How Does Early Life Adversity “get Under The Skin” To Influence Lifelong Health? - Identifying Opportunities For Prevention Among Aboriginal And Ethnic Minority Peoples
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,048.00
Summary
This Fellowship will build upon my research to discover patterns and pathways of early life risk and resilience involved in long-term health outcomes for Aboriginal and ethnic minority children. This research will inform the planning of better targeted policy, public health and primary health care solutions for Aboriginal and ethnic minority children, families and communities in the critical early years of children’s lives.
Spirometry And Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) Reference Values For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$78,790.00
Summary
Lung diseases are one of the leading contributors to the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Simple tests, such as spirometry, are needed for early diagnosis and good management of lung diseases. My study aims to develop healthy reference values which are lacking for this population. Results from my study will improve the accuracy of test interpretation, aid in diagnosis and clinical care, and reduce morbidity of lung disease for Indigenous Australians.
Improving Dosing Of Common Antibiotics Used In Critically Ill Australian Indigenous Patients
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$98,148.00
Summary
Optimal antibiotic dosing in patients in the intensive care unit saves lives. However, the way antibiotics move through the body of an intensive care unit patient can be different to other patients. Therefore, research that identifies specific dosing for these patients is essential. Further to this, no research in an Indigenous population is available. The aim of this research is to address this gap by developing optimal antibiotic doses for Indigenous Australians in the intensive care unit.
Structural And Biomechanical Basis Of Differences In Bone Fragility In Asian And Caucasian Men And Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$188,500.00
Summary
Lay Summary Fractures occur less commonly in males than females because males have greater periosteal apposition than females during ageing. This increases bone size (reducing load per unit area - stress), and reduces net bone loss, more in males than females so that the increase in bone fragility with advancing age seen in both sexes is less in males than females. Few males than females have a fracture risk index for vertebral fractures (FRI or ratio of load-bone strength) above unity. The purp ....Lay Summary Fractures occur less commonly in males than females because males have greater periosteal apposition than females during ageing. This increases bone size (reducing load per unit area - stress), and reduces net bone loss, more in males than females so that the increase in bone fragility with advancing age seen in both sexes is less in males than females. Few males than females have a fracture risk index for vertebral fractures (FRI or ratio of load-bone strength) above unity. The purpose of this study is to define the structural and biomechanical basis responsible for the racial differences in fracture rates between Asians and Caucasians. Following the same biomechanical principles as published in Caucasian males and females, we hypothesise that racial differences in periosteal expansion during aging may contribute, in part, to the racial differences in bone fragility at the spine and hip. A cross-sectional study will be conducted in 500 healthy Chinese men and 500 Chinese women age ranged 18 to 90 years living in Melbourne, Australia. We have recruited larger numbers of Caucasian men and women in our Centre. BMD and bone size will be measured at the spine, hip and total body by using dual x-ray bone densitometer (DXA). Vertebral body width, depth, height, cross-sectional area (CSA), stress (load per unit CSA) and fracture risk index (load-strength) at the third lumbar vertebrae will be measured by PA and lateral scanning. Femoral neck periosteal-endocortical diameter, cortical thickness, cross-section moment of inertia (CSMI), section modulus buckling index will be measured by using hip structural analysis program. Just as insight into bone fragility in women has been obtained by studies in men, we believe that the results of this study will provide important insights into the pathogenesis of bone fragility in both racial groups.Read moreRead less
The Fremantle Diabetes Study Phase II: A Community-based Study Of Diabetes Care, Control, Complications And Cost
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,307,780.00
Summary
In Phase I of the Fremantle Diabetes Study (FDS), valuable and detailed data on a wide range of subjects were obtained from a community-based patient cohort between 1993 and 2001. There is a large body of evidence that the nature and treatment of diabetes in Australia is changing rapidly. In order to provide up to date information to health care providers and government agencies, to confirm observations made in FDS I and to venture into new research areas, Phase II will be conducted.
INTER-ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN TOLERANCE OF ANTI-CANCER DRUGS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$345,894.00
Summary
In 2 previous studies we have shown that Asian cancer patients experience more side-effects than their Caucasian counterparts when treated with the same dose and schedule of treatment. This does not appear to be related to any difference in size. We wish to explain this difference as it may avoid Asian patients receiving overdoses of treatment. Possible causes include dietary and nutritional differences
Sex Differences In Long-Term Outcomes Of Young Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$333,900.00
Summary
Young women (?55 years) are more likely to die after having a heart attack and face more difficult recoveries compared to similar aged men. However the cause of this difference is unknown. This project seeks to improve the prevention, care and longer term outcomes for young women following a heart attack. Information obtained from will provide evidence-based and actionable information for physicians to inform and manage their patients so that we may ultimately improve the lives of young women.
Generating New Evidence To Better Guide Stroke Management
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$568,293.00
Summary
I wish to produce sound knowledge on the management of blood pressure and nursing monitoring for patient affected by stroke. I plan to address gaps in stroke management that exist between men and women around the world in order for there to be equity of care and an ability for every patient to have the best chances of receiving proven therapies to optimise their chances of recovery. Finally, I will use data that considers patients’ own view of wellbeing that can be used to direct stroke care.
Investigating The Synergistic Role Of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) And Estradiol On Parvalbumin-mediated Cognitive Function: Relevance To Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$589,644.00
Summary
Estrogen-based therapy may improve cognitive functioning in dementia patients. However, more detailed knowledge is required to ensure safe and effective targeted treatment is provided. I propose to examine, in mouse models, the mechanistic functioning of estrogen signalling in key brain regions involved in cognition. Unravelling the way estrogen impart its beneficial effect can lead to the development of effective treatments for dementia and many other devastating neurological diseases.
Fetal Sex: An Important Determinant Of The Placental Transcriptome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$553,574.00
Summary
There are fetal sex differences in pregnancy outcomes that place boys at greater risk than girls. These are likely caused by genetic differences in the placenta. We will use 21st century gene sequencing technology to obtain the complete sequence of placental genes in early pregnancy and normal term placenta to determine what the genetic differences are between male and female placentas. This may be important in developing future sex specific therapeutics for babies in the neonatal nursery.