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Efficacy of treatment of mental disorders in Indigenous Australians has rarely been assessed in controlled experimental studies. We plan to conduct, in an integrated Indigenous primary care setting, a randomised controlled trial of psychological treatment in Indigenous subjects with depressive disorders. The treatment program will be co-designed in close collaboration with the local Indigenous community and will cater for the high rates of co-morbid anxiety and substance-use disorders. This project will inform strategies to treat mental illness in communities currently poorly provided with culturally appropriate mental health services.

On 21st November 2016, Melbourne suffered an asthma epidemic following a thunderstorm that overwhelmed emergency services and led to the activation of disaster codes. Tragically, 10 people died of asthma as a consequence. Whilst clusters of Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma (ETSA) have been previously reported, this event was unprecedented in its severity. It is inevitable that such severe weather events as occurred in 2016 will recur, so that the risks to individuals need to be better understood and preventive strategies developed based on evidence that can apply at both an individual, clinical and at a public health level. So there is an urgent need to identify predictors of susceptibility and severity to ETSA to inform public health and clinical preventive strategies. This proposal brings together a team of clinicians, epidemiologists, botanists, medical, pharmaceutical, scientific and policy experts to answer questions resulting from this epidemic and provide evidence-based advice to the community and health care providers to manage recurrent weather events of this nature. The study is planned to begin immediately prior to the 2018-9 grass pollen season and recruit people from October 2018. Participants will form a cohort that can be monitored with an App for the upcoming season. The project findings will be disseminated through the scientific literature but will also be disseminated through peak asthma bodies and clinical guidelines as well as public health initiatives.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of wearable technology and telephone health coaching on physical activity in cancer survivors. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged between 18 and 80, and are a survivor of breast, colorectal, gynaecological or prostate cancer. Study details Participants will be randomised (by chance) into two groups. One group (the comparator group) will receive a booklet with physical activity information and motivational tools to support behaviour change including action planning, goal setting, self-monitoring, confidence building and coping planning. The other group (the intervention group) will receive the same treatment as the comparator group as well as a wearable fitness tracker and 4-6 telephone coaching sessions. All participants will undertake physical activity according to their personal preferences and will complete questionnaires about their attitudes, intentions, confidence, action planning and quality of life. It is hoped this research will reduce sedentary behaviours and increase physical activity in cancer survivors living outside of major cities in Australia.

The primary purpose of this trial is to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of durvalumab and tremelimumab with platinum-pemetrexed in patients with metastatic NSCLC (T790+ve or T790M-ve) following progression on EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors.. Who is it for? You may be eligible to enrol in this trial if you are aged 18 or over and have been diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (T790+ve or T790M-ve) following progression on EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors. Study details All participants enrolled in this trial will begin with induction therapy which involves 4 cycles of durvalumab 1500mg and tremelimumab 75mg with cisplatin 75mg/m2 or carboplatin AUC 5, and pemetrexed 500mg/m2 intravenously every 3 weeks. Participants will then move into a maintenance phase of durvalumab 1500mg and pemetrexed 500mg/m2 once every 4 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable side effects. All patients will be reviewed every three to four weeks by blood samples, CT scans and side effect assessments. It is hoped that the findings from this trial will provide information on whether treatment with durvalumab and tremelimumab with platinum-pemetrexed is feasible, safe and effective for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (T790+ve or T790M-ve).

Adverse reactions to direct acting antiviral medications to treat hepatitis C have occurred in some people. These adverse reactions include damage to the liver. The aim of this project is to study the genetic association of these cases of adverse reactions. People that have had direct acting antiviral medications to treat hepatitis C and have had a hypersensitivity reaction will be compared to those that have had direct acting antiviral medications to treat hepatitis C and have not had a hypersensitivity reaction. The study will require people to supply buccal tissue samples so that identification of potential genetic association can be established through DNA testing. This may help predict which people are sensitive to these antiviral drugs and therefore prevent sever reactions. These DNA samples will be destroyed after the genetic testing has been completed.

