Clinical trials

The goal of this clinical trial is to test a new treatment for adults with walking problems due to Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). The main question the trial aims to answer is: \- Is stimulation-enhanced physical therapy an effective treatment for walking problems due to FND? Researchers will compare the stimulation-enhanced physical therapy to gold-standard physical therapy. Participants will: * Complete three in-person sessions on three consecutive days * Complete follow-up assessments by video call at 7 days, 30 days and 90 days after treatment

Functional dyspepsia and gastroparesis are common stomach disorders with symptoms like early satiety, nausea, and abdominal pain, and are often evaluated with gastric emptying tests, although the correlation with symptoms is weak. Prokinetic agents (e.g., metoclopramide, erythromycin) and symptom modulators (e.g., nortriptyline, mirtazapine) are commonly used, but selecting the right medication can be difficult, as it's often based on symptoms rather than the underlying gastric issues. Body Surface Gastric Mapping (BSGM) using the Gastric Alimetry device is a novel, non-invasive tool to assess gastric myoelectrical activity and symptoms. This study aims to perform two BSGM recordings-one before and one after medical therapy-to understand how medications affect gastric function and identify baseline BSGM factors that could predict responses to treatment, potentially guiding tailored therapies based on individual gastric dysfunction.

The goal of this study is to find out whether an open-label placebo nasal spray can reduce stress among individuals engaging in a high-stress canyon swing. The main questions the study aims to answer are: 1) Does an open-label placebo increase likelihood of participants completing another jump? 2) Does the placebo affect how long it takes participants to jump, reduce the reported stress levels before the jump 3) Does the placebo change how enjoyable participants find the jump? Researchers will compare participants who receive an open-label placebo nasal spray (a spray that contains no active medication and is clearly described as a placebo) with participants who receive no treatment (control). The aim is to see whether the placebo nasal spray can increase likelihood of participants completing another jump, reduce reported stress and improve participants overall enjoyment of the jump. Participants will: * Complete a short questionnaire before they jump * Either self administer a placebo nasal spray (one spray in each nostril) right before stepping through the gate to jump, or receive no treatment (control). * Complete a short questionnaire after completing the jump * Whether they complete another jump will be noted

Ambient air temperatures in Mexico have broken record highs in 2024. Solutions are needed to build heat resilience in communities and adapt to increasing heat from climate change. Sunlight-reflecting cool roof coatings may passively reduce indoor temperatures and energy use to protect home occupants from extreme heat. Occupants living in poor housing conditions in the northern zone of Mexico are susceptible to increased heat exposure. Heat exposure can instigate and worsen numerous physical, mental and social health conditions. The worst adverse health effects are experienced in communities that are least able to adapt to heat exposure. By reducing indoor temperatures, cool roof use may promote heart health, sleep and physical activity in household occupants. The long-term research goal of the investigators is to identify viable passive housing adaptation technologies with proven health benefits to reduce the burden of heat stress in communities affected by heat in Mexico. To meet this goal, the investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial to establish the effects of cool roof use on heart rate, sleep and physical activity in Colima, Mexico.

This study will test the impact of a short video intervention for people who are receiving radioiodine treatment for thyroid conditions (such as hyperthyroidism or thyroid cancer). After their single-dose treatment, patients need to follow safety instructions to protect others and manage side effects during recovery. Some people find these instructions hard to remember, and side effects (or anticipation of side effects) can feel worrying or disruptive. The video aims to present the treatment information in a more accessible patient-friendly way, so that patients feel less distressed, find their side effects easier to cope with, and better engage with safety precautions. All patients will first have a pre-treatment consultation with their doctor and receive the standard treatment information currently provided. Before this consultation patients will be randomly assigned to view one of two videos. The control group will see a neutral video that details standard health information that is not specific to radioiodine, while the intervention group will see a video that explains side effects, safety requirements and recovery period in a more adaptive way. Comparing these two groups will allow us to assess whether this new approach improves coping, reduces distress, and enhances adherence to safety instructions in the post-dose recovery phase of radioiodine treatment.

Severe constipation affects 10% of children, often leading to significant physical and emotional distress. While constipation is commonly associated with impaired bowel movements, it is fundamentally linked to abnormalities in colonic motility - the coordinated contractions that facilitate passage of stool through the colon and out of the body. Diagnosis of constipation is based upon the Rome IV criteria, which assess symptoms as reported or remembered over the previous 3 months. However, reporting symptoms experienced can be challenging for children and young people for many reasons, such as the overlap of sensations, including fullness, bloating, and discomfort, and an inability to recall or precisely distinguish and describe what they are feeling. This study intends to design, develop, and validate symptom pictograms for children aged 8-17 with colonic or lower gut symptoms.

