Improving Medication Safety In Seniors: A Cross-Jurisdictional Linkage Project
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$636,717.00
Summary
The project will identify priorities for tackling the current epidemic of hospitalisation of Australians aged 65+ years due to side effects of their medications. Two different groups of medications will be investigated. The first will be the prescribed drugs most often recorded as causes of hospital stay, including those taken to stop blood clotting, for high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, for rheumatism or strong pain relief, anti-cancer drugs and steroids. The study will exa ....The project will identify priorities for tackling the current epidemic of hospitalisation of Australians aged 65+ years due to side effects of their medications. Two different groups of medications will be investigated. The first will be the prescribed drugs most often recorded as causes of hospital stay, including those taken to stop blood clotting, for high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, for rheumatism or strong pain relief, anti-cancer drugs and steroids. The study will examine which of these drugs taken under what circumstances has the highest risk, so prevention can be better targeted. The study will investigate if adequate laboratory monitoring of the anti- clotting drugs is taking place and whether the guidelines should be updated. The second group will be 68 medications that should be avoided in seniors according to an international expert panel. The research will see how often these 'inappropriate medications' are still prescribed in the Australian setting, and the size of their contributions to unplanned hospital stays. The researchers suspect that this problem is much larger than immediately apparent from routine statistics, because many of the side effects of inappropriate medications are non-specific, such as confusion, drowsiness or difficulty standing up, thus putting seniors at risk of falls and neglect of other aspects of their health. The study will use a unique and new Australian research facility, which has brought together health data on the entire population of WA from both the State and Commonwealth levels, including information on pharmaceuticals, Medicare use, hospital stays and deaths. The facility works in such a way as to preserve patient and GP privacy. A strong feature of this research will be the degree of involvement of a representative and voluntary group of older Australian patients who attend GP clinics, and the GPs themselves, in advising the researchers on what's important to consumers and GPs.Read moreRead less
Development Of Technical And Extension Material To Support Murray Cod Aquaculture Industry Expansion In Australia
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
The 5 July 2017 meeting of representatives from the various States involved in the Murray Cod industry agreed to three key R&D priorities to support expansion of the Murray Cod industry in Australia. They included:
1. Development of a farm management plan/manual to: provide advice on optimising production systems and water quality; review and update of existing Murray Cod culture guidelines using recent relevant publications and input from commercial operators; and identify any informa ....The 5 July 2017 meeting of representatives from the various States involved in the Murray Cod industry agreed to three key R&D priorities to support expansion of the Murray Cod industry in Australia. They included:
1. Development of a farm management plan/manual to: provide advice on optimising production systems and water quality; review and update of existing Murray Cod culture guidelines using recent relevant publications and input from commercial operators; and identify any information gaps 2. Off Flavour. Review of recent publications/work from other sectors (eg Barramundi) to prevent off flavor in Murray Cod. Murray Cod quality product assurance; and 3. Fish health and treatment (parasites, bacterial infection, Lurnea, Chilodonella, ratty tail). Review and update information on treatment options (chronic/prophylactic) for Murray Cod. Murray Cod health management strategy
This project proposal aims to address these high R&D industry priorities by developing a range of technical and extension material.
The Murray Cod industry is developing rapidly in Australia increasing from 250t 2014/15 to over 500t 2016/17. Industry forecast several thousand tonnes production by 2020 with many new farms seeking approval and new franchise business models moving forward. To capitalise on this expansion, there is a pressing need to improve extension resources.
Objectives: 1. Development of best practice production guidelines for Murray Cod aquaculture, to be used nationally 2. Extension to industry, and new investors, of the best practice production guidelines Read moreRead less
1. Pilot trials under laboratory conditions have shown that blue swimmer crabs can be successfully cultured from egg to saleable product. Investigation and refinement of husbandry techniques are required, under conditions of commercial scale production, to remove uncertainty impeding development of an industry.
2. Research undertaken to date lays the foundation for the development of a successful new industry. The expansion of the industry requires the development of a sound scientif ....1. Pilot trials under laboratory conditions have shown that blue swimmer crabs can be successfully cultured from egg to saleable product. Investigation and refinement of husbandry techniques are required, under conditions of commercial scale production, to remove uncertainty impeding development of an industry.
