Evaluation Of Rehabilitation Strategies For Prospective Memory In Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$213,950.00
Summary
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting from motor vehicle accidents and other mishaps is a leading cause of death and disability in young adults. Memory problems is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms reported by people with TBI. Traditionally, the treatment of memory problems has focussed on retrospective memory or the ability to recall or recognise previously learned information (e.g., remembering the name of a person, recalling the content of yesterday's news stories). Little res ....Traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting from motor vehicle accidents and other mishaps is a leading cause of death and disability in young adults. Memory problems is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms reported by people with TBI. Traditionally, the treatment of memory problems has focussed on retrospective memory or the ability to recall or recognise previously learned information (e.g., remembering the name of a person, recalling the content of yesterday's news stories). Little research has been conducted on problems with another type of memory called prospective memory or the ability to remember to do something in the future (e.g., remembering to attend an appointment, remembering to pay a bill before its due date). The treatment of prospective memory problems in people with TBI is, however, very important for assisting them to return to work and successful integration into the community. This is because the ability to remember to do things at the right time is essential for work and for independent living. In addition, failure to treat this type of problems can be risky or even life threatening (e.g., forgetting to take medication, forgetting to turn off an electrical appliance). This project aims to evaluate the independent and combined effectiveness of two rehabilitation strategies, namely, promoting awareness of memory problems and adopting compensatory strategies. In addition, this project aims to gauge whether a better management of prospective memory problem will lead to better functioning in the community.Read moreRead less
A link between periodontal disease, inflammation of the gums, and cardiovascular disease has been suggested in recent studies, however the evidence remains uncertain. Supporting the link are data that inflammation predisposes to atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Patients in the PERICAR study will have blood tests before and after periodontal treatment so that researchers can study whether treatment reduces factors in the blood that have previously been shown to indicate the risk of cardiovascul ....A link between periodontal disease, inflammation of the gums, and cardiovascular disease has been suggested in recent studies, however the evidence remains uncertain. Supporting the link are data that inflammation predisposes to atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Patients in the PERICAR study will have blood tests before and after periodontal treatment so that researchers can study whether treatment reduces factors in the blood that have previously been shown to indicate the risk of cardiovascular disease. This study will provide further clues to this potentially very important and treatable relationship.Read moreRead less
The Australian Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes And Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$489,749.00
Summary
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a form of home dialysis that is both substantially cheaper and associated with better early survival than standard hospital-based haemodialysis. Its use in Australia has been severely limited by poor outcomes compared to the rest of the world. This international study aims to identify “real world” PD centre practices that will lead to better outcomes for Australian patients, greater uptake of home dialysis and health savings of tens of millions of dollars annually.
Establishment Of A Latrobe Valley Power Industry Cohort And Biospecimen Bank For The Study Of Asbestos Related Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$614,466.00
Summary
The Latrobe Valley has been the site of Victoria�s electricity generation since the 1920�s. Very large amounts of asbestos were used in the construction of power stations and housing for the workers employed to build and operate them. Asbestos is known to cause a tumour of the lining of the lung cavity called mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a highly debilitating tumour, with a median survival as low as seven months following diagnosis. Mesothelioma can occur in asbestos exposed individuals up to f ....The Latrobe Valley has been the site of Victoria�s electricity generation since the 1920�s. Very large amounts of asbestos were used in the construction of power stations and housing for the workers employed to build and operate them. Asbestos is known to cause a tumour of the lining of the lung cavity called mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a highly debilitating tumour, with a median survival as low as seven months following diagnosis. Mesothelioma can occur in asbestos exposed individuals up to forty years following exposure, and as such, the peak number of cases of mesothelioma is not expected in Australia for another 10-20 years. The incidence of mesothelioma in the Latrobe Valley is several fold the state average. We will recruit a cohort of 5000 asbestos exposed former power industry workers, and provide information, support and smoking cessation campaigns. For 1000 of the most highly exposed we will offer annual testing for mesothelin, a protein in the blood which may indicate the presence of mesothelioma prior to a clinical diagnosis.Read moreRead less
Translation Of Glaucoma Blindness Genes To Improve Clinical Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$856,795.00
Summary
Glaucoma is a common cause of irreversible blindness. It is currently difficult to predict which patients with the earliest signs of glaucoma will develop blinding stages of the disease. This study will investigate how genes and eye measurements can be used to predict the risk of developing severe glaucoma in people with early signs of disease. This will ensure that high risk individuals can access treatment early, while those at low risk can be spared unnecessary treatment and seen less often.
Gene Tests For Predicting Risk Of Developing Glaucoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$956,020.00
Summary
Glaucoma is a common cause of blindness. It is currently difficult to predict which patients with the earliest signs of glaucoma will go on to develop the blinding stages of the disease. This study will investigate how genes and othe eye measurements can be used to predict risk of developing glaucoma in people with early signs of disease.