ANZCTR search results

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of vitamin D3 with or without HMB on the physical function, skeletal muscle mass, strength, bone turnover and bone microarchitecture in community-dwelling men and women aged 65 years with osteosarcopenia. This is a single-centre randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design with approximately 88 osteosarcopenic patients randomised to daily oral treatments: vitamin D3 (1,000 IU/d) plus HMB or placebo in tablet form. The study will consist of a 24-week treatment period followed by a 12-week follow-up period. Assessments will be performed at the time of randomisation and at Weeks 12, 24 and 36.

This study will evaluate the effect of providing feedback to clinics on experiences of psychosocial care in cancer patients, in improving the quality of psychsocial care provided to patients. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 and above, have a confirmed diagnosis of cancer (any type) and attending a cancer clinic or receiving treatment as an outpatient. Study details All cancer clinics will start in the control arm to collect 8 weeks of data. The intervention will then commence for a period of 12 months. Clinics will receive monthly feedback reporting patient experiences of care over the previous data collection period and asked to set targets for improvement. Clinics that fail to demonstrate improvements after a 3 month period of intervention will receive additional support through visits from the cancer services director to devise more intensive strategies for improvement. Patient experiences of care, quality of life and levels of anxiety and depression will be assessed using questionnaires before, during and after the intervention period. If effective, this approach will be able to be utilised by clinics to obtain regular feedback from patients regarding their experiences of care and to determine priorities for quality improvement. Ultimately, we expect this will result in better quality of care, and improved psychosocial outcomes for cancer patients.

This research study looks into new ways to detect the use of low doses of testosterone for doping in women. The lure of fame and fortune through competitive success in elite sports will always tempt some athletes to cheat including by doping using performance enhancing drugs. At present, testosterone is known to be illegally among to enhance athletic performance. Testosterone is the most powerful and widely used in doping to gain unfair advantages in athletic performance. Anti-doping detection tests, based on urine samples are used to detect, deter and penalise cheating athletes who use testosterone in elite athletics or training. However, it is not clear how quick to detect these tests are especially for women and there is a concern that low doses of testosterone may be missed by the standard urine tests. This study is designed to address this important gap in knowledge in anti-doping science as well as aiming to develop better, more responsive tests. This study is for the first time studying in detail the use of blood tests to see how well they add to and improve on the standard urine tests to detect use of testosterone.

This study will evaluate the feasibility of a multi-disciplinary program of lifestyle education (good nutrition and physical activity) and social support for women with endometrial cancer Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are a woman aged 18 and above, have a histologically confirmed diagnosis of endometrial cancer following surgery and are scheduled for or have recently commenced any type of adjuvant therapy (such as brachytherapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy) at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Melbourne). Study details Participants in this study are randomly allocated (by chance) to one of two groups. Participants in one group will receive usual care at their treating hospital which does not routinely involve referral to social work, physiotherapy or nutrition services. Participants in the other group will receive a weekly multi-disciplinary program of social support, lifestyle education (regarding nutrition and physical activity) and behavioural change support for 8 weeks provided by a multi-disciplinary team including a dietician, physiotherapist and social worker. The one-on-one sessions will cover education on diet, physical activity, weight management, support to change dietary and physical activity behaviours and social support. The first session is conducted face-to-face at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre with weekly follow-up sessions for an additional seven weeks (conducted remotely by video or telephone). The findings from this research will establish how feasible it is to provide this multi-disciplinary service to those with endometrial cancer and support future research in the area.

Suicide is a leading cause of death among young Australians. Historically, high levels of suicide have been recorded in Australian university students, as they transition from high school to university, and experience dramatic changes in personal and social circumstances. The National Suicide Prevention Program in Germany recently developed the “Talk to Me” program, a suicide prevention intervention that facilitates the detection of early symptoms of evolving suicidal behaviour and supports action planning in a potential suicidal crisis situation. This research aims to develop, deliver and test the "Talk-to-Me" Mass online learning content (MOOC) for undergraduate university students, underpinned with strength-based suicide prevention principles.

While evidence in healthy individuals demonstrates that exercise improves health outcomes and exerts biological effects, the effects in individuals with chronic pain are poorly understood. Exercise interventions have been suggested useful in reducing pain, however evidence shows that effects vary in magnitude and direction. This project aims to improve the understanding of the central neurobiological and immunological effects of exercise in individuals with chronic pain. Individuals with chronic whiplash will participate in either an aerobic or resistance exercise intervention, allowing for a direct comparison informing on the type and dosage considerations of exercise prescription. Magnetic resonance scans and immunological factor concentrations will inform on the underlying effects of exercise. A single-case experimental design with sixteen participants allows for an evaluation of the feasibility, as well as the effectiveness of isolated elements of this intervention. Determining the underlying mechanisms is the first step in understanding the effects of exercise in individuals with chronic pain. Outcomes will therefore benefit researchers and clinicians aiming to improve health outcomes in individuals with chronic pain.

The purpose of this study is to determine if RTB101 helps decrease the percentage and rate of clinically symptomatic respiratory illness that are either confirmed by laboratory test or not. The study will also find out whether it decreases the duration of moderate and severe symptoms due to all clinically symptomatic respiratory illness that are confirmed with a laboratory test. The study will also see if RTB101 is safe to use. The study will also look at rate of respiratory illnesses that occur with specific viruses.

Construction workers are at elevated risk of suicide. MATES in Construction (MATES) is one of the few suicide prevention programs that explicitly address this problem. The MATES program includes an integrated system of services that supports prevention, early intervention and recovery (i.e., primary, secondary and tertiary prevention) for mental health problems among construction workers. In this protocol, we describe a proposed evaluation of MATESmobile, an electronic platform which will be accessed by workers who have undergone MATES training. In this protocol, we describe a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) which seeks to assess whether MATESmobile results in improved literacy regarding suicide prevention, and improved help-seeking and help-offering attitudes among those who have attended MATES training. Secondary outcomes include changes in suicide ideation, suicide attempt and psychological distress. Workers will be recruited prior to MATES face-to-face training. In total, 295 workers will be randomly assigned to the intervention condition (MATESmobile + face-to-face training) and 295 will be randomly allocated to the control (face-to-face training). The intervention will run for 8 weeks. Assessments will be run immediately post intervention, and at 3, 6, and 12 months. MATESmobile offers the potential to reinforce and enhance the effects of face-to-face training, resulting in greater skills and knowledge in suicide prevention, as well as a reduction in suicidality and distress.

Dilated Gastrojejunal stoma can lead to weight regain after gastric bypass surgery. Endoscopic revision with endoluminal suturing or argon plasma coagulation is currently performed as a first line treatment in the United States, given that surgical revision is associated with significant risk of complications. Studies have demonstrated that endoscopic intervention is effective, safe and most patients avoided surgery. In this study, we aim to describe our experience in endoscopic techniques used to treat weight regain after gastric bypass surgery. Our overall objective is to assess the long-term outcome of endoscopic intervention at a tertiary referral centre.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of cannabidiol (CBD) for the prevention of Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD) in patients who are undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 or older, and are undergoing a allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Study details Participants in this study will consume a solution of cannabidiol (CBD) in olive oil by mouth twice per day from the time transplant procedures commence until 98 days post-transplant. The concentration of CBD will vary depending on when you enrol in the study. As part of his study, all participants will have blood and urine tests, and undergo physical examinations, in addition to standard post-transplant tests. It is hoped this research might provide some evidence that CBD can prevent acute Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) in patients that have undergone an allogeneic HSCT, including how it is tolerated, absorbed and interacts within the body.