ANZCTR search results

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common, disabling mental illness that is difficult to treat. Electroencephalographic (EEG) studies have shown numerous differences in the brain oscillatory activity in OCD patients when compared to healthy individuals. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a novel, safe method of delivering a weak electrical current through the brain in order to modulate the altered brain activity. The main advantage of tACS is its ability to stimulate the brain at specific frequencies that are found to be altered in OCD groups. This study aims to conduct a randomised, controlled, blinded experimental study with an open label crossover phase to explore the use of alpha tACS when compared to a placebo/sham stimulation in individuals with OCD. Participants will use a custom designed, portable tACS device to administer stimulation at their homes. The main aim is to investigate whether alpha tACS is able to cause a significant improvement in clinical severity than placebo stimulation in OCD patients.

The purpose of this study is the investigate the abilities of five toothpastes, three of which will be experimental formulations, to prevent and repair tooth decay. It is hypothesized that some of the experimental formulations will be more effective in preventing decay and repairing early decay. Volunteers will will wear custom-made removable denture-like appliances with sterilized human tooth slabs attached for 24 hours a day except when eating, drinking and cleaning their teeth and their appliance for five 14-consecutive day treatment periods. During each treatment period they will rinse with a sugar solution and a slurry of one of the five toothpastes each for one minute four times a day while wearing the appliance. They will rest for a week between each 14-day treatment period and will rinse with a different toothpaste slurry and with new tooth slabs attached to their appliances during each treatment period.

Recovery after spinal cord injury can be potentiated by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the brain. Current rTMS protocols use high stimulation intensities, which can cause discomfort, limit the application duration of rTMS and might cause unwanted stimulation of deeper brain areas. Preclinical work from our group has shown that low-intensity rTMS can induce plastic changes. In the current proposal we will test the safety and feasibility of a stimulation protocol mimicking that used in our preclinical work, and measure outcomes using robotics and neurophysiology.

Availability of an oral tablet, empagliflozin (EG) is seen as a potential alternative to insulin injections for elevated glucose levels due to steroid treatment. We aim to investigate this. EG is already widely used for treatment in diabetic patients.

What is this project about? Western Australian children have significantly lower levels of motor skill competency, fitness, physical activity (PA) and sports participation compared to children 30 years ago. Research has found children below the proficiency level in motor skills are less likely to participate in lifelong PA or sport with females showing a greater decline than their male peers. Low levels of PA and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) have been shown to increase the risk for chronic disease in Australia. Preadolescent females are an important target group for changing PA activity habits as this age cohort will move into the crucial period of adolescence, where motor skill competency, weight status and body image can significantly influence self-confidence and psycho-social health. This project aims to determine whether a multi-modal intervention combining fundamental movement skills (FMS), high intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training will improve preadolescent females’ motor skill competency, perceived motor skill competence, CRF, strength, weight status, PA levels, sport participation and psycho-social health. It also seeks to ascertain whether the intervention will result in increased levels of PA, sports participation and psycho-social health in the longer term so that it may increase lifelong PA and reduce the risk of chronic disease across the lifespan.

The purpose of this study is to determine if a behaviour change intervention is effective in increasing physical activity in women with breast cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are an adult female who has been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (i.e. spread to the bones or one of the organs) and currently not a regular exerciser. Study details Participants will be randomly divided into two groups. Both groups will receive a Fitbit device and activity diary booklet, and take part in 6 weekly and 3 fortnightly calls over 12 weeks total. - For Group A, the phone calls will involve asking about their physical activity and cancer-related symptoms - For Group B, the phone calls will additionally include counselling for physical activity based on behaviour change theories. The majority of the project will be done over the phone or online, with the first and last sessions done in-person. Participants will need to complete assessments at baseline and after 12 weeks at the University of Sydney, involving physical assessments looking at fitness and physical function, and answering questionnaires. It is hoped that this research will help determine if a 12-week behaviour change program will result in changes in physical activity and quality of life for exercise.

Keyhole inguinal hernia repair is a common operation which requires a netting mesh to reinforce the inguinal region. It may be fixed in the required position by sutures or metal/biodegradable tacks. An alternative to either of these is a cyanoacrylate glue which is a strong, inert plastic glue. Early studies show that it has the same fixation effect as other methods. It may have the advantage of reducing the operating time and avoiding damage to underlying structures (such as nerve or blood vessels) that sutures or tacks may cause. Our study aims to compare the use of glue to the current methods of fixation in keyhole inguinal hernia repair, particularly examining if it has the benefit of reducing groin pain for patients after the operation. We aim to randomly assign patients who have already agreed and consented to a keyhole inguinal hernia repair, to either glue or tack fixation for their mesh during their operation. All other aspects of their surgery and care will be the same. We will also review each patient’s wellbeing at the normal time points after the operation as we would for a standard inguinal hernia operation.

This study is a multicenter, open label, longitudinal observational study aiming to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of MediCabilis™ when used at the prescribed dose by physicians for different indications using data reported by patients during treatment.

Prone positioning (lying face down) is a recognised rescue therapy for ventilated patients with severe lung disease whose oxygen levels remain low despite optimal ventilation strategies. We look to investigate whether proning early during admission to the Intensive Care Unit, might improve oxygenation for patient with COVID-19. Objectives: To determine the efficacy and safety of early prone positioning, compared to usual care, on oxygenation for non intubated adults admitted to ICU with COVID-19. Hypothesis: That the intervention (prone positioning) will improve measured oxygen levels in patients with COVID-19

Monitoring of the heartrate of the developing foetus (FHR) is an essential component of antenatal care. Monitoring FHR is currently restricted to in-clinic consultations with trained obstetric staff and appropriate medical equipment (hand-held doppler or cardiotocography (CTG)). The HeraBeat device is a new medical FHR monitor designed for use at home by the expectant mother, has been shown to be equivalent to existing gold standard FHR monitoring equipment and is approved for use in Australia. This study will examine the accuracy, usability and clinical utility of the HeraBeat device in the antenatal clinic and at home. This is a pilot study enrolling 60 participants. We will compare data accuracy against existing FHR monitors and assess usability of the device as rated by expectant mothers and antenatal clinic staff. More regular monitoring of FHR may result in improved pregnancy care.