Acute pancreatitis is an acute abdominal inflammatory process (the pancreas attempts to digest itself) with significant mortality in those patients having the severe form of the disease. The commonest causes of the disease are gallstones and excessive alcohol consumption. Approximately 80% of patients with acute pancreatitis recover, but 20% experience the severe form of the disease. In severe pancreatitis, 30% of patients die. Severe pancreatitis is associated with necrosis (cell death) of the ....Acute pancreatitis is an acute abdominal inflammatory process (the pancreas attempts to digest itself) with significant mortality in those patients having the severe form of the disease. The commonest causes of the disease are gallstones and excessive alcohol consumption. Approximately 80% of patients with acute pancreatitis recover, but 20% experience the severe form of the disease. In severe pancreatitis, 30% of patients die. Severe pancreatitis is associated with necrosis (cell death) of the pancreas which, results from reduced blood flow in the organ. This reduced blood flow may be secondary to increased pressure in the pancreatic duct following occlusion of the duct. Preliminary studies suggest that the reason why the pancreas may be susceptible to necrosis is the anatomical arrangement of its blood supply, being made up of many end arterioles (very small arteries) that do not connect with other arteries. The consequence of this arrangement is that if a particular end arteriole becomes blocked, the area of the tissue cannot obtain a blood supply from neighbouring arterioles (as in other organs). Blood supply is partly controlled by nerves. The nerve transmitter nitric oxide is one of the major chemicals involved in this regulation. Nitric oxide also regulates the pressure in the pancreatic duct by acting on the sphincter of Oddi, situated at the opening of the pancreatic duct. Consequently, the action of nitric oxide during pancreatitis may be crucial to the development of the severe disease. This proposal seeks to define the blood supply of the pancreas, its regulation, the effect that increased pancreatic duct pressure has on it and the role that nitric oxide plays in this. If the hypotheses regarding the role of nitric oxide on pancreatic blood flow is proven, then drugs which influence nitric oxide levels can be used to limit the production of pancreatic necrosis. In turn, such an effect will reduce the mortality and morbidity of acute pancreatitis.Read moreRead less
Pathophysiology And Treatment Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Effects Of Bariatric Surgery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$88,766.00
Summary
The incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rising in parallel with the unfolding obesity crisis, and it will become the most common cause of liver failure in the near future. Bariatric surgery has established benefits in weight loss and type II diabetes remission. Its role in NAFLD is still uncertain. We will explore the role of bariatric surgery in the treatment of NAFLD, as well as investigate cellular and biomolecular changes that occur with weight loss.
Detection Of Liver And Renal Function Abnormalities In The Australian & New Zealand Population Of Fontan Patients
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$345,080.00
Summary
Children born with complex heart defects and only one pumping chamber can now live into adulthood with an operation called the Fontan procedure. As this operation has only existed for 40 years, the long-term expectations for these children and young adults are still unclear, and their population is growing every year. There is now evidence that they may suffer from liver and kidney failure. This project will identify the severity of liver and kidney damage in our population of Fontan patients.