Postviral Wheezing In Childhood: Disregulation Of Airway Tone?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$577,040.00
Summary
Asthma is a very common childhood condition that is becoming increasingly more common. Wheezing is common in infants and young children following viral infections and is often thought of as the first manifestation of asthma. However, many children and infants who wheeze with viral infections appear to grow out of asthma in their teenage years. Asthma that persists into adult life is usually associated with allergies to common environmental allergens, such as house dust mite and grass pollens. Ho ....Asthma is a very common childhood condition that is becoming increasingly more common. Wheezing is common in infants and young children following viral infections and is often thought of as the first manifestation of asthma. However, many children and infants who wheeze with viral infections appear to grow out of asthma in their teenage years. Asthma that persists into adult life is usually associated with allergies to common environmental allergens, such as house dust mite and grass pollens. However, many infants who wheeze with viral infections, especially in the first year of life, do not develop allergies in later life, raising the possibility that they did not have the same type of asthma as those whose symptoms persist. This project will study the effects of viral infections on lung function to determine whether particular types of virus can have detrimental effects of lung function lasting for years. We will also examine whether the age at which the infection occurs and the severity of the infection influence the long-term outcome. The project involves studying infants during the recovery phase of respiratory viral infections, older children years after documented infections and experimental animal models that have been infected under controlled conditions. By determining whether respiratory viral infections can have long-term effects on lung function that can mimic asthma, we will advance our understanding of how asthma develops. In addition, specific treatment and preventative strategies could then be developed to prevent these long-term abnormalities, instead of relying on asthma medication (especially inhaled corticosteroids) as is the current practice. Preventative strategies could include encouraging the development of specific vaccines.Read moreRead less
We will conduct a survey of respiratory symptoms, lung function, smoking status, occupational exposures, and other risk factors among 3200 people aged 40 years and over living in five Australian communities: Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania, Busselton (WA), and the Kimberley region (WA). In the Kimberley we will survey 400 Aboriginal people and 400 non-Aboriginal people. We will use a survey methodology that has been developed by an international expert panel and has been implemented in many other co ....We will conduct a survey of respiratory symptoms, lung function, smoking status, occupational exposures, and other risk factors among 3200 people aged 40 years and over living in five Australian communities: Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania, Busselton (WA), and the Kimberley region (WA). In the Kimberley we will survey 400 Aboriginal people and 400 non-Aboriginal people. We will use a survey methodology that has been developed by an international expert panel and has been implemented in many other countries (in North and South America, Asia, and Europe). This study will provide the first nationally-representative information on the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the opportunities for health gain by improving the management of this illness. In Australia, COPD is a relatively silent and under-recognised disease but nevertheless is the third most important contributor to the burden of disease and the third leading cause of hospital admission as well as being the underlying cause of 4.2% of all deaths. The information we will collect is needed to form a basis for prevention and disease management interventions to reduce the burden of COPD, particularly among population sub-groups who are disproportionately affected, either due to greater exposure to risk factors (mainly tobacco smoking and occupation), greater susceptibility, under-recognition and under-diagnosis, or inadequate disease management. Importantly, the study will serve to raise awareness about the hazards of smoking for all Australians. By identifying target groups, prevalent exposures and management deficiencies, it will lead the way towards policy-relevant randomised controlled trials testing community-based interventions to prevent COPD and-or manage it more effectively. The information collected will help advance knowledge of the prevalence, burden and treatment of COPD that will be relevant to communities throughout the world.Read moreRead less
The health effects of electronic cigarette use are virtually unknown. They have only recently been introduced into widespread use, and as such their effects on human health will not be known for many years. We will use our expertise in exposure models and health outcome measurement to provide timely hard-data on their potential to impact health – data that are urgently required to guide policy makers in this area.
Asthma is a National Health Priority in Australia. This project follows the major international study of asthma and allergic diseases in adults. We will re-examine people who have taken part in previous studies in Melbourne. The project also surveys people of the same age currently living in the same area. Participants complete a short postal questionnaire. In the follow-up group, responders complete a more extensive questionnaire and come to our laboratory for clinical assessments.
Translating Respiratory And Environmental Epidemiology Into Improved Lung Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$319,714.00
Summary
Chronic respiratory disease, tuberculosis and the effects of air pollution are important health problems globally. Evaluating current approaches to dealing with these problems and developing new approaches requires good data. Over the next five years I will lead a number of studies addressing these issues, in Australia and internationally, in order to provided the strongest possible evidence to underpin policy.
How Do Thick Airway Walls Affect Airway Hyperresponsiveness In Asthma?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$382,538.00
Summary
Asthmatic airways narrow too easily, a characteristic called airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). To understand the cause of asthma we need to understand the cause of AHR. Thickened airway walls could amplify airway narrowing and increase AHR. However, thick airway walls are also stiff, and stiff walls could reduce narrowing and AHR. This project will examine the relationships between AHR and airway wall thickness and stiffness during and after treatment that reduces airway wall thickness.
Centre For Clinical Research Excellence In Respiratory And Sleep Medicine
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,200,000.00
Summary
The CCRE will enhance Australia's international research reputation in clinical respiratory and sleep medicine by enhancing links between hospital-based investigators. This will foster development of new clinical researchers in these fields. Major research projects will include reducing side effects of asthma therapy in the elderly, better and cheaper ways of diagnosing disorders such as sleep apnoea and blood clots in the lung, keeping patients with chronic lung diseases out of hospital and avo ....The CCRE will enhance Australia's international research reputation in clinical respiratory and sleep medicine by enhancing links between hospital-based investigators. This will foster development of new clinical researchers in these fields. Major research projects will include reducing side effects of asthma therapy in the elderly, better and cheaper ways of diagnosing disorders such as sleep apnoea and blood clots in the lung, keeping patients with chronic lung diseases out of hospital and avoiding accidents due to lack of sleep.Read moreRead less
The Importance Of Neutrophil Plasticity In Early Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Lung disease is a lifelong problem for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Blood immune cells called neutrophils swarm the lung and cause ongoing damage. No treatments exist because how CF lungs talk to neutrophils is poorly understood. I will apply new skills from an international neutrophil expert to study samples from AREST CF, a world leading CF research group. This unique combination will recreate the early CF lung in the laboratory, testing triggers of CF lung disease and potential drugs.
Revolutionising The Diagnosis And Monitoring Of CF Lung Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$818,391.00
Summary
Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease starts early in childhood and relentlessly progresses, with early death a common outcome. There is currently no method capable of detecting very early disease onset nor directly assessing the effectiveness of putative treatments. This project will apply our globally unique X-ray imaging tools, which are capable of imaging lung function at any point across the entire lung, for the very early detection of CF and assessment of clinically applicable treatments.
Targeting Oxidant-dependent Pathways To Improve Stroke Outcomes In COPD
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,069,574.00
Summary
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a major incurable global health burden and is the 4th largest cause of death worldwide. Patients with COPD are at increased risk for stroke and this is even higher in the weeks following a lung viral infection. The reason for this is unknown so the aim of this study is to determine why people with COPD are at increased risk for stroke and then develop novel treatments to prevent or reduce stroke in COPD patients.