The Unique Nature Of Gamma Delta T Cell Recognition Resolved Through Interaction With H2-Q10
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$699,031.00
Summary
The liver is important for both digestion and immunity. Given these opposing functions, the liver must exert control points that prevent the immune system from recognising food products. We have now identified a new molecular target that controls the development of immune cells in the liver.
Predictors Of Response To Antidepressants: Utility Of Behavioural, Neuroimaging And Genetics Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$310,071.00
Summary
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is projected to cause the second greatest global burden of disease by 2020, highlighting the urgent need for valid predictors of effective treatment response. Currently, there are no accurate predictors of response to antidepressants in MDD, and successful treatment relies greatly on 'trial and error'. This process is demanding on health resources, and may be a factor in the high suicide rates in depressed patients. Previous research on treatment response has been ....Major depressive disorder (MDD) is projected to cause the second greatest global burden of disease by 2020, highlighting the urgent need for valid predictors of effective treatment response. Currently, there are no accurate predictors of response to antidepressants in MDD, and successful treatment relies greatly on 'trial and error'. This process is demanding on health resources, and may be a factor in the high suicide rates in depressed patients. Previous research on treatment response has been limited by recruitment of small, heterogeneous patient samples, lack of placebo control, and a failure to examine task related activity in brain imaging studies. Perhaps one of the more troubling aspects of research that aims to predict treatment response to antidepressant medications is the use of commonly used outcome measures such as the Hamilton Rating Depression Scale (HAM-D), which were developed long before current classification systems of depression came into use. The US Federal Drug Administration has recently identified what they call a translational gap such that behavioural and biological measures are the most robust for detection of disorders such as depression, yet these measures remain to be translated into clinical tools that can be used to evaluate treatment. The aim of the current study therefore is to determine whether genetic variability is related to treatment outcome as defined by a more objective outcome measure (facial expression perception) using a randomised controlled design. The study will also determine whether brain measures (fMRI, EEG) enhance the prediction of SSRI response to both clinical and behavioural measures, over and above the genetic contribution.Read moreRead less
STudy Of Risk Assessment To Reduce Complications In Patients Following Noncardiac SurgerY (STRATIFY)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$436,000.00
Summary
Cardiac problems account for many complications in patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery, and even apparently minor cardiac damage is a marker of high risk for subsequent adverse events. Unfortunately, while money and effort is expended on identifying patients at risk, the appropriate response to this risk is quite unclear. The performance of bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty in order to treat the underlying coronary disease of at-risk patients is used in other situations, and reduce ....Cardiac problems account for many complications in patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery, and even apparently minor cardiac damage is a marker of high risk for subsequent adverse events. Unfortunately, while money and effort is expended on identifying patients at risk, the appropriate response to this risk is quite unclear. The performance of bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty in order to treat the underlying coronary disease of at-risk patients is used in other situations, and reduces longterm risk. However, in many patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery, this approach may be inappropriately aggressive, as these patients are often elderly, have other diseases that make heart operations more difficult and risky than usual, and in any case may have a reduced life expectancy from the disease necessitating the operation. As the most critical issue is to ensure that patients undergo their surgery uneventfully, an alternative is the use of intensive medical therapy to protect the heart. This multicentre study, based at Brisbane hospitals that perform large numbers of major operations, will follow up patients for complications, and outcome (including quality of life) will be assessed six months after the operation. We will address two important questions about the efficacy and cost of risk reduction strategies. First, in patients at higher levels of risk and with a positive stress test, could a combination of medical therapy designed to protect the heart be as effective as current approaches, which include the performance of bypass surgery or coronary balloon angioplasty? Second, in patients identified as being at some risk - but low risk - are drugs sufficiently effective to avoid the need for further testing to quantify risk? As the population continues to age, the numbers of at risk patients undergoing major surgery will increase, and answers to these questions will provide important information to guide their management.Read moreRead less
The canonical stratification of jet spaces. Singularities occur everywhere in nature, from the formation and collapse of stars to the morphology of living embryos. They appear whenever the geometry of surfaces or spaces undergoes a process of twisting, folding, or collapsing on itself. Singularity Theory is the study of such phenomena, an important branch of modern mathematics which has close connections with many other branches of mathematics and applied sciences. Singularity Theory lies at the ....The canonical stratification of jet spaces. Singularities occur everywhere in nature, from the formation and collapse of stars to the morphology of living embryos. They appear whenever the geometry of surfaces or spaces undergoes a process of twisting, folding, or collapsing on itself. Singularity Theory is the study of such phenomena, an important branch of modern mathematics which has close connections with many other branches of mathematics and applied sciences. Singularity Theory lies at the crossroads of the paths connecting the most important areas of applications of mathematics with its most abstract parts. Analytic Singularity Theory is a central part of Singularity Theory. This project would lead to substantially new advancements in Analytic Singularity Theory.Read moreRead less
Early settlements in Upper Burma (Myanmar): an experiment in urban living. This project directly increases access for Australian research to a previously self-isolated nation, Myanmar. It contributes to better understanding of our region and our world by examining how past communities worked together and how they dealt with social and environmental stress.