The purpose of this study is to determine if 10 sessions of psychological support, delivered online, is effective in improving the mental health of those with brain tumours and their families. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are an adult who has been diagnosed with a benign or malignant brain tumour. Study details Participants in this study will undergo one of the two following treatments: Treatment 1 – participants will receive up to five 1-hour sessions of psychological support from a psychologist. These may be done over the phone, online or face-to-face. These participants will have the option of completing treatment 2 after 4 months. Treatment 2 – participants will receive ten 1-hour sessions from a psychologist either individually or with family involvement. These will be done online by using video-conferencing technology from their own home. The treatment the participant will complete will be randomly decided. Participants will be asked to complete measures of mental health and quality of life before and after the treatment, as well as 6-weeks and 6-months after the treatment. It is hoped that this research will help determine if online psychological interventions are able to improve mental health and quality of life for people with brain tumours.

This study will investigate the impact of consuming alcoholic beer against non-alcoholic beer on the the liking and characteristics of two different sets of savoury food snacks (common food snacks and uncommon food snacks). Participants in this study will attend the study on four x 4 hour testing evenings and will be randomly allocated to a beverage (either a moderate serving of alcoholic beer and lemonade or non-alcoholic beer and lemonade) and to a set of snacks (either common and uncommon food snacks) on each evening. Participants will consume the provided beverages within 15 minutes and then consume the provided snacks until they are comfortably full. They will be asked to complete questionnaires on their liking of the different snack foods including the flavour, appearance, mouth-feel and texture. Other data that will be collected from participants throughout each testing evening include multiple appetite and hunger ratings, breath alcohol concentration measurements and food preference questionnaires. After each testing evening, participants will also complete a 2-day food intake diary which will record all the foods and beverages the participants eat for the two days after each testing evening. The results from this study will assist with understanding the impact of drinking beer on the perception of snacks. This will provide evidence to develop new snack options to have when drinking alcoholic beverages.

The purpose of this study is to determine if a new immune based therapy (called Blinatumomab) can help improve outcomes for patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 15-40 and have been diagnosed with B-lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Study details All participants in this study will be provided with Blinatumomab, that will be provided continuously through the vein over two cycles of 28 days using an infusion device. Participants will be provided with usual care outside of these two cycles. 79 days after commencing cycle 1, participants will need to take a blood test and a bone marrow sample will be collected. Blood and bone marrow samples will also be taken throughout the treatment period, however these are the same as you would have taken during standard treatment outside of the trial. It is hoped that this study will help to better understand how to successfully incorporate immune based therapy in adolescents and young adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

Hypothesis: Diagnostic ultrasound may be a useful non-invasive bedside tool to assist with detecting changes in diaphragm and skeletal muscle quantity and quality during mechanical ventilation and may have a relationship with patient functional outcomes on discharge from intensive care Objectives: • To determine the rate and difference in wasting patterns between respiratory and peripheral muscle (as determined by ultrasound imaging). • To determine if baseline ultrasound measurements can predict future patient outcomes such as ICU acquired weakness (ICUAW), Mechamical Ventilation (MV) time etc. Study design: A single-centre prospective observational cohort trial of 62 critically ill patients in a tertiary referral hospital (St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney) in Australia.

This study will pilot-test the newly adapted program using self-regulation and mental imagery in enhancing performance outcomes for children with spinal cord injuries or disease. Self-regulation assists an individual in identifying their own problems and finding an appropriate solution through active, independent and reflective learning. Mental imagery is a process in which a task is rehearsed mentally as if the person is performing it. The effectiveness of cognitive strategies including self-regulation and mental imagery in achieving better functional outcomes for adults who have had a stroke and children with autism has been established. it is hypothesised that the program can enhance daily and school task performance in children with spinal cord injuries or disease.