Alternative Medicines From Medicinal Plants Of Aboriginal People Of Northern New South Wales
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,400.00
Summary
This research will conserve customary Australian Aboriginal knowledge of historical and cultural significance and apply this knowledge to the discovery of new evidence-based alternative medicines that may help address the growing need for new antimicrobial treatments. It will also be a model for collaboration between Australian Aboriginal communities and research scientists. The customary (traditional and contemporary) knowledge of medicinal plants possessed by Indigenous peoples is a significan ....This research will conserve customary Australian Aboriginal knowledge of historical and cultural significance and apply this knowledge to the discovery of new evidence-based alternative medicines that may help address the growing need for new antimicrobial treatments. It will also be a model for collaboration between Australian Aboriginal communities and research scientists. The customary (traditional and contemporary) knowledge of medicinal plants possessed by Indigenous peoples is a significant medicinal resource, as seen by the reliance on customary medicines by ~80% of the population in developing countries as their primary healthcare. There has been a renewed interest in customary medicines, especially with the increase in microbial resistance and emergence of new diseases, side effects of single compound medications and high cost of drug development. Australian Aboriginal people have a vast medicinal plant knowledge based on thousands of years of using plants as medicines. This especially includes topical use for conditions indicative of microbial infections. Despite their potential, relatively few studies have been conducted on Australian Aboriginal medicines to provide evidence for their use. For Northern New South Wales (NNSW) Aboriginal communities, as is the case for many other Australian Aboriginal communities, this customary knowledge is rapidly disappearing, especially due to premature deaths of the elder custodians of this knowledge. The overall aims of this project are to work in partnership with the NNSW Yaegl Local Aboriginal Land Council and Ulgundahi Elders Aboriginal Corporation to i) document and preserve first hand customary medicinal plant knowledge; ii) identify plants of significant medicinal potential in treating antibacterial and antifungal infections; iii) evaluate their effectiveness using in vitro and in vivo biological assays; and iv) identify the major bioactive components responsible for their medicinal properties.Read moreRead less
Production Of Nasal Filters: Enhanced Prophylactic Protection From Aerosol Exposure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$147,000.00
Summary
Influenza is a highly contagious disease that is transmitted via infective secretions containing the virus. An infected person produces tiny droplets of these secretions when coughing, sneezing, and talking, and the droplets are disseminated into the air where they are subsequently inhaled by others. A common way of preventing such transmission is to wear a mask to prevent droplet inhalation. While such masks may greatly reduce exposure, they do not eliminate it, as some viruses can pass around ....Influenza is a highly contagious disease that is transmitted via infective secretions containing the virus. An infected person produces tiny droplets of these secretions when coughing, sneezing, and talking, and the droplets are disseminated into the air where they are subsequently inhaled by others. A common way of preventing such transmission is to wear a mask to prevent droplet inhalation. While such masks may greatly reduce exposure, they do not eliminate it, as some viruses can pass around the edges of masks, particularly if it fits poorly, and also a small percentage can pass through the filter material. While influenza is usually not a major health problem in the general community, the emergence of a more hazardous strain will place an additional burden on health care and other facilities, and requires the development and optimization of measures to minimize virus spread and protect those who are exposed. The aim of this project is to build small filters that can be worn in the nose to provide additional filtration of inhaled air. These filters would be worn in combination with a mask in high exposure circumstances, such as by health care workers when treating infected patients or could be used when a mask was not normally worn to provide effective and discreet protection, such as in crowded public places. Developing such filters builds on our experience of making small samplers worn in the nose to measure allergen exposure. This experience is combined with advanced filter materials developed by leading US researchers that permit the efficient filtration of particles as small as viruses. This project will be conducted in collaboration with a leading Australian design group, and we will design and evaluate such filters for their ability to capture virus and thus protect the wearer. The filters should provide an intuitive, effective and inexpensive method to be used in combination with other hygiene measures to increase personal protection from acquiring highly transmissible respiratory diseases, particularly influenza. We expect to have prototypes of the filters available in 6 months so that production can commence.Read moreRead less
Preventing Obesity Among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Women And Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,072,674.00
Summary
