ANZCTR search results

Insomnia is one of the most common health complaints worldwide and the most prevalent sleep complaint. Insomnia is defined as lack of satisfaction with the quality or duration of sleep, due to persistent difficulty initiating and/or staying asleep and/or early morning waking, despite adequate time in bed. Current therapeutic treatments are suboptimal, with cost, availability, and adverse consequences arising around methodologically sound and practical to administer options. Research shows well established links exist between neurological mechanisms and the mediation of eyelid closure during periods of drowsiness. Therefore, further investigation into slow eye blinking, which is hypothesised to induce sleepiness, may promote sleep onset. Slow eye blinking may provide a treatment that is cost effective, safe and easy to administer for patients with difficulties initiating and staying asleep.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide (Hoy et al., 2014). In 2015, approximately 540 million or 7.3% of the world’s population had activity limiting low back pain (Hartvigsen et al., 2018; Global Burden of Disease, 2016). In Australia, 3.7 million people (16% of the overall population) suffer from CLBP each year (AIHW, 2015). Exercise treatments are common Australian physiotherapy practice for people with CLBP; however, current evidence does not demonstrate that one type of exercise is superior to another (Hayden et al., 2005; Saragiotto et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2012). This is partly attributed to the fact that the mechanism(s) contributing to exercise-related improvements in CLBP are unknown. Therefore, this research is critically important for understanding the effects and underlying mechanisms of exercise interventions for people with CLBP. We are conducting a research study to compare the effects of neuromuscular and strengthening exercises to strengthening exercises alone on CLBP-related disability. To do this we will allocate people via a random process into two different groups. Participants in each group will complete a 12-week strengthening exercise program. Participants in the intervention group will, in addition to strengthening exercises, complete a neuromuscular exercise. Participants will not be disclosed as to which group they are in until the end of the program. There will be an equal number of participants in each group, and participants will not be able to choose which group they are in. The findings of this study will help to determine what effects strengthening and neuromuscular exercises have on CLBP-related disability, and mechanism of improvements. This will provide clinicians with an evidence base for the prescription of strength and neuromuscular exercises when treating CLBP-related disability. The findings of this study will be published in peer-reviewed medical and physiotherapy journals and be presented at national and international conferences.

Broad aim of this prospective Observational study is to learn which tests (clinical, MRI and EEG) can be used in the neonatal period, to accurately identify which babies may have problems later in life, so that those babies and their families can be provided with the help they need as early as possible. We aim to determine the risk of adverse neurodevelopment earlier and more accurately than currently possible in a cohort of up to 80 term babies born with HIE and a healthy term reference group between Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and Mater Mothers Hospital.. To do this we will use: i) advanced brain MRI to determine the structural wiring diagram of the brain ('brain connectome'), ii) dense array EEG to establish the functional activity or electrical 'traffic' being carried on the main branch of the connectome and iii) structured clinical neurodevelopmental assessments to provide a cutting edge view of the state of brain development. We aim to achieve this in a prospective longitudinal cohort study of up to 80 term infants born >35 weeks GA with HIE, and a reference group of 20 healthy term born infants. Infants greater than 35+ weeks GA will undergo either a clinical MRI at 1.5T or a research brain MRI at 3T at day 1-10 post-delivery (day 5-7 optimal) to develop our understanding of the brain structure and maturation at this time point. A combination of neurological and neuromotor assessments will be performed at less than 7 days post MRI to understand the relationship between brain structure and function. These data will be compared to clinical neurodevelopmental assessments at 3 and 24 months corrected age. HYPOTHESIS 1 In a prospective cohort of infants born at term at risk of CP, we will assess the following aims: Aim 1: Determine the sensitivity and specificity of (i) Structural MRI (sMRI) and Diffusion MRI (dMRI), and (ii) General Movements assessment (GMA) at 41 weeks and at 3 months for CP diagnosis at 24 months corrected age (CA). Hypothesis 1: (i) Absent myelination of the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) on T1-weighted MRI, and (ii) absent fidgety movements at 3 months will be sensitive and specific for CP at 24 months. SECONDARY HYPOTHESES Aim 2: Determine whether Diffusion MRI (dMRI) and EEG, Functional Connectivity (FC) are associated with severity of CP at age 24 months. Hypothesis 2: (i) Lower fractional anisotropy (FA) of the corticospinal tracts, and (ii) reduced connectivity in the neonatal Connectome will be associated with a higher Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) classification and poorer function on Neurosensory Motor Developmental Assessment (NSMDA) and Bayley III scales of cognitive and motor development. Aim 3: Determine whether structural MRI can predict the pattern of CP at age 24 months. Hypothesis 3: Location, extent and symmetry of brain injury will be associated with pattern and severity of CP.

