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This study is assessing whether or not an alternative intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) technique (PIEZO ICSI) in patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology treatment results in improved embryo fertilisation and utilisation rates. We hypothesis that as PIEZO ICSI is a gentler insemination method we will see increased fertilisation and embryo utilisation rates following PIEZO ICSI compared with conventional ICSI.

The purpose of this research project is to test whether it is safe to administer a new vaccine (AMV002) in combination with an immunotherapy drug called Durvalumab (MEDI4736) in patients with HPV-related cancer of the tonsil or base of tongue where the cancer has either returned after treatment (recurrent) or spread to other parts of the body (metastases) and now considered incurable. The new vaccine (AMV002) is aimed at promoting the body’s own immune system to develop antibodies that attack cancer cells that have been infected by the human papillomavirus. Durvalumab is an immunotherapy drug, and has been used in the treatment of several other cancer types and aims to overcome the cancer’s ability to dampen down the body’s immune response to the cancer itself. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 and above, have recurrent and/or metastatic HPV-related Head and Neck Cancer Study details If you meet all the criteria to take part in the study, you will be assigned to receive the AMV002 and Durvalumab treatment. You will be supplied with a schedule of your required study visits during the treatment and for the follow-up periods of the study. In particular, on three separate occasions, you will receive two injections (vaccinations) with the vaccine administered at 4 weekly intervals (i.e. 2 injections of 0.5mg AMV002 per patient on days 0, 28 and 56). The vaccination will be carried out by injecting 0.2mL of vaccine into the skin on your forearm(s) using a standard sterile single-use needle and syringe. Durvalumab (MEDI4736) will be administered by IV infusion (1500 mg/patient) on Days 7, 28 and 56. You will additionally complete a maintenance treatment peiod. This period will involve 13 visits (visits 7 to 19). Durvalumab (MEDI4736) will be administered (1500 mg/patient) every four weeks for 12 months (or until stopping criteria are met). Safety/tolerability, immunogenicity and efficacy will be assessed at regular intervals during the interventions using clinical examinations and blood tests. If the study shows that it is safe to administer both drugs at the same time, and blood tests reveal that the vaccine can lead to the production of the antibodies to help fight the cancer, then this combination will be tested in larger human trials to confirm its benefit. Ultimately this approach may become the standard way in which we treat this type of cancer and may form the basis for the treatment of other cancer types.

Australia’s children are among the least active in the world. Physical inactivity is a particularly big problem for children with intellectual disabilities. Schools are ideal places to promote physical activity. This school-based intervention, iPLAY4i, will involve two key steps: we will train participating teachers in how to promote physical activity at school; and we will also support a few extra teachers while they try to promote a better culture of physical activity within the school. We hypothesise that this intervention will lead to benefits for children with intellectual disabilities, specifically: higher physical activity, higher physical fitness, better fundamental movement skills, and higher confidence, motivation, and wellbeing.

Hepatitis B is the most common liver infection in the world and is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV enters the body and travels to the liver via the bloodstream. In the liver, the virus attaches to healthy liver cells and multiplies. The liver is the main site of HBV replication. Hepatitis B infection can lead to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), liver cancer, or liver failure, if it is not diagnosed and managed appropriately. The purpose of this study is to test IMC-I109V in people with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The main goal of the study is to assess the safety and effectiveness a new treatment, called IMC-I109V. IMC- I109V has been developed to treat HBV by activating the body’s own immune system to fight the virus.

The proposed research aims to evaluate the Fearless Me! program, a CBT program specifically designed for children with ID and anxiety in a clinical group setting. The program was designed to be applied in an individual or group format. Thus far, the program has been evaluated with moderate success in a group format in a school setting, with clinical and non-clinical presentations (Hronis, et al. 2019). Fearless Me! is currently being assessed in an individual format for children with anxiety and ID, however, the program has not been tested in a clinical sample through a group format. It is hypothesised that the intervention will result in better mental health outcomes, including reduced levels of anxiety, improved quality of life and improved emotional development.

Insomnia is one of the most prevalent sleep disorders. The symptoms include difficulties getting to sleep, difficulties staying asleep, or early-morning awakenings with an inability to return to sleep. Insomnia may also be associated with problems with memory and attention, and increased feelings of depression, anxiety and stress. Insomnia can be treated effectively without medication. However, there remains a large proportion of individuals who do not seek help possibly due to barriers such as geographical location or time constraints. This project will investigate the efficacy and feasibility of an online mindfulness-based insomnia therapy program for people with difficulties getting to sleep or difficulties staying asleep. The study will also examine whether online mindfulness-based insomnia therapy improves objective sleep measures and reduces insomnia symptoms compared to a waitlist control group.