The research will investigate the causes of the increased risk of obesity among socioeconomically disadvantaged women and children. It will also focus on women and children who appear �resilient� to obesity and will explore the possibility of applying the lessons learned to other women and children, in order to help support them in adopting and maintaining obesity-protective behaviours. The research aims to provide evidence to inform policies and programs that should be put into place to prevent ....The research will investigate the causes of the increased risk of obesity among socioeconomically disadvantaged women and children. It will also focus on women and children who appear �resilient� to obesity and will explore the possibility of applying the lessons learned to other women and children, in order to help support them in adopting and maintaining obesity-protective behaviours. The research aims to provide evidence to inform policies and programs that should be put into place to prevent obesity among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.Read moreRead less
Primary Care: What Is Their Approach To Patients With Advanced Cancer And Those Who Require Radiotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$50,000.00
Summary
It is recommended that 50-60% of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy at some time in their disease. However, only 38% of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy in Australia. Advanced cancer patients may be missing out on radiotherapy because they are not referred for palliative radiotherapy. The specific aims of this study are to: Explore the primary care approach to patients with advanced cancer and particularly those who require radiotherapy; Define factors that influence how Australian ....It is recommended that 50-60% of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy at some time in their disease. However, only 38% of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy in Australia. Advanced cancer patients may be missing out on radiotherapy because they are not referred for palliative radiotherapy. The specific aims of this study are to: Explore the primary care approach to patients with advanced cancer and particularly those who require radiotherapy; Define factors that influence how Australian GPs respond to symptoms of advanced cancer; Map the patients’ perspective on current referral practice for palliative care. This project will be comprised of three stages: simulated consultations with GPs, survey of GPs and patient interviews. These methods will enable researchers to develop an understanding of the primary care approach to patients with advanced cancer and those who require radiotherapy and how patients with advanced disease are referred for treatment.Read moreRead less
Body Composition Changes In Cardiac Cachexia: Pathophysiology, Quantification And Approaches To Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$120,000.00
Summary
Cachexia is weight loss and weakness caused by disease, or as a side effect of illness. Congestive heart failure is a common cardiovascular condition that is accompanied by high mortality (up to 50% over 2 years) and considerable suffering. People with congestive heart failure often develop cachexia. This project will explore the mechanisms responsible for the development of cachexia using an animal model of cardiac cachexia that the researchers have developed. It will be complemented by an exam ....Cachexia is weight loss and weakness caused by disease, or as a side effect of illness. Congestive heart failure is a common cardiovascular condition that is accompanied by high mortality (up to 50% over 2 years) and considerable suffering. People with congestive heart failure often develop cachexia. This project will explore the mechanisms responsible for the development of cachexia using an animal model of cardiac cachexia that the researchers have developed. It will be complemented by an examination of the effects of exercise on measures of cachexia in patients with congestive heart failure. The researchers believe that this study will supply valuable new information about the development of cachexia and lead to new therapies for this syndrome.Read moreRead less
Gene Based Treatment Strategies For Diabetic Retinopathy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,630,000.00
Summary
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in the working population of developed countries and it is an increasing problem in the developing world. Present therapy involves extensive laser destruction of the light-detecting part of he retina. In addition, it is not only effective when administered at an appropriate stage in the disease process. Consequently, there is an urgent need for the development of better, prophylactic, easily administrable and cheaper therapies. This project ....Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in the working population of developed countries and it is an increasing problem in the developing world. Present therapy involves extensive laser destruction of the light-detecting part of he retina. In addition, it is not only effective when administered at an appropriate stage in the disease process. Consequently, there is an urgent need for the development of better, prophylactic, easily administrable and cheaper therapies. This project aims to develop a potentially permanent solution to alleviate diabetes-related blindness in the world. The project combines several very recent scientific advances into one strategy to combat diabetic retinopathy at a molecular level. Vision is our most important sensory organ that cannot be replaced. Thus, human trials can only be conducted following extensive animal safety and efficacy trials. To date the development of new therapies has been seriously hampered by the lack of appropriate, easy to reproduce animal models for different stages of diabetic retinopathy. In addition, it aims to identify new therapeutic agents from molecules that are naturally produced by the retina while fighting the disease. Finally, tested and evaluated in the animal models. The most successful therapeutic candidates will then be further developed for human trials.If successful, our approach will potentially have a major impact on the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and possibly on all diabetic vascular diseases. A single injection might only be necessary to prevent the development of diabetic retinopathy, which would represent a significant weapon in the management of patients. In addition, successful application of secretion gene therapy in the eye might open up the possibility to introduce the same concept for the treatment of larger organs undergoing microvascular changes as a result of diabetes.Read moreRead less
