I will determine the efficacy and safety of crystalloid resuscitation fluids in conventional models of care. This is a fundamental and unresolved question in Intensive Care Medicine and will have an impact on clinical practice worldwide. I will also consolidate and enhance a series of projects to provide the next generation of clinician-researchers with high-quality research opportunities. These include projects in sepsis, traumatic brain injury, and endocrine function in critical illness.
Anabolic Steroids: The Emergent Public Health Threat Facing Australian Boys And Men
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Steroid use is a growing public health threat with devastating health consequences for boys and men. In response, we will investigate i) how steroid use develops among high-school boys, and ii) the experience of steroid use among current steroid users. Findings will inform models of how steroid use develops, help prevention and treatment efforts, and help to change the thinness- and female-centric criteria for diagnosing eating disorders to better accommodate males and muscularity.
Development And Application Of A Novel Ultrasensitive LC-MS Estradiol Assay
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$240,400.00
Summary
This project will develop a new ultrasensitive method using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to measure extremely low level of circulating estrogens in the bloodstream especially in mice. This will allow for the first time the ability to study the natural regulation of fertility in mice and other sub-primate mammals for which the present assay methods are not adequate.
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.
Delineating The Role Of Fludrocortisone And Hydrocortisone In The Management Of Patients With Septic Shock
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$553,664.00
Summary
Sepsis and septic shock are leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. Steroids have been used to treat septic shock for decades. Two new trials, one using hydrocortisone vs. placebo and another using hydrocortisone plus fludrocortisone vs. placebo have produced differing results, with fludrocortisone possibly conferring a mortality benefit. My Program will investigate this evidence gap by providing critical evidence for the design and execution of a future definitive trial.
Sepsis is a major cause of hospitalization and ICU admission in Australia population corresponding to more than 15700 new cases each year. Every year more than 3000 people die from sepsis in Australia which is greater than the annual national road toll and breast, prostate or colorectal cancer. The research outlined in this proposal to study the effect of steroids and vitamin D to improve patient’s recovery from sepsis and also understand the genetic basis behind their ability to survive sepsis.
Obesity ensues when calorie intake exceeds energy expended. Hitherto, up-regulating energy expenditure is a relatively unexplored avenue. This project will address 3 facets of energy expenditure (fat, muscle and neural control). Understanding how sex and steroids act in concert to regulate energy expenditure will pave the way towards developing novel anti-obesity agents. This work will delineate mechanisms that underpin gender differences in the regulation of body weight.