Optimising Radiation Therapy Delivery For Cancer Patients Using Daily Image Guidance To Maximize Cure And Reduce Normal Tissue Side Effects
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$510,968.00
Summary
When using radiotherapy to kill tumours, the radiation beams need to be targeted at the tumour, plus a margin of error around it to ensure that it receives sufficient dose despite uncertainties in its exact location relative to reference points used for beam alignment. Advanced statistical modelling techniques applied to data collected from patients will be used to determine the optimal margin width for individual patients to maximise cancer cure while minimising normal tissue side effects.
How Does Exercise Ameliorate Programming Of Metabolic Dysfunction In Offspring Of Obese Mothers?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,121.00
Summary
Obesity is a worldwide disease, reflecting an interaction between our environment (diet, physical activity) and genes. We know that a mother's unhealthy diet can predispose offspring to diabetes, and exercise can improve this, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we will examine how exercise can benefit offspring of obese mothers, and test a drug that mimics the effects of exercise. The proposed research will provide insight into ways of reducing the obesity epidemic.
The Management To Optimise Diabetes And MEtabolic Syndrome Risk Reduction Via Nurse-led Intervention (MODERN) Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,445,861.00
Summary
There is increasing recognition of society’s responsibility to provide effective and sustainable health care to the entire population and not just selected parts. This practical study will test the impact of a nurse-led, multidisciplinary prevention program to reduce the risk of future cardiovascular events in middle-aged individuals at a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) living in regional Australia.
Sleep loss and disordered sleep is now recognised as contributing to mortality, chronic disease and economic health burden. The CCRE in Interdisciplinary Sleep Health (CRISH) aims to investigate the biology of sleep, and to prevent and to treat disorders of sleep through a uniquely interdisciplinary approach. The centre will support world-class interventional research aimed to inform clinical practice and alter health policy. The next generation of sleep researchers will be fostered through nati ....Sleep loss and disordered sleep is now recognised as contributing to mortality, chronic disease and economic health burden. The CCRE in Interdisciplinary Sleep Health (CRISH) aims to investigate the biology of sleep, and to prevent and to treat disorders of sleep through a uniquely interdisciplinary approach. The centre will support world-class interventional research aimed to inform clinical practice and alter health policy. The next generation of sleep researchers will be fostered through national and international collaborations.Read moreRead less
Low Cost High Precision Radiotherapy: A Synergistic Framework For Tumour Tracking During Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Advances in technology have enabled radiotherapy to become more sophisticated and more efficient at treating cancer. Yet, despite its sophistication, today radiotherapy suffers from a major problem: whilst we routinely image patients prior to treatment, no anatomical information is available during treatment. This project aims to solve this problem by making use of a number of sensors that are already available in a radiotherapy to track the tumours positions during treatment, when it counts.
Effects Of Fast Versus Slow Weight Loss On Fat, Muscle And Bone In Postmenopausal Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,450.00
Summary
Very low energy diets (VLED) are increasingly used to treat obesity. Of concern is the fact that VLED induce adaptive responses that can inhibit loss of, and promote regain of, abdominal fat while decreasing lean body mass, muscle strength and bone density. This project will therefore determine whether VLEDs could have negative effects on body composition that increase the risk of metabolic disease, sarcopenia or osteoporosis, and if so, what mechanisms are involved.
This proposal is designed to test the protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) in humans: the idea that the level of food consumption in humans, like other animals, is adjusted to maintain a target protein intake. As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases, with its attendant health problems, the need to identify which dietary components limit rather than exacerbate energy intake is imperative. According to the PLH, the consumption of a diet low in % protein and high in % fat and carbohydrat ....This proposal is designed to test the protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) in humans: the idea that the level of food consumption in humans, like other animals, is adjusted to maintain a target protein intake. As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases, with its attendant health problems, the need to identify which dietary components limit rather than exacerbate energy intake is imperative. According to the PLH, the consumption of a diet low in % protein and high in % fat and carbohydrate, typical of many Western countries, inevitably requires the ingestion of additional energy to maintain protein intake constant, thus driving weight gain. Conversely, the consumption of a diet that is relatively high in % protein requires the ingestion of lower levels of energy, creating the potential for weight loss. Preliminary experimental and population-level nutritional survey data support the PLH, as does the finding that protein is more satiating than other macronutrients. If, as predicted, small changes in the proportion of protein in diets described in the current study are found to impact on total energy intake there will be significant implications for weight control strategies. Thus, if the PLH is confirmed, public health dietary recommendations and government policy settings for the food industry will need to change. Large-scale intervention studies aimed at demonstrating the longer term impact on body weight will also be required.Read moreRead less
The Nutritional Geometry Of Ageing In A Rodent Model
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$979,269.00
Summary
A central belief in ageing research is that eating fewer calories prolongs life, and that the source of calories (carbohydrate, fat or protein) is irrelevant. However, a critical assessment indicates that this conclusion is premature. We will use recent techniques in nutrition to define for the first time in mammals the relationship between diet and ageing in a normal and a prematurely ageing strain of mice. The project will provide a novel nutritional approach for promoting healthy ageing.
Improving The Cardiometabolic Health Of People With Psychosis: The Physical Health Nurse Consultant Service
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$667,021.00
Summary
People with psychosis have high rates of chronic disease that reduces lifespan by 25 years. The health system struggles to provide adequate care. We developed the Physical Health Nurse Consultant service that provides physical health care coordination and will evaluate whether it improves physical health, consumer experience and cost-effectiveness. Outcomes will directly address policy initiatives to improve physical health service delivery in mental health services.