ANZCTR search results

The purpose of this study is to examine the area around a neuroendocrine tumour using a scan called FMISO PET. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 or over, and have a metastatic neuroendocrine tumour (NET). Study details All participants in this study will undergo one FMISO PET. The scan requires injection of a chemical called a tracer through a needle in the arm. The scan takes approximately 2 hours with the whole study visit on the day taking approximately 3 hours. It is hoped this research will help clinicians understand the biology of NET better, and help improve health outcomes in the long term as a result of this improved understanding.

Impaired health can increase the risk of workplace accidents and injuries, and impair quality of life. For those who do not receive regular medical check-ups, which is often difficult in industries such as transportation due to long and irregular work hours, medical conditions can remain unrecognised. Conditions with a prolonged lead time from the development of the condition to the time of diagnosis are potential targets for screening programs, aiming at early identification and management resulting in improved symptoms and reduced risk of complications including workplace accidents. Over 60% of fatalities in the Victorian transport industry are caused by traumatic injuries and another 30% are caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD). High rates of sleep disorders are also reported in transport workers, and have been associated with an increased risk of accidents. Furthermore, short sleep for even one night has been associated with an increase in crash risk. Given that accidents, CVD and sleep are key and inter-related concerns for transportation workers, the current project assessed the impact of introducing a health screening program in the transport industry. This program was designed to educate and screen for CVD risk factors and sleep disorders, and identify and refer high risk workers for medical intervention via referrals and follow-up advice. It was hypothesised the health screening program would reveal a high prevalence of CVD risk factors and sleep disorders in transportation workers, similar to that demonstrated in previous research in this industry. Furthermore, it was anticipated we would achieve a high level of participation in the screening program and compliance with medical follow-up of abnormal results. Finally, we hypothesised the education and screening program would be associated with a reduced rate of workplace injuries. Educational programs were conducted at participating transport companies and all drivers at these companies were invited to participate in the health screening which consisted of the following measures: the Epworth Sleepiness Scale; the Multivariable Apnea Prediction index; frequency of sleepiness and falling asleep whilst driving; sleep duration; occupational factors (driving and work hours, driving distance, shift type); motor vehicle accident (MVA) history; CVD risk factors (gender, smoking, family history, blood pressure, blood glucose); body mass index; and alcohol intake. Participants received personalised feedback and advice dependent on the results of the screening. The primary outcomes of the project focused on determining the relationship between sleepiness (hypersomnolence) and sleep duration on MVA risk, and the relationship between occupational demands and cardiovascular health. The success of the screening program was also investigated by examining transportation workers’ compliance with medical follow-up recommendations and changes in workplace injury rates.

A few medications were reported to be better absorbed into the systemic blood circulation after administration under the tongue. In this study, the absorption of atropine into the blood circulation was measured after atropine solution administration under the tongue solution and oral administration. The extent of absorption of atropine after 0.6mg and 1.2mg dose administration of under the tongue atropine was also measured.

Enteral nutrition (EN), delivered via a tube into the stomach, provided to critically ill patients is largely inadequate, resulting in muscle wasting and reduced physical function in the long-term. Numerous factors are known to influence nutrition delivery in the intensive care unit (ICU) such as interruptions for procedures, delayed initiation of feeding regimes, under or over prescription, and feed intolerance due to delayed gastric emptying. Further, recent evidence raises doubt as to the benefit of early vs delayed initiation of enteral nutrition and the delivery of calories to full prescribed target early in critical illness. Therefore, an exploration of whether there has been a change in nutrition delivery over time to reflect recommendations, and whether potential barriers to nutrition adequacy are as prevalent now as in the past, is required.

In the proposed study, the treating electrophysiologist will use a new and more focused method to help him/her in identifying the pathological potentials that are responsible for initiation and maintenance of AF. Despite many efforts globally, there has been a lack of ability to find and prove the best targets for ablation outside the pulmonary veins for AF, which is of particular interest in improving the success of ablation for persistent AF. There is recent evidence for the DEEP method in mapping for VT procedures. The proposed method is based on a mechanistic concept that regions that participate in the initiation of AF will demonstrate significant decremental properties prior to block and reentry, when stressed by a closely coupled premature beat. This method simply requires some additional pacing and mapping of the response to this during the routine post-ablation waiting period while patients are already undergoing AF ablation. In this study, mapping of DEEP will be performed to determine its feasibility in atrial tissue, and the presence of DEEP will be tested as a predictor of recurrence of AF during the follow-up period of 12 months. Areas of DEEP will also be compared in location and extent to abnormal voltage and complex signals seen on standard mapping (such as complex fractionated atrial electrograms and re-entrant areas). Fifteen participants will be recruited at each of 5 international centres for a total of 75 participants.

Self-compassion interventions may be a promising new approach for addressing body image concerns. The aim of the study is to observe the impact of self-compassion meditation podcasts on increasing levels of self-compassion and body appreciation, as well as decreasing levels of body shame and appearance contingent on self-worth. Women aged 17 to 35 years will be randomised into two groups, and engage in either self-compassion or guided imagery podcasts over one week.

This study seeks to find out whether giving an injection into the thigh (called Syntometrine - a combination of two uterus-contracting drugs) after an emergency caesarean section delivery will reduce the rate of excessive bleeding after childbirth. This study will randomly assign participants to receive either Syntometrine or a placebo. Both groups will receive normal care (i.e. standard uterus contracting medications). Our hypothesis is that it will reduce the rate of bleeding, and be well tolerated.

This phase 1 study will aim to predict a response to radiotherapy treatment in prostate cancer patients. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or above, and have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and have been recommended radiotherapy treatment. Study details Participants will undergo normal radiotherapy treatment with the addition of up to 5 MRI scans prior to and following radiotherapy treatment, up to 2 PSMA PET scans prior to and following radiotherapy treatment and up to 5 pathology blood tests prior to and following radiotherapy treatment. This study will determine the pre-treatment clinical and radiographic predictors of local recurrence in prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy.

This research study is designed to assess whether a special MRI scan can accurately predict the extent of cancer spread in the abdominal cavity in advanced ovarian cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you have a diagnosis of metastatic ovarian cancer and are aged over 18 years old. Study details All participants in this study will undergo an MRI scan no longer than 2 weeks prior to their routine diagnostic laparoscopy. This scan will take approximately 60 minutes. Participants will also give informed consent for access to their medical records. It is hoped this research might demonstrate that MRI scans can replace surgery when assessing the spread of advanced ovarian cancer in the abdominal cavity.

The purpose of the study is to investigate whether a permanent implant of a new spinal cord stimulation system, which uses automatic control, is safe and effective at treating chronic pain of the upper limbs and/or neck. The Stimulator System being investigated in the study is similar to currently available stimulators and treats chronic pain conditions in a similar way. The differences between participating in the study and receiving a currently available stimulator system is that: the System has technology to automatically control the strength of stimulation that you will feel; This type of automatic control stimulation has been studied previously in Australia and the U.S. for lower-back and leg pain. A total of 163 participants have been implanted with the Evoke system so far. All the surgical procedures and medical care in this study are similar to the currently available stimulators. This study is the first time the Evoke system is tested for upper-limb and/or neck pain. The stimulators that will be used during the study (external trial stimulator and implantable stimulator) are investigational devices that are as yet unapproved by the Department of Health, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).