Detection And Management Of Depression In General Practice Patients With Chronic Manifestations Of Ischaemic Heart Disea
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$499,797.00
Summary
This research will investigate the impact of ischemic heart disease on the prevalence and severity of patients with depression. This will be done via a 12 month general practice based program of 1) systematic screening for depression 2) informing general practitioners of best-practice guidelines for management of depression in these patients, and 3) providing the treating general practitioner with patient-specific, psychiatric advice.
Exercise As Medicine For Heart Failure: A Novel Intervention To Improve Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$665,585.00
Summary
Heart failure (HF) is a common, debilitating and expensive disease; prognosis remains poorer than for the most cancers. 30,000 Australians are diagnosed every year and 300,000 live with the HF, at an annual cost of ~$1Billion. Exercise training is effective therapy in HF, because it reverses many of the problems that contribute to the reduced lifespan and impaired quality of life of patients with HF. We will test an exciting new type of exercise that promising greater benefit, at lower risk.
Targeting PI3K-regulated MicroRNAs To Treat Heart Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$532,593.00
Summary
Current therapeutics largely delay heart failure progression rather than regressing it. New therapeutic strategies with the capability of improving function of the failing heart are thus greatly needed. The primary goal of this study is to determine whether novel regulatory genes can enhance cardiac function in a setting of heart failure. Ultimately, technologies that target these genes may lead to innovative pharmacotherapies in the clinical management of heart failure.
IDENTIFICATION OF BRAIN NEURONS INVOLVED IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO FEAR AND FLIGHT
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,247.00
Summary
The circulatory system of the body acts in concert with the respiratory system to distribute oxygenated blood to the brain and other organs and tissues of the body. Control of blood pressure and heart rate is achieved largely through the actions of the central nervous system on effector organs and tissues such as the heart and blood vessels. This control is exerted through the actions of nerves in the body which affect the rate and force of contraction of the heart and the diameter of blood vess ....The circulatory system of the body acts in concert with the respiratory system to distribute oxygenated blood to the brain and other organs and tissues of the body. Control of blood pressure and heart rate is achieved largely through the actions of the central nervous system on effector organs and tissues such as the heart and blood vessels. This control is exerted through the actions of nerves in the body which affect the rate and force of contraction of the heart and the diameter of blood vessels which restrict the flow of blood to the tissues. These nerves, in turn, are under the control of brain cells or neurons which are located in the brainstem. Blood pressure-controlling neurons, acting upon information they receive from pressure sensors in the major blood vessels in the chest cavity, can alter their activity so that blood pressure is maintained within normal limits. Our laboratory has been examining the properties of these blood pressure-controlling neurons by recording their minute electrical discharges and by studying other brain regions which are able to influence them. In this study, we will use newly-developed procedures which will allow us to identify the precise locations of these neurons in the brain, to study which neurotransmitters (chemicals released by neurons which are used to communicate with other neurons) they use, as well as to identify other regions of the brain they connect with and influence. The major significance of this work will be that new brain circuits which transmit information about the status of the cardiovascular system to other areas of the brain will be identified. Our understanding of, and the development of new treatments for, cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and heart failure are critically dependent on advancing our understanding of the nervous system.Read moreRead less
I-HEART - Implementation Of HEArt Failure Guidelines In Regional AusTralia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,266,173.00
Summary
Heart failure (HF) is a common disease of the heart with a high rehospitalisation and mortality rate. Regional HF patients rarely receive the full benefits of evidence-based care simply due to inaccessibility to a HF specialist team. This translational project will implement key recommendations from clinical guidelines in regional health services and improve access to specialist services. It has the potential to keep patients out of hospital and save lives.
Prevention And Treatment Of Chronic Heart And Kidney Disease Via Epidemiological, Pharmacol Device And Cell-Based Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,795,334.00
Summary
Heart failure describes where the heart cannot pump adequately to meet the needs of the body. This condition has a high mortality despite recent advances in therapy, therefore, there is an urgent need for new approaches to this condition. The present grant aims to: (1) identify patients at high-risk for future development of this condition where early intervention with drugs may reduce or prevent the development of new heart failure; (2) use novel drugs, devices and stem cell therapies to identi ....Heart failure describes where the heart cannot pump adequately to meet the needs of the body. This condition has a high mortality despite recent advances in therapy, therefore, there is an urgent need for new approaches to this condition. The present grant aims to: (1) identify patients at high-risk for future development of this condition where early intervention with drugs may reduce or prevent the development of new heart failure; (2) use novel drugs, devices and stem cell therapies to identify ways to better treat patients with existing disease; (3) focus on the effect of heart failure on the kidney and vice versa via early diagnosis and treatment strategiesRead moreRead less
Alfred And Baker Medical Unit Centre For Clinical Cardiovascular Research
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,000,000.00
Summary
This Centre has three objectives: to create clinical research platforms; to provide time and training for advanced cardiology trainees, young clinical academics, research nurses, allied health staff and non-medical science graduates; and to translate previously established local and international research outcomes into knowledge, education and health benefits for the wider Australian community.
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.
Advanced Heart Failure Management With Ventricular Assist Therapy – Evaluating Australian Costs Of Care And Effectiveness From Implant To Transplant Or End Of Life
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$45,668.00
Summary
Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) are implantable heart pumps that are increasingly being used to slow down the progression of end stage heart failure. This project assesses the costs and effectiveness of VAD therapy and advanced heart failure medical management in an Australian health care setting. The aim is to provide Australian clinicians and health decision makers access to current and relevant, clinical, cost and effectiveness data for advanced heart failure and VAD therapy.
The Brain As A Therapeutic Target For Heart Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$923,432.00
Summary
In heart failure there is a large increase in sympathetic nerve activity to the heart that leads to damage to the heart and sudden death. We have shown that lesion of the area postrema, a brain nucleus that senses hormones in the blood, reduces nerve activity to the heart and, importantly, improves cardiac function. We aim to translate these findings into a treatment that can be used clinically, which our findings compellingly indicate should improve cardiac function in heart failure