The SNORE-ASA Study: A Study Of Neurocognitive Outcomes, Radiological And Retinal Effects Of Aspirin In Sleep Apnoea
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$886,692.00
Summary
Sleep apnoea is very common in the elderly, but it is uncertain whether it leads to a decline in mental abilities as it can in the middle-aged. Apart from fatigue, sleep apnoea also causes mental decline by affecting brain blood supply. This may be preventable with aspirin. We will track 3,000 healthy elderly for 4 years, after testing for sleep apnoea. Half will take aspirin. We predict that mental ability will decline faster with sleep apnoea, and that aspirin will partly reverse this.
Optimising Non-invasive Ventilation At Birth For Preterm Infants
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$735,912.00
Summary
Infants born very premature require respiratory support at birth to make the transition to newborn life. As these infants are very immature and prone to injury, modern respiratory care strategies utilise the least invasive approaches mainly applied using a facemask. However, we have discovered that the larynx is closed at birth and thereby prevents air from entering the lung. This application is focussed on optimising the efficiency of facemask ventilation at birth and stimulating breathing.
Improving The Prediction And Detection Of Contributors To Term Stillbirth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$570,358.00
Summary
Stillbirths are a global human tragedy, with 1 in 130 of all pregnancies in Australia ending in stillbirth. We propose to use ultrasound and blood markers to improve the detection of babies who are not growing well, a leading risk factor for stillbirth. Sleep position has also been associated with stillbirth, so we will study fetal heart rate responses during an overnight sleep study to see if breathing events overnight may be an important contributor to stillbirth in growth restricted fetuses.
NeuroSleep: The Centre For Translational Sleep And Circadian Neurobiology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,659,061.00
Summary
NeuroSleep, the Centre for Translational Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, will foster innovative clinical research and translation to develop national capacity in understanding how sleep disorders and dysfunction of the body clock impact on health. The Centre will focus its activities on the two-way relationship between disrupted sleep and body clock systems and brain disorders. Our goal is to improve brain performance, workplace safety and health outcomes in patients with sleep and circadian d ....NeuroSleep, the Centre for Translational Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, will foster innovative clinical research and translation to develop national capacity in understanding how sleep disorders and dysfunction of the body clock impact on health. The Centre will focus its activities on the two-way relationship between disrupted sleep and body clock systems and brain disorders. Our goal is to improve brain performance, workplace safety and health outcomes in patients with sleep and circadian dysfunction and in the general community.Read moreRead less
What Are The Lifetime Clinical Predictors And Risk Factors For Multiple Phenotypes Of Adult Asthma, COPD And Sleep Disordered Breathing? Following Up The TAHS Cohort From 1st To 6th Decade
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,950,689.00
Summary
Breathing gets impaired and impact on the productivity and quality of life when chronic respiratory diseases rise with ageing. Adult chronic respiratory diseases are major causes of illness and death but there are still many gaps in knowledge on how best to prevent and manage these diseases. The proposed program will provide evidence to guide health policy and clinical management of these diseases. These original findings will be of great importance both nationally and internationally.
Young women negotiating from the margins of education and work: towards gender justice in educational and youth policies and programs. Young women who leave school early are the most economically disadvantaged young people in the labour market. We will investigate the educational, labour market, biographical and social experiences of these young women, and their inter-actions with teachers and youth service providers. We will identify trends, differences and similarities across rural and urban l ....Young women negotiating from the margins of education and work: towards gender justice in educational and youth policies and programs. Young women who leave school early are the most economically disadvantaged young people in the labour market. We will investigate the educational, labour market, biographical and social experiences of these young women, and their inter-actions with teachers and youth service providers. We will identify trends, differences and similarities across rural and urban locations and across generations, and develop a profile of factors and programs most likely to help these young women negotiate their post-school lives. The research findings will enrich gender justice and social theory and contribute to policy and program development in the education and youth services sectors.
