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The use of video media in informed consent in patients undergoing emergency appendicectomy
Informed consent is an not only an essential part of preparing a patient for surgery, but also a legal requirement. Surgeons typically explain the condition, procedure, risks and benefits and expected recovery of the intended treatment. This didactic method of information delivery can often miss out important components, and patients may not retain much knowledge from these discussions. Audio-video presentations have already been shown to be a promising medium to aid patient understanding and increase satisfaction during the consent process. This project will investigate the role of video media in providing a better informed consent process for patients undergoing emergency appendicectomy, as compared with standard face-to-face verbal consent between doctor and patient. Patients who require this operation will be invited to participate in the study. When enrolled, participants will be randomised to receive either the intervention (video media) or standard method of consent first. A short knowledge test and consumer satisfaction questionnaire will be completed, and then the process repeated for the opposite consent method. At the conclusion, the participant's preference between video media or standard face-to-face consent will be recorded.
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Demographic and clinical information in acute cervical spinal cord injury as part of the Riluzole in Spinal cord Injury Study (RISCIS)
This study is proposed to run alongside the approved Riluzole in Spinal Cord Injury Study (RISCIS) at Prince of Wales and Royal North Shore Hospitals. RISCIS is a randomized, prospective trial in acute cervical spinal cord injury. The outcome data that will be collected for this study will be good quality and detailed. Running RISCIS represents a unique opportunity to also collect ancillary observational data on possible predictors of general outcomes in acute spinal cord injury as well as the type and frequency of complications. This data will allow the investigators to generate reliable and accurate information on quality of care of acute spinal cord injury at both participating hospitals. This can be compared with international bench-marks and also allow comparison between the Spinal Units at the two hospitals. As a result, it is hoped that care can be optimized at each site in light of the new information and also that standardization of care across both Spinal Units can be established according to best practice guidelines. This study will be purely observational and will not require additional investigations or clinical assessments than used in standard clinical care.
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A Phase 1 Study to Evaluate the Safety of CBL-514 Injection on Convexity or Fullness of Abdominal Subcutaneous Fat in Healthy Volunteers
This is a Phase 1 trial to be conducted in a single center in Australia to evaluate the safety and tolerability of CBL-514 Injection on convexity or fullness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
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The use of a smartphone app to monitor activity and participation in patients undergoing cardio-thoracic surgery
We are assessing the feasibility of using a smartphone app to monitor patients activity and participation. We will ask patients to install a smartphone app on their phone. Patients will install our app on their phone at least 7 days pre-op. The app will report step and GPS data and allow participants to respond to a questionnaire, data will be reported anonymously to a secure cloud database. They will then undergo surgery. We will follow them up for 6 months. before asking them a satisfaction questionnaire and deleting the app from their phone
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Evaluating the effectiveness of a modified dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) group program in treating adolescents and young adults experiencing substance misuse
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) has been proven to be an efficacious treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) (Linehan, 1993; McMain et al., 2009). However, generalisability of this outcome within adolescents and young adults with co-morbid substance abuse and mental health concerns within a residential care setting in Australia has not been investigated. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a Modified Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Group Program embedded within a residential program in treating adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 24 years, experiencing substance misuse over time compared to a control group that did not receive the DBT Group Program. The secondary aim is to identify the factors that predict who is most likely to benefit from such treatment, particularly in terms of improved vocational outcomes (employment and education). Additionally, the cost-effectiveness of this modified DBT program will be evaluated. Finally, client and therapist satisfaction will also be explored through the study. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the DBT program in treating young people with co-morbid substance abuse and mental health concerns – one of the most difficult cohorts to treat – is an important first step in improving mental health care for this population. This research will advance the knowledge in the field by providing evidence for the importance of continuously improving service and quality person-centred care, taking into account factors that could contribute to positive treatment outcomes. This project will be conducted at Triple Care Farm (TCF, Mission Australia in partnership with the University of Wollongong (UOW).
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The effect of different sports beverages on recovery from endurance exercise.
The food and fluid provided during the post-exercise period plays an essential role in recovery and adaptation processes. There has been a considerable amount of research investigating the ideal quantity and quality of nutrients (e.g., carbohydrate, protein, electrolytes and water) for optimising the key recovery processes (i.e., repair, healing, growth, glycogen re-synthesis and rehydration) individually. This has lead to the development of recovery nutrition guidelines and recommendations, as well as commercially available recovery supplements. Considering dairy milk has similar nutritional properties to recovery nutrition guidelines and recommendations, there is emerging evidence suggestion dairy milk has the potential to optimise recovery from prolonged exercise. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare the effects of dairy milk to other sports recovery beverages, on aspects of recovery.
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Do low-calorie sweeteners influence intestinal glucose absorption in patients with type 2 diabetes?
