Effects Of Gastric Bypass And Banding For Obesity On Gastrointestinal Function, Body Weight, Glycaemia And Symptoms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$444,086.00
Summary
The increasing incidence of obesity poses a significant impact on the health care system. Bariatric surgery not only achieves sustained weight loss but also reverses the associated complications. This proposal aims to examine the mechanisms that mediate weight loss, improvement in blood glucose control and symptoms after bariatric surgery. The results will provide insights into future development of minimally invasive interventions for the management of obesity and diabetes.
Defining The Colonic Abnormality Underlying Severe Constipation And Evaluating The Efficacy Of A Novel Treatment Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$487,990.00
Summary
This project aims to clarify the contractile patterns of the human colon which underlie the very common and distressing condition of constipation. We will be relating symptoms of constipation from a large number of sufferers with actual measurements of contractions along the colon in these patients. Furthermore by examining the in vivo colonic motor response to electrical stimulation of pelvic floor nerves, we will help to determine the potential of this new form of treatment for constipation. T ....This project aims to clarify the contractile patterns of the human colon which underlie the very common and distressing condition of constipation. We will be relating symptoms of constipation from a large number of sufferers with actual measurements of contractions along the colon in these patients. Furthermore by examining the in vivo colonic motor response to electrical stimulation of pelvic floor nerves, we will help to determine the potential of this new form of treatment for constipation. The aims of these projects will be to try and identify abnormal motor patterns responsible for constipation as well as determining a possible inductor of normal colonic motility so that future studies can target appropriate treatment at the responsible defect.Read moreRead less
Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation To Relieve Chronic Constipation In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$82,450.00
Summary
1 in 300 children suffer from chronic constipation that is not fixed by changing their diet or taking laxatives. They continue to suffer the problem into adulthood. They also have fecal incontinence or soiling that causes problems with socialising and schooling. We are testing a method of electrical stimulation through the skin on the belly to increase the movement of the bowel. Initial results are encouraging, showing that the rate of movement of the bowel is increased and soiling is decreased.
Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation To Relieve Chronic Constipation In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$346,995.00
Summary
We have over 300 children with chronic treatment-resistant constipation at Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. We have a new physiotherapy technique that may overcome constipation and stop soiling in many of these children. In 2003-4, we ran a pilot study to test a technique used by physiotherapists to treat urinary incontinence. We have called the method TESIC (transcutaneous electrical stimulation using interferential current). TESIC uses suction electrodes placed on the belly and back at the ....We have over 300 children with chronic treatment-resistant constipation at Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. We have a new physiotherapy technique that may overcome constipation and stop soiling in many of these children. In 2003-4, we ran a pilot study to test a technique used by physiotherapists to treat urinary incontinence. We have called the method TESIC (transcutaneous electrical stimulation using interferential current). TESIC uses suction electrodes placed on the belly and back at the level of the belly button. The electrical stimulation is applied using a current (interferential current) that stimulates deep into the abdomen. We tested 8 children and had very encouraging results with improved constipatio in 5-8 and all with soiling stopped. Parents and children are keen to use this technique but first we need to establish that the results are reproducible in a larger group of 70 children. We also need to know if the effect was just a placebo response (due to time spent with the physiotherapists), and how long the effect lasts. We will also measure changes in soiling. Faecal soiling is smelly and antisocial. Relief of soiling has a big impact on a child's ability to fit in at school and to attend normal schooling. We will measure outcomes using daily diaries kept by children, questionnaires, how quickly food moves through the bowel and pressures within the bowel. We have a multidiciplinary team of experienced clinicians and scientists with expertise in these techniques and in constipation and incontinence in children (paediatric surgeon, gastroenterologist, manometry nurse, incontinence paediatrician and physiotherapist, expert in electrical stimulation and gut nervous system scientist). This technique could revolutionise treatment of chronic constipation. Most physiotherapists have TESIC machines, allowing delivery Australia wide. It is non-invasive and should also be able to be used by adults, including the elderly in nursing homes.Read moreRead less
Neuro-muscular Apparatus In Human Colon And In Children With Chronic Constipation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$195,660.00
Summary
NIDKIDS is a support group for children with chronic constipation. There are 200 patients at the Royal Childrens Hospital in Melbourne who are in this group because their constipation has not responded to any treatments. Movement of food along the intestine requires muscle in the wall of the intestine to contract in a coordinated pattern. Coordination of the muscle contractions is provided by the nervous system. The nervous system controlling the gut has cell bodies located within the gut wall, ....NIDKIDS is a support group for children with chronic constipation. There are 200 patients at the Royal Childrens Hospital in Melbourne who are in this group because their constipation has not responded to any treatments. Movement of food along the intestine requires muscle in the wall of the intestine to contract in a coordinated pattern. Coordination of the muscle contractions is provided by the nervous system. The nervous system controlling the gut has cell bodies located within the gut wall, that send processes to the muscle and lining of the gut. There are sensory neurons, motor neurons and neurons that connect between the other neurons (interneurons). Nerves communicate between each other and cause muscles to contract by releasing chemicals (transmitters). In the last decade, we have discovered that communication between the nerve and muscle cells occurs through a third cell type- interstitial cells of Cajal. These cells also have a role as pacemaker cells for the muscle cells. In a small study, we have found that the muscle can contract in response to transmitters but that activation of the nerves does not result in muscle contraction in NIDKIDs. This result shows that transmission from neurons to muscle is not occuring in large bowel from NIDKIDs. In this study, we will examine a larger group of patients to determine if a functional defect in the muscle, a defect in the nerve chemical transmitters or a lack of the intermediate cells (the interstitial cells of Cajal) is causing the problem in the NIDKIDs. Further treatment of each patient will be easier if the defect causing his-her problem is known. We would then be able to target their problem with drugs that would work specifically at the point of breakdown in their individual gut.Read moreRead less
The Role Of A Low Emulsifier Diet To Treat Crohn's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,603.00
Summary
Currently, there are no specific diets known to treat Crohn’s disease (CD). Initial lab- and animal-based studies have indicated emulsifiers added to food drive inflammation in CD, but no human trials completed. This study will design and feed high and low emulsifier diets to healthy and CD subjects and measure markers of inflammation. This will establish the role of a low emulsifier diet to treat CD.
Genetic Validation Of Stat3 As A Tractable Pharmacological Target In Gastrointestinal Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$586,964.00
Summary
Cancers of the stomach and the colon are a major health burden. One of the central signaling molecules that drives these cancers is called Stat3. Here we propose to use a novel strain of mice that allows us to experimentally dial down the amount of Stat3 protein and hence to predict how effective a future anti-Stat3 cancer drug will be.
Bacterial pathogens are a major cause of illness and death, producing diseases ranging from acute infections to cancer. However, not all infected individuals will succumb to these pathologies. What factors dictate which individuals develop these diseases is an important complex question. The core focus of my research is the identification and characterisation of novel host factors that are involved in resistance or susceptibility to bacterial-associated diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.