ANZCTR search results

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mainly affecting the lining of the large intestine (colon) and rectum. It is a chronic, progressive condition characterised by periods of acute inflammation and remission. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, fatigue, frequency, urgency, and bloody stools. Although treatment options have improved in recent years, there exist a need for non-pharmacological options to support medical therapy and improve outcomes. Recent studies demonstrate the positive effects of extra virgin olive oil supplementation in animal models, and it is associated with prevention of the disease in Mediterrannean populations.. Separate lines of research has further demonstrated potential anti inflammatory properties of olive oil in the diet for other chronic inflammatory processes. .

The focus of this study is to determine the safety and benefits of exercising patients who are mechanically ventilated via a tracheostomy whilst using a Passy-Muir speaking valve. The benefits of early exercise for patients in ICU have been well documented including: decreased ICU length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS and more ventilator-free days. Furthermore for tracheostomised patients, the benefits of utilising speaking valves (SVs) include: less accumulated secretions, decreased carbon dioxide retention, decreased respiratory rate, improved lung recruitment and greater verbal communication. Unfortunately the use of SVs has been limited due to concerns of lung derecruitment during a period of cuff deflation or conversely in some patients, hyperinflation. Fortunately recent studies have addressed these safety concerns by demonstrating that SVs did not cause derecruitment or hyperinflation of the lung, rather resulted in improved lung recruitment. It is important to note that these studies were completed with patients at rest, therefore the effect on the lungs during physiotherapy or exercise still needs to be investigated.

It has been suggested that guided ICBT-P can substantially decrease perfectionism in low doses (3 or less modules) but appears to only impact secondary outcomes with higher doses of treatment. The current study addressed this question, as well as the best method to promote higher dosage use.

After stroke, there is strong evidence that indicates that the greater the intensity of practice in rehabilitation, the better the function outcome for the patient. Currently, there is no research that has determined the effect of instructions on increasing intensity of practice in rehabilitation. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is to test three goal oriented instructions and compare them to a non-specific instruction. A non specific instruction, "do this exercise", was presented to a participant and the time taken to perform repetitions was recorded. Then, one of three goal oriented instructions were presented. These instructions are 1) “do [exercise] 25 times,”, 2) “do [exercise] 25 times as fast as you can and 3) “do [exercise] 25 times, as fast as you can, aiming for a personal best”, The time taken under each instruction was converted to repetitions per minute, Each participant received all three instructions in a random order, with one instruction presented per day over three days. For each instruction, the recorded time for twenty five repetitions was converted to a rate of repetitions/minute. The time taken to perform the twenty five repetitions under each goal oriented instruction was be compared with the non specific instruction and a percentage change in rate of repetitions was calculated. Statistical anaylsis was applied to determine if one instruction was more effective at increasing intensity of practice

This study is aiming to assess if makeup and moisturisers with SPF applied to the face provide coverage from UV radiation in indoor workers. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 years of age or older, work mostly indoors and use cosmetics with SPF 5 or higher on your face. Study details Participants will be asked to have a photo of their face taken using a UV camera in the morning and afternoon and provide feedback after all photos are taken in an audio-recorded interview. Participants will supply and apply their SPF product as per their usual routine. It is hoped this research will help to assess whether consumers apply their cosmetic products with SPF to ensure coverage from UV radiation throughout the day (for e.g. traveling to and from work)

The primary purpose of our study is to compare Near-infrared spectroscopy and Transcranial Doppler in terms of measuring cerebrovascular elasticity. Our hypothesis is that NiRS results will have a significant correlation with TCD-derived elasticity measurements

The purpose of this research study is to implement and evaluate a sexual function and cardiovascular health-targeted intervention during and following treatment for prostate cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or more and you have been, or have previously been, diagnosed with prostate cancer. Study details Participants in this study will be randomly allocated (by chance) to either 12-weeks of an exercise intervention or usual care. Participants in the exercise intervention group complete cardiorespiratory/aerobic, resistance and stretching exercises on 3 days of the week; which are individually tailored to each intervention participant. Participants in both groups are required to undertake assessments both before and after the 12-week intervention period. These assessments are related to sexual function, cardiovascular disease risk development and other health measures (e.g. body composition, blood markers, cardiorespiratory fitness). Some participants will also be invited to attend a focus group discussion on the quality and feasibility of the intervention after intervention completion.