Several studies have shown that vitamin B12 status during pregnancy is of major importance to health of mother and her offspring. As vitamin B12 deficiency poses risks to both the expectant mother and foetus it is vital for pregnant women, who are at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, to undergo appropriate monitoring and to have adequate vitamin B12 supplementation. We hypothesized that the metformin use for treatment of gestational diabetes will increase the risk for the development of vitamin B12 deficiency. Study participants were assigned to their study treatments (diet, insulin, metformin or metformin and insulin) according to the required standard of care during their pregnancies. Pregnant women underwent measurements of total vitamin B12 levels and holotranscobalamin levels, folate, FBC with MCV and MCH. The vitamin B12 levels were measured at the first visit to the gestational diabetes clinic, after 30 weeks of pregnancy and additionally after 4­-6 weeks of treatment with metformin. The present study will additionally examine the antenatal and postnatal outcomes of pregnancies in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency, which we will determine based on the information from patients’ medical records.

Pain following tonsillectomy is a big problem for many children. At Perth Children’s Hospital as at other centres, there is a high rate of unplanned re-presentation to hospital with many of these visits due to pain. Some of the pain experienced by children after having their tonsils out is likely neuropathic in nature and less responsive to the standard pain killers which are currently prescribed. There are concerns about the use of the currently used pain relieving medicines for example regular anti-inflammatories in the setting of poor oral intake post operatively and worries over their effects on bleeding risk or the use of opioids in this population at risk of breathing difficulty. Studies to date using gabapentin (a well-known drug to treat neuropathic pain) preoperatively have been encouraging showing a reduction in early pain, strong pain killer requirement and of their side effects. There have been no studies in children using an extended course of the medicine. To help improve post-operative pain management we aim to assess the impact of perioperative gabapentin on postoperative pain levels through a placebo-controlled trial. We will also monitor the return to normal of a number of functional outcomes, for example, eating pattern, sleeping pattern, vomiting. If gabapentin is shown to be effective, then children will not only benefit from reduced pain but may also require less additional doses of breakthrough strong pain killers. Furthermore, better pain control will reduce the number of re-presentations to their general practitioners or hospital benefiting the Health System as a whole. We hypothesise that (1) Gabapentin will significantly decrease the postoperative child and parental reported pain scores following tonsillectomy. 2) Gabapentin will reduce the breakthrough opioid requirement in children following a tonsillectomy. 3) Gabapentin will reduce the medical re-attendance rate for pain following adenotonsillectomy.

Our previous research (UOM HREC ID: 1750491.1) indicated a large proportion of the airline cabin crew experiences fatigue and sleepiness, with 40-68% of the sample population (N=930) screened positive for either insomnia, depression, shift work disorder or a multitude of these disorders. The study also found cabin crew engage in behaviours detrimental to good sleep health, such as large consumption of caffeine daily, and/or use of alcohol and drugs (prescription and non-prescription) as strategies to promote sleep. Based on this result, we have developed a sleep education program (ACCESS; Airline Cabin Crew Educational Strategies for Sleep) based on the relevant components of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (e.g. sleep hygiene, stimulus control, relaxation) to educate and promote behaviours that will improve sleep health in cabin crew. The broad aim of this study is to measure the effectiveness of the ACCESS program compared to the control program (standard sleep education program) in improving sleep health for airline cabin crew.

The aims of this study are as follows: 1. To determine whether an education program directed at nurses, pharmacists and professional care staff will reduce the use of sedative medications in older people with dementia living in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF). 2. To determine the effects of the education program and other factors on the number of sedative medications that older people with dementia regularly consume. The sub-project shares the same aims with the main project. The main project is aimed to reduce the use of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines among residents with dementia through the education program. These medications were associated with a significant increase in adverse events and an increased risk of mortality. Previous studies have suggested that these medications can also affect the cognitive state among older adults with dementia. Benzodiazepine use has been associated with accelerated cognitive decline and limited benefits. Antipsychotic medications have also been associated with considerable cognitive adverse effects in people with dementia. Degeneration of cognitive function and mood often reduces quality of life amongst people living with dementia. Therefore, it is important to investigate the effect of these medications on cognitive state and the quality of life of dementia residents .