ANZCTR search results

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.

This research project aims to determine the feasibility of the Elecsys® GAAD blood test for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance in a regional Australian setting. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are an adult already undergoing HCC surveillance within the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service. Study details Participants will undergo a single blood test, with the collected blood analysed using the Elecsys® GAAD assay. Findings will be reported to their treating gastroenterologist and participants will be followed up as required. Participants will be asked to complete online surveys regarding the feasibility of this HCC surveillance pathway. It is hoped that findings from this study may help design HCC surveillance systems that reduce the burden on the health care system and patients with liver disease, and lead to improved adherence, especially in regional settings.

This study aims to investigate how laser acupuncture therapy works in combination with a type of brain stimulation called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which gently increases brain activity. Both techniques are non-invasive and may help improve muscle control. The research will be conducted in healthy adults using standardized testing before and after treatment. It is hypothesised that combining tDCS with laser acupuncture will enhance brain excitability and motor function more effectively than either technique alone.

Motherhood can give rise to significant physical and psychological difficulties. It is worthwhile to explore interventions that may improve mothers’ psychological functioning and support the development of the mother-infant bond. This study will test a novel flexible perspective taking intervention, comprising of: (1) ACT metaphors for enhancing a transcendent sense of self and applying them to perinatal context, (2) a guided experiential exercise on flexible perspective taking for pregnant and new mothers. Previous research has supported the effectiveness of brief online interventions for mothers of infants in Australia. The current study takes a similar approach by assessing the efficacy of a flexible perspective taking intervention.

This is an exploratory study to collect preliminary clinical performance data of Bio Concepts Pathology Interpretation Assistant (PIA) software to guide further product development and future pivotal study design. The trial is designed to investigate the effectiveness of using PIA for improving the users’ pathology reading performance. The primary hypotheses of this study are: using PIA is not inferior to the standard practice in terms of accuracy of identifying health conditions and using PIA reduces the time required to interpret pathology reports compared to standard practice.

This study aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of two new decision support interventions for patients with cancer who are considering taking part in a genomics research program. Who is it for? This study is for people who have very recently joined a cancer genomics research program named CaSP. Patients eligible for CaSP are aged 18 years or older, have been diagnosed with an incurable, advanced and/or metastatic tumour of any cancer type, and are willing to undergo genomic testing by providing a tissue sample of their tumour. Study details Participants who choose to enrol in this study will be allocated randomly by chance (similar to flipping a coin) to one of three groups. Participants allocated to the first group will undergo the standard CaSP consent procedure, which involves viewing an online video animation and/or a written document describing CaSP and what taking part involves. Participants allocated to the second group will undergo the standard CaSP consent procedure and then will also receive a Question Prompt List, which is a structured list of questions and answers relevant to genomic testing/research that they can review in their own time. Participants allocated to the third group will undergo the standard CaSP consent procedure and then will also be given access to a Dynamic Consent Platform, an interactive website designed to support participants to access information and provide informed consent for genomic testing/research, which also incorporates the Question Prompt List. It is hoped this research will determine whether having access to a question prompt list and/or a dynamic consent platform is feasible and acceptable for patients with cancer and indicate whether access to these tools may have a positive impact on their understanding of genomic testing and how they feel about consenting to a genomic testing program.

Cancer pain is a prevalent and distressing symptom, with opioids being the primary treatment. However, individual responses to opioids vary greatly, causing unpredictable pain relief and adverse effects. Approximately 30-40% of cancer patients experience "opioid failure," necessitating an "opioid switch" due to inadequate pain relief or toxicity. This study will investigate biological measures (biomarkers) to develop precision opioid prescribing for cancer patients. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are an adult who has incurable/advanced cancer with pain related to cancer and you are currently taking opioid medications to treat your cancer pain. Study details All participants in this study will be seen several times, and this may be either during or in addition to their usual care - once at the time of enrolment into the study, then at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after their enrolment. Participants who are identified as candidates for opioid switching will also be seen at 72 hours before the opioid switch, at the time of the switch and again within 3-14 days after the opioid switch. On each of these days participants will be asked for clinical information and to complete some questionnaires about their symptoms (questions about pain relief, side effects and levels of function) and given questionnaires to complete regarding their symptoms and pain levels. One blood test will also be taken during this time, which includes samples for opioid levels in the blood, markers of inflammation and genetic markers. If participants undergo opioid switch, an optional additional blood test will be taken to measure opioid levels in the blood. It is hoped that this research will determine whether it is possible to provide more personalised pain relief based on a patient’s clinical, biological and genetic information. The effect of the opioid switching on pain levels up to 2 months after the medication change will also be assessed to determine whether the change has any impact on participants pain levels.

This study is prompted by our recent questionnaire review of 153 Masters Footballers (soccer) aged >=35 years which showed several concerning findings: Cardiac risk factors were common in the Masters footballers, and one in five reported possible cardiac symptoms in the prior year but only one quarter of them sought medical attention (Francis MA, Buckley T, Tofler AR, Tofler GH. Masters age football and cardiovascular risk. Intern Med J. 2022;52:369-378). Gaps existed in knowledge and optimal responses. However, there was strong support for further education and preventative measures, which informs the present study. Using a before-and-after evaluation we will determine in Masters football players whether an online educational program can improve cardiac health awareness, including cardiac knowledge, attitudes and behaviours, compared with a control group. Based on the results, our longer-term goal is to implement the online program widely, for example, at the beginning of each football season.

This research study in BV patients is testing the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of tablet formulations of an investigational drug called Metrodora Therapeutics Low Iron bovine Lactoferrin (Low Iron MTbLF) with or without the Essential Elements Zn and Mn, when it is given intravaginally (into the vagina) during patients’ primary treatment with oral antibiotics and for 11 weeks post antibiotics. Lactoferrin is a naturally occurring protein present in milk, saliva, tears, and other bodily fluids that has antimicrobial activity and may have an important therapeutic effect for the treatment of recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis (BV). The overall goals of this study are to evaluate a trend on the effect of Low Iron MTbLF-with and without Essential Elements Zn and Mn- for the prevention of recurrence of BV, the delay in time to retreatment of recurrent BV with antibiotics, and the evaluation of different diagnostics to follow recurrence during the treatment and follow up period. BV patients will receive antibiotic treatment (oral metronidazole daily for 7 days) per standard-of-care for symptomatic BV with co-administration of study drug and for 11 weeks after antibiotics. Patients will self-administer daily doses of study drug for 12 weeks. They will self-collect four vaginal swabs weekly at home for the duration of the 12-week study drug administration and then the 12-week follow up period. A series of vaginal swabs will be collected by a healthcare practitioner during 3 in-clinic visits that will take place in the 12-week dosing period and during the 2 in-clinic visits that will take place in the 12-week follow up period. Patients will use a patient diary to record symptoms, dosing of study drug and other study-related information daily during study drug administration (weeks 1 to 12) and twice a week during weeks 13-24.