Clinical And Genetic Modifiers In The Progression To Cirrhosis In Hemochromatosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$68,539.00
Summary
Haemochromatosis is a disease related to a common genetic abnormality leading to progressive iron accumulation in tissues with the potential for liver fibrosis and eventually scarring of the liver. It has been noted that not all patients with haemochromatosis develop scarring of the liver and it is possible that this variation could be due to differences in lifestyle or health factors or alternatively due to genetic variability between patients. The study aims to investigate this further.
Microbiological And Immunological Determinants Of Prolonged Illness Following Q Fever.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$362,036.00
Summary
Q fever is a severe, sometimes life-threatening infection acquired by individuals who work with livestock, particularly abattoir workers. At least 10% of individuals who develop Q fever experience prolonged ill-health in the form of weeks or months of debilitating fatigue, profuse night sweats, headaches, as well as muscle and joint pains. This poorly understood persistent illness is associated with substantial disability and loss of income. This research is based upon an established cohort stud ....Q fever is a severe, sometimes life-threatening infection acquired by individuals who work with livestock, particularly abattoir workers. At least 10% of individuals who develop Q fever experience prolonged ill-health in the form of weeks or months of debilitating fatigue, profuse night sweats, headaches, as well as muscle and joint pains. This poorly understood persistent illness is associated with substantial disability and loss of income. This research is based upon an established cohort study in which subjects with acute, documented Q fever are recruited shortly after the onset of symptoms and followed at regular intervals through to recovery or persistent symptoms. The aim of this research is to determine whether abnormal persistence of the causative organsim of Q fever, Coxiella burnetii, underlies the continued symptoms in those who do not recover promptly from the acute illness. Furthermore, the research is examining the host defense response against the organism via the production of cytokines or immunological hormones, to determine whether these proteins mediate the ongoing symptoms. If confirmed, these hypotheses would lead the way to diagnostic markers for the disorder and a rational treatment strategy.Read moreRead less
Accelerated Telomere Length Attrition Rate In Diabetes And Its Cellular Mechanism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$38,381.00
Summary
I am a PhD in Medicine-University of Sydney. My research focus is about telomere dynamic, its mechanism and correlation between telomere length and diabetes attributes. I will compare telomere length between different diabetes groups & examine telomere regulation in cell culture/animal model to compliment my clinical data. The hypothesis: accelerated telomere shortening may co-segregate with diabetes complications and by preserving telomere we could potentially prevent adverse effect of diabetes
A New Virus Causing Acute Gastroenteritis In Humans
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$575,374.00
Summary
Diarrhoea is very common, especially in children but a cause is often not found. Believing there must be undiscovered viruses responsible, we developed a new method to look for them, and discovered one, which we have named adelavirus, in 17% of children with diarrhoea presenting to the WCH, Adelaide, over a 3 month period. 55% were hospitalised. This project proposes to investigate how widespread adelavirus infection is in the community and investigate how a vaccine might be developed.