Individual Nutrition Therapy And Exercise Regime: A Controlled Trial Of Injured, Vulnerable Elderly (INTERACTIVE Trial).
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$572,542.00
Summary
Hip fractures are a common and growing problem for older Australians. Unfortunately recovery is incomplete in most people. In this study two factors believed to be important for recovery will be investigated - exercise and nutrition. After a hip fracture the ability to walk is severely compromised, as are appetite and dietary intake. These factors are likely to contribute to the loss of muscle mass and strength frequently observed amongst this patient group. There is considerable evidence to sug ....Hip fractures are a common and growing problem for older Australians. Unfortunately recovery is incomplete in most people. In this study two factors believed to be important for recovery will be investigated - exercise and nutrition. After a hip fracture the ability to walk is severely compromised, as are appetite and dietary intake. These factors are likely to contribute to the loss of muscle mass and strength frequently observed amongst this patient group. There is considerable evidence to suggest that this loss has serious consequences in terms of ability to return to pre-injury levels of function, restriction in independence and ultimately transfer into a hostel or nursing home. Given these facts it makes sense that an exercise program incorporating strength and functional activities, and a nutrition program aimed at achieving nutritional requirements, will improve ability to walk, but there is no conclusive evidence that this is so. Only a small number of studies have tested whether an exercise program improves recovery after a hip fracture and these have mostly commenced weeks or months after the injury when it is likely that there has been irreversible decline in muscle mass and strength. In contrast, most of the nutrition studies commence soon after the injury but provide protein and calories insufficient to meet requirements, provide supplements that patients find difficult to drink or provide the supplements for only a short duration. This study will use the best quality research methods to test whether providing a 6-month individualised exercise and nutrition program to hip fracture patients soon after injury improves walking and other important health outcomes. Patients will be followed for 12 months to determine what difference the exercise and nutrition programs make. If they help then health services will have the evidence they need to recommend this type of program to the growing number of older Australians that suffer a hip fracture.Read moreRead less
Investigating Linguistic Factors Associated with Stuttering in Cantonese. The aim of this research is to gain new knowledge about the cause of stuttering. The project is a collaboration between experts in stuttering in Australia and Hong Kong. Despite decades of study, the cause of stuttering is still not well understood. Research in English has suggested that changes in emphasis from syllable to syllable can trigger individual moments of stuttering. However, Cantonese is very different from Eng ....Investigating Linguistic Factors Associated with Stuttering in Cantonese. The aim of this research is to gain new knowledge about the cause of stuttering. The project is a collaboration between experts in stuttering in Australia and Hong Kong. Despite decades of study, the cause of stuttering is still not well understood. Research in English has suggested that changes in emphasis from syllable to syllable can trigger individual moments of stuttering. However, Cantonese is very different from English, being a tonal and syllabic language, and uncovering the linguistic triggers of stuttering in Cantonese will yield new insight into the complex causality of this disabling condition.Read moreRead less
About 1 in 10 Australians have persisting or chronic low back pain. Most are managed in primary care and the most frequently prescribed treatment is exercise. Chronic low back pain remains a major health problem because not all patients respond to each treatment so on average treatment effects are small. At present there are no guidelines to help clinicians select the best treatment for a patient. As a result a lot of time and money is wasted on treatments which ultimately fail to help the patie ....About 1 in 10 Australians have persisting or chronic low back pain. Most are managed in primary care and the most frequently prescribed treatment is exercise. Chronic low back pain remains a major health problem because not all patients respond to each treatment so on average treatment effects are small. At present there are no guidelines to help clinicians select the best treatment for a patient. As a result a lot of time and money is wasted on treatments which ultimately fail to help the patient. We have begun a research program to solve this primary health care problem. We have focussed on exercise because the treatment is widely available in primary care and of modest cost. The program includes basic research to understand the mechanism of action of exercise and clinical trials testing the effectiveness of different types of exercise. The proposed study falls into the latter category, and is a direct comparison of the two most promising types of exercise used in Australia. The study will also identify clinical features that modify treatment effects, a finding that will allow clinicians to identify which type of exercise is more likely to be effective for an individual patient. This study offers a potential solution to a major health problem with enormous economic and social costs.Read moreRead less
Coupling biophotonic modalities with machine based recognition systems for disease diagnosis. This project will develop new ways to diagnose canine cancer, malaria and atherosclerosis using infrared-based technology and sophisticated pattern recognition techniques in the hope to discover infrared biomarkers that will lead to early diagnosis of the disease and ultimately save lives.
Defining the molecular and cellular mechanisms of beta cell dysfunction. This project will investigate the influence of environment in the functional adaptation and maladaptation of pancreatic beta cells in diabetes. The research will define the molecular and cellular mechanisms linking environmental triggers such as obesity, high fatty acid levels and hyperglycaemia to beta cell dedifferentiation and dysfunction.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100402
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The effectiveness of intervention in communication and safety climate in the operating room. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on teamwork behaviours in surgery. It will deliver beneficial effects for communication in service delivery, safety and patient care in support of health care in high risk environments.
Better prevention and management of disabling back pain. This project will establish a program of back pain research within an inter-disciplinary research centre focused on the prevention and management of physical disability.
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR140100001
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$35,000,000.00
Summary
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australian Type 1 Diabetes Research Network and Program. This Proposal continues the development of the initial Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (CRN), launched by JDRF in June 2011 with a $5m grant from the Australian Government.
The principal goal of the CRN is to positively impact the life of people with T1D in Australia through the support and promotion of clinical research. A further electoral commitment of $35m over 5 years will enable f ....The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australian Type 1 Diabetes Research Network and Program. This Proposal continues the development of the initial Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (CRN), launched by JDRF in June 2011 with a $5m grant from the Australian Government.
The principal goal of the CRN is to positively impact the life of people with T1D in Australia through the support and promotion of clinical research. A further electoral commitment of $35m over 5 years will enable further progress towards finding a cure for T1D, including delivering better and faster access to new therapies and treatments that can help prevent and manage the disease.
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Economic, social and cross cultural issues in non-pharmaceutical protection of front line responders to pandemic influenza and emerging infections. The protection of front line responders in a pandemic is essential to underpin an effective response. This research is the only work internationally which will address a key gap in evidence. This research has major implications for the national stockpile and for management of front line responders in a pandemic. These data are urgently needed, not ju ....Economic, social and cross cultural issues in non-pharmaceutical protection of front line responders to pandemic influenza and emerging infections. The protection of front line responders in a pandemic is essential to underpin an effective response. This research is the only work internationally which will address a key gap in evidence. This research has major implications for the national stockpile and for management of front line responders in a pandemic. These data are urgently needed, not just in Australia, but globally to inform pandemic planning and disease control policy around emerging infections and bioterrorism.Read moreRead less
Novel therapies to limit renal fibrosis in diverse models of renal disease. Kidney failure is a devastating health, social and financial outcome for the individual, their employer, family and the broader society, This project will carefully dissect mechanisms underpinning the scarring in the kidney that predisposes to kidney failure and will investigate novel therapies to prevent kidney damage.