The primary purpose of this research study is to assess the area of sensory loss that results when a local anaesthetic drug (lignocaine) is injected around a small nerve in the arm called the posterior ante brachial cutaneous nerve. The local anaesthetic will be deposited around the nerve with the aid of ultrasound Ultrasound will help identify the nerve which is surrounded by fat as it become subcutaneous in the arm. This is a novel description of an ultrasound guided block of this nerve. Additionally the location of the nerve in the arm and its size will be measured. Mapping the area of sensory loss that is produced will be helpful to anaesthetists and pain physicians who manage patients with painful lesions of the forearm and elbow.

The aim of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness of a topical treatment on facial cold sores (herpes simplex labialis): whether it reduces the duration of healing and the amount of pain and other symptoms. A minimum of 292 male and female participants in Australia and New Zealand, aged from 18 to 65 years, will be randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or a medically approved topical treatment. Participants will complete an initial study 'visit' with an investigator either at a pharmacy or by phone. The first visit will be cover an initial assessment and treatment. Participants will report symptoms and healing progression in an on-line daily diary which researchers will monitor for reports of adverse side effects. A second visit will be conducted by phone for comparative assessment once the participant has healed or 14 days have passed.. We expect the primary outcome to be a reduction in the duration of the cold sore compared to the placebo controlled group.

This project aims to explore: 1- The type and amount of exercise or physical activity that people with MND participate in. 2- Explore the factors that influences level of exercise/physical activity participation in people with MND 3- Investigate the changes to exercise/physical activity participation as the disease progresses. We will use the physical activity scale for the elderly (PASE) which is a short questionnaire to collect data regarding physical activity over the last 7 days.

The purpose of this study is determine the feasibility of an inpatient and subsequent home based exercise and education program for patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplant for haematological cancer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are an adult aged 18 years or above, planned to undergo an allogeneic bone marrow transplant for haematological cancer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Study details All participants will receive a protocolised exercise and education program for the duration of their inpatient admission for their allogeneic bone marrow transplant (alloBMT). The program will include aerobic and resistance training at an individualised level, provided by a physiotherapist in a supervised group setting. The sessions will operate for up to 1-hour up to 5-days per week. Measurement of physical function, physical activity levels, health-related quality of life and body composition will be completed at four time-points: (1) recruitment to the study (approximately 1 month pre-alloBMT); (2) hospital admission; (3) hospital discharge (usually one month after admission); and, (4) 60 days post-alloBMT. We will also obtain consumer feedback through questionnaires and interviews, and look at health care resource usage. This study will provide important information to generate evidence to target our resources in an attempt to minimise physical burden associated with haematological (blood) cancer.

The primary aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of investigating whether Australian children aged 8-13 years will consume 30g almonds on 5 days per week for 8 weeks. The secondary aim is to compare the effects of consuming almonds on cognitive function compared to a nut-free control phase. Additionally, this study aims to examine the effect of sleep quality and quantity on cognitive performance in primary school aged children. This study is an 18-week randomized, controlled cross-over feasibility study. Forty free-living healthy children aged 8-13 years (without known nut allergies) will be randomized (using a random number generator) to start in either the almond or the control phase for 8 weeks. Following a washout period for 2 weeks, children will then cross-over to the alternate condition for another 8 weeks. Children will undergo cognitive performance testing using computerized tasks five times - screening (for familiarization), and then before and after each phase. The study will be conducted by the Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), University of South Australia. Participants will consume 30g of raw, unsalted almonds for 5 days a week. In the control phase participants will be given 250ml bottled water as an attention control. Participants will be provided with individual packets of almonds (5 days x 8 weeks = 40 packets). During the control phase participants will be asked not to consume nuts or nut products. In the almond phase participants will be asked not to consume nuts or nut products other than the almonds provided.

The primary aim of this project is to increase resilience among adolescents who participate in sport by delivering a face-to-face workshop supported by online/app-based resources. The secondary aims of this project are to (i) increase wellbeing, (ii) reduce psychological distress, (iii) reduce maladaptive implicit beliefs, (iv) reduce burnout, and (v) increase athlete engagement.

This study will investigate the influence of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI; citalopram) on the brains response to light stimuli, using fMRI scans. Participants will be healthy young men and women. Participants will complete two seperate fMRI scans, with ~1 week between scans. At each scan, participants will take either a single dose of citalopram 30mg, or placebo (in a randomised order) prior to undergoing a scan during which they are exposed to alternating periods of light and dark. We hypothesise an increase in the brain's response to light after citalopram administration, relative to placebo.