Dr Aidan Cashin
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
02 9399 1870
Aidan Cashin is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA). A member of the Centre for Pain IMPACT, his research deals with investigating the mechanisms of treatments for musculoskeletal pain conditions including low back pain. He is also interested in increasing the openness and transparency of research and is involved in developing a reporting guideline for studies that use mediation analysis. Follow Aidan’s work on Google Scholar and ORCID.
Prior to commencing research, Aidan pursued a successful clinical career as an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, practicing primarily in the field of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Aidan also has an academic position at the University of New South Wales, within the School of Health Sciences and is involved in the teaching and evaluating of undergraduate exercise physiology students.
Projects Dr Aidan Cashin is currently involved with
CURRENT PROJECTS
MEMOIR – a clinical trial for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
MEMOIR is an Australian government-funded clinical trial for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). MEMOIR is testing two treatments for people with CRPS – a drug, memantine and a rehabilitation program, Graded Motor Imagery. MEMOIR will be conducted remotely, via Telehealth, allowing for Australia-wide recruitment of eligible participants. Please click on the link below to check if you are eligible.
What is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)?
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[block] [click] CRPS is a disabling pain disorder. It affects approximately 5,000 people in Australia annually. CRPS is characterised by severe burning, stinging and stabbing pain. People with CRPS may not be able to use their affected limb and their ability to work or participate in normal social activities can be severely restricted. Currently, there are no interventions for CRPS whose efficacy is supported by high-quality evidence.
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MEMOIR – a clinical trial for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
RESOLVE Trial for Chronic Low Back Pain
For people with long term back pain that is not getting better. We are testing two pain treatment programs that target the brain, for people with chronic low back pain.READ MORE
RESOLVE Trial for Chronic Low Back Pain
Medicines for Back Pain
Medicines are the most common treatment for back pain. The aim of this program of research is to improve our understanding of the clinical effects of medicines.
Studies currently in progress:
- Scoping review of paracetamol, NSAIDs and opioid analgesics for chronic low back pain (led by Matthew K Bagg). The objective of this study is to identify and describe the characteristics of available clinical trials of commonly used analgesic medicines for chronic low back pain. This information will inform the design and conduct of other studies in the research program.
- Paracetamol, NSAIDs and opioid analgesics for chronic low back pain: a network meta-analysis (led by Matthew K Bagg). The objective of this study is to produce information about the clinical effects of available analgesic medicines for chronic low back pain. This information will be available in a Cochrane review to assist clinical prescription of medicines. The protocol is published and available here.
- Prescribing practices of medicines for adults with low back pain: a systematic review (led by Michael Wewege). The objective of this study is to determine how different medicines are prescribed to adults with low back pain and how this differs across countries. The protocol for this study is being developed.
- Analgesic medicines for adults with low back pain: a network meta-analysis (led by Michael Wewege). The objective of this study is to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of a range of analgesic medicines for adults across different classifications of low back pain. The protocol for this study has been submitted for publication.
- Muscle relaxant medicines for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis (led by Aidan Cashin and Thiago Folly). The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of muscle relaxant medicines for adults with low back pain. The protocol is available here.
- Novel biologic medicines for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis (led by Rodrigo Rizzo). The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of novel biologic medicines for adults with low back pain. The protocol is available here.
Completed studies:
- Evaluation of the impact of unpublished data from clinical trial registries on the effects of medicines for low back pain (led by Matthew Bagg). The objective of this study was to evaluate whether there is a difference between clinical trial data that are published and those that are not published. The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.
- Antidepressant medicines for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis (led by Michael Ferraro). The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of antidepressant medicines for adults with low back pain. The findings have been submitted for publication. The protocol is available here.
