Optimal Choice Of Skin Mounted Marker Locations On The Tibia Effectively Reduces The Effect Of Soft Tissue Artifact.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$56,677.00
Summary
Gait analysis is a technique used to get information about the way people walk. The information is obtained by measuring the position of markers attached to the skin over bony landmarks. These areas of skin are known to move in relation to the landmarks when people walk. This can limit the accuracy of three dimensional analysis of walking. Innovative techniques to overcome this problem will be identified, increasing accuracy of measurement and clinical decision making.
Adaptation Of Muscle To Eccentric Exercise And Its Clinical Applications 194272
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,410.00
Summary
Work in this laboratory has concentrated on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the soreness felt for several days after unaccustomed exercise. This is particularly so when the exercise involves stretching of active muscle, called eccentric exercise, at longer muscle lengths. DOMS is due to microscopic muscle damage. A rapid training effect, leading to reduced soreness from a subsequent bout of similar exercise, has been identified by us as due to a specific structural adaptation. This results ....Work in this laboratory has concentrated on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the soreness felt for several days after unaccustomed exercise. This is particularly so when the exercise involves stretching of active muscle, called eccentric exercise, at longer muscle lengths. DOMS is due to microscopic muscle damage. A rapid training effect, leading to reduced soreness from a subsequent bout of similar exercise, has been identified by us as due to a specific structural adaptation. This results in the optimum length for tension generation moving to longer muscle length so that the muscle is less likely to be damaged during subsequent stretches. Hypothesizing that gross muscle tears arise from the microscopic damage, we have begun investigating whether eccentric exercise training can prevent hamstring muscle injuries. We have shown that eccentric exercise shifts the optimum length for contraction in human hamstring muscles. We are now examining athletes with past injuries, known to be likely to re-injure. Other experiments are designed to show that sports that cause injury do indeed include eccentric exercise of the hamstring muscles. We are also investigating the effectiveness of eccentric exercise in treating apparently normal children who compulsively walk on their toes. We have built monitoring equipment and are monitoring both conventional and exercise based treatments designed to shift muscle optimum length to longer lengths to allow the children to place their heels on the ground. Finally, most muscles contain different fibre types, distinguished mainly by their speed of contraction. It has been suggested that they are not all uniformly susceptible to damage from eccentric exercise, a result not predicted by our theory. However, we hypothesize that secondary factors, particularly the length for generating optimum tension, may be responsible for these differences. We plan to test this idea by measuring properties of different types of motor units.Read moreRead less
MECHANISMS OF MOTILITY AND METASTASIS In BREAST CANCER
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$209,505.00
Summary
The broad aim of this proposal is to elucidate novel molecular mechanisms of breast cancer cell motility that are relevant to metastasis or the spread of cancer. The function of two genes will be studied. We propose that (1) reduced on-random motile (ROM) regulates the speed of cancer cell movement, and (2) Neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP) regulates the directional component of cell movement. We will relate the function of ROM and N-WASP to rapid, linear walking along collagen fi ....The broad aim of this proposal is to elucidate novel molecular mechanisms of breast cancer cell motility that are relevant to metastasis or the spread of cancer. The function of two genes will be studied. We propose that (1) reduced on-random motile (ROM) regulates the speed of cancer cell movement, and (2) Neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP) regulates the directional component of cell movement. We will relate the function of ROM and N-WASP to rapid, linear walking along collagen fibres in live tumours and to breast cancer metastasis to the lung. ROM will be inhibited in breast cancer cells and we expect increases in both the speed of cell movement and metastasis. Therefore, ROM functions as a suppressor of metastasis. Inhibition of N-WASP, however, is expected to compromise both the directionality of cell movement and metastasis. N-WASP is therefore, a promoter of metastasis. At the completion of this work, the regulatory mechanisms of motility and metastasis by ROM and N-WASP will be defined. This will facilitate the development of biologically targeted agents for ROM and N-WASP that can be used to control metastasis. In addition, these agents that target the motility pathway are appropriate for use in combined therapy with agents that target a different pathway such as survival or growth. This will significantly improve disease control rates or the proportion of patients with partial or complete disease regression. This proposal addresses the National Health Priority, cancer, and related National Research Priority, ageing well and ageing productively, where in the longer term, we will be able to create new and much needed therapy for metastasis.Read moreRead less