Laser Acupuncture In Patients With Chronic Knee Pain: A Randomised Placebo-controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$701,120.00
Summary
Chronic knee pain is a common and disabling musculoskeletal condition that causes a loss of functional independence and results in significant health care costs. In the majority of patients the most common cause is osteoarthritis. Acupuncture is a form of non-surgical treatment commonly sought by patients and often recommended by GP's. The main outcomes from our project are to establish the role, clinical effectiveness and cost benefit of laser and needle acupuncture in knee pain patients.
Management Of Burn Injury: Fluid Dynamics And Antibiotic Pharmacokinetics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$342,375.00
Summary
It is well known that major burns, as well as being relatively common injuries, are notoriously difficult to manage. Patients exhibit significant variability due to a combination of anatomic, physiologic, hormonal and immunologic alterations occurring both at the wound site and, more importantly, in other body compartments and vital organ systems. Skin burn injury results in the release of multiple inflammatory mediators in addition to significant fluid loss. The distribution of inflammatory med ....It is well known that major burns, as well as being relatively common injuries, are notoriously difficult to manage. Patients exhibit significant variability due to a combination of anatomic, physiologic, hormonal and immunologic alterations occurring both at the wound site and, more importantly, in other body compartments and vital organ systems. Skin burn injury results in the release of multiple inflammatory mediators in addition to significant fluid loss. The distribution of inflammatory mediators and wound bacteria to central organs can cause complex physiological changes that may lead to multiple organ failure, with serious infections occurring in around 50% of patients with serious burns. Antibiotic distribution kinetics, such as bioavailability, clearance, volume of distribution, elimination half-life and unbound fraction in plasma can be significantly altered in burn patients. Without detailed knowledge of changes and relationships between factors such as wound pH, tissue oxygenation, protein concentrations of fluid leaked from the local wound microvasculature, tissue binding, oedema and changes in burned and non-burned tissue induced by resuscitation therapies, the optimisation of both local and systemic infection contriol therapies can hardly be expected to advance. This project aims to determine how changes the physiology of burn patients, in particular in the burn wound environment, affect antibiotic penetration and distribution into tissues. We also believe that these changes will vary between patients and are aiming to determine whether certain parameters can be used to give an indication of the best antibiotic dosing regimens for individual patients.Read moreRead less