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.
FUNCTIONAL IMAGING OF THE BRAINSTEM AND CORTICAL SITES OF BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL IN HUMAN SUBJECTS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$398,498.00
Summary
Disturbances in cardiovascular control underpin many diseases yet little is known about how the brain controls the heart and blood vessels. This project uses brain imaging (fMRI) and concurrent nerve recording in awake human subjects to increase our understanding of how normal blood pressure is maintained and how different disease states influence this control.
CKD-FIX: A Randomised, Controlled Trial Of Allopurinol In The Slowing Of Kidney Disease Progression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,917,147.00
Summary
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem affecting over 1.5 million Australians and is associated with increased risk of death, heart disease and progression to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Current treatments to slow progression to ESKD are limited. The CKD-FIX trial aims to find out whether treatment with allopurinol, a commonly used drug for gout prevention, safely and effectively slows CKD progression. This could lead to significant health and economic benefits.
Benefit Of 2D-strain Surveillance In Improving Cardiovascular Outcomes In Cancer Patients Undergoing Cardiotoxic Chemotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,391,979.00
Summary
Cancer survivors are susceptible to heart failure (HF) caused by heart muscle damage from chemotherapy. The current testing for this problem is based on a measure that cannot identify minor changes of cardiac function. Cardiac strain is a sensitive new marker of cardiac function which is predictive of overt dysfunction & HF. This study seeks to identify whether strain can be used to assign treatments that lead to improved cardiac function and are eventually associated with a reduction in HF.
Vascular And Neurogenic Determinants Of Hypertension In Chronic Kidney Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$508,142.00
Summary
You are as old as your arteries, and people with kidney disease have arteries that age fast. They also have overactive sympathetic nerves, and it is not clear if the blood vessels or nerves are responsible for the high blood pressure that puts strain on the heart and other organs of these patients. We will use an animal model to determine if therapy for hypertension reduces the stiffness of blood vessels or elevated nerve activity. Our results will enable better treatments for kidney failure.
Randomised Controlled Trial To Determine Efficacy And Safety Of Prescribed Water Intake To Prevent The Progression Of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (PREVENT-ADPKD)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$746,751.00
Summary
Increasing the daily intake of water is well known to reduce the risk of developing kidney stones but there is growing evidence that it may also benefit other kidney diseases, particularly autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). This study will determine if adequate hydration can slow the progression of ADPKD, and could provide a relatively simple and cheap treatment for preventing the onset of kidney failure due to this disease.
Refining And Testing A Promising New Treatment For Chronic Pain.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$743,947.00
Summary
Chronic pain costs Australia about 35 billion dollars a year. Recent scientific discoveries show that treatment aimed at correcting problems in how the brain processes sensory input can reduce pain and disability. This project will clarify some key aspects of these problems and use that information to make final adjustments to an already very promising treatment. We will then test the treatment in a definitive and comprehensive clinical trial.
Rapidly giving intravenous fluid to prevent or treat shock (fluid resuscitation) is one of the commonest treatments given to critically ill patients. Current guidelines recommend crystalloid solutions but it is unknown whether any particular crystalloid is better than others. This trial will determine whether the use of one of two crystalloid fluids, saline or PlasmaLyte, reduces the risk of organ injuries, such as kidney failure, and improves patients chances of surviving critically illness.
Central Aortic Blood Pressure In Children: Establishing A Gold Standard Non-invasive Assessment Of Cardiovascular Risk
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$694,342.00
Summary
The best way of assessing early risk of cardiovascular disease involves measuring blood pressure near the heart (central pressure), but existing devices used in adults for this purpose are inaccurate in children. We will develop a children-specific method and apply it to study early cardiovascular risk in a comprehensive health study of 2000 children Australia-wide. We will also investigate why children with congenital heart disease frequently develop ‘older-adult’ heart disease at a young age.
Galectin-3 And Phagocyte Function In Severe Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$698,084.00
Summary
Asthma, a major chronic inflammatory disease affects more than 2 million Australians. Neutrophilic severe asthma is not responsive to current therapies. We have recently made a significant advance in understanding neutrophilic asthma, reporting low levels of a protein called galectin-3 (gal-3). In this project we will explore the role of gal-3 its effect on the resolution of inflammation. This study will result significantly advance the knowledge of the mechanisms of neutrophilic severe asthma.