A Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) Of Azithromycin Versus Doxycycline For The Treatment Of Rectal Chlamydia Infection In Men Who Have Sex With Men.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$797,906.00
Summary
Rectal chlamydia is very common among gay men; it can exist for long periods without symptoms leading to ongoing transmission. Azithromycin (1 gram single dose) or 7 days doxycycline (100mg twice daily) are the two recommended treatments globally. But, there is concern about rectal chlamydia treatment with reports of up to 22% failure following azithromycin. We will conduct a randomised trial to compare these treatments for rectal chlamydia and determine which drug works better.
Modelling The Impact Of Strategies To Control Gonorrhoea And Minimise The Threat Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Remote Indigenous And Other High Risk Populations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$467,079.00
Summary
Gonorrhoea is a serious public health issue in Australia. Notification rates are disproportionately high among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and men who have sex with men, and there is evidence of an emerging epidemic in the general heterosexual population. Additionally, available treatments are under threat from resistant strains. We will use mathematical modelling to evaluate strategies for controlling gonorrhoea and for minimising the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Sexually Transmissible Infections: Outcomes And Interventions.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$568,892.00
Summary
Professor Basil Donovan, Head of the Sexual Health Program at UNSW's Kirby Institute, works on a wide range of research endeavours that are aimed at (a) better characterising the causes of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and their outcomes, (b) determining how they move through populations, and (c) trialing interventions to bring them under control. He has a particular interest in populations that are at increased risk of STIs such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, gay me ....Professor Basil Donovan, Head of the Sexual Health Program at UNSW's Kirby Institute, works on a wide range of research endeavours that are aimed at (a) better characterising the causes of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and their outcomes, (b) determining how they move through populations, and (c) trialing interventions to bring them under control. He has a particular interest in populations that are at increased risk of STIs such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, gay men, sex workers, prisoners, and youth.Read moreRead less
External Therapeutic Device To Support Rehabilitation Of The Hand Following Trauma Or Surgery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$175,000.00
Summary
The loss of hand function will affect every aspect of an individual’s life. This includes the ability to feed and care for themselves and the ability to work and participate in family life. For people recovering from problems such as trauma, burns or surgery affecting the hand, careful management of hand rehabilitation can influence the outcome for the patient significantly. In order to reduce the possibility of mobility difficulties occurring, including loss of joint range of motion, muscle and ....The loss of hand function will affect every aspect of an individual’s life. This includes the ability to feed and care for themselves and the ability to work and participate in family life. For people recovering from problems such as trauma, burns or surgery affecting the hand, careful management of hand rehabilitation can influence the outcome for the patient significantly. In order to reduce the possibility of mobility difficulties occurring, including loss of joint range of motion, muscle and tendon sheath adhesions or non-functional scar tissue formation, continuous passive motion (CPM) is often indicated. Additionally, for people with reduced mobility of the hand due to upper limb paralysis, such as those with cervical spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy or peripheral nerve injury, disregard for management of the maintenance of the joint range of motion of the effected hand will result in contracture and limited joint range of motion. Such syndromes will reduce hand function, which is already limited by paralysis, and will negatively affect potential outcomes for aggressive rehabilitation techniques, such as tendon transfer surgery and functional neuromuscular stimulation. Therefore, in such cases, CPM is also indicated. Current devices applying CPM have shown to be effective in minimising the syndromes indicated above and these results are summarised in the Background and Research Plan attached to this proposal. Unfortunately, the use of such devices is not always prescribed by clinicians. This is due, mainly, to the limitations of these devices that are in the marketplace. These limitations include lack of secure finger placement, lack of portability, the inability to provide specialised therapy to specific joints and inflexible programming. This proposal introduces an improved device to be developed and these improvements form the proposal aims below. Given such an improved device, which can overcome many of the problems with current CPM machines, it is likely that that the clinical application of CPM will achieve the greater degree of prescription and application in hand rehabilitation. These improvements should overcome the clinical reticence to use these devices and restore a balance by increasing their use to the level that the scientific literature indicates they should have. The overall aim of the proposal is to take the device to a stage where it is ready for clinical trial.Read moreRead less
Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT): Further Characterization Of Disease Mechanism Will Improve Patient Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,484.00
Summary
Thrombus formation occurs as a side effect of heparin treatment in many patients. This condition is called Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT). The clots may be stabilised by secretions from cells called neutrophils. In this project we will study this possibility using a mouse model of HIT and will explore therapeutic approaches to inhibit clot stabilisation.
The critical role of the class III histone deacetylase SIRT2 in stabilizing N-Myc oncoprotein. Cancer is the commonest cause of death from disease in children. Neuroblastoma is the commonest solid tumor in early childhood. This project will investigate the critical roles of SIRT2 protein in increasing the expression of N-Myc oncoprotein and consequently inducing neuroblastoma, and SIRT2 inhibitors as anticancer agents.