Clinical Trials and Studies Research Division
ARCTURUS & STARS

Major research themes for ARCH for 2008-2012 to benefit women and babies are:

• Care before, during and after pregnancy and childbirth

• Health care and lifestyle interventions during pregnancy and their implications for later health

• Child health after pregnancy and childbirth interventional studies

The appropriate evaluation of healthcare interventions by high quality randomised trials is absolutely essential to find out which are the most effective treatments, in different situations and for which individuals. The results from randomised trials provide people with the best evidence about healthcare options to inform recommendations for clinical practice and for further research.

Research is carried out within clearly identified priority areas. Currently these include interventions to improve the health outcomes of infants born preterm, care for women with borderline gestational diabetes, prevention of pre-eclampsia, prevention of preterm birth, complementary and alternative medicine in women's health and during pregnancy and childbirth, support for women in pregnancy who are overweight or obese, management of the induction of labour, care for women after a previous caesarean section, surgical techniques at caesarean section, care of women with a multiple pregnancy and impact of health and care in pregnancy and childbirth and later maternal and child health.

ARCH has two groups conducting clinical trials and studies:

• The Clinical Trials Group (ARCTURUS)

• The STARS Research Group (STARS)

Key to Trial Stages Currently recruiting Not yet recruiting ARCH Collaborating Centre Open for other centres to join In followup phase Completed trial

ARCTURUS (Australasian Randomised Clinical Trials Uniquely aRe US ).

Formally the Maternal Perinatal Clinical Trials Unit (MPCTU)

The Clinical Trials Group aims to:-

• design, conduct, coordinate, analyse and publish the results from our randomised trials of relevance to mother's and babies' health

ARCTURUS has wide collaborative links; within the University of Adelaide, with over 44 key maternity institutions in all States and Territories within Australia, major maternity hospitals in New Zealand and overseas.

Specific trials under the auspices of ARCTURUS are:
Trial stage	Study (click on a study for further details)	Title
	ACHOIS	Australian Carbohydrate Intolerance Study in Pregnancy
	BAC	Birth After Caesarean: Planned vaginal birth or planned elective repeat caesarean for women at term with a single previous caesarean section.
	Dental Study	Is periodontal disease a risk factor for preterm birth?
	Fetal MCA Doppler study	The role of MCA Doppler in timing second and subsequent transfusions for women with Rhesus disease: A randomised controlled trial.
	IDEAL	Dietary and lifestyle advice for women with borderline gestational diabetes (Channel 7 Research Foundation).
	LIMIT	Limiting weight gain in overweight and obese women during pregnancy to improve health outcomes: a randomised trial.
	MgSO4	What is the optimal timing of administration for Magnesium Sulphate prior to preterm birth?
	MILO	Misoprostol for the induction of labour at term: A randomised controlled trial.
	PLUTO	Percutaneous Shunting for Lower-Urinary Tract Obstruction. A multi-centre randomised controlled trial comparing intra-uterine vesico-amniotic shunting vs not shunting in the treatment of congential bladder outflow obstruction
	PROGRESS	PROGesterone after previous preterm birth for prevention of neonatal RESpiratory distress Syndrome
	PPROMT	PRETERM PRELABOUR RUPTURE OF MEMBRANES close to TERM This trial is coordinated by the University of Sydney
	A*STEROID	Australian Antenatal Study To Evaluate the Role Of Intramuscular Dexamethasone prior to preterm birth to increase survival free of childhood neurosensory disability.
	TILT	Timing of Induction of Labour at Term
	TWINS	Timing of Birth at Term: What is the optimal timing of birth for women with a twin pregnancy at term? A randomised controlled trial.
	TWINS BIRTH STUDY	This trial is coordinated by the University of Toronto Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health Research Unit at The Centre for Research in Women's Health.

STARS (Studies, Trials and Assessments after Research Studies

The STARS Research Group aims to:-

• design, conduct, coordinate, analyse and publish results for non-randomised clinical studies,
• assess the long term health outcomes of relevance to mothers' and babies' health amongst participants enrolled in studies and trials.

Our studies and research groups include:
Trial stage	Study (click on a study for further details)	Title
	ACTS	Australasian Collaborative Trial of Supplements with vitamin C and vitamin E for the prevention of pre-eclampsia – a randomised controlled trial (Vitamin C and E supplementation for the prevention of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and pre-eclampsia) - 18 month childhood follow up (NHMRC funded)
	ACTORDS	Australasian Collaborative Trial Of Repeat Doses of prenatal Steroids to women at risk of preterm birth to reduce neonatal morbidity (assessing the benefits or harms of repeated prenatal corticosteroids) - 6 to 8 year early school age follow up. (NHMRC funded)
	ACTOMgS04	Assessing whether prenatal magnesium sulphate given immediately prior to very preterm birth improves neurodevelopment in childhood - 6-8 year early school age follow up. (NHMRC funded)
	Australian Cerebral Palsy Research Study	Conducts a wide range of studies examining the origins and causes of Cerebral Palsy. This research group collaborates closely with the SA Cerebral Palsy Register, The SA Pregnancy Outcomes Unit, Department Virology at WCH, Adelaide and NIH, Paediatric Neurology, Bethesda, USA to identify genetic, viral and environmental associations with cerebral palsy outcomes.
	MIG	Diabetes/GDM trials assessing the benefits and harms on childhood development of treatments for women with gestational diabetes

Key Contacts

Dr Jodie Dodd
Dr Chad Anderson
Professor Caroline Crowther
Dr Bill Hague
Associate Professor Ross Haslam
Professor Alastair MacLennan
Dr Andrew McPhee
Ms Philippa Middleton
Professor Jeffrey Robinson

Contact details