Validating And Optimising The Analysis Of Magnetic Resonance Physiology Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$91,725.00
Summary
Combined electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used to detect the anatomical areas in the brain that show electrical activity. Several centres worldwide use this technique to localise the seizure focus in patients with epilepsy. However, there is a lack of validation of the currently applied techniques. Current analysis methods have been developed and validated for other fMRI paradigms, such as motor tasks. It is not known whether the same principles ar ....Combined electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used to detect the anatomical areas in the brain that show electrical activity. Several centres worldwide use this technique to localise the seizure focus in patients with epilepsy. However, there is a lack of validation of the currently applied techniques. Current analysis methods have been developed and validated for other fMRI paradigms, such as motor tasks. It is not known whether the same principles are applicable and optimal for fMRI-EEG data. The proposed project aims at validating and optimising the analysis strategies for fMRI-EEG data.Read moreRead less
The Characterisation Of The Genetic Basis Of Paget's Disease Of Bone
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$266,402.00
Summary
Paget's disease is a bone disease in which the normal process of bone being formed and then broken down doesn't take place in the usual way. This results in bones that are enlarged, misshapen, dense and fragile. Paget's disease usually affects people of middle age or older. Although some cases are asymptomatic, Paget's disease is a major cause of bone pain and deformity. In Australia, 3-5% of people aged 40 years and over have Paget's disease. Paget's disease usually affects one of the long bone ....Paget's disease is a bone disease in which the normal process of bone being formed and then broken down doesn't take place in the usual way. This results in bones that are enlarged, misshapen, dense and fragile. Paget's disease usually affects people of middle age or older. Although some cases are asymptomatic, Paget's disease is a major cause of bone pain and deformity. In Australia, 3-5% of people aged 40 years and over have Paget's disease. Paget's disease usually affects one of the long bones in the leg, the pelvic bone, the skull or the spine. One of the most serious complications of Paget's disease is the devlopment of bone cancer. A genetic predisposition is an important factor in the development of Paget's disease. At least a quarter of patients with Paget's disease have at least one close relative with the same condition. Although it is more than 100 years since Sir James Paget first described Paget's disease, the underlying cause remains unknown. We have identified a large family with over 200 members in which there are 35 subjects affected by Paget's disease. The pattern of inheritance in this family is consistent with an autosomal dominant disorder. We have identified a discrete genetic region that is linked with the inheritance of Paget's disease in this family, indicating that a suscpetibility gene for Paget's disease lies in this region. The research program outlined in this application will refine this localisation and will define and characterise this susceptibility gene for Paget's disease. This research program is of great clinical relevance as the identification of the causative gene will open up new approaches for the treatment and prevention of this disease.Read moreRead less
Improved Ways To Study The Effect Of Transient Exposures On The Risk Of An Illness, With Application To Flying And DVT
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$212,250.00
Summary
Improved methods of analysis will be developed to estimate the extent to which certain short-term activities trigger a particular illness and to determine who is most at risk. The new methods of analysis have many potential applications, including study of the effect of periods of intense exercise or intense alcohol consumption on the risk of a heart attack. Here we apply them to study the effect of air travel on illness due to blood clots in a vein (deep vein thrombosis, DVT), and the factors t ....Improved methods of analysis will be developed to estimate the extent to which certain short-term activities trigger a particular illness and to determine who is most at risk. The new methods of analysis have many potential applications, including study of the effect of periods of intense exercise or intense alcohol consumption on the risk of a heart attack. Here we apply them to study the effect of air travel on illness due to blood clots in a vein (deep vein thrombosis, DVT), and the factors that put individuals at greatest risk. The extra understanding that our improved analysis of the data provides will accelerate research into ways to minimise the risk of flight-induced DVT and implementation of preventative measures in the travel industry. This has the potential to prevent many cases, and deaths, because the number of flights taken, globally, by individuals in a year is now in the billions. Specifically, dependence of flight-induced DVT on age, sex, being pregnant, recent fractures and having certain cancers will identify individuals at greatest risk, while dependence on the duration of the flight will identify flights that present greater risk. The development of these new methods of analysis will make a lasting contribution to public health research, because they can be used to study many short-term-activity - illnesses combinations. The methods will see increasing applications because the type of data they rely on, namely the complete history of exposures over time periods, will increasingly become available as electronic recording of activities becomes more common place. For example, electronic records of flights are now almost universal and bookings at squash courts and other sporting venues are increasingly recorded electronically. The computer software to apply the new methods of analysis will be made available to other researchers, to promote studies of this type.Read moreRead less
Measuring The Productive Efficiency Of Hospitals - A Comparison Of Parametric And Non-parametric Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$61,815.00
Summary
In the face of rising health service costs, an ageing population, and falling private health insurance rates, the efficient use of scarce health service resources has become a central theme in health system reform. Productive (or technical) efficiency is a key aspect of health system reform - that given health services are produced with the minimum feasible amount of resources. Despite the importance of technical efficiency there have been few published studies in Australia which measure technic ....In the face of rising health service costs, an ageing population, and falling private health insurance rates, the efficient use of scarce health service resources has become a central theme in health system reform. Productive (or technical) efficiency is a key aspect of health system reform - that given health services are produced with the minimum feasible amount of resources. Despite the importance of technical efficiency there have been few published studies in Australia which measure technical efficiency in the health sector. This study will develop theoretical and empirical approaches to measuring technical efficiency in the production of hospital services using data from Victoria. Measures of hospital technical efficiency will be developed using two quantitative modelling approaches: stochastic frontier modelling and data envelopment analysis. Results will be used to investigate the impact of patient and hospital characteristics on efficiency, and to identify economies of scale and scope in the provision of hospital services. The robustness of results to changes in variables, the sample of hospitals studied, and model assumptions will be tested, and two techniques will be compared to assess their appropriateness in the health services context which has not previously been done. Criteria for assessing the approaches include the degree to which: assumptions affect the robustness of results; the techniques capture the salient features of health services production; and the techniques produce similar rankings and estimates of inefficiency. The methods used will represent a significant contribution to international knowledge of hospital efficiency measurement, and the relationships between hospital characteristics, casemix, and efficiency. The study wil provide improved measures of hospital efficiency in Victoria, and will inform debate on hospital funding policy.Read moreRead less