Macrophage Uncoupling Protein-2 Regulation And Expression In Inflammatory Joint Disease And Hyperoxic Lung Damage
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$270,013.00
Summary
Oxygen radicals (OR) are made by white blood cells (WBC) when they protect against microbes and cancer cells. However, excessive production also damages normal tissue, for example in lungs that receive too much oxygen (hyperoxic lung damage) or in inflamed joints. One type of WBC, the macrophage has a protein named UCP2, that limit the amount of OR formation. This project aims to find out how macrophages activate UCP2 and whether they do so in inflammatory arthritis and hyperoxic lung damage.
Randomised Double-blind Controlled Trial Of Oxygen Versus Air To Palliate Intractable End-of-life Dyspnoea When Pa02 >55
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$463,318.00
Summary
Shortness of breath at the end-of-life is one of the most feared symptoms. Unlike most other symptoms, it worsens as death approaches. Despite the fact that more than 50,000 Australian will die an expected death in the next year, of whom the majority will have breathlessness toward the end-of-life, we know little about how best to treat this symptom. Oxygen is frequently introduced but we have not identified whether it is more effective than medical air, and, if it is more effective, which patie ....Shortness of breath at the end-of-life is one of the most feared symptoms. Unlike most other symptoms, it worsens as death approaches. Despite the fact that more than 50,000 Australian will die an expected death in the next year, of whom the majority will have breathlessness toward the end-of-life, we know little about how best to treat this symptom. Oxygen is frequently introduced but we have not identified whether it is more effective than medical air, and, if it is more effective, which patients would most benefit from it. Because of this lack of evidence, oxygen is only funded in Australia in community settings for people who have severely low oxygen levels in their blood. Palliative oxygen is provided on a compassionate basis at times but this is on an ad hoc basis and does not ensure equitable access for people at the end of life who experience shortness of breath. This multi-centre study will compare oxygen and air, with neither the participant nor caring clinicians knowing which treatment they will receive. After careful explanation, volunteers who agree to participate will be asked to use the oxygen machine for at least 15 hours each day for 7 days and fill out a diary twice each day. Five centres across Australia are planning to enroll 240 participants in this study. Outcomes will include whether the sensation of breathlessness has improved, the overall quality of life while being treated, the ability to perform activities of daily living and any side effects experienced. This study is eagerly awaited by clinicians and health planners not only in Australia but in North America and Europe. This study will provide data in a long-standing international debate about the role of oxygen in people with relatively normal levels of oxygen in their blood who suffer from shortness of breath at the end-of-life.Read moreRead less
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Non-invasive Ventilation In Stable, Hypercapnic Chronic Airflow Limitation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$331,622.00
Summary
Chronic airflow limitation is a major cause of illness and death in Australia. Long term oxygen therapy is well established as one means of assisting people with chronic lung disease. Survival is still poor particularly when an individual is hypercapnic. Non-invasive ventilation used at night with a mask has been used in chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure from other causes with very good results. This study looks at whether non-invasive mask ventilation improves survival, improves clinical ....Chronic airflow limitation is a major cause of illness and death in Australia. Long term oxygen therapy is well established as one means of assisting people with chronic lung disease. Survival is still poor particularly when an individual is hypercapnic. Non-invasive ventilation used at night with a mask has been used in chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure from other causes with very good results. This study looks at whether non-invasive mask ventilation improves survival, improves clinical outcome measures and reduces health costs in people with chronic airflow limitation. The ventilatory support will be used at night during sleep and will be a bilevel positive airway pressure device. Apart from measuring the cost-benefit of home ventilatory support, this study will examine the relationship between the time of commencement of home ventilatory support and outcomes. In addition the relationships between daytime awake PaCO2, lung function, and body mass in CAL patients and the likely response to home ventilatory support will be examined.Read moreRead less
Multi-centre RDBC Trial Of Oxygen Vs Air For Relief Of Breathlessness In Terminally-ill Patients With Intractable Dyspno
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$149,701.00
Summary
This study will compare the effects of oxygen and air in the relief of breathlessness in patients at the end of life who do not currently qualify for home oxygen. This landmark study will provide accurate information about any benefits that oxygen offers for breathlessness in this setting. This international multi-site study will ask 226 people to participate using either oxygen or air for 7 days while keeping a diary. We will measure breathlessness, quality of life, anxiety and side effects exp ....This study will compare the effects of oxygen and air in the relief of breathlessness in patients at the end of life who do not currently qualify for home oxygen. This landmark study will provide accurate information about any benefits that oxygen offers for breathlessness in this setting. This international multi-site study will ask 226 people to participate using either oxygen or air for 7 days while keeping a diary. We will measure breathlessness, quality of life, anxiety and side effects experienced.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Oxygen Therapy As Second-line Treatment For Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Who Are Intolerant Of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy, And Characterising Ventilatory Loop Gain As A Predictor Of The Success Of Therapy.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$87,198.00
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is an increasingly common condition in Australia. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is the _gold-standard� in OSA treatment, but a majority of sufferers are unable to tolerate this for the period required to treat their condition. We will be conducting a large Australian multi-centre, randomised, placebo controlled trial to investigate the utility of nocturnal oxygen therapy alone, in those people with OSA who are unable to tolerate CPAP.
Low oxygen levels during exercise occur in over half of all people with lung fibrosis and this is associated with poor outcomes. Low oxygen levels are sometimes treated by breathing extra oxygen during physical activity, but a lack of evidence has given rise to wide variations in practice and policy. This study will examine the benefits and costs of ambulatory oxygen therapy for people with lung fibrosis in a multi-site randomised controlled trial.