Inter-rater Reliability And Predictive Validity Of A New Functional Capacity Evaluation For Chronic Back Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$105,794.00
Summary
Back pain costs the Australian community tens of billions of dollars. Back pain is one of the main causes of work injury and lost time from work. The longer a person is off work, the harder it is to get them back to work. Workers' compensation systems around Australia aim at getting the injured worker with back pain back to work as soon as possible. One of the difficulties in this process is determining what the person with back pain can physically do in the workplace. An evaluation technique, c ....Back pain costs the Australian community tens of billions of dollars. Back pain is one of the main causes of work injury and lost time from work. The longer a person is off work, the harder it is to get them back to work. Workers' compensation systems around Australia aim at getting the injured worker with back pain back to work as soon as possible. One of the difficulties in this process is determining what the person with back pain can physically do in the workplace. An evaluation technique, called functional capacity evaluation (known as FCE), is one method used to find out what the person with back pain physically can and cannot do. In a FCE, a trained health professional such as an occupational therapist, observes the person performing a range of physical activities like the ones he or she may have to perform in a job. The therapist closely observes the person performing activities such as lifting, carrying, kneeling, crouching, balancing, and walking and notes any limitations in the person's ability to complete the activities. The therapist makes comments about what difficulties the person may have on the job and recommendations about how these could be reduced or eliminated. The information gained from these evaluations can be valuable for the treating doctor in deciding whether the person is ready to go back to work and what duties the person can and cannot do on the job. Because of such value they provide, FCE is commonly used in rehabilitation programs endorsed by workers' compensation systems around Australia. This widespread use and endorsement of FCE occurs despite limited research on the soundness of the ratings made from these evaluations. There is a need to see whether recommendations made from FCEs are consistent between therapists (i.e. reliable) and to see if the FCE accurately predicts the person's physical capacity for work. This research will examine these issues with injured workers with back pain.Read moreRead less
Pesonalised Risk Prediction For Severe Treatment-related Gastrointestinal Toxicity In Paediatric Cancer Patients Using Pre-treatment Gut Microbiome Analysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,768.00
Summary
The gut is home to trillions of good and bad bacteria, critical to human health. Each person has a different balance of bacteria, unique to their gut, which shapes their immune system and susceptibility to disease. I will investigate how the unique gut bacteria, in children with blood cancer, can be used to predict which children will develop severe gut side effects (diarrhoea) from their chemotherapy. This will identify high-risk children, enable personalised treatment and improve survival.
Identification And Molecular Characterisation Of High-risk Premalignant Breast Lesions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$560,382.00
Summary
Understanding the full repertoire of genetic events that underlie the development of breast cancer may allow development of prevention strategies. This study will analyse genetic data of benign breast lesions that may be non-obligate precursors of breast cancer. Importantly, clinical management of these lesions is difficult. A reliable method of predicting the risk of progression to cancer would be a significant advance, with benefits to individual patients and also the health system.
Personalising Care In Operable Pancreas Cancer. GAP-T: A Study Of Imaging And Molecular Biomarkers To Guide Treatment Of Patients Receiving Preoperative Chemotherapy Followed By Surgery.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$405,345.00
Summary
We are studying ways to improve how we treat patients with pancreatic cancer. We will use a novel imaging tool, the PET scanner, to show where active cancer is and how quickly and how well a new drug combination (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel) is affecting the cancer. We will also study if measuring the expression of specific proteins (SPARC and hENT1) in the cancer affects the outcome and will allow us to determine ahead of time which patients will benefit most from the drugs.
Assessment And Prediction Of Blood Flow Dynamics In Congenital Aortic Abnormalities Using Image-based Computer Modelling And Wave Intensity Analysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,925.00
Summary
Severe aortic abnormality is a serious problem in many infants with congenital heart disease, but it is often unclear what type of treatment will optimise blood flow and minimise the risk of later complications. This study aims to harness recent developments in blood flow modelling, magnetic resonance imaging and advanced blood flow analysis techniques to determine the factors that lead to complications in these children, thereby providing crucial information for improving treatment strategies.
Biomarkers In Barrett's Oesophagus And Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$67,690.00
Summary
Barrett’s oesophagus (BO) is a condition in which the normal lining of the lower oesophagus is replaced with intestine-like tissue as a response to long-standing acid reflux. BO can progress to oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC), an aggressive cancer with poor 5-year survival rates of ~15%. This project aims at detecting genetic and molecular changes that occur in both BO and OAC and which may help predict the risk of progression as well as survival for patients affected by this disease entity.
Forecasting The Impact Of Climate Change On Dengue Transmission
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$506,432.00
Summary
Dengue fever (DF) is the most important mosquito-transmitted viral disease in the world. The large-scale re-emergence of DF in the Asia-Pacific region during the past few decades has renewed its status as a serious international public health problem. Global climate change is anticipated to impact upon the biology and ecology of vectors and consequently the risk of DF transmission. The principal research aim of this study is to project the impact of future climate change on DF.
Utilising Functional Magnetic Imaging To Predict Pre-clinical Parkinson�s Disease In Patients With Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$83,712.00
Summary
In an ageing Australian population a rise in the number of people with neurodegenerative conditions, such as Parkinson's Disease (PD) is inevitable. The ability to accurately identify those people who are destined to develop such diseases, might offer a mechanism by which such progression could be aborted. This project will seek to identify a reliable method whereby cases of PD could be detected several years before they can currently be diagnosed.