positive effects on depressive feelings in healthy populations (Marotta et al 2019) suggests its possible role in the management for depression in clinical populations and as a non-invasive strategy to prevent depressive feelings in healthy individuals. The present study extends current knowledge on the beneficial effects of probiotics on mood (i.e., depression) and other aspects of psychological well-being, (e.g., anxiety, quality of life) and explores potential mediating factors (e.g., biomarkers of inflammation, stress and changes in the gut microbiome). The research question being addressed is whether 3-months of supplementation with the Biome Lift™ Probiotic can reduce severity of depressive symptoms? For this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, patients with subthreshold depression will be randomly assigned to an experimental or control group, involving a daily dose of probiotic or placebo, respectively, for 3-months. The findings of this study will contribute to the better understanding of the role that probiotic administration and consequent gut microbiota changes have on the gut-brain axis and their involvement in the etiology of depression and other psychological outcomes.

Asthma is the leading cause of Emergency Department presentations and hospital admissions, which are potentially avoidable with appropriate post-hospitalization asthma management. We propose to implement and test a comprehensive model of care, Care from Home Program, that ensures active care coordination between acute and primary care services, establishes linkage with child's school/childcare services and provides home-based follow up services for optimal health outcomes in children with asthma. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of this program on paediatric asthma management for children aged 5-16 years old with any ED visits or hospital admission. The study will be a randomized-controlled trial conducted at the Liverpool Hospital between 2021 and 2023. Both control and intervention groups will receive an asthma resource package upon the child’s hospital discharge, which will include an individualized asthma action plan, standardized asthma information and written instruction to parents/carers with medical follow-up recommendations. In addition, parents/carers of intervention group will receive a 3-monthly reminder text message via their mobile phones, a home visit to assess home environmental triggers and provide asthma education, and assistance to schedule general practitioner (GP) follow-up consultations. Also, the child’s schools will be informed of their asthma-related hospital presentations and provided with access to online asthma training resources for school staff. Outcome measures including health care utilization, asthma control, corticosteroid uses, quality of life, activity limitations, school absence and work absence by parents/carers will be assessed through self-administered questionnaires at baseline, 6 months and 12 months post-enrollment. Differences between control and intervention groups, as well as pre- and post-intervention periods will be evaluated.

This project will serve the dual purposes of: (i) evaluating the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a practical exercise intervention on stress among an underrepresented but ‘at-risk’ population in a ‘real world’ setting, and (ii) advancing knowledge regarding the mechanisms of the ‘exercise effect’ on youth mental health. The project will utilize a 3-arm parallel-group pilot randomised controlled trial, with a ‘usual practice’ (i.e., no exercise) control group, a light-intensity exercise group (EG1 – walking/stretching activities, <60% of heart rate maximum [HRmax]) and a moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise group (EG2 – circuit/interval training fitness activities, 65-90% HRmax). Participants randomised to the experimental conditions will engage in 2 x 30 minute exercise sessions per week at school. Assessments for the primary outcome (i.e., salivary cortisol reactivity to acute psychosocial stress) and secondary outcomes (perceived stress, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, psychological distress) will be assessed at baseline, and again following a 6-week intervention. We hypothesize that compared with the control group, stress-reactivity at posttest will be significantly lower among adolescents in the vigorous physical activity group. No significant differences will be found between the control and light intensity physical activity groups. This research will have direct implications for educational policy in Australia, which could be made more ‘activity promoting’ during the senior years, and may also be used to inform the development of intervention programs targeting senior students' academic achievement and well-being.

68Ga-Cell Death Indicator PET (CDI-DX001 PET) is a new technique that has been developed to directly image dead and dying tumour cells in patients using a PET scan. This study aims to assess if CDI-DX001 PET can detect an increase in dead and dying tumour cells following commencement of treatment in cancer patients. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 or older, you have been newly diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, or gastro oesophageal junction (GOJ) adenocarcinoma, or colorectal cancer, or breast cancer, or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or follicular large B cell lymphoma (FLBCL), and you are scheduled for preoperative systemic therapy or combination chemotherapy to treat your cancer. Study details Participants who choose to enrol in this study will be injected with a small dose of CDI-DX001. They will undergo two PET imaging scans (during which they will be required to lie still on a scanning bed breathing normally) - The first dose and PET scan will be scheduled for within 14 days before starting cancer treatment, and the second dose and PET scan will be scheduled between days 3-8 or 15-20 days after commencement of cancer treatment. The results of the scans will also be compared to other test results provided by their doctor including results of subsequent surgery and imaging. It is hoped this research may be used to improve health outcomes for future cancer patients by investigating the usefulness and safety of a new imaging technique which images dead and dying cancer cells as a way of potentially more rapidly and accurately assessing cancer treatment response than currently available methods.

Smoking throughout pregnancy causes irreversible harm to both the mother and fetus. Although smoking rates have declined considerably, rates of smoking during pregnancy remain steady among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. The Northern Area Local Health Network (NALHN) serves a substantially disadvantaged population with approximately 1 in 4 women smoking during pregnancy. Standard practice at NALHN is to refer women to the Quitline, yet it is widely acknowledged by women and health professionals that women rarely engage with the service (Fletcher et al. 2021, unpublished). Studies exploring the use of carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring in antenatal care to encourage smoking cessation have shown promising results. This project will explore the feasibility and acceptability of using CO monitoring in antenatal care at the NALHN antenatal services.