2. Research undertaken to date lays the foundation for the development of a successful new industry. The expansion of the industry requires the development of a sound scientific basis to husbandry techniques and ongoing research support. The key impediments identified are in the areas of nutrition, health and temperature/stocking rate interaction. Objectives: 1. To define profit maximising husbandry strategies for aquaculture of blue swimmer crabs under commercial conditions. 2. To define feeding strategies for optimum growth and survival of blue swimmer crabs under aquaculture conditions. 3. To determine health impacts on blue swimmer crabs under intensive holding conditions of stocking density, water temperature and feeding strategies. Read moreRead less
Workshops On Analytical Techniques For Trace Concentrations Of Heavy Metals In Marine Tissues
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Determine the most accurate, reliable and practicable techniques of measuring trace amounts of zinc, cadmium, lead, copper, arsenic, selenium and chromium in fish and other marine tissue
Control Of Winter Mortality And QX Disease In Sydney Rock Oysters
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$208,250.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. To find where the disease causing parasites where there is no disease apparent in the oystes 2. Evaluate the epidemiology of the two diseases through investigations of reservoir hosts, resting stages and prepatent infections 3. Evaluate the possible relationship between infection and low pH in QX disease 4. Develop strategies to reduce the impact of QX disease and winter mortality on oysters
Objectives: 1. Sample up to 1000 sharks of various spp for total mercury content; determine alkyl mercury levels in approximately 150. 2. Examine effects of sex, length, locality on levels. What implications for future of this shark fishery? 3. Sample up to 200 sharks for selenium content
Studies On The Physiological Responses Of Wrasse Pseudolabrus Tetricus, And The Horseshoe Leatherjacket, Meuscheria Hippocrepis, To Capture And Transport
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$33,740.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Determiniation of holding tank requirements to maintain both blue-throated warsse and horseshoe leatherjackets on capture (i.e. correct stocking levels and flow rates) 2. Elucidation of an acceptable acclimation procedure for survival at low temperatures for both species 3. Determination of the incipient lethal temperature for transportation (i.e. the lowest temperature beyond which species cannot live for an indefinite period. 4. Determination of the effects ....Objectives: 1. Determiniation of holding tank requirements to maintain both blue-throated warsse and horseshoe leatherjackets on capture (i.e. correct stocking levels and flow rates) 2. Elucidation of an acceptable acclimation procedure for survival at low temperatures for both species 3. Determination of the incipient lethal temperature for transportation (i.e. the lowest temperature beyond which species cannot live for an indefinite period. 4. Determination of the effects of lactate and hypercapnia on comatose animals. Read moreRead less
Objectives: 1. To research and document efforts of the seafood industry to raise the maximum set level of mercury in shark. 2. To identify reasons for their successes and or failures and document their approaches to dealing with these.
Development Of Fish Health Indicators For The Gladstone Harbour Report Card
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$156,370.69
Summary
This application answers a request for Expressions of Interest for an FRDC and GHHP project to develop a fish sampling program and fish health indicators for the Gladstone Harbour Report Card. The project will review and test approaches, drawing on earlier work commissioned by GHHP (Cowled, 2016; Kroon et al., 2016).
Fish are key biological indicators of environmental contamination, as they are continuously exposed, ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, and play an important ecological rol ....This application answers a request for Expressions of Interest for an FRDC and GHHP project to develop a fish sampling program and fish health indicators for the Gladstone Harbour Report Card. The project will review and test approaches, drawing on earlier work commissioned by GHHP (Cowled, 2016; Kroon et al., 2016).
Fish are key biological indicators of environmental contamination, as they are continuously exposed, ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, and play an important ecological role (van der Oost et al., 2003). When employing fish as indicators of ecosystem health, most Australian programs consider assemblages and community structure. This approach is well-tested and simple to deploy. Its limitations are that extensive sampling can be required to ensure the monitoring program is spatially and temporally representative, avoids sampling gear bias and guarantees sufficient statistical power to detect change. The alternative approach is to measure indicators of individual fish health, such as morphometry, gross pathology, histopathology (Mishra and Mohanty, 2009), fish parasite load and diversity (Sasal et al., 2007) or chromosomal mutations (Pak et al., 2012). Other measures, such as bioaccumulation of contaminants, do not necessarily indicate poor fish health but can be useful for assessing ecosystem condition. Fish health indicators range from relatively low cost to high cost and complexity.
For this project, the preference is for testing and development of low-medium categories of indicators such as external examination, morphometry, gross pathology, parasite count and application of the health assessment index (Cowled, 2016). We will review suitable fish monitoring methods, develop and test cost-effective data collection approaches for Gladstone Harbour using adaptive sampling, evaluate the potential to transfer methods and indicators to similar areas, and produce fish indicators for inclusion in the 2017-18 Gladstone Harbour Report Card.
Future monitoring costs for 2019 are estimated at $45,324 (ex GST), not included in the budget.
Objectives: 1. To review and identify suitable methods to monitor fish health in the Gladstone Harbour. 2. To develop and implement a data collection approach by the end of June 2018 to monitor fish health in the Gladstone Harbour that is both cost-effective and suitable for a fish health indicator. 3. To evaluate the potential to adapt and transfer the methods and indicators developed to monitor fish health in other estuaries and ports in Northern Australia. 4. To develop fish health indicator(s) based on the data collected and apply them to the 2017-18 Gladstone Harbour Report Card. Read moreRead less