Surgical Management Of The Pulmonary Circulation In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$114,328.00
Summary
Congenital disorders of the lung circulation are rare. These children often present during infancy with symptoms of heart failure and require surgery to correct these defects. Without surgery, the prognosis of these conditions are poor. Our understanding of these conditions are limited. The proposed study aims to review all patients who underwent surgical repair of abnormalities of lung arteries and veins at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Does Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Induce Protective Mitochondrial Function In Congenital Heart Defect Repair Surgery?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$142,759.00
Summary
The body's own protective mechanism against injury due to reduced blood flow (ischemic preconditioning) has been studied for over 2 decades, yet the clinical benefits have not been realised until recently . We have previously shown that this innate protection can be induced without drugs in children having heart surgery. We will extend these findings to determine the mechanism of protection, develop a method to monitor this in blood cells and see if this is related to post-operative outcomes.
Nitric Oxide On Cardio Pulmonary Bypass In Congenital Heart Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,878,889.00
Summary
Children undergoing open heart surgery on a heart lung machine can experience serious side effects from the exposure to the artificial circulation during surgery and may have either prolonged need for life support in intensive care or even may suffer from long term complications. In this study we investigate the use of a new approach using nitric oxide, a anti-inflammatory gas, during surgery to reduce these side effects.
Understanding The Factors Governing Susceptibility And Outcome In Childhood Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$276,122.00
Summary
This research seeks to understand why a minority of children are prone to severe and often life-threatening infections and inflammation. It focusses on infections both in preterm infants and in later childhood, which may also be relevant to understanding atherosclerosis. I am also interested in improving the health of recently arrived refugees, by conducting research that allows the development of evidence-based health interventions and developing national policy on refugee health.
In Vitro And In Vivo Assessment Of The Funhaler -an Innovative Therapeutic Device For Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$472,750.00
Summary
Aerosol therapy is the most effective form of treatment for children with respiratory diseases such as asthma. While optimising aerosol delivery systems has an important role in increasing the efficacy of asthma therapy, ensuring patient compliance is often the most difficult part of the clinician's role, particularly in the paediatric age group. An innovative small volume spacer device (Funhaler) developed by a West Australian company (InfaMed, Ltd) may help overcome this problem. The Funhaler ....Aerosol therapy is the most effective form of treatment for children with respiratory diseases such as asthma. While optimising aerosol delivery systems has an important role in increasing the efficacy of asthma therapy, ensuring patient compliance is often the most difficult part of the clinician's role, particularly in the paediatric age group. An innovative small volume spacer device (Funhaler) developed by a West Australian company (InfaMed, Ltd) may help overcome this problem. The Funhaler incorporates a spinning toy attached to the outside of the spacer. The toy is activated when the patient breathes through the spacer. The device has been designed to encourage children to co-operate when their asthma therapy is being delivered. The Funhaler is currently in the late development stage. We propose, firstly, to carry out in vitro assessments of drug delivery from the Funhaler compared to the two most widely available small volume spacers: the Aerochamber Plus (Trudell, Canada) and the Breath-A-Tech (Scott-Dibben, Australia). These assessments will be carried out to meet the standards of regulatory bodies worldwide (including the FDA). Secondly, we propose to perform extensive in vivo studie: filter studies to assess drug delivery to the patient; deposition studies to measure drug deposition in the lungs; and a pilot clinical trial to assess the efficacy of the device during medium to long-term use in children aged 2-8 years.Read moreRead less
A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Effects Of Early Life Exposure To General Anaesthesia On Neurobehavioural Outcomes In Children With Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$587,240.00
Summary
Anaesthesia permits surgeries and other interventional procedures that benefit the health of children to be performed painlessly and non-traumatically. This study will provide critical information about whether the drugs used commonly for general anaesthesia represents a risk to very young children in terms of their neurobehavioural development.
Limiting Tuberculosis Transmission And Improving The Care Of Affected Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$412,419.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is the biggest infectious disease killer on the planet. Drug-resistant TB poses a particular challenge in the Asia-Pacific region. My research will assist Australia to progress towards domestic TB elimination. It will improve the management of “difficult to treat” cases and help to safeguard the public against ongoing TB transmission. Work in neighbouring countries will help to contain the spread of drug-resistant TB and protect vulnerable young children.
Invasive Staphylococcus Aureus Disease In Children; Epidemiology, Treatment And Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$124,676.00
Summary
This project will involve a systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCT) on the treatment Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) as well as a local WA retrospective review to quantify disease burden, trends and outcome. A prospective 2-year multicentre Australian review will then identify variables that can predict complicated and uncomplicated SAB. This information will then be used to design a RCT protocol on risk-stratified treatment approaches for SAB in paediatrics.
Bio-molecular Studies For Improved Diagnosis And Management Of Australian Children With Fish Allergy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$496,602.00
Summary
Allergy to fish among children is often life-long and emerging as a significant healthcare issue worldwide, while management of fish allergy is challenging due to the lack of reliable diagnostic assays. This research grant will lead to the development of novel diagnostics for fish allergy in Australia, addressing aspects of the worldwide food allergy epidemic and forms the ideal platform for the study of fish specific allergens, generating novel knowledge for greatly improved patient management.