Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the commonest chronic condition in western societies, and can lead to strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure. In a disease known as primary aldosteronism (PAL), hypertension results from the excessive production of the salt-retaining hormone, aldosterone, by the the body's adrenal glands. In some patients, this is due to the growth of an aldosterone-producing adrenal tumour. Recent work performed within the Hypertension Unit at Greenslopes Hospital and co ....Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the commonest chronic condition in western societies, and can lead to strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure. In a disease known as primary aldosteronism (PAL), hypertension results from the excessive production of the salt-retaining hormone, aldosterone, by the the body's adrenal glands. In some patients, this is due to the growth of an aldosterone-producing adrenal tumour. Recent work performed within the Hypertension Unit at Greenslopes Hospital and continued by these investigators within the Hypertension Unit at Princess Alexandra Hospital has shown that PAL is the commonest potentially curable form of hypertension, accounting for at least 5% and possibly 10% of patients. Several lines of evidence accumulated by these investigators, including the detection of a new familial variety of PAL (Familial Hyperaldosteronism Type II or FH-II), suggest that PAL is a genetic disorder. The study sets out to locate the genetic defect causing PAL by comparing genetic material collected from affected members of these families with that from non-affected members, and by comparing genes from patients with PAL with those of unrelated, unaffected individuals. Once the genetics of this condition is understood, affected persons can be detected early in life, and even at birth, and the ill-effects of their developing conditions prevented.Read moreRead less
An International Randomised Trial Of Low-dose Aspirin To Prevent Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism (INSPIRE)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,989,986.00
Summary
Patients who develop venous blood clots or pulmonary embolism, without an underyling cause, are at very high risk of recurrence once anticoagulant treatment (warfarin) is discontinued. The international INSPIRE trial is assessing whether low-dose aspirin treatment (a simple and cheap alternative to warfarin) is effective and safe in preventing further blood clots. If proven effective, aspirin could potentially prevent thousands of patients worldwide from experiencing such events.
Examining GWAS-identified Loci Of Interest In Predicting Coronary Events In Subjects With Known Coronary Heart Disease: The LIPID Genetic Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$649,940.00
Summary
Can modern genetic analysis identify the genes which predict future heart attacks? We will follow up 4337 patients who have already suffered a heart attack and use the findings from the exciting new technique of GWAS (Gene wide association studies) to study their whole genetic map, select gene markers from thousands of possibilities to identify those at highest risk. This will develop a genetic markers of risk and shed light on previously unsuspected mechanisms of heart disease.
Management Of Coronary Heart Disease In The Indigenous Population In Western Australia: From Information To Action
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,110,455.00
Summary
This study will provide up to date and definitive data on the burden of acute coronary heart disease among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in WA and patterns of care. It will document the use of lifesaving coronary interventions, participation in cardiac rehabilitation programs and use of appropriate medicines. Indigenous people will have opportunities to describe any barriers they face to access to receiving standard treatment for a heart attack and secondary prevention afterwards.
Low-dose Aspirin To Prevent Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism (ASPIRE) Study: A Multicentre Randomised Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,108,600.00
Summary
In approximately one-third of patients who develop deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, this event is 'unprovoked' . These patients are at very high risk of recurrence once treatment with warfarin is discontinued. Warfarin treatment is very effective to prevent recurrence but is inconvenient because it has to be very closely monitored with blood tests and also causes serious bleeding complications in a significant number of patients. There are currently no other treatments available to pr ....In approximately one-third of patients who develop deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, this event is 'unprovoked' . These patients are at very high risk of recurrence once treatment with warfarin is discontinued. Warfarin treatment is very effective to prevent recurrence but is inconvenient because it has to be very closely monitored with blood tests and also causes serious bleeding complications in a significant number of patients. There are currently no other treatments available to prevent recurrent thrombosis. Low-dose aspirin treatment offers a simple, inexpensive, and widely practicable alternative to warfarin but has not yet been proven to be effective for preventing recurrent thrombosis. This study will investigate the effectiveness and safety of aspirin to prevent recurrence in patients with unprovoked deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism who have completed standard anticoagulation with heparin and warfarin. If proven to be effective, aspirin could potentially prevent thousands of patients from experiencing recurrent venous thromboembolism or fatal pulmonary embolism worldwide and also save millions of dollars in health care costs each year.Read moreRead less
An Implementation Trial Of A Telephone-based Care Management Program For Patients Following Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$641,656.00
Summary
We are trialling the implementation of an innovative telephone-delivered program for managing people who have had a heart attack. Cardiac rehabilitation programs are generally based in hospitals in Australia and people have to be able to attend the programs when they are offered. Even though such programs have been shown to be very effective in improving outcomes after a heart attack, at least 85% of Australians after a heart attack are either unable to access and-or unable to attend such progra ....We are trialling the implementation of an innovative telephone-delivered program for managing people who have had a heart attack. Cardiac rehabilitation programs are generally based in hospitals in Australia and people have to be able to attend the programs when they are offered. Even though such programs have been shown to be very effective in improving outcomes after a heart attack, at least 85% of Australians after a heart attack are either unable to access and-or unable to attend such programs due to transport and many other barriers. So, there is an urgent need to identify new, effective, and affordable ways of delivering cardiac rehabilitation programs to people after a heart attack. The proposed telephone-delivered program will be particularly appropriate for disadvantaged people, such as those living in rural and remote areas as well as Indigenous Australians, who do not currently have access to hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation programs. People who have had a heart attack will be recruited from three of Brisbane's largest public teaching hospitals, and will then be randomly assigned to the telephone-delivered cardiac rehabilitation program (Care Management Intervention group) or to a control or Usual Care group. The Care Management Intervention group will receive regular telephone calls from a highly qualified 'Care Manager' based at the renowned National Heart Foundation of Australia telephone support service, 'Heartline'. The Care Manager will help people to manage their heart condition and prevent the reoccurrence of further heart problems. People will also be encouraged to make necessary lifestyle and behavioural changes with the assistance of the Care Manager and some Heart Foundation educational and interactive resources to record their progress. We expect that the program or Care Management Intervention group will have better health outcomes than the control or Usual Care group at 6 and 12 months follow up.Read moreRead less
L-amino Acid Sensing By The Extracellular Calcium-sensing Receptor: Molecular, Cellular And In Vivo Studies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$362,545.00
Summary
Recent work by Dr Conigrave and colleagues demonstrates for the first time that protein and calcium metabolism are linked at the molecular level by the widely distributed calcium-sensing receptor. The project will aim to demonstrate the physiological significance of this finding by testing whether L-amino acids, the building blocks of body protein, exert receptor-dependent control over the secretion and blood levels of hormones that regulate body calcium levels. It will further test the hypothes ....Recent work by Dr Conigrave and colleagues demonstrates for the first time that protein and calcium metabolism are linked at the molecular level by the widely distributed calcium-sensing receptor. The project will aim to demonstrate the physiological significance of this finding by testing whether L-amino acids, the building blocks of body protein, exert receptor-dependent control over the secretion and blood levels of hormones that regulate body calcium levels. It will further test the hypothesis by determining whether amino acids exert receptor-dependent control over the proliferation of bone forming cells and urinary excretion of calcium.Read moreRead less