Chorasmian temples: an archaeological study of early Zoroastrianism and its precursors in Central Asia. The project is a collaboration with the Uzbek Academy of Sciences. National benefits to Australia are in international relations and in broadening our understanding of cultural issues in the potentially volatile and politically significant region of Central Asia. The team has developed a high profile in Uzbekistan and internationally, reflecting well on Australia's cultural strengths, intern ....Chorasmian temples: an archaeological study of early Zoroastrianism and its precursors in Central Asia. The project is a collaboration with the Uzbek Academy of Sciences. National benefits to Australia are in international relations and in broadening our understanding of cultural issues in the potentially volatile and politically significant region of Central Asia. The team has developed a high profile in Uzbekistan and internationally, reflecting well on Australia's cultural strengths, international involvement and support for developing countries in Asia. Our research features regularly in the Uzbek media and has the personal approval of President Karimov. We are involved with Zoroastrian and Parsi communities in Australia and overseas, particularly in India and the USA, and our results are published regularly in the community press.Read moreRead less
East meets West: an archaeological study of early contact between China and Eurasia. The project will link Chinese and Australian researchers in a collaborative programme exploring the origins of cultural contact between China and the West. Through the work of a team of international specialists, this fresh initiative will bring western analytical techniques together with Chinese archaeological experience to create a new and robust picture of the evidence for early cultural contact. From this we ....East meets West: an archaeological study of early contact between China and Eurasia. The project will link Chinese and Australian researchers in a collaborative programme exploring the origins of cultural contact between China and the West. Through the work of a team of international specialists, this fresh initiative will bring western analytical techniques together with Chinese archaeological experience to create a new and robust picture of the evidence for early cultural contact. From this we will study the early movements of Indo-European populations and examine the question of the origins of early metal production in China.Read moreRead less
With or without pots: Investigating the archaeology of human settlement on Santa Isabel, western Solomon Islands. Following the recent civil unrest in the Solomon Islands, the SI National and Provincial Governments, as well as community bodies, have identified a better understanding of the past and the revival of traditional systems and knowledge (Kastom) as a route to stability and cohesion throughout the region. This study responds to direct requests from the Santa Isabel community for assist ....With or without pots: Investigating the archaeology of human settlement on Santa Isabel, western Solomon Islands. Following the recent civil unrest in the Solomon Islands, the SI National and Provincial Governments, as well as community bodies, have identified a better understanding of the past and the revival of traditional systems and knowledge (Kastom) as a route to stability and cohesion throughout the region. This study responds to direct requests from the Santa Isabel community for assistance with archaeological research and the recording of cultural histories. By assisting a Pacific neighbour to develop a more durable, internally generated basis for social and economic development, Australia not only encourages security in the region, but also increases its engagment with and understanding of adjacent cultures.Read moreRead less
Elam in the 2nd millennium B.C.: A multi-regional approach. Although it was one of the Near East's most powerful ancient states, Elam has received less scholarly attention than its neighbours. Using an innovative approach targeting three unexcavated sites (Deh-e Now, Tepe Senjar and Liyan) in Iran, this project aims to investigate Elam at its height during the 2nd millennium B.C. Archaeological excavations will be undertaken over a 5 year period and materials which have rarely received attention ....Elam in the 2nd millennium B.C.: A multi-regional approach. Although it was one of the Near East's most powerful ancient states, Elam has received less scholarly attention than its neighbours. Using an innovative approach targeting three unexcavated sites (Deh-e Now, Tepe Senjar and Liyan) in Iran, this project aims to investigate Elam at its height during the 2nd millennium B.C. Archaeological excavations will be undertaken over a 5 year period and materials which have rarely received attention in the past will be analysed using a wide range of scientific techniques. The project will be the first major investigation of Elam in almost 25 years.Read moreRead less