A New Model For The Pathogenesis Of Rheumatic Fever: Superantigen Priming Of The Immune Response To Group A Streptococci
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$248,820.00
Summary
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is now rare in developed countries. However, it remains a major problem in Aboriginal Australians in the NT where the rate of ARF is the highest in the world. This leads to high rates of rheumatic heart disease (up to 3% of individuals in some communities) and a premature mortality of over four times that for developing countries. Immunisation and improved living conditions offer a long-term solution but these remain a distant prospect. In the short and medium term, c ....Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is now rare in developed countries. However, it remains a major problem in Aboriginal Australians in the NT where the rate of ARF is the highest in the world. This leads to high rates of rheumatic heart disease (up to 3% of individuals in some communities) and a premature mortality of over four times that for developing countries. Immunisation and improved living conditions offer a long-term solution but these remain a distant prospect. In the short and medium term, control of this ARF will partly depend on new and better treatment and prevention strategies. To achieve these goals a deeper understanding of the immune mechanisms underlying this disease is urgently needed. It is known that ARF is caused by an abnormal immune response following streptococcal infection. This leads to the production of cells called T cells that attack the body s own tissues rather than the bacteria itself. This autoimmune disease is responsible for the heart damage that underlies ARF. It is believed that this proces only occurs when susceptible individuals are infected with specific rheumatogenic strains of streptococci. However there are a number of deficiencies in this model and it is proposed that there is an additional factor responsible for the abnormal immune response in ARF. This project will explore the possibility that bacterial toxins called superantigens are the critical missing factor , by studying the immune response in ARF. Superantigens are produced by certain streptococci and staphylococci, and are potent in minute quantities causing widespread activation of the immune system. They have been found to play an important role in a number of autoimmune diseases and the type of immune response found in ARF fits well with that expected if superantigens were involved. If superantigens play an important role in causing the abnormal immune response in ARF then a number of new avenues would open for the treatment and prevention of this disease.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR120100005
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,198,392.00
Summary
National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network. The National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network will capacity build and increase Indigenous higher degree, early and mid career researchers to develop new approaches to undertaking research and producing outcomes. NIRAKN's members include a number of universities, AIATSIS, and partner organisations.
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Alternative Treatments To Intramuscular Penicillin For Impetigo In Aboriginal Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,326,182.00
Summary
We will conduct clinical trials to find an effective, simple and cheap oral alternative to injected penicillin for skin sores which could become the universal standard of care whether the patient is in Melbourne or Milingimbi. It would also likely be adopted by the World Health Organization as a standard of care for developing countries. This would lead directly to a reduced burden of skin sores and their complications. It would also open the way for studies to explore even simpler regimens.
Re-integrating Central Australian community cultural collections. This project aims to apply current research on archiving and community access to find practical solutions to managing the large amounts of recorded cultural material of interest to the Central Land Council, the peak Indigenous representative body covering the southern half of the Northern Territory. The project aims to identify and integrate information in a common database, work with community members to create a prioritised list ....Re-integrating Central Australian community cultural collections. This project aims to apply current research on archiving and community access to find practical solutions to managing the large amounts of recorded cultural material of interest to the Central Land Council, the peak Indigenous representative body covering the southern half of the Northern Territory. The project aims to identify and integrate information in a common database, work with community members to create a prioritised list of any at-risk materials and apply locally meaningful categories for managing the archival materials relevant to their community, and deliver appropriate documentation of process, permissions and reports to support ongoing sustainability of the collections.Read moreRead less
The impacts of commercial gambling on Aboriginal communities in Northern Australia. The project will represent the first detailed exploration of the effects of commercial gambling on Aboriginal people in Northern Australia. It specifically aims to assess the impact of continued commercial gambling expansion, including the spread of electronic gaming machines (EGMs), on Aboriginal communities. The project will explore how Aboriginal cultures react to, and adopt, western gambling into existing cul ....The impacts of commercial gambling on Aboriginal communities in Northern Australia. The project will represent the first detailed exploration of the effects of commercial gambling on Aboriginal people in Northern Australia. It specifically aims to assess the impact of continued commercial gambling expansion, including the spread of electronic gaming machines (EGMs), on Aboriginal communities. The project will explore how Aboriginal cultures react to, and adopt, western gambling into existing cultural frameworks. The core task of the project will be to develop appropriate methodological tools for the assessment of gambling activity in Aboriginal communities. The result will have direct policy impacts in the context of regional well-being and identifying and protecting vulnerable communities.Read moreRead less
Aboriginal place names and ethnobiology: enhancing interpretation of Indigenous culture and heritage. This project looks at how Indigenous people’s knowledge of place names and bush tucker can create opportunities for Indigenous communities in areas such as tourism. The project aims to do this by harnessing new advances in digital media which offer new ways of passing on this knowledge to both Indigenous and intercultural audiences.
