Determining The Affect And Cost Effectiveness Of Nutrition In Critically Ill Patients From Intensive Care Unit Admission To Hospital Discharge.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$138,964.00
Summary
Nutrition when you are severely unwell is very important to support recovery. Research is required to determine exactly how much nutrition is needed in severely ill patients to ensure their best recovery. This project aims to determine what effect nutrition has on clinical and functional outcomes of patients who are severely ill during their whole hospital stay. It will also aim to determine the cost effectiveness of nutrition for these patients.
Risk Factors For Asthma, Chronic Bronchitis And Emphysema In Older Adults
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,574.00
Summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (including chronic bronchitis and emphysema) is a major public health problem in Australia. The main known cause is cigarette smoking, which peaked among Australian men shortly after the second world war. Now that the consequences of this epidemic of smoking are passing, more attention needs to be paid to other causes of the condition. The proposed study will focus on occupational and domestic exposures and dietary factors in older people. Dusty jobs have lo ....Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (including chronic bronchitis and emphysema) is a major public health problem in Australia. The main known cause is cigarette smoking, which peaked among Australian men shortly after the second world war. Now that the consequences of this epidemic of smoking are passing, more attention needs to be paid to other causes of the condition. The proposed study will focus on occupational and domestic exposures and dietary factors in older people. Dusty jobs have long been associated with COPD. However it is not known to what extent other occupational exposures to fumes and vapours are also responsible. Identifying such jobs would lead to better workplace conditions and prevention of further cases. Workers who have already developed COPD could be more fairly compensated. Similarly if indoor exposures to tobacco smoke and unvented gas appliances were found to play a role, further controls on smoking, flues and improved ventilation could also prevent cases of COPD. It is generally thought that emphysema develops from an imbalance between the oxidative stresses on the lungs and protective enzymes. A diet high in antioxidant vitamins and fish may protect against the development of COPD. If confirmed by this study, it would then be possible to conduct clinical trials of supplementation in smokers at risk of developing COPD. Public nutritional education could reduce the incidence of the condition in the future.Read moreRead less
Dietary Therapies For The Treatment Of Drug-resistant Epilepsy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$69,757.00
Summary
Epilepsy affects about 225,000 Australians, with 30% of suffers still experiencing seizures despite being on medications. A reduction in seizures can significantly improve the health of people with epilepsy who do not respond to medications. Low carbohydrate, high fat diets are a well-established treatment option in children, but this has not previously been studied in Australian adults. The aim of this research is to evaluate if dietary therapies are an effective treatment in adult epilepsy.
Targeted Nutrition To Improve Maternal And Child Health Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,500,000.00
Summary
Nutrition is vitally important to support the rapid growth and development occurring from conception to a child’s second birthday – the first 1000 days. Failure to meet nutritional needs during this critical period can have profound consequences for lifelong health. Through our CRE in Targeted Nutrition to Improve Maternal and Child Health Outcomes, we will provide nutritional interventions which optimise a mother’s health outcomes and ensure her children achieve their full potential.
Protein Absorption And Kinetics In Critical Illness
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,233,268.00
Summary
This experienced & productive group plan to perform a number of interrelated studies in patients with critical illness the aim of which will be to ascertain protein absorption & kinetics, & the relationship between protein intake & muscle physiology. The goal is to lay the groundwork for an understanding of protein in the nutritional support of these patients which will help us to later establish the optimum amount & type of protein to improve muscle strength, functional outcomes & survival.
"Smart Food" - The fulcrum in the energy balance equation. The overall aim of the project is to establish how nutrients best promote an increase in energy expenditure and therefore weight loss. The experiments will be performed in rats using sophisticated technologies to introduce specific combinations of fats, carbohydrates or proteins directly into the stomach and then measure energy expenditure in a specialised type of energy burning rather than energy storing fat called brown adipose tissue. ...."Smart Food" - The fulcrum in the energy balance equation. The overall aim of the project is to establish how nutrients best promote an increase in energy expenditure and therefore weight loss. The experiments will be performed in rats using sophisticated technologies to introduce specific combinations of fats, carbohydrates or proteins directly into the stomach and then measure energy expenditure in a specialised type of energy burning rather than energy storing fat called brown adipose tissue. These experiments will uncover the mechanisms that relate nutrients in the stomach and activation of brown adipose tissue. They will provide a framework on which this project can build a knowledge of smart diets that will allow the effective control of body weight through modulation of energy expenditure. Read moreRead less