Statistical Analysis Of An International 10 Year Prospective Family Study Of Gene-environment Interactions On Risk Of Female Breast Cancer.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,198.00
Summary
This study will provide new and credible information on how the effects of environmental and lifestyle factors on breast cancer risk depend on a woman's underlying genetic susceptibility using a large, international 10 year prospective family study.
Benefits Of Home-based Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation In Non Small Cell Lung Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$581,039.00
Summary
Lung cancer is the third leading cause of death in Australia. People with lung cancer experience a complex mix of symptoms that can provoke significant distress and impair physical function. This study aims to develop and test a home based exercise and self-management support program to increase function and physical activity levels, reduce levels of depression and improve quality of life of people with lung cancer.
A New Function For An Old Enzyme: Src Protein Kinase Directs Excitotoxic Neuronal Death In Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$513,975.00
Summary
In our previous investigation of how brain cells die in patients suffering from stroke, we found that stroke causes aberrant activation of an enzyme called Src in the affected brain cells. Furthermore, this aberrantly activated Src directs the brain cells to undergo cell death. Our proposal, which aims to decipher this neurotoxic mechanism of the aberrantly activated Src will benefit development of new therapeutic strategies to reduce brain damage in stroke patients.
Multicentre Trial Of Calcium Channel Blocker Versus Calcium Channel Blocker Plus Cox2 Inhibitor In Preterm Labour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$644,130.00
Summary
Preterm birth is a major problem in our society, and has enormous consequences for parents and children. It also has a major impact on scarce financial resources. When women present in preterm labor, current therapies have only limited success in stopping contractions and postponing birth. They have not been shown to reduce the rates of the serious neonatal problems associated with prematurity. This project will be coordinated in Newcastle, N.S.W., and will involve major perinatal centres throug ....Preterm birth is a major problem in our society, and has enormous consequences for parents and children. It also has a major impact on scarce financial resources. When women present in preterm labor, current therapies have only limited success in stopping contractions and postponing birth. They have not been shown to reduce the rates of the serious neonatal problems associated with prematurity. This project will be coordinated in Newcastle, N.S.W., and will involve major perinatal centres throughout Australia, along with overseas centres. It will test a new combination of drugs for their ability to postpone delivery in women presenting with preterm labour. It is postulated that the combination of drugs will be more effective than existing therapies. The drugs used in the trial are Nifedipine and Rofecoxib. Complications of prematurity include neonatal death, cerebral palsy, visual and hearing impairment, and chronic lung disease. These complications are most significant in extremely premature infants - in particular, those under 28 weeks gestation at the time of their delivery. For this reason, the study will focus only on women presenting in labour below 28 weeks. The ability to stop labour is important, but the main aim of any treatment for preterm labour is to reduce the rates of neonatal death and handicap. Babies born to women enrolled in this study will be followed for a period of one year after birth to assess their outcomes. It is our hypothesis that the combination of Rofecoxib and Nifedipine will result in lower rates of death and handicap in babies than Nifedipine alone. In addition, we will examine the rates of side effects in women receiving therapy. Currently used therapies, including intravenous ventolin, have high rates of maternal side effects. Nifedipine and Rofecoxib have both been shown to have low rates of maternal side effects.Read moreRead less
A Community-based Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial In Rural Bangladesh To Evaluate The Impact Of The Use Of Iron/folic Acid Supplements Early In Pregnancy On The Risk Of Neonatal MortalityBACKGROUND An Effective Program Of Antenatal Iron/folic Ac
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,564,922.00
Summary
This community-based trial in rural Bangladesh will determine if iron/folic acid supplementation commencing in the first trimester of pregnancy significantly reduces newborn deaths, and whether this approach is cost-effective. This trial has the potential to inform international public health policy about the importance of starting antenatal iron/folic acid supplementation early to improve neonatal survival, and to help countries reach their child survival Millennium Development Goal
Brain Protection: A new therapeutic approach for Multiple Sclerosis In Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain. The immune attacks destroy myelin, the protective coat around electrical cables in the brain (demyelination). Current treatments for MS are only partially effective, and work by reducing the number and severity of these attacks. However, MS-related permanent disability in the majority of sufferers is due to the development of progressive MS, and current ....Brain Protection: A new therapeutic approach for Multiple Sclerosis In Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain. The immune attacks destroy myelin, the protective coat around electrical cables in the brain (demyelination). Current treatments for MS are only partially effective, and work by reducing the number and severity of these attacks. However, MS-related permanent disability in the majority of sufferers is due to the development of progressive MS, and current therapies do not reduce this progression. It is believed that one major cause of this permanent disability is permanent myelin loss. Interestingly, we have already shown that the growth factor LIF is made by the body during MS-like inflammation, and that it limits damage by directly protecting myelin-producing cells. However, the bodies own LIF production during inflammation is sub-maximal, because myelin protection can be enhanced by giving additional therapeutic LIF. This suggests that (1) The brain produces a defence response to harmful inflammation and that (2) This defence response can be enhanced therapeutically. We therefore want to define exactly how LIF enhances myelin survival. We have measured the response to LIF in myelin-producing cells, and have discovered that it strongly stimulates the production of the small protein galanin. We will now assess if galanin itself protects myelin and myelin-producing cells, and we will test this both in isolated cells and whole animal models. If galanin production is a major mechanism by which the body tries to limit the damage from abnormal inflammation during MS, then medications that mimic the action of galanin (which are already under development for different reasons) could become a major new therapy for Multiple Sclerosis.Read moreRead less