Aims: This project is to verify a proposed new reporting tool for determining changes in human gut communities (gut microbiome) after dietary interventions. Theory: The inclusion of fibre in the diet is associated with gut health. This is because fibre reaches the large intestine and feeds the resident microorganisms. These microorganisms in turn produce substances that benefit human health such as short-chain fatty acids. However the production of these substances varies with the types of organisms present and this in turn is dependent on the types of foods consumed. We can see these changes when different diets are consumed and these changes occur within a day of changing a diet. This gives us a valuable tool to determine which foods produce beneficial changes. However current methods of reporting changes to the microbiome are overly complex and do not provide a picture of changing gut communities that is readably visualised or rendered in a format understandable to lay persons wishing to understand how the foods they consume affect their gut communities. Methodology: The current project seeks volunteers to consume low and high fibre diets and collect a swab from their first daily faecal sample. The swab will be analysed to determine the relative abundance of each type of bacteria by modern sequencing techniques. The abundance of each type of bacteria will be compared to their base line sample, collected before they start the diet, Each type of bacteria has known associations with low-fibre or high fibre and the total number of types showing positive shifts in abundance will be tallied and graphed against those showing negative shifts. It is hoped that this new simplified way of reporting changes associated with diets will help people better visualise the important benefits of changing their diet through the effects seen on changing the gut community.

Eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) is an allergic condition which leads to inflammation of the oesophagus and subsequently difficulty in swallowing and episodes of food material getting stuck in the food pipe requiring urgent medical care. Swallowed steroid medication that coats the oesophagus and special diets that focus on eliminating dietary triggers for this allergic condition are the two modalities of treatment. This study aims to compare the efficacy of these two treatments in our local cohort of patients diagnosed with EoE. All patients with a suspicion of this condition identified at initial endoscopy will be flagged as potential participants for this study. Gastroenterologist will be informed via email regarding the trial. They will notify potential participants that a trial involving this condition is being conducted at the hospital and ask if the patients are interested. The trial doctor will then contact them and provide an overview of the study and then email information sheets to the patient. At this phone call it will also be confirmed that these patients are on medications that supress acid secretion from stomach, as per standard care. On the day of repeat endoscopy (Endoscopy 2, to repeat biopsies ), prior to sedation, patients will be approached and if they would like to participate in the trial written consent will be obtained. Subsequently they will complete questionnaires and receive blood test prior to undergoing endoscopy. These will assess the severity of symptoms and the effects of this condition on these patients' quality of life. Other patient demographics will also be collected on the day. (please see Case Report Form). The results from the second procedure ( endoscopy ) will be reviewed. If the inflammation has resolved with the acid suppressing mediation ( PPIs) patients do not have eosinophilic oesophagitis and are excluded from continuing in the trial. Patients that have ongoing inflammation despite using acid suppressing medication will be diagnosed with eosinophilic oesophagitis and will be randomly assigned to swallowed topical steroids arm or the food elimination arm. Patients randomized to the elimination diet arm will be referred to a dietician who will counsel them regarding avoiding cow milks protein and wheat. After 8 weeks of being on this diet, patients will undergo endoscopy (Endoscopy 3). On the day of endoscopy, bloods will be collected and a questionnaire will be completed. Patients assigned to the swallowed topical arm will be seen in the gastroenterology clinics, counselled regarding the use of the medication and provided with a script. After 8 weeks of swallowed topical steroids, patient will undergo endoscopy (Endoscopy 3) . On the day of endoscopy bloods will be collected and a questionnaire will be completed.

This study is a randomized-controlled-trial that aims to assess the efficacy and safety of Zao Ren An Shen (ZRAS) capsule, a Chinese herbal medicine product, for chronic insomnia. After a 1-week placebo run-in, the participants will be randomized to either the experimental group or the placebo group and asked to take three capsule of either ZRAS or placebo every day before bedtime for four weeks. The outcomes will be assessed continuously with a sleep diary and actigraphy, and at baseline, mid-treatement (week 2), post-treatment and follow-up (week 8) with questionnnaires about insomnia severity, fatigue severity, psychological status, and quality of life. The hypothesis is that ZRAS is efficient and safe for chronic insomnia.