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LIM KINASE 1 (LIMK1) AND METASTASIS, THE SEARCH FOR LIMK1 INHIBITORS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$461,250.00
Summary
Disseminated cancer, unlike the localized disease, can rarely be cured by drug therapy. We have found that LIM kinase (LIMK1), a protein that was discovered in our laboratory, plays an important role in controlling the ability of tumour cells to spread, a process called metastasis. Thus, this protein becomes an important target for the development of new drug therapies to prevent the spread of cancer. Importantly, we have demonstrated that (1) inhibiting LIMK1 blocks the formation of metastatic ....Disseminated cancer, unlike the localized disease, can rarely be cured by drug therapy. We have found that LIM kinase (LIMK1), a protein that was discovered in our laboratory, plays an important role in controlling the ability of tumour cells to spread, a process called metastasis. Thus, this protein becomes an important target for the development of new drug therapies to prevent the spread of cancer. Importantly, we have demonstrated that (1) inhibiting LIMK1 blocks the formation of metastatic tumours in mice, and (2) introduction of this protein into tumour cells makes them more invasive. In addition, we find that the level of LIMK1 is much higher in human tumour cell lines that have the propensity to easily form tumours in mice. Also, measuring the level of this protein in cancer cells that spread to other organs shows that it is at significantly elevated levels when compared to normal tissue. The goals of this research are to: (1) understand whether the ability of LIMK1 to regulate tumour spreading and invasiveness correlates with its ability to control metastasis; (2) examine in human tumour samples whether the levels of LIMK1 correlate with the development of metastatic tumours; and (3) search for drugs that can inhibit the activity of this protein. The results from this research will be highly significant because LIMK1 levels are likely to be an important marker for which tumours will become metastatic. It is possible that, at the time of tumour diagnosis, LIMK1 measurements will enable the clinician to predict whether an individual tumour will become metastatic. Secondly, this protein is a novel drug development target. Drugs that inhibit this protein may block the ability of tumours to invade and metastasise.Read moreRead less
Supply, Demand And The Distribution Of Health Services In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$308,038.00
Summary
The distribution of medical services and its impact on access and equity is widely recognised as a key concern of the Australian community. Access and equity are key indicators to the public of the performance of a health system. These concerns have led to the adoption of major policy goals under Medicare relating to equitable access to medical services for the population as a whole. Furthermore, both the community and policy makers have expressed high levels of concern over the distribution of ....The distribution of medical services and its impact on access and equity is widely recognised as a key concern of the Australian community. Access and equity are key indicators to the public of the performance of a health system. These concerns have led to the adoption of major policy goals under Medicare relating to equitable access to medical services for the population as a whole. Furthermore, both the community and policy makers have expressed high levels of concern over the distribution of medical services between sub-markets and sub-populations, in particular, in the distribution of medical services between urban and rural-remote areas. This project, for the first time, comprehensively examines the performance of Medicare in terms of access to medical services over time. Australian data sets, largely untapped by economic modelling, will be used for analysis of the relationships between the distribution of, access to, and demand and fees for Australian medical services and their impact upon mortality over time. The study will result in the first comprehensive Australian description of access and supply of different medical services by social group and by geographic location over time. Furthermore it will provide evidence on the key determinants of distribution and changes in the distribution of medical services and estimates the likely effects of policy instruments designed to address the distribution of, and access to, medical services.Read moreRead less
Reinventing Philosophy as a Way of Life. The core aim of this project is to examine modern re-inventions of the classical ideal of philosophy as a way of life. It will investigate the reanimation of this idea in post-Kantian philosophy, including well-known figures such as Nietzsche but also neglected figures such as Jean-Marie Guyau. The research will be highly significant in providing the first sustained study of how 19th and 20th century European philosophy transformed ancient philosophical s ....Reinventing Philosophy as a Way of Life. The core aim of this project is to examine modern re-inventions of the classical ideal of philosophy as a way of life. It will investigate the reanimation of this idea in post-Kantian philosophy, including well-known figures such as Nietzsche but also neglected figures such as Jean-Marie Guyau. The research will be highly significant in providing the first sustained study of how 19th and 20th century European philosophy transformed ancient philosophical schools, such as Epicureanism and Stoicism. Read moreRead less
Educating the Adolescent: An historical study of curriculum, counselling and citizenship in Australia 1930s -70s. This project is a history of the education of Australian adolescents during the mid-twentieth century (1930s-70s). It investigates international and Australian practices and debates concerning how best to prepare adolescents for citizenship; and examines changing ideas about the 'good student', and the role of school curriculum and counselling services in shaping student values and w ....Educating the Adolescent: An historical study of curriculum, counselling and citizenship in Australia 1930s -70s. This project is a history of the education of Australian adolescents during the mid-twentieth century (1930s-70s). It investigates international and Australian practices and debates concerning how best to prepare adolescents for citizenship; and examines changing ideas about the 'good student', and the role of school curriculum and counselling services in shaping student values and wellbeing. Combining documentary and oral history research, it provides historical perspectives on these topical issues, which will benefit policy, teacher education and teaching practice. It will create an oral history archive for, and deepen community and professional knowledge of, an important period of Australian educational history. Read moreRead less