Despite increasing use of low calorie sweeteners (LCS) in western diets, and an association between regular, heavy consumption of LCS containing beverages and an increased risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), it has only been recently established by our group that LCS supplementation impairs glycaemic control in healthy subjects ACTRN12615000866505. This occurs via augmented intestinal glucose uptake and is likely to involve negative changes in gut microbiota that impair host control of glycaemia. Patients with T2DM are intuitively likely to be at higher risk of these changes due to higher consumption of LCS, defective control of intestinal sweet taste sensors, and augmented glucose uptake, but whether this is the case, and the degree of increased risk, is yet to be determined.
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Virtual surgery pre-planning for paediatric lower limb deformities
Paediatric bone deformities can result from congenital conditions or acute injuries and often require orthopaedic intervention. For example, a femoral de-rotation osteotomy may be performed to address the in-toeing gait observed in a child with cerebral palsy, or this procedure may be performed to correct the out-toeing gait pattern caused by a slipped capital femoral epiphysis fracture. These orthopaedic procedures are highly complex and involve multi-plane correction requiring a high level of surgical expertise and experience. In this project, we will: - Develop tools to rapidly produce personalised computational models of paediatric patients with bone deformities, - Develop technology to perform virtual surgical simulations to optimize surgical pre-planning, - Develop technology to simulate post-operative walking function, - Design and manufacture surgical cutting guides using 3D printing, - Utilize 3D printed surgical guides in surgery to streamline the translation of the virtual plan to surgical execution, - Evaluate surgical outcomes and accuracy of pre-operative surgical predictions of post-operative function. The primary aim of the proposed research is to determine the efficacy of virtual surgery and personalised cutting guides for the surgical treatment for children with bone deformity in Queensland. We expect the inclusion of virtual surgery and 3D printing of surgical guides will result in improved anatomical alignment and improved post operative walking kinematics.
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Phase I, Pharmacokinetic, Safety and Tolerability Study in Healthy Volunteers to Evaluate Bioequivalence of LusiNEX and Tocilizumab (EU and US)
This is a randomized, double-blind, 3-arm, parallel-group single-dose study to compare the PK, PD, safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of LusiNEX (Mycenax tocilizumab) versus RoActemra (EU tocilizumab) and Actemra (US tocilizumab) after a single IV infusion of 4 mg/kg in healthy volunteers (hereafter referred to as subjects). The therapeutic dose of tocilizumab starts with 4 mg/kg and ranges to 12 mg/kg, considering 4 mg/kg is the lowest dose, the same has been selected for the study.
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Brief Psychoeducational Workshop for High-school students
The mental health of young people is important now more than ever as mental health disorders have formed a significant burden in all societies (Patel, Flisher, Hetrick, & McGorry, 2007). Internalising disorders, such as anxiety and depression, are consistently reported as the most common mental health problems amongst Australian children aged between 7 and 14 years and are often less likely to be detected compared to externalising disorders (Australian Institute of Health, 2012; Klein, Jacobs, & Reinecke, 2007; Letcher, Sanson, Smart, & Toumbourou, 2012; Seligman, Ernst, Gillham, Reivich, & Linkins, 2009). However early intervention has been promising in preventing the trajectory of future diagnosable conditions as well as enabling adolescents to fulfil their potential Klein, et al., 2007; McGorry, Bates, & Birchwood, 2013). Perfectionism has recently gained attention for being a major aspect in sustaining the growth and maintenance of many disorders and underling a series of pathologies such as depression, social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, eating disorders and even personality disorders (Dimaggio et al., 2015; Holland, Bodell, & Keel, 2013). Perfectionism refers to a tendency to strive for flawlessness and set exceedingly high standards for performance, accompanied by tendencies for overly critical evaluations (Stoeber, Eklund, & Tenenbaum, 2014). Its trans diagnostic nature positions perfectionism to be an ideal target for early intervention. Self-compassion is a construct gaining prominence over recent years and shown to be an important predictor of wellbeing (Barnard & Curry, 2011) as well as directly targeting the key features of perfectionism (Neff, 2011; Neff & Germer, 2013; Neff, 2010). Self-compassion refers to treating oneself with care and understanding when facing personal mistakes, shortcomings and failures (Neff, 2003). Self-compassion has also been shown to be an effective intervention target for adolescents suffering from negative world views (Neff, 2010). Self-compassion looks to be a healthy way of targeting perfectionism. This intervention research project examines a self-compassion and CBT based program which is brief (delivered over x4 90 minute modules weekly). We are using a cohort-controlled trial to compare year 7 students who receive the intervention to year 6 students who act as a control group and complete the same outcome measures at the same time, but are not exposed to the intervention. We are interested in the efficacy of the program for mental health, perfectionism, self-compassion and emotion regulation outcomes.