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Telerehabilitation: Assessing Acquired Neurogenic Communication Disorders Online.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$172,446.00
Summary
People who suffer brain damage as a result of a stroke, head injury, or a disorder such as Parkinson's disease frequently develop difficulty in either speaking, writing, reading, or understanding the spoken language. As a result, the person's ability to communicate with his or her family and friends, and the community in general is seriously affected. Individuals who experience these speech and language disorders are treated by a speech pathologist who focuses on improving the person's ability t ....People who suffer brain damage as a result of a stroke, head injury, or a disorder such as Parkinson's disease frequently develop difficulty in either speaking, writing, reading, or understanding the spoken language. As a result, the person's ability to communicate with his or her family and friends, and the community in general is seriously affected. Individuals who experience these speech and language disorders are treated by a speech pathologist who focuses on improving the person's ability to communicate. The treatment of these disorders is frequently long-term requiring speech pathology management beyond existing hospital care. For many people with these communication disorders, accessing speech pathology services after their discharge from hospital may be very difficult due to their physical difficulties, the distances they are required to travel, and the limited availability of speech pathologists in their local community. This project aims to overcome these access issues through the development of a telerehabilitation system that will enable speech pathologists to assess people with these speech and language difficulties across the Internet using videoconferencing. It is intended that this research will ultimately enable people with these types of communication difficulties to be assessed and treated within their own home or local community.Read moreRead less
Cognitive Impairments And Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms In Children With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Longitudinal Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$482,250.00
Summary
Traumatic brain injury in children is common with more than 2000 new cases a year in Queensland and Victoria alone. Many children who experience a brain injury go on to have long-term difficulties such as significant educational and social problems. Post-traumatic stress occurs in children following traumatic physical injury. However it is not clear to what extent this is so for children who have received a traumatic brain injury. Furthermore, when there is a traumatic brain injury and traumatic ....Traumatic brain injury in children is common with more than 2000 new cases a year in Queensland and Victoria alone. Many children who experience a brain injury go on to have long-term difficulties such as significant educational and social problems. Post-traumatic stress occurs in children following traumatic physical injury. However it is not clear to what extent this is so for children who have received a traumatic brain injury. Furthermore, when there is a traumatic brain injury and traumatic stress, it is not clear how these interact, how they influence long-term outcomes, and what factors such as pre-injury functioning and family support and distress mediate outcomes. These issues are very important since effective rehabilitation of children following traumatic brain injury is essential to maximise long-term functioning and minimise disability. To be effective, rehabilitation must be guided by the knowledge about key factors that determine the recovery process. This study aims to provide answers to these questions by following two cohorts of children (aged 6-14) over 18 months after receiving a traumatic brain injury. In total 240 children will be recruited from Brisbane and Melbourne hospitals. They will be assessed at three, six, twelve and eighteen months post-injury using measures of cognitive, psychological and social functioning. Information on parent distress and behaviours will also be obtained. The information obtained will provide the basis for the development of a specific rehabilitation strategy for children with traumatic brain injury, including information on strategies to help prevent any confounding impact of post-traumatic stress on recovery.Read moreRead less
20 Year Study Of Skin Cancer In A Queensland Community
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$396,415.00
Summary
Skin cancers are by far the commonest cancers diagnosed in Australia. Even though it is known that sun exposure in excess causes skin cancers there are complexities about the causes, especially of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) -the major type of skin cancer- that are still not understood. Relative intensity of sun exposure and perhaps its timing with respect to age in life may well be critical factors. We aim to study these causes in very great detail by collating information that has been gathered ....Skin cancers are by far the commonest cancers diagnosed in Australia. Even though it is known that sun exposure in excess causes skin cancers there are complexities about the causes, especially of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) -the major type of skin cancer- that are still not understood. Relative intensity of sun exposure and perhaps its timing with respect to age in life may well be critical factors. We aim to study these causes in very great detail by collating information that has been gathered over a 20 year period in a community-based skin cancer study in Nambour, Qld as well as performing some laboratory tests on skin cancer tissue collected from participants. This 3-year project will enable the full realisation of the potential of this esource-20 years in the making- with its wealth of information for answering questions about skin cancer decelopment and preventability. It should finally provide us with a clearer rationale for 'prevention of skin cancer' than is currently available. In addition we shall assess the costs of treatment of skin cancer in general and for the individual, and how much preventive practices for skin cancer might save the health budget, by using the releavnt data collected from this community sample.Read moreRead less
Mothers' History Of Mental Health Impairment And Its Impact During Mid-Life
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,580.00
Summary
There have been few specific studies of the health of women in mid-life. In mid-life, mental health impairment and health problems associated with biological and social transitions (e.g. menopause) are major concerns. National estimates indicate that between 15% and 20% of women in the mid-life age range have experienced a mental illness in the past year. The proportion of women experiencing a combination of emotional and physical symptoms, frequently associated with the menopause, is likely to ....There have been few specific studies of the health of women in mid-life. In mid-life, mental health impairment and health problems associated with biological and social transitions (e.g. menopause) are major concerns. National estimates indicate that between 15% and 20% of women in the mid-life age range have experienced a mental illness in the past year. The proportion of women experiencing a combination of emotional and physical symptoms, frequently associated with the menopause, is likely to be somewhat higher. This proposal involves merging information collected initially from 1981 onwards, with data on the mother's mental and physical health, to be collected in this follow-up. Women in this study (8556) were enrolled at their first obstetrical visit and they have been followed up shortly after the birth, when the child was 6 months, 5 years and 14 years. On each occasion extensive information has been obtained on the mother's mental and physical health, as well as on the child's health and development. This study will examine the chronicity of the mother's mental health symptoms over a 21-year period, and assess the association between her early mental health, the child's health and her current health status. This is the only large Australian cohort study to have followed a sample of women for 21 years. It will permit us to understand more of how women's health changes over time and the factors associated with these changes. It will provide the first large-scale study of factors influencing women's health transition through the menopause.Read moreRead less
Development Of Quality Indicators For The Frail Elderly In Acute Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,311.00
Summary
Frail older people are particularly vulnerable to a range of mishaps while in hospital. Good care can reduce the frequency and extent of these problems. Quality indicators (QIs) assist hospitals, and clinical service units within them, to appraise their performance, and to compare it to other hospitals. QIs for the measurement of outcomes for the frail aged in the acute care setting do not exist in Australia or overseas. We aim to develop these indicators during this study.
