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Benefits Of Home-based Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation In Non Small Cell Lung Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$581,039.00
Summary
Lung cancer is the third leading cause of death in Australia. People with lung cancer experience a complex mix of symptoms that can provoke significant distress and impair physical function. This study aims to develop and test a home based exercise and self-management support program to increase function and physical activity levels, reduce levels of depression and improve quality of life of people with lung cancer.
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
This proposal is designed to test the protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) in humans: the idea that the level of food consumption in humans, like other animals, is adjusted to maintain a target protein intake. As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases, with its attendant health problems, the need to identify which dietary components limit rather than exacerbate energy intake is imperative. According to the PLH, the consumption of a diet low in % protein and high in % fat and carbohydrat ....This proposal is designed to test the protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) in humans: the idea that the level of food consumption in humans, like other animals, is adjusted to maintain a target protein intake. As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases, with its attendant health problems, the need to identify which dietary components limit rather than exacerbate energy intake is imperative. According to the PLH, the consumption of a diet low in % protein and high in % fat and carbohydrate, typical of many Western countries, inevitably requires the ingestion of additional energy to maintain protein intake constant, thus driving weight gain. Conversely, the consumption of a diet that is relatively high in % protein requires the ingestion of lower levels of energy, creating the potential for weight loss. Preliminary experimental and population-level nutritional survey data support the PLH, as does the finding that protein is more satiating than other macronutrients. If, as predicted, small changes in the proportion of protein in diets described in the current study are found to impact on total energy intake there will be significant implications for weight control strategies. Thus, if the PLH is confirmed, public health dietary recommendations and government policy settings for the food industry will need to change. Large-scale intervention studies aimed at demonstrating the longer term impact on body weight will also be required.Read moreRead less
The Australian Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes And Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$489,749.00
Summary
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a form of home dialysis that is both substantially cheaper and associated with better early survival than standard hospital-based haemodialysis. Its use in Australia has been severely limited by poor outcomes compared to the rest of the world. This international study aims to identify “real world” PD centre practices that will lead to better outcomes for Australian patients, greater uptake of home dialysis and health savings of tens of millions of dollars annually.
Multicentre Trial Of Calcium Channel Blocker Versus Calcium Channel Blocker Plus Cox2 Inhibitor In Preterm Labour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$644,130.00
Summary
Preterm birth is a major problem in our society, and has enormous consequences for parents and children. It also has a major impact on scarce financial resources. When women present in preterm labor, current therapies have only limited success in stopping contractions and postponing birth. They have not been shown to reduce the rates of the serious neonatal problems associated with prematurity. This project will be coordinated in Newcastle, N.S.W., and will involve major perinatal centres throug ....Preterm birth is a major problem in our society, and has enormous consequences for parents and children. It also has a major impact on scarce financial resources. When women present in preterm labor, current therapies have only limited success in stopping contractions and postponing birth. They have not been shown to reduce the rates of the serious neonatal problems associated with prematurity. This project will be coordinated in Newcastle, N.S.W., and will involve major perinatal centres throughout Australia, along with overseas centres. It will test a new combination of drugs for their ability to postpone delivery in women presenting with preterm labour. It is postulated that the combination of drugs will be more effective than existing therapies. The drugs used in the trial are Nifedipine and Rofecoxib. Complications of prematurity include neonatal death, cerebral palsy, visual and hearing impairment, and chronic lung disease. These complications are most significant in extremely premature infants - in particular, those under 28 weeks gestation at the time of their delivery. For this reason, the study will focus only on women presenting in labour below 28 weeks. The ability to stop labour is important, but the main aim of any treatment for preterm labour is to reduce the rates of neonatal death and handicap. Babies born to women enrolled in this study will be followed for a period of one year after birth to assess their outcomes. It is our hypothesis that the combination of Rofecoxib and Nifedipine will result in lower rates of death and handicap in babies than Nifedipine alone. In addition, we will examine the rates of side effects in women receiving therapy. Currently used therapies, including intravenous ventolin, have high rates of maternal side effects. Nifedipine and Rofecoxib have both been shown to have low rates of maternal side effects.Read moreRead less
An International Clinical Trial To Evaluate New Therapies To Improve Survival Of Children With Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,567,500.00
Summary
Children who relapse with childhood leukaemia have only a 50% chance of being alive after 5 years. We will participate in a new international trial involving most European and all Australian and New Zealand childhood oncology centres, to test the effectiveness of promising new treatments and to perform biological studies which should enable doctors in future to pick the best treatment for each of these patients.