Glutathione Transferase Zeta: A Novel Regulator Of Glucose And Lipid Metabolism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$604,143.00
Summary
Obesity is a problem of global significance as a cause of preventable illness and death. The many consequences of obesity including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and osteoarthritis are an increasing burden on affected subjects and on the health care system. Our recent studies have revealed a novel pathway for the regulation of obesity. This discovery has provided a new target for the development of drugs for obesity and related disorders.
CAM Use Among Mid-age Women: A National Mixed-methods Study Across The Urban-rural Divide
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$452,251.00
Summary
The aim of this project is to understand and explain why higher proportions of mid-age women in regional areas use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) than those in urban areas of Australia. Such work will provide an evidence-base for policy and practice on this topic and the project findings will help develop CAM initiatives and programs for women’s health that are sensitive to geographical variations in community health, health practice and provision. Women are significantly more like ....The aim of this project is to understand and explain why higher proportions of mid-age women in regional areas use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) than those in urban areas of Australia. Such work will provide an evidence-base for policy and practice on this topic and the project findings will help develop CAM initiatives and programs for women’s health that are sensitive to geographical variations in community health, health practice and provision. Women are significantly more likely to utilise CAM treatments than males and mid-age women have been found to be the highest CAM user group amongst Australian women. Researchers and practitioners have identified treatments from within CAM as potentially well-suited to dealing with a range of health problems and associated symptoms prevalent amongst mid-age women including the onset of cancer, arthritis, diabetes and asthma as well as menopause. Our previous pilot work found that mid-age women in regional areas are significantly more likely to use CAM than those in urban areas. A number of explanations as to why this is so can be or have been proposed. These include: limited access to conventional health care services in regional areas; closer working ties between non-urban general practitioners and CAM provision; dissatisfaction with conventional health care services in regional areas and stronger informal community networks in nonurban areas. Our proposed project, drawing upon a national representative sample of mid-age women will test such hypotheses and will provide findings of benefit and interest to policy makers, practitioners, consumers and all involved in women’s health and health care across urban and regional Australia.Read moreRead less
Development Of A Serum Based Test For Aggressive Prostate Cancer.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$144,950.00
Summary
Prostate cancer is relatively slow growing, taking decades to reach clinical significance. A critical phase in the progression of prostate cancer is the transformation from latent (or dormant) to aggressive tumours; hence the saying that many men die with prostate cancer, rather than of prostate cancer. We aim to develop a test utilising inhibin-activin proteins as surrogate markers of aggressive disease based on our previous studies of a significant correlation between the expression of inhibin ....Prostate cancer is relatively slow growing, taking decades to reach clinical significance. A critical phase in the progression of prostate cancer is the transformation from latent (or dormant) to aggressive tumours; hence the saying that many men die with prostate cancer, rather than of prostate cancer. We aim to develop a test utilising inhibin-activin proteins as surrogate markers of aggressive disease based on our previous studies of a significant correlation between the expression of inhibins in tissues from men with high grade prostate cancer. This study aims to validate the correlation using serum rather than a tissue based assay.Read moreRead less