A New Model For The Pathogenesis Of Rheumatic Fever: Superantigen Priming Of The Immune Response To Group A Streptococci
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$248,820.00
Summary
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is now rare in developed countries. However, it remains a major problem in Aboriginal Australians in the NT where the rate of ARF is the highest in the world. This leads to high rates of rheumatic heart disease (up to 3% of individuals in some communities) and a premature mortality of over four times that for developing countries. Immunisation and improved living conditions offer a long-term solution but these remain a distant prospect. In the short and medium term, c ....Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is now rare in developed countries. However, it remains a major problem in Aboriginal Australians in the NT where the rate of ARF is the highest in the world. This leads to high rates of rheumatic heart disease (up to 3% of individuals in some communities) and a premature mortality of over four times that for developing countries. Immunisation and improved living conditions offer a long-term solution but these remain a distant prospect. In the short and medium term, control of this ARF will partly depend on new and better treatment and prevention strategies. To achieve these goals a deeper understanding of the immune mechanisms underlying this disease is urgently needed. It is known that ARF is caused by an abnormal immune response following streptococcal infection. This leads to the production of cells called T cells that attack the body s own tissues rather than the bacteria itself. This autoimmune disease is responsible for the heart damage that underlies ARF. It is believed that this proces only occurs when susceptible individuals are infected with specific rheumatogenic strains of streptococci. However there are a number of deficiencies in this model and it is proposed that there is an additional factor responsible for the abnormal immune response in ARF. This project will explore the possibility that bacterial toxins called superantigens are the critical missing factor , by studying the immune response in ARF. Superantigens are produced by certain streptococci and staphylococci, and are potent in minute quantities causing widespread activation of the immune system. They have been found to play an important role in a number of autoimmune diseases and the type of immune response found in ARF fits well with that expected if superantigens were involved. If superantigens play an important role in causing the abnormal immune response in ARF then a number of new avenues would open for the treatment and prevention of this disease.Read moreRead less
Estimating The Burden Of Group A Streptococcal Diseases In Victoria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$386,760.00
Summary
Despite the considerable advances in the diagnosis and treatment of group A streptococcal (GAS) diseases made during the last century, the impressive spectrum of infections caused by this organism continues to have a significant impact in developed countries. This spectrum includes diseases that are mild but common (e.g. sore throat, skin sores), rare but very severe (e.g. bloodstream infections, flesh-eating bacteria) and those that are more common in developing countries and the Aboriginal pop ....Despite the considerable advances in the diagnosis and treatment of group A streptococcal (GAS) diseases made during the last century, the impressive spectrum of infections caused by this organism continues to have a significant impact in developed countries. This spectrum includes diseases that are mild but common (e.g. sore throat, skin sores), rare but very severe (e.g. bloodstream infections, flesh-eating bacteria) and those that are more common in developing countries and the Aboriginal population (e.g. rheumatic fever, kidney disease). Streptococcal sore throat remains one of the most common childhood infections, and severe group A streptococcal diseases are thought to be increasing in incidence in Australia. Yet, there are no accurate data on the incidence and costs of these or other GAS diseases in non-Aboriginal Australians, or in most other populations around the world. It is becoming more urgent to collect this data as numerous vaccine candidates are entering human trials, new approaches to the treatment of sore throat are emerging, and new strategies to treat and control the spread of severe disease are being developed. We propose a comprehensive strategy to measure the incidence, prevalence and costs of each group of GAS diseases. We will follow a group of families for 12 months to detect cases of GAS sore throat and skin sores and measure the impact on the family. We will survey children in schools to estimate the prevalence of skin sores. We will check hospital records to calculate the number of cases of rheumatic fever and kidney disease. And we will maintain surveillance for severe diseases by checking hospital and laboratory records. We will also check to see if family members of people with severe disease have the GAS bacterium in their throats. We will then compile these data into a comprehensive estimate of the burden of disease in Victoria, and estimate the cost-effectiveness of different treatment and prevention strategies.Read moreRead less
Peopling educational policy: realising the new Australian English and mathematics curricula. Implementation of Australian curricula in English and mathematics provides an opportunity for school systems to re-examine practice. This project will identify resources and teacher learning opportunities needed to facilitate implementation of these curricula and use findings to develop interventions identified as likely to optimise implementation.
