ANZCTR search results

The purpose of this study is to investigate the brain signalling in sleep after TBI. We want to know if sleep problems improve as time passes after the brain injury, and whether the recovery of sleep, sleep quality, and cognition are related. It is also possible that some patients after a severe TBI have breathing problems in sleep. It is possible that breathing problems in sleep could affect their recovery. The sleep study will include monitoring for breathing disorders during sleep.

The primary purpose of this trial is to compare the efficacy of three types of core biopsy needles used for Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided (EUS) fine needle biopsy. Who is it for? You may be eligible to enroll in this trial if you are aged 18 years old or older and require endoscopic ultrasound and tissue sampling of solid lesions in the pancreas, which are suitable for EUS fine needle aspiration. Study details All participants enrolled in this trial will have tissue sampling performed using three different biopsy devices: the ProCore, the Shark Core and Acquire devices. The order in which each device is used will be randomly allocated (by chance). Only a single pass (i.e. a single attempt at sampling) will be completed for each device. The tissue obtained using each device will be stored and analysed by cytologists and pathologists to determine the diagnosis and adequacy of samples obtained using each device. It is hoped that the findings from this trial will provide information on which of the three devices provides the most sufficient samples for analysis and diagnosis of pancreatic lesions.

The aim of this research was to investigate the direct effects of children’s exposure to food advertising on their dietary intake and its potential influence on the development of childhood overweight. Across a series of six-day holiday camps, children (n=160, aged 7-12 years) were exposed to food and non-food advertising in an online game and/or a television cartoon in a randomised within-subject, cross-over, counterbalanced design. The primary aim of the study is to explore whether short-term increases in snack intake following food advertising exposure are compensated for at a subsequent lunchtime meal; and hence identify if food advertising contributes to a positive energy balance likely to contribute to childhood overweight.

Exercise is well known to induce multiple physical and psychological benefits, although the nature of these benefits is dependent on the type of exercise performed. For instance, resistance training can increase muscle strength and mass, while endurance exercise can enhance the ability and efficiency to use energy so that exercise can be performed at higher intensities or longer durations. Many individuals who undertake exercise, particularly those involved in team sports, perform a combination of resistance and endurance exercise so that all the physical benefits of exercise can be attained. However, previous research has established that the gains in muscle strength and mass with resistance exercise can be reduced when resistance exercise is performed concurrently with endurance exercise. The mechanisms responsible for this reduced response are not completely understood, but may be related to a combination of factors including fatigue, inadequate exercise intensity and/ or duration, and poor diet to facilitate muscle growth. In this regard, it is well established that protein ingestion can enhance muscle growth responses with resistance exercise. Whether protein can similarly enhance muscle growth following combined resistance and endurance exercise is not known. Accordingly, the aims of this research project are to: 1. Determine whether a high protein diet can ‘rescue’ the loss of muscle growth following 12 weeks of combined resistance and endurance exercise compared to resistance exercise only. 2. Characterise the effects of 12 weeks of combined resistance and resistance and endurance exercise on several performance tests measuring strength and power, and compare these responses to resistance or endurance exercise performed in isolation.

Accidental falls due to slips and trips are among the most commonly reported hospital adverse events, accounting for between 20 and 40% of all incidents. Older inpatients are especially predisposed to falls due to multiple risk factors, including gait and mobility problems. Consequently, ensuring safe patient mobilisation is a central priority for inpatient fall prevention programs. Current fall prevention guidelines and best practice evidence promote the use of well-fitting closed footwear among older inpatients. Unfortunately, in acute settings, many patients do not have access to suitable footwear, due to factors such as unplanned admissions, patient oversight, or foot pathology. Due to the short average length of acute hospital stays, it can be challenging for wards to resolve patient footwear needs in a timely fashion. As a result, many Australian facilities have begun adopting the practice of providing non-slip socks (NSS) to all older admitted inpatients; yet, the value of this practice is unclear. NSS are otherwise similar to conventional socks but provide various forms of rubberised tread on the sole. Commercial providers of NSS have advanced claims of reduced fall rates after implementing an NSS strategy although reliable, controlled studies have not been undertaken. Despite a continuing lack of evidence on the effect on falls rates, usage of NSS in the state of Queensland has escalated from one facility in 2008, to >10 in 2014. Ipswich Hospital is among the few facilities where NSS are not routinely used. It is possible that NSS could be effective in reducing inpatient falls due to factors such as lower slip resistance than no or alternate footwear, acting as an alert for high risk patients and reminder to staff about falls prevention, however the diffusion of practice despite the lack of effectiveness data is a cause for increasing concern. In order to provide clear guidance to facilities on the use of NSS, reliable data is required. The primary aim of the proposed research is to investigate the effect of a pragmatic, ward-level implementation of NSS on rates of falls and fallers in an inpatient population at a regional hospital in Ipswich, Australia and understand the implementation of the intervention. The secondary aim is to evaluate the likely cost-effectiveness of this approach.

