Transdermal Testosterone Therapy: A Potential Treatment For Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI)-associated Sexual Dysfunction In Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$241,351.00
Summary
Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is frequently reported with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy and venlafaxine, these being the most common antidepressants used by Australian women. We have shown that testosterone therapy significantly improves sexual function in women with FSD. However SSRI-users have been excluded from these past studies. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of transdermal testosterone therapy for treatment of sexual dysfunction associated with SS ....Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is frequently reported with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy and venlafaxine, these being the most common antidepressants used by Australian women. We have shown that testosterone therapy significantly improves sexual function in women with FSD. However SSRI-users have been excluded from these past studies. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of transdermal testosterone therapy for treatment of sexual dysfunction associated with SSRI therapy.Read moreRead less
Molecular Regulation Of CRH Gene Expression In The Human Placenta
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$70,285.00
Summary
Approximately 70% of infant death is a result of premature birth. Preterm delivery occurs in 6-10% of pregnancies, and there has been no reduction in this rate in the last 30 years. This is largely because we remain ignorant of how normal and preterm birth is controlled. Understanding the physiology of human pregnancy is a critical step in the development of ways to detect and prevent preterm birth. Our group has demonstrated a link between production of a hormone (corticotropin releasing hormon ....Approximately 70% of infant death is a result of premature birth. Preterm delivery occurs in 6-10% of pregnancies, and there has been no reduction in this rate in the last 30 years. This is largely because we remain ignorant of how normal and preterm birth is controlled. Understanding the physiology of human pregnancy is a critical step in the development of ways to detect and prevent preterm birth. Our group has demonstrated a link between production of a hormone (corticotropin releasing hormone, CRH) in the placenta and the length of time the baby is carried in the mother. In women who will deliver prematurely the rise in CRH production occurs earlier and more rapidly, while in women who deliver late the rise occurs more slowly. This work has led to the concept of a biological clock that determines the length of time the fetus will be carried by the mother before birth, and in which production of CRH in the placenta plays a central role. We have been studying how the CRH gene is controlled in placental cells. We have discovered some regions in the DNA of the CRH gene which have important roles in controlling how much CRH is made by the placenta. The experiments described in this project will determine the molecular mechanisms that control the production of CRH in the human placenta. This will be done by examining the DNA sequences involved in controlling the CRH gene and by identifying the proteins that actually perform the regulating functions that result in either increased or decreased amounts of CRH being produced by the placenta. This important information will help us better understand how normal and preterm birth is controlled, and from that knowledge new ways to detect and prevent premature birth can be developed.Read moreRead less
Alpha-2-Macroglobulin And The Transport And Uptake Of The Hormone, Hepcidin
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$533,541.00
Summary
Hepcidin is a peptide hormone that is a major regulator of iron metabolism. It has been suggested that hepcidin is free in the blood. However, we recently identified that hepcidin binds with alpha-2-macroglobulin (a2-M) in the plasma and this increases the efficacy of this peptide. The demonstration that a2-M plays a role in hepcidin biology will lead to a better understanding of hepcidin physiology, the development of methods for its measurement and improved treatment of iron related diseases.
Identification Of Heterogeneity In Vasodilator Function In Human And Rat Resistance Vessels: Potential Drug Targets?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$595,330.00
Summary
The balance between the ways that blood vessels decrease in size (constrict) and increase in size (dilate) determine how blood vessels normally function. There are many differences in the ways that blood vessels control this balance in different parts of the body. Such differences are altered in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in obesity, such that constriction generally outweighs dilation. However, what these differences are and how they occur are not w ....The balance between the ways that blood vessels decrease in size (constrict) and increase in size (dilate) determine how blood vessels normally function. There are many differences in the ways that blood vessels control this balance in different parts of the body. Such differences are altered in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in obesity, such that constriction generally outweighs dilation. However, what these differences are and how they occur are not well understood. While current drugs for treating vascular disease either reduce vessel constriction or increase dilation, they are not specific for individual arteries; a situation that would allow us to control vascular diseases in a very specific manner. Recently, we have described differences between the ways that individual vessels are controlled. These changes relate to differences in the way that different vessels dilate. AIMS - To further understand normal blood vessel function and the changes that occur in blood vessels in cardiovascular disease, with a focus on the ways that blood vessels dilate in normal states and in obesity-related diseases, such as in hypertension and diabetes. - The eventual aim is to identify the specific ways that arteries function, so that artery-specific drug targets can be identified to treat disease-related changes in cardiovascular disease in a very specific manner. EXPECTED OUTCOMES This project will contribute to understanding blood vessel function in health and disease. The expected eventual outcome is the identification of the mechanisms that underlie the function of different arteries in different parts of the body, so that specific individual vessel function can be targeted to treat vascular disease. Additionally, this work will also verify the relevance of the diet-induced obesity animal model, in terms of the characteristics and causes of human obesity and related cardiovascular disease.Read moreRead less
A Trial Of A Multidisciplinary, Group Based Intervention To Meet The Needs Of Men With Prostate Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,285.00
Summary
This study will test an innovative approach to meeting the physical and psychosocial needs of men with early stage prostate cancer using a randomised controlled trial. This novel approach involves a combination of individual and group-based consultations which encourages peer-to-peer support, promotes self-care and enhances appropriate multidisciplinary referrals and communication. It provides a new model of care for patients with chronic diseases that can be translated into clinical practice.
Optimal Duration Of Neoadjuvant Androgen Deprivation Therapy In Localised Prostate Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$275,000.00
Summary
Each year approximately 8000 men in Australia and New Zealand develop prostate cancer which has not spread widely and which is amenable to attempted cure by surgery or radiation. Prostate cancer depends for its growth on the male hormone, testosterone, which circulates in the blood. As a result treatment which reduces testosterone level ('androgen deprivation' [AD] therapy) can produce shrinkage of prostate cancer. In fact AD has caused temporary but valued relief to millions of men with cancer ....Each year approximately 8000 men in Australia and New Zealand develop prostate cancer which has not spread widely and which is amenable to attempted cure by surgery or radiation. Prostate cancer depends for its growth on the male hormone, testosterone, which circulates in the blood. As a result treatment which reduces testosterone level ('androgen deprivation' [AD] therapy) can produce shrinkage of prostate cancer. In fact AD has caused temporary but valued relief to millions of men with cancer of the prostate that has spread throughout the body for the last five decades, worldwide. It remains uncertain however whether AD administered before surgery or radiation will benefit any of the 8000 men each year who develop localised cancer by shrinking the cancer first. In 1996 a trial involving 800 men across Australia and New Zealand commenced under the auspices of the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) to answer the questions: 1 - Does either 3 or 6 months AD prior to radiotherapy reduce the chances of recurrence of the cancer after radiotherapy? 2 - Does such therapy reduce the volume of tissue requiring radiotherapy and hence the chances of long term side effects after radiotherapy? This grant will support collection of follow-up information from the trial and hence answers to the questions asked.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Snoring Vibrations In The Pathogenesis Of Early Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$593,833.00
Summary
Habitual snoring is a very common problem in the adult population, with a prevalence of between 20-40%. Increasingly it is now recognised that snoring may be an independent risk factor for the development of stroke. In this proposal, we will explore the hypothesis that chronic snoring transmits a pressure wave through the tissues of the neck to the carotid artery which may damage the artery wall and subsequently lead to stroke. This may lead to new strategies to treat habitual snoring.