Effects Of The Fatty Acid, Lauric Acid, On Energy Intake And Gut Motor And Hormonal Function In Health And Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$744,645.00
Summary
Obesity is largely due to energy intake exceeding energy expenditure, thus, strategies that reduce energy intake will result in weight loss. We discovered recently that the fatty acid, lauric acid, markedly reduces energy intake. Our studies will determine the effects of lauric acid on energy intake and body weight reduction in obese subjects. The research is a new initiative and explores the potential of lauric acid as a novel, nutrient-based and side-effect free approach to obesity management.
The Role Of Arousal And Diaphragm Displacement In The Pathogenesis Of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$410,875.00
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 4% of men and causes excessive daytime sleepiness leading to increased accidents, high blood pressure and premature cardiovascular disease e.g. heart attacks and strokes. OSA is characterized by repetitive obstructions of the floppy portion of the throat during sleep with adverse effects on oxygen levels and sleep quality. OSA is strongly associated with obesity and is 2-3 times more common in men than women. How obesity and male gender predispose to OSA is ....Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 4% of men and causes excessive daytime sleepiness leading to increased accidents, high blood pressure and premature cardiovascular disease e.g. heart attacks and strokes. OSA is characterized by repetitive obstructions of the floppy portion of the throat during sleep with adverse effects on oxygen levels and sleep quality. OSA is strongly associated with obesity and is 2-3 times more common in men than women. How obesity and male gender predispose to OSA is not known. We will investigate two factors that we believe are most likely involved in causing and explaining this gender difference in OSA. We will examine if breathing responses with brief awakening are sufficient to promote OSA patterns of breathing in snorers and if they are greater in male than female OSA patients. We have already shown that healthy men have greater breathing response to arousal compared to women. These brief arousals occur hundreds of times a night in OSA patients, and over-breathing on arousal may increase the probability of upper airway obstruction on falling back to sleep. We will also investigate why even healthy men show greater breathing responses compared to women. Men tend to accumulate fat centrally, particularly in the abdomen, whereas in women fat tends to be distributed more to the hips and thighs. This could be very important in OSA because downward pull exerted on the upper airway by the diaphragm is likely to be reduced in people with more abdominal obesity. This mechanisms has not yet been studied in humans. We will therefore investigate if increased forces placed on the diaphragm during sleep make the upper airway more prone to collapse. We will also investigate these effects during sleep onset, when there may well be important changes in diaphragm position as muscles relax.Read moreRead less
We will seek to address an important clinical problem in orthpaedics, namely the bone loss that commonly occurs around joint replacement prostheses. Termed peri-prosthetic osteolysis (PO), this bone loss can result in the loosening and ultimate failure and need for revision of the artificial joint components. PO is thought to be caused by the body's reaction to wear particles generated from the articulating surface of the prosthesis. However, it has not previously been possible to accurately exp ....We will seek to address an important clinical problem in orthpaedics, namely the bone loss that commonly occurs around joint replacement prostheses. Termed peri-prosthetic osteolysis (PO), this bone loss can result in the loosening and ultimate failure and need for revision of the artificial joint components. PO is thought to be caused by the body's reaction to wear particles generated from the articulating surface of the prosthesis. However, it has not previously been possible to accurately explore the relationship between prothesis wear and PO, or the progression of PO, because of a lack of techniques to image and measure the volume of PO around metal prosthesis components. We have developed a means to accurately and reproducibly measure the volume of bone loss, using CT, and will do so longitudinally in joint replacement patients to obtain the first information about the progression of PO. New computer based methods will be used concurrently to relate prosthesis wear and migration parameters to PO. Patients who come to surgery for replacement of failed prostheses will be investigated further by analysis of the tissues involved in the bone loss around prostheses. Basic science experiments will seek to understand the underlying causes of PO and the findings will be important in interpreting the clinical results. An animal model will be used to seek approaches to inhibiting the pathological response to wear particles. The significance of these studies is that they will lead to improved outcomes for joint replacement patients, increasing the interval to revision surgery, which is both extremely costly and brings an attendant morbidity and mortality.Read moreRead less
An investigation into performance characteristics of elite male and female soccer players in training and competition environments. The aim of the project is to identify critical determinants of soccer performance that will improve preparation of Australian teams for international competition. Three studies are proposed. Study One will utilize a decade of physical performance and anthropometric data on male and female soccer players at the Australian Institute of Sport to identify physical perfo ....An investigation into performance characteristics of elite male and female soccer players in training and competition environments. The aim of the project is to identify critical determinants of soccer performance that will improve preparation of Australian teams for international competition. Three studies are proposed. Study One will utilize a decade of physical performance and anthropometric data on male and female soccer players at the Australian Institute of Sport to identify physical performance standards characteristic of elite players. Study Two will comprise match analyses to delineate crucial physical, technical and tactical aspects of individual and team performance. Study three will identify characteristics specific to elite goalkeepers that may be used for monitoring responses to training and competition.Read moreRead less
The effect of aerial spraying of two pesticides on semi-arid grasslands. The project will investigate how two pesticides, fipronil and metarrhizium, used to control locusts, affect semi-arid ecosystems by examining impacts on invertebrates, their predators, lizards and soil processes. The effects will be followed through time in a large scale experiment to determine recovery and compare each pesticide.
