Efficacy And Mechanisms Of Exercise Training In Diastolic Heart Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,250.00
Summary
Heart failure is modern epidemic which presents a significant public health burden, due to a high mortality, frequent hospital admissions and impaired functional capacity. Although the typical heart failure patient presents with a reduced contractile function, many patients have typical heart failure symptoms but with normal contraction. The problem in these patients seems to relate to the heart's ability to fill with blood, and this entity is known as diastolic heart failure (DHF). This syndrom ....Heart failure is modern epidemic which presents a significant public health burden, due to a high mortality, frequent hospital admissions and impaired functional capacity. Although the typical heart failure patient presents with a reduced contractile function, many patients have typical heart failure symptoms but with normal contraction. The problem in these patients seems to relate to the heart's ability to fill with blood, and this entity is known as diastolic heart failure (DHF). This syndrome is most frequently due to ischemic or hypertensive heart disease, and most commonly occurs in the elderly. The optimal management of DHF is not well defined, although some drug trials are currently in progress. A number of studies have shown exercise training to improve functional capacity by 15-20% in typical heart failure. However, training has not so far been trialled in DHF. In this multicenter, multi-disciplinary study, we will study a training and control group to determine whether exercise capacity and DHF symptoms are responsive to exercise training. This work will teach us about the optimum exercise prescription, in terms of the duration and nature of training, as well as the safety and effectiveness of exercise training. By using a number of sensitive measurements of heart and vessel function (in which our group has special expertise), we will identify whether exercise training exerts its effect through improvement in vascular function and myocardial properties. If successful, the clinical implications of this study are that; 1. Exercise training will be adopted to improve functional capacity and symptoms of DHF 2. The merits of aerobic and strength training will be identified in DHF 3. Abnormal blood vessel function will be identified as a major and reversible contributor to DHFRead moreRead less
Improving Muscle Function After Injury: Novel Tissue Engineering Strategies For Exercise, Surgery And Sports Medicine
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$288,210.00
Summary
Muscles can be injured by excessive strains when playing sports, in road and workplace accidents, and during plastic and reconstructive surgery. Some surgeries require an unavoidable interruption to the muscle's normal blood supply (called 'ischaemia'). Subsequent return of the muscle's blood supply (reperfusion) is problematic in that a severe secondary muscle injury can ensue mediated by the influx of damaging free radicals when blood flow is restored. Tissue-engineering provides a novel thera ....Muscles can be injured by excessive strains when playing sports, in road and workplace accidents, and during plastic and reconstructive surgery. Some surgeries require an unavoidable interruption to the muscle's normal blood supply (called 'ischaemia'). Subsequent return of the muscle's blood supply (reperfusion) is problematic in that a severe secondary muscle injury can ensue mediated by the influx of damaging free radicals when blood flow is restored. Tissue-engineering provides a novel therapeutic approach to restore muscle structure and function to damaged muscles after injury or disease. Our recent research using controlled release of growth factors from biodegradable hydrogels has exciting application for muscle repairafter injury. We will utilize these cutting edge tissue engineering strategies to deliver to damaged muscles a hydrogel containing controlled delivery (slow release) microcapsules loaded with an anabolic agent (the beta-agonist, formoterol) and-or a growth factor (IL-15) designed to enhance functional muscle repair after three distinct but clinically relevant models of muscle injury: a) crush injury: A model for muscle injuries on the sports field, in the workplace, and those associated with road trauma; b) ischaemia-reperfusion injury: a model for muscle damage associated with surgical interventions, muscle transfers for functional restoration, and other injuries associated with plastic and reconstructive surgery; and c) contraction-induced injury: a model for strain injuries such as hamstring muscle tears that can occur on the sports field. After injury we will assess functional muscle repair using a comprehensive series of histological, biochemical, molecular, immunochistochemical, and physiological techniques. The research has broad application to exercise and clinical medicine; including sports, emergency and rehabilitation medicine, and plastic, reconstructive, and orthopaedic surgery.Read moreRead less