Perinatal Stress Leads To Neurosteroid Deficits And Adverse Behavioural Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,198,042.00
Summary
This grant will examine the effect of psychosocial stress experienced after birth on the production and regulation of steroid hormones in the brain of newborn animals. The work will investigate how stress changes the levels these brain steroids and sensitivity to them and if these effects are remain into adulthood. The studies will then determine if these changes lead to adolescent behaviour disorders. The effectiveness of steroid therapies in treating these disorders will also be determined.
Is Placental Aging The Key To Understanding, Predicting And Preventing Stillbirth?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$473,861.00
Summary
Stillbirth occurs in 35 times as many pregnancies as sudden infant death but the causes are unknown. This project will help to develop tests that can predict the risk of stillbirth so that the obstetrician can deliver the baby before it dies. The investigators hypothesise that stillbirth is due to aging of the placenta and that markers of the aging placenta can be detected in the mother’s blood. The project brings together experts in the placenta, aging and obstetric care of high risk pregnancy.
The Treatment Of BOoking Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Study: The TOBOGM Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,197,280.00
Summary
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) related pregnancy complications are reduced with treatment from 24-28 weeks pregnant. Many women are diagnosed/treated earlier without evidence of benefit and possible risk of harm. In TOBOGM women under 20 weeks pregnant with mildly raised blood glucose will be allocated by chance to either immediate treatment, or awaiting a repeat diabetes test at 24-28 weeks pregnant to decide treatment. Harmful and beneficial effects on mother and baby will be compared.
Epigenetic Regulation Of Inflammatory Genes In The Fetal Membranes: Role In Term And Preterm Birth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$468,534.00
Summary
Preterm birth is the leading cause of death among newborns and the biggest contributor to disability among infants. Here we propose research to define the mechanism that controls the length of pregnancy and is disrupted in preterm birth. Specifically, we will determine what causes the repression of the labour-promoting inflammatory genes in the uterus during pregnancy and what activates them at labour. We will identify new targets for interventions to block or prevent preterm birth.
Premature Mortality Post Fracture:A NSW Linked Data Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$391,012.00
Summary
Osteoporotic fractures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Anti-osteoporosis medications reduce re-fracture and possibly morality, yet osteoporosis is poorly treated. This study will link information from >260,000 people (45&Up study) with hospital admissions, medications and deaths to create the largest, detailed dataset of its kind. We will be able to determine cause of any fracture-associated mortality and the effect of medication to improve osteoporosis management.
Fundamental flaws in the design and reporting of research outcomes can undermine evidence-based medicine, impede patient-centred care, cause harm to patients, and result in a waste of research dollars. Our 3-year multinational project engages with patients, caregivers, clinicians, researchers and policy makers, to establish core outcomes in haemodialysis. This will ensure that patient-centred outcomes are consistently measured and reported in haemodialysis trials and other forms of research.
An Australasian, Multi-centre, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial Of The Efficacy Of Fluoxetine In Improving Functional Recovery After Acute Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,306,367.00
Summary
Stroke is one of the top three causes of disability. Treatments that improve recovery after stroke are lacking. We reviewed the world literature and found a number of very small studies which, together, suggest that the antidepressant drug, fluoxetine, may improve the recovery in stroke patients. AFFINITY is a large trial in 1600 Australians and New Zealanders with stroke which aims to find out whether taking fluoxetine for 6 months after a stroke improves recovery compared to a placebo.
How The Placental Protein Syncytin Impairs Maternal Immune Responses To Influenza
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$609,862.00
Summary
Pregnant women are known to be highly susceptible to certain viral infections, especially influenza, which results in severe illness and even death. The reason for this transitory susceptibility are unknown. We have found that a protein, Syncytin, has the ability to impair maternal immune responses to influenza We now will determine how it does this and discover potential interventions to reverse these effects.
Disrupted Neurosteroid Synthesis Mediates The Adverse Effects Of Prenatal Stress
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$695,973.00
Summary
Maternal anxiety and related stress in pregnancy influences the fetus causing developmental changes that adversely affect the offspring leading to behavioural problems in childhood. However, mechanisms which transfer maternal changes to the fetus are unclear. We propose that disruption of the fetal-placental neurosteroid system is a major link. We will identify the deficits in this system caused by maternal stress and then examine therapies to reverse these disruptions.
Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis: Long Term Outcomes, Systemic And Airway Predictors Of Recurrence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$804,405.00
Summary
Our study will determine the long term clinical outcomes of children with protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB), a common cause of chronic cough in children. We will also conduct novel experiments that were pioneered in Australia to evaluate recurrent PBB.