The Role Of Respiratory And Upper Airway Neural Control In Sleep Disordered Breathing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$346,018.00
Summary
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a disorder associated with snoring. It affects 4% of adult men and causes excessive daytime sleepiness leading to increased accidents, high blood pressure and premature cardiovascular disease eg. heart attacks and strokes. Patients with OSA obstruct the floppy portion of the upper airway (UA) during sleep and consequently experience frequent episodes of oxygen deprivation as well as sleep fragmentation. OSA is at least 2-3 times more common in men than women. Whi ....Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a disorder associated with snoring. It affects 4% of adult men and causes excessive daytime sleepiness leading to increased accidents, high blood pressure and premature cardiovascular disease eg. heart attacks and strokes. Patients with OSA obstruct the floppy portion of the upper airway (UA) during sleep and consequently experience frequent episodes of oxygen deprivation as well as sleep fragmentation. OSA is at least 2-3 times more common in men than women. While OSA patients seem, on average, to have smaller upper airways than normal subjects, the cause of OSA cannot be attributed to this factor alone. For example, a small UA cannot explain the male tendency for OSA. Abnormalities in breathing control or the control of upper airway muscles that normally hold the airway open might also be important in OSA. Men have previously been shown to have a greater increase in UA resistance during sleep than women, consistent with the idea that a gender difference in UA muscle control partly explains why more men than women have OSA. We aim to investigate how changes in breathing and UA dilator muscle control might lead to unstable patterns of breathing and to OSA. We propose that protective UA muscle reflexes are reduced during sleep more in men than women, and are reduced by low blood oxygen levels and alcohol (a known aggravator of sleep apnea). We further propose that low blood oxygen levels not only result from OSA but may also aggravate OSA by preferentially reducing the activity of UA dilating muscles, by making breathing patterns overall less stable and by depressing the ability of subjects to arouse from sleep to an airway blockage. We believe that this tendency to decrease UA activity may be exaggerated in OSA patients. We also propose that men are more vulnerable to the deleterious effects of low oxygen than women. We will also examine if men and snorers have exaggerated breathing responses on arousal from sleep.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Arousal And Respiratory Control Factors In The Pathogenesis Of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$567,924.00
Summary
Sleep apnoea (OSA) is a very common breathing disorder in sleep characterized by repetitive closure of the collapsible portion of the throat with serious effects on sleep quality and health. Basic causes of OSA are still largely unknown. We will investigate waking responses to breathing load and related respiratory control factors that we believe may be fundamental causes of OSA, and potentially explain many features of OSA including worsening in light sleep and with increasing age.
The Role Of Osteocytes In Particle Induced Osteolysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,196.00
Summary
Hip replacements often fail due to the loss of adjacent bone. Metal or polyethylene particles are produced as the prosthesis bearing surface wears but how do these particles lead to bone loss? Our work suggests involvement of osteocytes within the bone mineral, which are increasingly understood to drive bone physiology and pathology. We will explore the role of the osteocytes by examining their response to particles, which may identify a new target to prevent particle-induced bone loss.
The Risks And Benefits Of Contemporary Total Hip Replacement
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,530.00
Summary
The number of hip replacements undertaken in Australia is steadily increasing. The most common complications of hip replacements are dislocation and loosening due to bone loss around the implant, requiring complex and expensive revision surgery. This study will investigate the incidence of dislocation and, using a new diagnostic imaging technique, the incidence and amount of bone loss around a relatively new prosthetic material, the outcomes of which are not known despite its increasing use.
Characterising Post Stroke Neuroplasticity In Humans – Identifying A Critical Window For Rehabilitation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$764,419.00
Summary
Despite major investment in care for stroke patients, almost all have persisting disability. Stroke causes loss of brain cells that cannot be replaced. Some recovery is possible through compensatory mechanisms. In addition, intact cells around the stroke undergo growth that is critical for recovery. Animal studies suggest these changes take place in a “critical window” after stroke. Applying therapies in this window should improve outcomes. We will use novel approaches to define the “critical wi ....Despite major investment in care for stroke patients, almost all have persisting disability. Stroke causes loss of brain cells that cannot be replaced. Some recovery is possible through compensatory mechanisms. In addition, intact cells around the stroke undergo growth that is critical for recovery. Animal studies suggest these changes take place in a “critical window” after stroke. Applying therapies in this window should improve outcomes. We will use novel approaches to define the “critical window” in patients after strokeRead moreRead less