The primary aim of this research project is to compare the effectiveness of heel lift shoe inserts versus rehabilitation therapy (calf muscle eccentric exercise) for the treatment of Achilles tendinopathy. This study is a parallel group, pragmatic randomised controlled trial with a 12 week follow-up. Participants will be randomised to receive treatment with heel lift shoe inserts (Clearly Adjustable®) or a calf muscle eccentric exercise program. Primary and secondary measures will be collected at baseline and at 2, 6 and 12 weeks. The primary outcome measure will be the total score of the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment - Achilles (VISA-A) questionnaire. Secondary measures will include Achilles tendon structure (assessed using ultrasound imaging), calf muscle function, self-reported global change in symptoms, severity of pain at the Achilles tendon during the previous week, self-reported physical activity, health-related quality of life, as well as use of paracetamol rescue medication and co-interventions.

The aim of this randomised controlled trial is to investigate whether milk fortified with calcium and vitamin D3 combined with high intensity resistance training and weight-bearing impact exercise can lead to a greater effect on BMD at loaded sites than the sum of each factor alone in community-dwelling men aged over 50 years. It is hypothesized that the combination of exercise + calcium-vitamin D fortified milk will lead to greater gains in bone density at the hip than either exercise or calcium-vitamin D alone. This is an 18-month factorial design intervention with a 12-month follow up in which men will be randomised to one of four groups: (1) exercise + fortified milk; (2) exercise alone; (3) fortified milk alone; or (4) a usual control group. The primary outcome is femoral neck bone mineral density. Secondary aims (outcomes) are to: 1) evaluate the effects of the intervention on DXA total hip and lumbar spine BMD, QCT bone density, structure and strength at the spine, femur and tibia, body composition (lean and fat mass and muscle size), muscle strength and function, blood pressure and blood lipids, inflammatory and bone turnover markers, health related quality of life and mood, and 2) evaluate the long-term residual effects (12 months post intervention). The results from this trial will provide important information as to whether food-based nutritional supplementation (calcium-vitamin D enriched milk) can enhance the effects of exercise on musculoskeletal health and function in older men with normal to low bone density.

A primary purpose of this study is to evaluate Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of Topical AKP-11 Administration to Participants with Arthritis. AKP-11 is a Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1) agonist developed to treat multiple pathological events common in arthritis. The study consists of 2 parts: PART A investigates two doses of AKP-11 over 7 days in 20 participants (2 cohorts of 10 participants each) with arthritis. Each cohort will have 8 participants on AKP-11 and 2 participants on placebo. PART B will select the dose identified in PART A and will be conducted with treatment over 21 days in 80 participants with arthritis, The dose of AKP-11 will be selected after the safety profile and efficacy of AKP-11 has been determined. The participants will be randomized to receive AKP-11 or Placebo in a ratio of 1:1.

In the face of the progressive disease burden associated with an ageing population, public hospitals must face the challenge of providing cost-effective, accessible, and timely care for patients with chronic disorders, especially so that the need for inpatient care is reduced. Within the eye health care sector, shared care models are increasingly utilized to facilitate comprehensive care for all patients. These models integrate optometrists in the care of patients with chronic stable conditions, or in need of long-term at-risk disease monitoring, thus effectively focusing specialist and hospital care for patients with urgent or complicated conditions. Establishing effective triage and collaborative care schemes, however, requires careful validation to ensure that implemented alternative care pathways improve patient management. The Centre for Eye Health (CFEH) in Sydney has already established active collaboration with the Prince of Wales Hospital (PoWH) eye clinic resulting in a shared-care glaucoma management clinic. The knowledge and expertise gained from this collaboration provide the foundation to initiate the current project aiming at an expansion of the current eye health care model to patients waiting for over 12 months to be seen at the PoWH eye clinic. Successful outcomes will result in significantly reduced wait times for patients leading to timely implementation of patient care plans and improved efficiency with regard to eye health care specialist appointments within the public health system.

Variability in oocyte quality is a major contributor to pregnancy rates during IVF . We wish to measure the concentration of various steroid and hormones including vitamin D in the follicle fluid and serum of IVF pateints during oocyte recovery and relate this to patient factors, stimulation and ovulation protocols to provide a better indication of their impact on oocyte and embryo quality and on pregnancy and implantation and live birth delivery rates.