Geelong Osteoporosis Study: Fracture Risk Prediction Based On Twenty Years Of Prospective Data.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,107,758.00
Summary
In this population-based study we will generate evidence, both environmental and genetic, for defining fracture risk in Australian men and women. This will help identify individuals likely to sustain fragility fractures so that suitable therapies can be recommended. The data will be useful for developing prognostic models in both a clinical setting and for genetic screening programmes.
Predictors And Correlates Of Health-related Quality Of Life And Morbidity In Overweight/obese Adolescents: Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,525.00
Summary
There is now no doubting the size and long-term risks to health of the childhood obesity epidemic. However, very little research has examined at population level its immediate consequences for mental health and physical functioning, what pathways confer risk and protection for these consequences, and their likely healthcare consequences. This study will utilise an existing cohort of approximately 1500 Victorian adolescents followed since childhood to examine neglected aspects of the genesis and ....There is now no doubting the size and long-term risks to health of the childhood obesity epidemic. However, very little research has examined at population level its immediate consequences for mental health and physical functioning, what pathways confer risk and protection for these consequences, and their likely healthcare consequences. This study will utilise an existing cohort of approximately 1500 Victorian adolescents followed since childhood to examine neglected aspects of the genesis and impacts of overweight and obesity. The Health of Young Victorians Study was originally assembled in 1997 when the children were in Grades Prep-3. In addition to information on putative risk and protective factors for overweight-obesity and direct measures of height and weight, it is unique in having collected data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) since children were first recruited during the early primary school years. Eight years after the first wave, the children will be adolescents in Grades 8-11. This third wave will retain a focus on HRQoL. Innovations include study of potential emotional, behavioural and physical consequences of childhood obesity that may in turn affect the natural history of obesity. This large, population-based longitudinal study will redress neglected aspects of child and adolescent overweight-obesity specifically identified in 2003 by the NH and MRC. As well as establishing whether a range of common problems are related to overweight-obesity, it will be able to shed light on mechanisms of adverse outcomes associated with adolescent overweight-obesity, and study protective factors predicting remitting overweight from childhood to adolescence that may inform preventive activities. The study will make an international contribution to knowledge about pathways, prevalence and preventive opportunities for child and adolescent overweight-obesity.Read moreRead less
Functional Contribution Of Fetal Microchimeric Cells In Transgenic Models Of Maternal Tissue Repair In And After Pregnancy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$542,462.00
Summary
Fetal stem cells cross into the mother during pregnancy and persist lifelong in her tissues. To determine whether helpful or harmful, we will study how these cells contribute to healing both after acute injury and in chronic genetic models like brittle-bone disease and muscular dystrophy. This research will inform long-term consequences of pregnancy, important for women's health and longevity, and help develop a promising form of stem cell therapy.
Helping Women Meet Their Activity Goals: Randomised Trial Of A Personalised Program Delivered By Mobile Telephone
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,346.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Australian women, but is less likely among women who are active. Because women are less active than men, and women with young children are the least active of all, we developed a program to increase postnatal women's physical activity. Women in the pilot study reported high program satisfaction and more physical activity, because the program focused on them (not their kids) and helped them prioritise time for physical activity.
Identifying Long-range Regulatory Elements Of The Breast Cancer Susceptibility Gene, BRCA1
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$612,842.00
Summary
BRCA1 is a breast cancer susceptibility gene implicated in both familial and sporadic breast cancers. The mechanisms controlling BRCA1 expression are poorly understood. We will identify DNA sequences critical for regulation of the BRCA1 gene. We hypothesise that these regions are mutational hot spots conferring an increased breast cancer risk. A better understanding of the pathways responsible for promoting BRCA1-associated breast cancer will provide important diagnostic and treatment targets.