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Impaired Stepping As A Risk Factor For Falls In Older People
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$564,727.00
Summary
Stepping is often the last protective option to prevent a fall. This study will investigate stepping responses as a risk factor for falls. Complementary studies of physiological and psychological contributions to stepping will also be conducted. A path model will be used to examine the relative importance of physiological, psychological and behvioural factors. An exercise program to imrpove stepping responses will be trialed. Findings will inform future interventions for preventing falls.
A reduced capacity to recover balance following an imbalance episode contributes to the high incidence of falls in older adults. The goal of the present study is to determine how age-related differences in lower extremity neuromuscular and biomechanical properties are related to balance recovery capacity and falls incidence. A detailed understanding of this relationship is necessary for the development of efficacious exercise-based interventions for the prevention of falls.
Development Of A Novel Intervention For Training Stepping Ability To Reduce The Risk Of Falls In Older Adults.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,393.00
Summary
Stepping is often the last protective option to prevent a fall. This study will first modify and validate an interactive system for training stepping ability in older adults. The system will be also provide the capability of acquiring indeices of stepping ability in the home. We will investigate the effect of an in-home training program using this system on stepping ability and falls risk. Findings will inform future interventions for preventing falls.
The Role Of Dysferlin In Muscular Dystrophy And Skeletal Muscle Membrane Repair.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,667.00
Summary
Patients who lack the protein dysferlin have muscular dystrophy. These patients are unable to repair their muscle membranes, which get damaged during normal activities. A defect in membrane repair is a new pathway implicated in the muscular dystrophies, and it is likely that other patients will also have defective muscle membrane repair. We will find out how dysferlin mediates its role in membrane repair, and identify other dysferlin-interacting proteins, as these may also underlie disease.
Alpha-synuclein Metabolism In Human Neurodegenerative Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$381,430.00
Summary
Alpha-synuclein is an abundant brain protein of unknown function. Gene mutations have been linked to rare cases with inherited Parkinson s disease. Now this protein is believed to play an important role in all forms of Parkinson s disease, Lewy body dementia, and multiple system atrophy. These diseases are designated as synucleinopathies to emphasize the potential importance of alpha-synuclein in these disease. Recent studies suggest alpha-synuclein may also contribute to many other human diseas ....Alpha-synuclein is an abundant brain protein of unknown function. Gene mutations have been linked to rare cases with inherited Parkinson s disease. Now this protein is believed to play an important role in all forms of Parkinson s disease, Lewy body dementia, and multiple system atrophy. These diseases are designated as synucleinopathies to emphasize the potential importance of alpha-synuclein in these disease. Recent studies suggest alpha-synuclein may also contribute to many other human diseases, including Alzheimer s disease. The reason how and why alpha-synuclein is involved in so many human neurological diseases is not clear. We recently discovered that alpha-synuclein in normal human brain exists in multiple form of N-terminal fragments, presumably generated through certain endogenous enzymes. These cleaved products are markedly increased in Parkinson s disease. Studies by other groups suggest alpha-synuclein and fragments may be released to the cerebrospinal fluids. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that alpha-synuclein is modified by specific enzymes in neurons and released. This is probably a normal alpha-synuclein metabolic pathway whose homeostasis may be, for reasons yet to be understood, altered in synucleinopathies. Similar mechanism may be also involved in other common diseases in which the protein is believed to play a role. This project aims to elucidate the potential role of alpha-synuclein metabolism in Parkinson s and related diseases by examining alpha-synuclein metabolites in the brains affected by these diseases. Results from this grant will provide new information about alpha-synuclein metabolism in neurons, new insights into the mechanistic involvement of alpha-synuclein in these neurodegenerative diseases. Antibody reagents generated from this study may be valuable in neuropathological and clinical assessment of changes in synucleinopathies.Read moreRead less
Defintion Of Dystrophin Functional Domains According To Exon Boundaries To Optimise Splice Switching Therapies For DMD
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$520,765.00
Summary
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a relentlessly progressive muscle wasting disorder, with a predictable outcome and no effective treatment. Splice manipulation has the potential to reduce the severity of the disease, improve the quality of life for patients and reduce health care costs. The definition of dystrophin functional domains according to exon boundaries will allow the most effective treatment strategies for each mutation to be developed.
Predicting Health And Disease In Australian Men Over The Age Of 80 Years - The Health In Men Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$528,754.00
Summary
Australia is ageing rapidly but we still do not know whether the risk factors, such as health and lifestyle, that predict ill health in middle aged people, apply to people as they reach old age. This study of a large group of older men will examine the type and level of risk factors that apply to men aged beyond 75 years. It will not only determine rates of disability and mortality but also health service outcomes, including hospitalisation, and residential and community care usage.
Targeting Beta-adrenergic Signalling To Improve Muscle Regeneration In Muscular Dystrophy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$473,224.00
Summary
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy, caused by a lack of a protein called dystrophin. Dystrophic muscles are fragile, prone to injury, and have a compromised ability to regenerate after damage. Modulating pathways regulating beta-adrenergic signalling has potential to attenuate the dystrophic pathology and to delay the onset or slow the progression of the muscle wasting and weakness in muscular dystrophy.
Molecular And Cellular Basis For Muscle Regeneration In Zebrafish.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$541,104.00
Summary
Muscle repair occurs via the use of muscle stem cells, which provide skeletal muscle with its regenerative capacity. Muscle stem cells are particularly important in muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophies where muscle regeneration is an important factor in disease progression. We will identify the processes controlling muscle regeneration utilising zebrafish as a model organism. We hope this research will lead to an understanding of how muscle stem cells are generated.