Advancing The Epidemiology Of Coronary Heart Disease: Reliable Monitoring, Secondary Prevention And Future Projections
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
Coronary heart disease imposes a significant health care burden in Australia, and there have been major changes to the way in which this disease is diagnosed and treated. This project will develop a new method for accurate monitoring of the burden of coronary heart disease nationally, will assess the effectiveness of current drug treatments for people with coronary heart disease and estimate future rates of coronary heart disease in the whole population.
Extended Follow Up Of The RENAL Study And Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis In Acute Kidney Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,271.00
Summary
Acute kidney failure is increasingly common and associated with very high mortality. The long term consequences for patients and their kidney function are unknown. By extending follow up of the RENAL study, which explored how the dose of dialysis affected survival, and combining it with other trials from around the world, we will provide the strongest evidence regarding how dialysis treatment can reduce this mortality and define the long term consequences of this condition.
Genetic Polymorphisms In Genes Controlling Innate Immunity As Risk Factors For Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$241,500.00
Summary
For some time now, researchers have speculated that the development of childhood leukaemia is related to exposure to an infectious agent. However, a causal pathogen is yet to be identified. Recent studies have shown that the initial recognition of microbes as they enter the human body is determined by a group of receptors, toll-like receptors (TLRs), which selectively bind to essential components of these pathogens. This process allows the body to respond immediately to microbial invasion; a pro ....For some time now, researchers have speculated that the development of childhood leukaemia is related to exposure to an infectious agent. However, a causal pathogen is yet to be identified. Recent studies have shown that the initial recognition of microbes as they enter the human body is determined by a group of receptors, toll-like receptors (TLRs), which selectively bind to essential components of these pathogens. This process allows the body to respond immediately to microbial invasion; a process which is vital during early childhood, when clonal expansion of antibodies and other host defences is inadequate. It is becoming increasingly apparent that this innate immune response is not just the first line of defence but a necessary event for the development of an adaptive immune response. We propose that the innate immune system of children carrying TLR gene variants may be less effective at detecting the presence of microbial pathogens in the environment. We hypothesize that by dampening the stimulation of innate immunity in early childhood, TLR gene variants may indirectly cause a dysfunction in the maturation of a child's immune system and increase the chance of a pre-leukaemic clone emerging, leading to the development of childhood leukaemia.Read moreRead less
Immunising Aboriginal Mothers With Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine To Prevent Infant Ear Disease And Carriage
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,131,530.00
Summary
Aboriginal children experience the highest rates of acute and chronic ear infections in the world, with resultant permanent ear damage, hearing loss and educational disadvantage. These infections are mainly bacterial, and Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is the predominant pathogen. Pneumococcal colonisation and infection begins within days of birth, many months before any potential immunological protection from infant pneumococcal conjugate vaccine may be expected. New strategies are nee ....Aboriginal children experience the highest rates of acute and chronic ear infections in the world, with resultant permanent ear damage, hearing loss and educational disadvantage. These infections are mainly bacterial, and Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is the predominant pathogen. Pneumococcal colonisation and infection begins within days of birth, many months before any potential immunological protection from infant pneumococcal conjugate vaccine may be expected. New strategies are needed to eliminate, or at least delay, this early-onset pneumococcal colonisation. One such strategy is the administration to the mother of pneumococcal vaccine, which may protect the newborn infant by leading to higher titres of transplacental or breast milk pneumococcal antibodies and-or by reducing carriage (and transmission to the infant) of maternal pneumococci. Previous small studies using this strategy have been encouraging, but there have been no studies properly evaluating carriage or disease endpoints in infants. The polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine is currently recommended for all Aboriginal and Torres Islander persons aged 15 years or more in the Northern Territory but uptake of the vaccine has been poor. We propose to conduct a pilot study to determine if maternal immunisation with this vaccine, either in the third trimester of pregancy of immediately following delivery, can reduce pneumococcal carriage and the prevalence of middle ear disease among Aboriginal infants at seven months of age. We aim to recruit 210 Aboriginal women who have uncomplicated pregnancies from Darwin and remote communities in the Top End of the Northern Territory. Each subject and their infant offspring will be followed-up after vaccination and at birth, one , two and seven months after birth.Read moreRead less