In virtually every major industry, quality improvement has been based on measuring and monitoring performance. There is good evidence to show that when processes and outcome data is measured and compared, improvements are made. Healthcare has been slow to introduce systematic measurement across the sector, however internationally this is rapidly changing. In Australia, we have data available to measure quality and safety; however it is not collected systematically or consistently between states ....In virtually every major industry, quality improvement has been based on measuring and monitoring performance. There is good evidence to show that when processes and outcome data is measured and compared, improvements are made. Healthcare has been slow to introduce systematic measurement across the sector, however internationally this is rapidly changing. In Australia, we have data available to measure quality and safety; however it is not collected systematically or consistently between states and territories. Our aim is to develop a national set of high quality, credible indicators using existing data sources to measure healthcare performance in regard to safety and quality in clinical practice. We propose a “probes in the pudding” approach, where each probe measures the performance of one aspect of the healthcare system. Coded administrative hospital data collected mainly for financial reasons has potential to be used as quality indicators. However, to provide an accurate picture, indicators must take into account people’s risk factors over which the doctor has no control but which can influence outcome. For example, a hospital in an area surrounded by a principally elderly population would be more likely to have a higher death rate than a hospital admitting younger patients. In effect, indicators must compare apples with apples. We will further test ways in which clinical patient information databases can be linked to develop quality indicators. For example, by linking pharmacy data with hospital data we can monitor whether patients are receiving appropriate medication. The most reliable data for use in measuring quality exists in registries, which have been established for a number of procedures and conditions in Australia. We will investigate ways in which registries can be better standardised at a national level. We will compare registry data with administrative hospital data to investigate how quality indicators can be developed which provide an accurate picture of the health system. This program will succeed because it can be implemented at a low cost using data readily available in most Australian health settings. The group doing the research consists of consumer advocates and people with knowledge in the use of administrative data and registries, health policy, law, research design and statistics.Read moreRead less
A Comprehensive Regulatory Strategy For Obesity Prevention In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$810,696.00
Summary
This research aims to develop regulatory approaches to obesity prevention and the reduction of socio-economic inequalities in obesity prevalence. Laws related to the provision, marketing, and labelling of food, urban planning, transportation, taxes and subsidies and so on will be comprehensively analysed and prioritised, and options proposed for legislative reform. The evidence-base and the implementation pathways will be developed contemporaneously and will be widely promoted to governments. A ....This research aims to develop regulatory approaches to obesity prevention and the reduction of socio-economic inequalities in obesity prevalence. Laws related to the provision, marketing, and labelling of food, urban planning, transportation, taxes and subsidies and so on will be comprehensively analysed and prioritised, and options proposed for legislative reform. The evidence-base and the implementation pathways will be developed contemporaneously and will be widely promoted to governments. A significant portion of time will be devoted to working closely with those within the bureaucracy who administer the law and legislators who together make the relevant policy decisions so that they may gain an understanding of the rationale behind each recommendation.Read moreRead less
Needs Based Access To Specialist Palliative Care Services: Development And Evaluation Of A Consumer Toolkit
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$286,572.00
Summary
The study will test the cost-effectiveness of two models of supportive care coordination for advanced cancer against _usual care�: a Telephone Caseworker model and an Oncologist-GP model. Both models are aimed at improving patients� and their informal caregivers� health and psychosocial status; are patient-centred, evidence based and readily transferable across health care settings. The Telephone Caseworker model has the additional advantage of reaching people isolated through geography, physica ....The study will test the cost-effectiveness of two models of supportive care coordination for advanced cancer against _usual care�: a Telephone Caseworker model and an Oncologist-GP model. Both models are aimed at improving patients� and their informal caregivers� health and psychosocial status; are patient-centred, evidence based and readily transferable across health care settings. The Telephone Caseworker model has the additional advantage of reaching people isolated through geography, physical disability or age.Read moreRead less