ANZCTR search results

The goal of this project to is explore the immediate response of sitting balance and trunk stability to electrical stimulation used to activate the abdominal muscles in people with chronic SCI. This type of electrical stimulation, called functional electrical stimulation, is used on the abdomen or other areas of the body to help people with SCI and other neurological conditions to perform tasks, cough, work out, or strengthen muscles. We plan to study whether functional electrical stimulation activating or turning on the abdominal muscles can alter the sitting balance response compared to having no functional electrical stimulation. We are targeting the abdominal muscles because they are part of the core musculature and play an important role in balance control. Improving balance and trunk stability is a high priority for people with SCI. Balance and trunk stability are crucial to independence in functional activities or activities that people perform every day like dressing, grooming, eating, toileting, and completing transfers. If there is a positive response to abdominal functional electrical stimulation during balance activities, it could be implemented into daily routines of people with SCI because it is a safe and relatively low-cost intervention.

The Embrace Collective (https://theembracecollective.org) is a not-for-profit health promotion charity that offers research translation of evidence-based body image resources to improve body appreciation and reduce judgement on the basis of appearance. As part of their mission to inspire and educate people around the globe to reframe how they think about their bodies, they have identified education, fitness and health settings as environments that require additional support. As part of their mission, they have developed a range of programs and initiatives to address these concerns. These programs have now also expanded to include psychoeducational interventions to support parents in supporting children to reframe thinking about their bodies. The Embrace for Parents micro-intervention, is a 5-minute educational video for parents, developed by Dr Zali Yager, this resource is based on key findings from a Delphi study focused on prevention guidelines for parents and researchers. The parent masterclass provides strategies for parents to prevent body dissatisfaction and unhealthy eating patterns in children. This project aims to evaluate the impact of the educational video on knowledge, attitudes and behaviour among parents. Parents will be invited to participate through Embrace collective channels and social media/advertising.

This study will assess the feasibility of administering acupuncture as a therapy for patients who have cancer pain. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are an adult aged 18 years or older, you have been diagnosed with advanced cancer (treatment is no longer being curative) and you have been experiencing pain related to your cancer. Study details All participants who choose to enrol in this study will be offered a short course of acupuncture treatments. Twice weekly 30 minute acupuncture sessions will be provided by a registered acupuncturist over a 4 week period. Participants will be asked to rate their pain after each treatment session and may be asked to complete an exit interview at the end of the study. It is hoped this research will demonstrate that a short course of acupuncture can be practically delivered to patients with advanced cancer. If this initial study indicates that acupuncture is able to decrease pain, a larger study enrolling a greater number of cancer patients may be undertaken in the future.

Inflammatory bowel disease, including Ulcerative Colitis (UC), causes chronic inflammation of the GI tract. UC primarily affects the large bowel and rectum, with a prevalence of ~334 per 100,000 Australians. It leads to severe symptoms, comprising of bloody diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis (ASUC) is a life-threatening extension of UC, often unresponsive to corticosteroids. Exclusive Enteral Nutrition (EEN), a safe nutritionally complete liquid diet, shows promise as an alternative treatment. While EEN is well-researched and its safety well recognised, it’s effectiveness in large bowel disease (UC) is less well understood. Given the limited evidence in ASUC, this cohort study aims to investigate the impact of 1 week versus 3 weeks of EEN on disease activity, frequency of bowel motions, and quality of life in adults admitted to Logan Hospital (LGH) with ASUC. We will compare outcomes between a retrospective control group who did not receive EEN with prospective cohorts who received either 1 week or 3 weeks of EEN. All groups also received standard medical therapy. If the results show no significant difference in clinical outcomes or remission rates between the two durations of EEN, it suggests that clinical improvements can be achieved with a shorter duration of EEN. This finding would make EEN treatment more acceptable and feasible for adults with ASUC, potentially improving patient adherence and reducing the treatment burden.

Intravenous lidocaine infusions have demonstrated benefits for improving analgesia and recovery after laparoscopic abdominal surgery. However, there are inconsistencies regarding the dosing of lidocaine infusions with concerns for safety and efficacy, particularly when using a weight-based protocol in patients with obesity. It is likely that current dosing regimen result in sub-therapeutic levels in patients. This study aims to prospectively evaluate a proposed optimised regimen to determine if it achieves targeted concentrations. We will also assess the feasibility of administering a standardised anaesthesia protocol and collecting a range of patient-focused outcomes.

This retrospective, observational cohort study will include nonagenarians admitted to the ICU between 2010 and 2023 across Australia and New Zealand. The study will utilise data from the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) Adult Patient Database. Who is it for? You are eligible if you are greater than 90 years old and admitted to ICI. Patients will be categorized into those with a normal body mass index and thiose with either a high or low body mass index. Study details This study will evaluate the short-term effects of body mass index on ICU and hospital mortality, length of stay, and mortality-associated factors. We hope these findings will emphasise the importance of shared decision-making that respects patient autonomy and considers clinical, cultural, and systemic factors.

The primary objective of Therapeutic Dragon Taming is to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week therapeutically applied Dungeons and Dragons group intervention (relative to a social board-gaming control group) for consumers of adult and adolescent community mental health services at improving self-reported symptoms of social anxiety, as measured with a validated instrument. The secondary objectives are to compare changes between intervention groups in depression, self-reported trauma symptoms and self-esteem (measured with validated questionnaires). In addition, drop-out rates between the Dungeons and Dragons intervention group and the board-game control group will be compared, and written feedback provided by participants relating to their experience of the intervention will be considered.

In 2024, we conducted the first pilot feasibility trial to test the effectiveness of an Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA) HAFSE (Helper Agent For Self Esteem) to increase the self-esteem in university (psychology) students. For this initial study, (Tahir, Richards & Kangas., 2024), We found that the HAFSE program, a brief (20 minute) psychoeducational program for increasing self-esteem was effective in increasing self-esteem (with moderate effects) following the completion of this course. Given our 2024 pilot study was based on a pre-post-trial design we did not collect follow-up data to evaluate retention effects of self-esteem and self-efficacy improvements as well as investigate any secondary gains to improve students' confidence in learning and engagement at university. The overarching aim of the current study is to further investigate the effectiveness of the HAFSE program to enhance the self-esteem and improve well-being in university students enrolled at Macquarie University across various courses. We aim to test the short-term effects of this program (at 1-month follow-up) as well as test moderator and mediator effects to determine factors contributing to the benefits of this program.

Artificial tear supplementation is the mainstay of treatment for dry eye disease, designed to mimic natural tears and improve the stability and properties of the tear film. Aqueous-based and lipid-containing artificial tears are the most used formulations for the treatment of dry eye, primarily due to their rapid ability to alleviate symptoms. However, there is a lack of evidence for selecting artificial tears tailored to specific dry eye disease subtypes. This study aims to investigate the comparative efficacy of aqueous and lipid-based artificial tears in improving symptoms, clinical signs, inflammatory biomarkers, and corneal immune cell dynamics of various dry eye disease subtypes.

Semi-elite male and female soccer players from a single soccer club will be recruited to participate in this study. The study aims to assess the effect of a dietary education program on dietary intake and nutrition knowledge. Participants will be randomised into a group education only group or a group education with individual dietary counselling group. Outcomes include dietary intake and nutrition knowledge. The intervention will last for 7 weeks and will include 4xgroup education sessions (presentation, small group activities, questions) and for the combined group, 2 individual dietary counselling sessions. All sessions will be conducted by dietitian interns under the direct supervision of the chief researcher.