Improving student outcomes: coaching teachers in the power of feedback. This project aims to investigate how student outcomes can be augmented through coaching teachers in effective feedback practice. The project addresses a critical problem of stagnating levels of student achievement in Australian schools with the innovative research design combining evidence-based, pedagogies of feedback, formative assessment and instructional coaching to improve teacher practice and ultimately raise student a ....Improving student outcomes: coaching teachers in the power of feedback. This project aims to investigate how student outcomes can be augmented through coaching teachers in effective feedback practice. The project addresses a critical problem of stagnating levels of student achievement in Australian schools with the innovative research design combining evidence-based, pedagogies of feedback, formative assessment and instructional coaching to improve teacher practice and ultimately raise student achievement levels. The project aims to guide policy implementation in pedagogy to raise the quality of teaching standards and to improve learning outcomes for Australian students. Ultimately, outcomes from the research will help close the gap for low achieving students, and challenge and extend those who may already be meeting required benchmarks. Read moreRead less
Multiliteracies for addressing disadvantage in senior school science. Multiliteracies for addressing disadvantage in senior school science. This project aims to develop discipline-specific pedagogies in senior physics, chemistry and biology to improve disadvantaged students’ engagement and achievement. Many students from disadvantaged backgrounds fail to develop the linguistic precision and symbolic representational dexterity needed to comprehend and communicate senior school science concepts. T ....Multiliteracies for addressing disadvantage in senior school science. Multiliteracies for addressing disadvantage in senior school science. This project aims to develop discipline-specific pedagogies in senior physics, chemistry and biology to improve disadvantaged students’ engagement and achievement. Many students from disadvantaged backgrounds fail to develop the linguistic precision and symbolic representational dexterity needed to comprehend and communicate senior school science concepts. These pedagogies will ‘infuse’ multiliteracies in senior school science to improve access to science-based pathways for these students, and enable them to understand progressively more complex scientific concepts and demonstrate this in examinations. This project is expected to improve student retention, arrest declining enrolments in senior school science, and increase young people working in science.Read moreRead less
Out-of-field Teaching: Sustaining Quality Practices Across Subjects. Teaching out-of-field (teaching a subject without qualifications) is a rising concern internationally, and is linked to attrition, stress, and reduced student learning outcomes. With a comparatively high percentage of out-of-field teachers, Australia is exposed to significant social, economic and educational costs. Through the development of longitudinal case studies, this project investigates the changing landscape of teacher ....Out-of-field Teaching: Sustaining Quality Practices Across Subjects. Teaching out-of-field (teaching a subject without qualifications) is a rising concern internationally, and is linked to attrition, stress, and reduced student learning outcomes. With a comparatively high percentage of out-of-field teachers, Australia is exposed to significant social, economic and educational costs. Through the development of longitudinal case studies, this project investigates the changing landscape of teacher perceptions and practices over three years, within school institutional cultures relating to teacher assignment, support, and out-of-field mathematics and science teaching. Outcomes of the project will aim to inform the development of system and school policy and practice, in dealing with this internationally pervasive issue.Read moreRead less
Enhancing the quality of science learning through a representation-intensive pedagogy. This project will investigate the quality of science learning occurring through an approach to teaching that involves students generating, negotiating and evaluating representations of scientific concepts. Students will generate multi-modal representations using digital technologies, linking to the new Australian science curriculum.
The endangered swift parrot as a model for managing small migratory birds. Endangered swift parrots use variable locations while breeding in eastern Tasmania and over winter on the Australian mainland. This project aims to develop effective conservation strategies for swift parrots and other migrants using new and long term data and innovative technological solutions to tracking small birds across vast landscapes.
Enriching mathematics and science learning: an interdisciplinary approach. This international, longitudinal project aims to investigate the effectiveness of an innovative interdisciplinary learning approach in mathematics and science. Through collaborating primary schools in Australia and the United States of America (USA), it will investigate how students’ invention and transformation of representational systems can connect to support deeper reasoning and learning. The project will form the ba ....Enriching mathematics and science learning: an interdisciplinary approach. This international, longitudinal project aims to investigate the effectiveness of an innovative interdisciplinary learning approach in mathematics and science. Through collaborating primary schools in Australia and the United States of America (USA), it will investigate how students’ invention and transformation of representational systems can connect to support deeper reasoning and learning. The project will form the bases for new curricular designs that leverage students’ representational practices across science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to promote more robust and generative knowledge.Read moreRead less
Intercultural understanding in primary and secondary schools. What facilitates or impedes intercultural understanding in children, adolescents and schools? How can this be addressed? How can we know what makes a difference? This project answers these questions at the individual, school and national level using a novel cultural systems approach and methodological and technological innovations.