Medicines for Back Pain – Publications:
- Bagg MK, McLachlan AJ, Maher CG, Kamper SJ, Williams CM, Henschke N, Wand BM, Moseley GL, Hübscher M, O’Connell NE, van Tulder MW, Nikolakopoulou A, McAuley JH. (2018). Paracetamol, NSAIDS and opioid analgesics for chronic low back pain: a network meta-analysis [Protocol]. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 6. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013045. PMCID: PMC6513465
- Bagg MK, O’Hagan E, Zahara P, Wand BM, Hübscher M, Moseley GL, McAuley JH. (2020). Reviews may overestimate the effectiveness of medicines for back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. doi: 10.1016/ j.jclinepi.2019.12.006. PMID: 31816418
Medicines for Back Pain – Registrations of Study Protocols:
- Folly T, Bagg MK, Wewege M, Ferraro MC, Schabrun S, Gustin SM, Day R, McAuley JH. (2019) UMbRELLA: Understanding efficacy and safety of Muscle RELaxant medicines for Low back pain – systematic Literature review and meta-Analysis (protocol).Open Science Framework, available at: https://osf.io/xuw5h
- Rizzo RN, Bagg MK, Ferraro MC, Wewege M, Cashin A, Leake HB, O’Hagan E, Jones M, McAuley JH. (2020). Efficacy and safety of medicines targeting neurotrophic factors in the management of low back pain: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Open Science Framework, available at: https://osf.io/zax6d
- Ferraro MC, Bagg MK, McAuley JH. (2019). RADICAL: Systematic Review of Anti-Depressant Medicines if Considered Analgesics for Low Back Pain (protocol). Open Science Framework, available at: https://osf.io/cedm3
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Medicines for Back Pain
AGReMA – A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses
There are a growing number of studies using mediation analysis to understand the mechanisms of health interventions and exposures. Recent work has shown that the reporting of these studies is heterogenous and incomplete. This problem stifles clinical application, reproducibility, and evidence synthesis. The development and implementation of A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses (AGReMA) will improve the standardization, transparency, and completeness in the reporting of studies that use mediation analysis to understand the mechanisms of health interventions and exposures.
AGReMA Publications
Cashin AG, McAuley JH, Lamb SE, Hopewell S, Kamper SJ, Williams CM, Henschke N, Lee H. (2020). Development of A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses (AGReMA). BMC Med Res Methodol 20(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s12874-020-0915-5. PMID: 32013883
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AGReMA – A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses
EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: CASE STUDY – EXERCISE AND SPORT SCIENCE AUSTRALIA (ESSA)
EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN: A BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACH – THE NEURA BLOG
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON THE POLICIES OF PAIN JOURNALS BLOG – BMJ EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE (FEBRUARY 2020)
INTERVIEW – HINDSIGHT IS JUST THAT– THE ICECREAM – INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION OF EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS (OCTOBER 2017)
RESEARCH TEAM
YANNICK GILANYI Research Associate : y.gilanyi@neura.edu.au
BRISHNA SHAH Research Associate : b.shah@neura.edu.au
JACK DEVONSHIRE Honours Student : j.devonshire@neura.edu.au
HARRISON HANSFORD Honours Student : h.hansford@neura.edu.au
THIAGO FOLLY Research Assistant
ANIKA HAIGH Research Assistant : a.haigh@neura.edu.au
PAULINE ZAHARA Research Assistant
DR IAN SKINNER Postdoctoral Research Fellow
PUBLICATIONS
Changes in synovitis and bone marrow lesions may not mediate the effect of cartilage loss on joint pain in osteoarthritis.
Cashin AG, McAuley JH, Lee H
A systematic review highlights the need to improve the quality and applicability of trials of physical therapy interventions for low back pain.
Cashin AG, Lee H, Bagg MK, O'Hagan E, Traeger AC, Kamper SJ, Folly T, Jones MD, Booth J, McAuley JH
The objective of this study was to review and assess the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials that test physical therapy interventions for low back pain. Most trials that test physical therapy interventions for low back pain have methodological limitations that could bias treatment effect estimates. Greater attention to methodological features, such as allocation concealment and the reporting of intention-to-treat effects, would improve the quality of trials testing physical therapy interventions for low back pain.
Items for consideration in a reporting guideline for mediation analyses: a Delphi study.
Cashin AG, McAuley JH, Lamb S, Hopewell S, Kamper SJ, Williams CM, Henschke N, Lee H
Mediation analysis is a widely used quantitative method for investigating how interventions and exposures in randomised controlled trials and observational studies have an effect on healthcare outcomes. This study aimed to assess the importance of items that should be considered in a consensus meeting aimed at developing a guideline for reporting mediation analyses. This Delphi study used a rigorous consensus process to reach consensus on 34 reporting items for studies that use mediation analysis. These results will inform a consensus meeting that will consolidate a core set of recommended items for reporting mediation analyses.