ANZCTR search results

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an ill-defined endocrine condition impacting metabolic, reproductive and mental health. The condition affects up to 18% of women of a reproductive age in Australia depending on the diagnostic criteria applied. The condition is associated with a number of morbidities including subfertility, pregnancy complications, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, psychological disorders (depression and anxiety), and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The aetiology of PCOS remains unknown however there are a number of contributing factors and hypothesis from environmental factors, genetics and in utero developmental programming. Given the complex nature of PCOS attempts have been made to identify biomarkers to determine the severity and improve diagnosis. Women with PCOS are 27% less insulin sensitive than matched controls and insulin resistance is present in ~85% of these women irrespective of obesity. demonstrated that PCOS aetiology is underpinned by insulin resistance and is independent of, but exacerbated by obesity. However, the mechanisms of insulin resistance in PCOS is ill-defined and contributes to its exclusion from diagnostic criteria. insulin resistance in PCOS is currently treated by lifestyle intervention (diet and exercise), and insulin-sensitising medications, but the evidence shows that the efficiency of these therapies in PCOS is ineffective. This study aims to provide novel insights into the mechanisms of insulin resistance that will allow the design of therapies and interventions to treat PCOS. To yield human data to advance understanding of PCOS aetiology. This will be achieved by investigating the role of TGF-beta signalling and tissue fibrosis in insulin resistance in women with PCOS.

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the effects of a krill oil supplement on omega-3 index and other fatty acids and whether there are any differences according to age, body weight and gender.

The aim of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of Climate Schools Plus (CSP), a novel online program for parents and students to prevent adolescent substance use and related harms. CSP combines an effective student program, the Climate Schools: Alcohol and Cannabis course with a new parent program recently developed by our team. The parent program is delivered online and consists of webinars, modules, summaries of student materials, and a rule ranking component. The study will be run in 12 schools across NSW and QLD. The CSP intervention will be compared to standard Personal Development, Health and Physical Education, the control condition. The RCT will be conducted over three years with the delivery of an Alcohol module in Year 8, and an Alcohol and Cannabis module in Year 9. This is the first Australian trial of a combined student-parent program to prevent substance use and related harms, and the first trial, internationally, of a combined program which adopts an online delivery method.

To determine in patients with postprandial hypotension (defined as a fall in systolic blood pressure >20mmHg within 2 hours of a meal) whether the magnitude of the fall in blood pressure and rises in heart rate and blood flow to the stomach in response to a drink of sugar (sucrose) are attenuated by both acarbose (an anti-diabetic drug which blocks the breakdown of sugar in the intestine, preventing its absorption) and gastric distension (by drinking a small volume of water) and if these effects are additive. We hypothesise that both gastric distension and acarbose will attenuate the fall in blood pressure, and these effects will be additive.

Orthokeratology (OK) lenses are rigid contact lenses that are designed to be worn during sleep. Their purpose is to reshape the front surface of the eye (cornea) in order to temporarily correct short-sightedness, also known as myopia. Although their primary aim is to correct myopia and provide clear unaided vision during the day, studies have shown that they also have an effect on slowing or stopping the progression of short-sightedness in children, termed called myopia control. This benefit is likely due to changes in mid-peripheral corneal shape and corresponding changes in peripheral vision induced by OK lenses. It has been proposed that greater changes in peripheral vision may induce better myopia control. Hence this prospective study aims to compare the effect of two different OK lens designs on mid-peripheral corneal shape changes to determine whether corneal shape changes can be predictably made through lens parameter changes. Outcomes of this study can be assist in future studies that investigate myopia control using OK lenses.

We plan a parallel, single-blind multicentre RCT (with concealed allocation) to determine the efficacy of maternal PHiD-CV immunisation on infant respiratory outcomes. Our primary question is: Does vaccinating pregnant Indigenous women with PHiD-CV (compared to controls) reduce ALRI in their infants in the first year of life? Our primary hypothesis is that: Infants born to pregnant women who received PCV-HiD have at least 30% less ALRIs in their first year of life, compared to those who did not receive the vaccine

About 20-30% of patients with angina have no obstructive coronary artery disease on coronary angiogram (NoCAD). Despite no significant obstructive coronary artery disease, most of these patients continue to experience recurrent chest pain without any definitive diagnosis. Main aim of this study is to investigate patients with angina and NoCAD with a comprehensive invasive coronary and peripheral haemodynamic studies at the time of diagnostic coronary angiogram and to evaluate the prevalence of various coronary vasomotor disorders in these patients. Further, we aim to relate the results of testing to outcome by determining the clinical and coronary haemodynamic predictors of recurrent chest pain on 1, 6 and 12 months follow up.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world, imposing a huge financial burden of approximately $7.9 billion of health care cost in Australia alone. Exercise-induced improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness has repeatedly been demonstrated to be a powerful antidote against CVD risk factors including abnormal blood glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, and impaired vascular structure and function. However, adherence to regular exercise has proven to be difficult for the majority of the population, primarily due to either lack of time, motivation, or enjoyment. Previous investigations have demonstrated that ‘interval training’, characterized by repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise, interspersed with recovery periods, is a potent exercise strategy to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic health factors. The popularity of interval training comes from the significantly lower weekly time commitment required relative to the current exercise guideline of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Interval training has also been reported to promote better exercise adherence and enjoyment compared to MICT. However, the long-term adherence of the general population to this type of exercise remains questionable, considering that the majority of studies thus far have only been conducted over a short-term period, usually only up to 6 months and typically in athletes and regular exercisers. Interestingly, participation in sporting activities has recently been reported to be associated with increased long-term exercise adherence, perhaps due to increased motivation to compete in or complete a sporting event. In particular, the popularity of marathon running among the general population has increased steadily over time, specifically in individuals pursuing the reported health benefits of regular exercise. The majority of these recreational marathon runners usually engage in several months of daily aerobic exercise, with the goal of safely completing the race event. This so called ‘recreational marathon training’ has also been demonstrated to have favourable effects on CVD risk factors.The primary aims of this study is to therefore investigate the impact of ‘marathon training’ compared to ‘interval training’ on short- and long-term exercise adherence and compliance.We hypothesise that marathon training will induce better short- and long-term exercise adherence and compliance relative to interval training.

This study aims to validate the 3-step ACT-FAST Algorithm, designed to allow paramedics to recognise stroke patients that require endovascular clot retrieval surgery. Paramedics will assess the algorithm for all suspected stroke and TIA patients prior to arrival in hospital. The study will examine whether the algorithm is accurate in determining need for endovascular clot retrieval, and how much time would have been saved had the patient been taken directly to a hospital capable of endovascular treatment.

Patients with peripheral arterial disease are at risk of poor nutritional health. Poor nutritional health can affect the patients’ ability to have ideal clinical outcomes. This project will implement a randomized controlled trial providing a 12-week student nutrition service (consisting of nutrition counselling and 6 fortnightly education and cooking classes) for adults with peripheral arterial disease who attend the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network Vascular Surgery Outpatient Clinic (at Marion GP Plus and Flinders Medical Centre). Through comparing the results of those who are given the intervention with those who are provided with the usual care, the project will enable researchers to observe if this service is associated with any significant improvements in patient's cardiovascular health, nutritional health and quality of life. It will also help researchers to understand if the service can be provided free of charge to patients at an acceptable cost to the government.