The goal of this pilot study is to find out whether educational videos can help patients better understand, and remember, important information regarding the benefits and risks of having a kidney transplant. The study aims to answer several questions, including: 1. Is the video-based educational intervention acceptable and feasible for kidney transplant patients? 2. Does the intervention improve patient knowledge and satisfaction immediately after viewing? 3. Does the intervention improve patient knowledge retention a week later? 4. What are patients views on the video format as an educational tool? At the moment, patients learn about kidney transplantation through written documents, and discussions and conversations with their clinicians / doctors. However, the concern here is that not everyone has the same level of understanding when it comes to language literacy, medical jargon and information. This can result in gaps in knowledge, misunderstandings, and / or misinterpretations, including the need for lifelong medication and possible post-transplant complications. Patients understanding of the benefits and risks of transplantation is extremely important, as there are aspects which patients may not be aware of, including the need for (and importance of) lifelong medication, and also potential disease complications which may follow transplantation. For example, following a kidney transplant, it is not uncommon for patients to develop diabetes. Participants in the study will: Watch two short videos (roughly five minutes each) that explain the benefits and risks of kidney transplantation. Answer some questions before video viewing, immediately after video viewing, and one week after video viewing. Complete a short interview to give deeper feedback on the videos. This study will explore whether using video helps patients to feel more informed and also satisfied with the clinical information they receive, and whether they can better retain this information. The investigators aim to support more informed patients, making transplant education clearer, more accessible, and generally easier to understand.

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test whether a brief digital mindset training program can improve performance among recreational runners training for a half marathon in New Zealand in 2025. The study will recruit healthy adult participants who are registered for an upcoming half-marathon event. The study aims to answer two main questions: 1. Does the mindset training program - designed to reframe common physical symptoms like fatigue or muscle soreness as signs of progress - help more runners complete the race and improve their official times, compared to standard training advice? 2. Does it support better training (e.g., longer peak training weeks) and faster physical recovery after the race? Researchers will compare participants who receive the mindset training program to those who receive widely followed half-marathon training content and a group who receive no study content, to see whether the mindset training leads to better half-marathon performance and training outcomes. Participants will: * Complete a brief online survey at the start of the study * Receive and engage with four pieces of digital content across nine weeks before the half-marathon race (if assigned to a training group) * Complete a follow-up survey after the half-marathon

The goal of this trial is to learn whether interacting with a robotic pet (Paro) or holding a weighted sensory toy can reduce stress in healthy adults after an acute stressful experience. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does interacting with Paro or holding a weighted toy lower self-reported stress and anxiety levels? * Does interacting with Paro or holding a weighted toy lower physiological markers of stress, such as heart rate and blood pressure? Researchers will compare interaction with Paro (robotic pet), interaction with a weighted sensory toy and a control group with no intervention to see which method is most effective in reducing stress. Participants will: 1. Complete a stress induction task (Trier Social Stress Test); 2. Be randomly assigned to interact with Paro, hold a weighted toy, or sit quietly without intervention; 3. Have their heart rate and blood pressure measured; 4. Complete surveys about their stress, anxiety and mood before and after the intervention.

The goal of this single-arm intervention trial is to determine the feasibility of implementing endoscopic ultrasound-guided pancreatic cyst chemoablation (EUS-PCA) using gemcitabine and paclitaxel for intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) in two New Zealand tertiary interventional endoscopy centres.

This research focuses on maximizing the chances of successfully quitting vaping. A large, pragmatic community-based clinical trial is planned in New Zealand to build on existing evidence from previous vaping and smoking cessation research undertaken by the study team. The effectiveness of combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) compared to nicotine tapering on vaping abstinence has not yet been investigated, but both provide an opportunity to increase success with vaping cessation, especially when combined with written behavioural support to further boost quit rates. The planned trial will test whether using combination NRT will help more New Zealanders to quit vaping long-term, compared with a vape nicotine tapering plan. Participants in both groups will also receive written vaping cessation behavioural support.

To assess the feasibility of using ambulatory ECG monitoring (Holter monitor) for patients receiving 5-FU chemotherapy

This is an observational study in adult males and females utilising skin condition measurements using the LumAssure Raman device. Data will be used to determine accuracy under the ROC curve (AUCROC) of the LumAssure device for differentiating between benign and cancerous skin conditions. The measurements will provide data which will be used to establish spectral parameters for different skin conditions. Measurements will be benchmarked against diagnoses from medical specialists, and when available confirmed with histological data. The main question it aims to answer is : What is the accuracy, in terms of the area under the ROC curve (AUCROC) of the LumAssure device for differentiating between benign skin conditions and skin cancers in adult males and females? Participants include males and females aged ≥18 years who are undergoing assessment of a skin condition (a lesion or rash) by a dermatologist, general practitioner, or plastic surgeon. Participants' attending the clinics will have their skin conditions examined by a clinician. The LumAssure device will then be used to measure Raman spectra of skin conditions and marked by the clinician. The Raman measurements will be benchmarked against skin condition assessment and, where available, diagnosis by a dermatologist, general practitioner, or a plastic surgeon, and for those lesions undergoing biopsy, confirmed with histology data.