ANZCTR search results

This is a multicentre Phase II clinical trial to establish if Deflexifol is safe and effective in children, adolescents and young adults with recurrent or refractory brain tumours. Who is it for? Participants may be eligible for this study if they are older than 12 months and up to 21 years old and have a recurrent or refractory ependymoma. Study details Participants will receive Deflexifol every 2 weeks for up to approximately one year, if there is ongoing clinical benefit. Deflexifol will be administered via an injection over 3-5 minutes (bolus), followed by a continuous intravenous infusion over 46 hours. Safety will be assessed throughout the course of treatment and during follow up visits. Participants will have physical examinations, blood tests, urine tests, echocardiogram, electrocardiogram (ECG) and MRI scans. This study will test the safety and effectiveness of this drug in children and adolescents in cases where treatment options are limited.

This study aims to implement and evaluate a culturally adapted, web-based dementia prevention intervention that targets Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) individuals from South Asian, Middle Eastern, Sub-Saharan African, and Pacific Islander communities to take early action to reduce their risk of dementia. The intervention was co-designed with target CALD communities, with the content closely aligning with current dementia prevention evidence. MindCare-D comprises of 16 modules that address modifiable dementia risk factors (e.g. physical inactivity, social connection). While MindCare-D Plus includes additional personalised behavioural support through SMS messages and monthly health coach sessions. We hypothesise that: a) participants receiving MindCare-D and MindCare-D Plus will demonstrate greater reductions in dementia risk scores (CogDrisk), and greater improvements in health activation (PAM-13) and dementia risk knowledge (KoDeRR), compared to those receiving usual care, at 6, 12, and 24 months. b) MindCare-D and MindCare-D Plus will meet implementation benchmarks for acceptability (greater than or equal to 70% of participants rating it acceptable or completely acceptable), feasibility, and high fidelity (greater than or equal to 80% adherence)

In this research project we will expand the scope of intracranial evaluations to include placement of electrodes in deep structures of the brain, and to perform temporary 'trials' of stimulation to mimic various treatment strategies. This will help us to choose the best intervention for these people and to design DBS systems personalised to their epilepsy. We will then evaluate whether these personalised DBS systems show seizure reduction exceeding that reported in existing DBS studies.

Persistent upper airway symptoms such as postnasal drip (PND), throat clearing, mucus sensation, and chronic cough are common patient complaints, that can significantly impair quality of life. These symptoms are often secondary to active allergy and reflux, and as a result, commonly improve but not always fully resolve, following management of these types of primary conditions. Given the lack of a direct treatment standard targeting residual symptoms, and their association with a sensory irritation origin, this study will investigate the effectiveness of persistent blockade of the "cold sensor", TRPM8, receptor using oral lozenges for the management of postnasal drip and mucus symptoms.

Between 60-80 18–24-year-old nicotine users living in South Australia will be recruited through 4 avenues: paid social media advertising, organic social media advertising, community groups and snowball recruitment. Eligible individuals will be invited to self-select into 1 of the 4 available nicotine quit-support interventions: financial incentives, text-based support, Quitline or self-directed quitting. Follow-ups will occur at 4-weeks with primary outcomes regarding the feasibility of recruitment streams and participant preference of intervention. Interviews with interested participants will follow.

Pleural effusion is the abnormal accumulation of fluid in the space within the chest wall but outside the lung. In Australia, approximately 60,000 patients are found to have pleural effusions each year, of which there are multiple aetiologies. Pleural fluid biochemical and cellular analysis remains the gold standard for diagnosis, including the classification into transudative and exudative effusions using Light’s Criteria, which compares serum to pleural fluid protein and LDH levels. However, pleural fluid laboratory testing can take several hours to return and results cannot therefore be determined during the same procedure. Commerical urine reagent strips are cheap, readily available in the hospital setting and can provide rapid results within 1-2 minutes. The purspose of this study is to test the utility of urine reagent strips as a point of care test for pleural effusions to differentiate between different pleural effusion types.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes partial or complete loss of movement and sensation below the level of injury, significantly affecting quality of life. Even when SCI appears clinically complete, most injuries leave some nerve pathways intact, creating an opportunity for recovery through targeted rehabilitation. BioSpine 2.0 is a multimodal rehabilitation program developed at Griffith University for people with chronic traumatic SCI. The program combines several non-invasive technologies: a brain-computer interface that reads the participant's intention to move, electrical stimulation of leg muscles and the spinal cord, a motorised arm and leg cycling ergometer, and an immersive virtual reality environment. When a participant thinks about cycling, the system detects this intention and activates the muscles and spinal cord with precisely timed electrical stimulation while the ergometer assists the movement. We hypothesise that repeated, coordinated activation of dormant nerve circuits, combined in some participants with a daily oral dose of buspirone hydrochloride (a medication that enhances spinal cord excitability), will promote the formation of new nerve connections around the injury site and lead to partial recovery of voluntary movement and sensation. The study consists of four consecutive 6-month programs, with participants attending 2 to 3 sessions per week. Primary outcomes are recovery of motor and sensory function, measured using standardised clinical assessments at the start and end of each program

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) with neurogenic claudication is common in older adults, characterised by leg pain, heaviness and weakness when standing and walking. LSS-related neurogenic claudication is caused by a narrowed spinal canal that compromises the spinal nerves. While many people undergo surgery for this, most manage their symptoms through non-surgical care. Interestingly, medical imaging often shows spinal narrowing even in people without symptoms. Research suggests factors including spinal movements, psychological distress, and cardiovasular health play an important role. Importantly, these factors can be modified with target conservative treatments. We have developed a personalised multimodal physiotherapy intervention, including patient education, lifestyle modification, specific exercises, manual therapy and cardiovascular exercises. This pilot study will explore potential effect of this approach in three patients with LSS-related neurogenic claudication. People who are interested in the study will complete an online eligibility survey. Potential participants will be invited to attend an initial physioptherapy assessment to confirm their eligibility and eligible participants will be enrolled in the study. Initially, participants will complete online pain questionnaire daily for one to two weeks to establish baseline. They will then attend seven weekly physiotherapy sessions delivered a trained physiotherapist and perform guided home exercises. Participants will record daily online pain questionnaires after completing the treatments for up to 6 weeks. Patients and physiotherapist will be interviewed to understand how the intervention is received and delivered. This study will provide pilot data for a future large study to conduct a full investigation of this new intervention.

This study aims to determine whether it is feasible to conduct a larger trial evaluating a physiotherapist-led education and supervised exercise-based treatment pathway for people with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The study will compare three approaches: usual care alone, physiotherapist-led education plus usual care, and physiotherapist-led education with supervised exercise plus usual care. The main focus is to assess whether participants can be successfully recruited and retained, whether they adhere to the program, and whether the interventions are acceptable to patients and clinicians. The study will also collect preliminary data on outcomes such as ACL reconstruction surgery rates and patient-reported outcomes to inform the design of a future trial. Ultimately, this research aims to evaluate whether adding education and exercise-based rehabilitation to usual care can reduce the number of people undergoing surgery without negatively affecting patient outcomes.

Over 80% of people living with spinal cord injury (SCI) have sleep apnoea. This study will investigate the feasibility of a novel physiotherapy-led outpatient model for identifying and managing sleep apnoea in SCI. People attending outpatient clinics of two state-wide SCI services (Victoria and Queensland) will be screened for risk of sleep apnoea. Those at risk will be referred to a highly trained neuro-respiratory physiotherapist, located within the health service and supported by a respiratory specialist, for ambulatory investigations and management. A thorough process evaluation will assess the feasibility of this alternative care model and estimate the impact on important clinical outcomes.