Strengthening The Evidence Foundation For Public Health Guidelines
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$987,647.00
Summary
Public health guidelines should be based on rigorous evidence. If underlying studies are not sound, guidelines will not be credible or implemented. Dietary guidelines have been criticized for being biased. Our group studies bias across the whole research process – from the questions asked to the final publication. This project will measure the influence of bias at all stages in nutrition research in order to improve the evaluation of this research and the evidence base for dietary guidance.
Which Heart Failure Intervention Is Most Cost Effective In Reducing Hospital Care (WHICH? II) Trial: A Multicentre, Randomised Trial Of Standard Versus Intensified Management Of Metropolitan And Regional-dwelling Patients With Heart Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,891,210.00
Summary
Chronic heart failure (CHF) management programs are now the gold-standard to cost-effectively care for thousands of Australians hospitalised with CHF each year. We’ve shown that home-based management is most cost-effective in reducing hospital stay in CHF. The Which Intervention is most Cost-effective in reducing Hospital care (WHICH? II) Trial, a multicentre, randomised study, will determine if more intensive care (via home visits and remote care contacts) further improves poor outcomes in CHF.
ASPREE-D; Aspirin In The Prevention Of Depression In The Elderly
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$796,784.00
Summary
The ASPREE (ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) study is a 5 year RCT of aspirin (100mg daily) or placebo in 19,000 healthy people over 70. We aim to augment the existing infrastructure of ASPREE in order to confirm the utility of aspirin for the prevention of depression in the elderly (ASPREE-D). The primary aim of ASPREE-D is to determine if use of low-dose aspirin reduces the incidence of de-novo episodes of depression in healthy individuals over 70 years of age.
Antipsychotic Medication In First-episode Psychosis: An RCT To Assess The Risk-benefit Ratio
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,141,117.00
Summary
There has been an increasing emphasis on intervening early in psychotic disorders. A fundamental principle in early intervention is “to do no harm” and benefits must outweigh the risks of treatment. While antipsychotic medication is very effective and evidence-based form of treatment for positive symptoms in most first episode psychosis (FEP) patients it has risks. This study has the potential to determine whether antipsychotic medication should be the initial treatment option for FEP.
Australian Predicting Infectious ComplicatioNs In Children With Cancer (PICNICC) Project
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$694,980.00
Summary
Children undergoing cancer treatment are at an increased risk of infection. This is managed by admission to hospital for antibiotics which can be a frightening experience for the child, disruptive for their family and expensive for the healthcare system. While many need admission, a proportion of patients can be safely managed at home with oral or intravenous antibiotics. This project aims to identify these children, so as to improve their quality of life, and decrease cost of treatment.
Prevention Of Asthma In Young Children Via Immunostimulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$679,683.00
Summary
Persistent asthma is a major problem for Australia yet none of the current therapies do more that control the condition. The long-term solution is to prevent asthma from progressing to the persistent form. The major risk factors are: family history, early allergy and recurrent severe lower respiratory infections (sLRI) in the early life. We will conduct a randomized clinical trial to prevent sLRI using a novel bacterial-derived immunostimulant in infants at high risk of developing asthma.
Footwear For Self-managing Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms: The Footstep Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$590,532.00
Summary
Self-management of symptoms is an important part of treatment for people with knee osteoarthritis. Footwear influences forces across the knee joint and it is unclear which types of shoes are best to minimise arthritis symptoms. This study will compare the effects of flat flexible shoes to stable supportive shoe styles on pain and physical function over 6 months in people with painful knee osteoarthritis.
Neurobiology Of Childhood Speech Disorders: Improving Detection, Diagnosis And Clinical Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$994,575.00
Summary
One in 20 children have a speech disorder at school entry, with lifelong deficits in psychosocial, academic and employment outcomes. Little is known about the aetiology of speech disorders, preventing targeted care. We combine expertise in speech pathology, gene discovery and brain imaging, to advance knowledge on gene and brain contributions to speech disorder. We will have direct impacts on clinical care including detection, diagnosis and counselling, optimising outcomes for affected children.
Reducing The Greatest Uncertainty In Radiotherapy.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$594,197.00
Summary
The weakest link in radiotherapy is defining treatment volumes (contouring). Lack of accuracy and consistency in clinical trial contouring has been shown to result in reduced patient outcomes. Manual review of contouring is resource intensive, expensive and for advanced treatments unachievable in a timely fashion. We will assess an automated approach to contouring assessment using 4 clinical trial datasets, changing practice for future studies and enabling consistent assessment in the clinic.
Salt (sodium) is an essential electrolyte. Our convincing and complementary findings provide compelling evidence for a link between evolutionarily ancient “instincts” and substance abuse. This proposal is translational, including studies in opiate dependent humans. Our studies will establish how and where in the brain endogenous opioids are implicated in the gratification of salt appetite, how salt appetite is altered in opiate dependency and if salt appetite recovers following opiate withdrawal