Vitality and change in Warlpiri songs at Yuendumu. Vitality and change in Warlpiri songs at Yuendumu. This project aims to understand the reasons behind the reported decline in knowledge of songs amongst younger generations at Yuendumu in the past 40-50 years, using a Central Australian music archive. This project will analyse selected song repertories over time, with insights and advice from today's senior custodians; and design strategies for Warlpiri people to re-engage with this important bo ....Vitality and change in Warlpiri songs at Yuendumu. Vitality and change in Warlpiri songs at Yuendumu. This project aims to understand the reasons behind the reported decline in knowledge of songs amongst younger generations at Yuendumu in the past 40-50 years, using a Central Australian music archive. This project will analyse selected song repertories over time, with insights and advice from today's senior custodians; and design strategies for Warlpiri people to re-engage with this important body of Warlpiri-initiated research in their own country. This research is expected to reinvigorate inter-generational transfer of highly significant cultural knowledge and practices.Read moreRead less
Mapping the diversity of Aboriginal song: social and ecological significances for Australia. Indigenous ceremonies are a fundamental aspect of Indigenous identity and they play a role in Indigenous health and wellbeing. This project aims to develop a typology of Australian Aboriginal ceremonies by classifying them according to their structural features. By mapping their distribution and comparing these with linguistic and anthropological evidence it seeks to provide insights into Indigenous preh ....Mapping the diversity of Aboriginal song: social and ecological significances for Australia. Indigenous ceremonies are a fundamental aspect of Indigenous identity and they play a role in Indigenous health and wellbeing. This project aims to develop a typology of Australian Aboriginal ceremonies by classifying them according to their structural features. By mapping their distribution and comparing these with linguistic and anthropological evidence it seeks to provide insights into Indigenous prehistory and cultural diffusion across arid Australia. This project aims to lead to a greater understanding of the ecological knowledge contained in songs and increased Indigenous knowledge of, and engagement in, ceremonial life.Read moreRead less
Developing a research focus on the health and quality of life of adolescents in the Northern Territory. The Youth Futures program will focus on the health and well being of adolescents in the Northern Territory, 40 per cent of whom are Indigenous. This project will provide an evidence base to inform health policy, identify transformative life skills and the ways to translate these into practice.
Securing the future: Optimising the success of remote Indigenous students at post-secondary education. A cross-cultural study. Supporting remote Indigenous students to complete post-secondary education is a national and international imperative. Remote Indigenous student success in VET and University education is a key to the success of Indigenous families, communities and the nation as a whole. Post-secondary education provides students with 'capstone' skills, abilities and understandings that ....Securing the future: Optimising the success of remote Indigenous students at post-secondary education. A cross-cultural study. Supporting remote Indigenous students to complete post-secondary education is a national and international imperative. Remote Indigenous student success in VET and University education is a key to the success of Indigenous families, communities and the nation as a whole. Post-secondary education provides students with 'capstone' skills, abilities and understandings that enable them to function at a high-level both socially and economically. Effective Indigenous participation in post-secondary education enhances economic and social self-sufficiency, reduces the likelihood of dependency on welfare, and provides powerful role-models for younger Indigenous students to be successful at school, and beyond compulsory school educationRead moreRead less