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Emergency service personnel, such as fire fighters, are at increased risk of developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As such, many personnel are required to attend group debriefing sessions following exposure to traumatic events. However, there is evidence that debriefing may actually increase the risk of PTSD and also distort eyewitness memory. Accordingly, in order to address these issues, the pre-briefing program "FitMind" was developed. The current study aims to investigate the efficacy of FitMind in enhancing psychological resilience and help-seeking behaviour in a sample of Firefighters. The efficacy of the "FitMind" program, a pre-briefing, resilience building educational program for firefighters, will be examined. The study will employ a 2 (Treatment Condition) x 5 (Assessment Point) design. Participants will be firefighters recruited fro Fire & Rescue NSW. They will be randomly allocated to either (a) Control group- training as usual, or (b) FitMind pre-briefing, which involves watching three DVDs approximately 30 minutes in total length, featuring real firefighters talking about some of the common, yet challenging experiences most firefighters will face in their career. The DVDs are designed to enhance help-seeking behaviour in firefighters, by encouraging them to talk to and get support from their peers, family or health professionals. All participants will be assessed upon their psychological wellbeing and help-seeking opinions/behaviours at (a) pre-intervention, and (b) six months, (c) one year, (d) two year and (e) three year follow up. The study is partly funded by Fire & Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW). FRNSW will not receive details of individual participants' data but will be provided with a report at the end of the study with aggregate data. This information will assist FRNSW in determining policy around programs for promotion of staff mental health and wellbeing.

The purpose of this study is to assess whether a new screening method is effective in providing a clearer picture of lung cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are about to undergo endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspirate (EBUS-TBNA) in order to assess the presence of lung cancer. Study details There are 2 samples which will be used from patients- one is samples from the EBUS TBNA test and the other is a blood test. The EBUS TBNA test will still have the goal of making the diagnosis your doctor is aiming to obtain. This sample will also be used for determining the best way this needle test should be done and how the maximum information about the genes in a cancer can be obtained form this test. Very importantly this new method should significantly improve the samples to make them ideal for very rapid analysis to obtain the information about the all-important genes. We have done studies to use lung samples to simultaneously test 48 genes with one machine. We want to take this further in 2 ways- one is to streamline the best way of actually drawing out the tiny amounts of material from the node. For example we will compare moving the needle within the nodes 3 versus 10 times. The other is to send the sample to a different machine which can sample the entire range of genes in the cancer- not just 48. We want to see if this is possible to do with the tiny amounts of sample we will send to the machine - only a drop or 2 of node sample. The blood test will be used to compare your normal genes with gens of any cancer in the sample. This blood test will be taken at the time your cannula is placed and will not hurt. It is hoped that this research will help determine whether this testing provides a better picture of lung cancer to patients and thus further helps doctors determine how best to treat it.

Our research project focuses on illusions known or thought to be experienced differently by people with schizophrenia (mental disorder characterised by delusions, hallucinations, paranoia and aberrant thought and language). These illusions include some auditory (Deutsch’s Phantoms Words), some tactile (Tactile Funnelling), and some that involve both, such as auditory and visual (the McGurk Effect), or visual and tactile (the Rubber and Projected Hand illusion). These illusions are of interest because they reveal how the nervous system works, and from the basis of how we experience the world around us. One way to understand these mechanisms is to administer to healthy volunteers a drug, nabilone, that may change these functions, and to measure these changes. We are also interested in whether or not caffeine may alter these illusions. We aim to determine if these drugs alter these illusions, similar to alterations in the illusions observed in those with certain psychiatric conditions, and similar to how another drug has been shown to alter them.

The primary aim of this feasibility study is to conduct a series of N-of-1 trials comparing the effectiveness of a) evidence-based advice, b) paracetamol and EBA, c) naproxen and EBA, and d) both paracetamol, naproxen and EBA to reduce daily neck pain and to prevent chronic pain at 3 and 6 months following whiplash injury in 'at-risk' individuals. The hypotheses are that, in people with acute whiplash injury: 1. Paracetamol, naproxen, and evidence-based advice will be more effective and safer than (i) paracetamol plus advice (ii) naproxen plus advice or (iii) advice alone in reducing neck pain intensity at 3 and 6 months following whiplash injury. 2. Paracetamol, naproxen, and evidence-based advice will be more effective and safer (i) paracetamol plus advice (ii) naproxen plus advice or (iii) advice alone in reducing disability, depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms and pain catastrophizing at 3 and 6 months following whiplash injury.

This project will use an online survey to profile beliefs regarding fragility of the back, its fitness for purpose and the resultant sense of threat in patients experiencing low back pain. Our primary hypothesis is that a significant number of people with LBP will harbour beliefs about their pain associated with a high degree of threat and structural fragility. We expect that the questionnaire score will correlate with fear of movement, pain catastrophisation and health anxiety. Finally, we expect the questionnaire will exhibit strong test-retest reliability.

This six month observational study was undertaken to better understand the differences in the pharmacokinetics (if any) who receive secondary prophylaxis with benzathine penicillin G in individuals aged 5-21, for acute rheumatic fever and/or rheumatic heart disease. It is well established that plasma levels of penicillin vary greatly. To date no studies have been undertaken in an urban cohort which are predominately Aboriginal. Other aspects such as inflammatory response will be assessed through repeated measurements of anti streptolysin O titres throughout the study

The purpose of this physiology study is to determine the effects of zolpidem (10mg) on obstructive sleep apnoea severity, upper airway muscle activity, the respiratory arousal threshold and breathing parameters during sleep.

This study will examine the impact of prognostic gene profile testing using EndoPredict on adjuvant treatment recommendations in early breast cancer patients who are ER positive. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are a female aged between 18-80 years and have early stage invasive breast cancer which is estrogen receptor positive and HER2 negative. Potential participants will also need to be patients at the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre and St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney. Study details This study will involve participants going through their usual cancer treatment. Participants will be followed up for 10 years on an annual basis to assess treatment recommendations and decisions in that time. This study will enable the researchers to accurately identify those women who can safely avoid chemotherapy

The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the effect of different engagement strategies in the early stages of parenting interventions, particularly recruitment, enrolment, and first attendance. To achieve this, the current trial is evaluating specific elements of two theories (i.e. Health Belief Model and Theory of Planned Behaviour) that have been explored previously in other studies. The results from this trial may inform which combination of format and message is a more effective engagement strategy compared to others. This information will be useful for researchers and practitioners in order to know what elements are more relevant to communicate to parents regarding how to consider parenting interventions as a source of support and thus benefit from them.

Shoe inserts may be used after surgery for bunions and are proposed to help support the foot, reduce pain and improve the movement in the first toe joint. However it is unknown whether having shoe inserts soon after surgery or waiting for complete healing is better to achieve these outcomes. This study will investigate if early (6 week) intervention or later (12 week) intervention with shoe inserts is better for improving first toe joint pain and range of motion following a first metatarsal distal osteotomy with fixation.