ANZCTR search results

This is a preliminary evaluation of the usability of a compact pneumatic compression device (Monterey) currently under development. The study is focused on evaluating comfort and ease of use in a group of non-naive Lymphedema patients

The purpose of this study is to see if a program of manual drainage and use of a compression bra can improve outcomes for breast cancer patients experiencing post-treatment oedema (accumulation of fluid under the skin). Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 or over, have completed radiotherapy for breast cancer in the last 3 years and are experiencing oedema in the breast. Study details Participants in this study will be randomised by chance (like flipping a coin) into two groups. One group will receive the intervention, which involves two 1 hour sessions of manual drainage per week for 3 weeks, and wearing a compression bra for 12 hours a day for this period. The other group will receive be referred to a lymphoedema clinic for treatment and receive the compression bra after a 3 week waiting period. As part of this study, all participants will have a number of scans (including MRI, mammogram and ultrasound) and answer some questionnaires about their symptoms. It is hoped this research will demonstrate the program being tested can improve outcomes for patients with breast cancer treatment-related oedema.

Patients with kidney disease require 6 metal needles per week. The use of metal dialysis needles can lead to complications such as bruising, swelling and pain. The aim of this study is to measure feasibility related aspects of the introduction of plastic needles in haemodialysis clinics. Participants will receive metal needles and plastic needles and the study will compare needle complications and participant anxiety.

Arterial stiffness is a cardiovascular risk factor, which increases naturally with age. We and others have shown, that Kyolic garlic reduces arterial stiffness by improving the flexibility of arteries. We hypothesise that increased flexibility of arteries will lead to slower blood flow, increased oxygen uptake, and aerobic fitness. This 12 week RCT aims to assess the effect and dose-response of Kyolic garlic on arterial stiffness, lactate threshold, aerobic fitness, recovery, and cardiovascular proteomic biomarkers, in middle-aged endurance athletes with elevated arterial stiffness.

Transgender people desiring feminisation are often treated with estrogens and testosterone blocking medication. Spironolactone and cyproterone acetate are commonly used testosterone blocking medications, though it is unclear which is better at causing feminisation. This study will compare the effects of spironolactone and cyproterone acetate on breast growth, body composition and testosterone levels.

Patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) have bowels that are inflamed, which can make the bowel block off or burst. Many patients end up having surgery. Medications can control CD, but in many patients, it doesn’t work, is expensive, and some get side effects. Studies in animals and humans have shown that if testosterone, the main male sex hormone, is low in the patient’s blood, then signs of inflammation are seen more often. You can increase the testosterone level in the blood by giving testosterone to the patient (e.g. with a skin patch), and higher levels might make the Crohn’s disease better, as shown in some older studies. These older studies had few patients and weren’t very good quality. We want to see if giving testosterone with a skin patch for 12 weeks to men with CD that have low to low-normal levels can make their CD better.

Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) in the newborn is caused mainly by a deficiency in pulmonary surfactant and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among preterm infants. The distribution of surfactant within the lungs and the correlation with physiological responses when using it have not been previously assessed in human infants. Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a safe, non-invasive technique that can be used in preterm infants to provide valuable physiological data about regional lung aeration. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to use EIT to examine the distribution of ventilation within the lungs after surfactant administration (either a bolus via ETT or nebulised via nCPAP) and compare with a group who do not require surfactant.

Participants will be evaluated via an online survey with questions about knee pain, digital and health literacy, self-reported knee-related function, kinesiophobia and knee-related quality of life. Then, they will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Participants in group 1 will be offered a 6 week online education and exercise program to guide them with self-management of their pain and will be reassessed after 6 weeks. Participants in group 2 will perform the baseline and receive a delayed access to the same program (i.e. after the 6 week follow up assessment). All participants will be followed up again at 12 weeks.

The projects aim is to determine the effects of a shoulder rehabilitation exercise program in circus artists with all forms of atraumatic shoulder instability. The program used in this study has already been shown to be superior to one other exercise intervention (Rockwood exercise program) in people with multi-directional instability at 12 and 24-weeks, however, it has not been tested in all forms of atraumatic instability (including uni-directional) or in circus performers, a population that requires optimal shoulder stability for their art form. The hypothesis is that the implementation of the exercise-based rehabilitation protocol should result in a statistically significant increase in shoulder strength, and an improvement in the MISS, WOSI and Orebro scores from baseline to post intervention timepoints (Warby et al., 2018). Similarly, there should be an improvement in the Tampa Scale, but this is unlikely to be statistically significant as the population being studied are very active individuals participating in a high a risk sport (circus). If improvements are identified in questionnaires, scapular measures and strength measures, an increase in stability or change in pattern of handstand stability should be found.

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and feasibility of targeted exercise to suppress bone disease in multiple myeloma patients. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or over, have multiple myeloma with confirmed myeloma bone disease, and have not engaged in regular structured exercise in the past three months. Study details Participants in this study will be randomly allocated (by chance) to one of two groups. Participants in one group will continue to receive their usual medical care, whilst those in the other group will additionally receive a supervised, individually tailored exercise program. The program requires participants to attend three clinic-based exercise sessions per week for 60 minutes in duration over 12 weeks. It includes resistance exercise, aerobic exercise and isometric exercise (static muscle contraction). All sessions will be supervised by accredited exercise physiologists with experience delivering exercise to patients with advanced cancers. Upon completion of the study, the usual care group will also be offered the exercise program. At baseline and after 12 weeks, all participants will undergo bone, muscle health, and body composition scans, as well as blood tests to evaluate metabolic activity and inflammation. They will also undertake fitness tests, and be asked to complete questionnaires assessing quality of life. It is hoped that targeted exercise medicine will be found to be a safe and feasible treatment for multiple myeloma patients.