Tailored Activities To Reduce Challenging Behaviours In Persons With Dementia Living At Home: The TAP Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Summary
Dementia is the greatest single contributor to the burden of disability for older people. Challenging behaviours are common and associated with reduced quality of life for the person with dementia and the caregiver. The Tailored Activities Program, delivered by occupational therapists, is novel. It targets the capacity of the person with dementia and provides a systematic way to match both capacity and personal interest to activity. We will conduct a randomized trial to test its effectiveness.
Identifying The Relationship Between Biochemical Markers And Healing In Chronic Leg Ulcers Treated With Compression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$374,159.00
Summary
Chronic leg ulcers are a significant cause of pain, immobility and decreased quality of life for 1 - 3% of the over 60 years age group. The condition is difficult to heal and commonly becomes a long term problem, costing the Australian health care system over $500 million - year. Additional costs to the community include loss of productivity and social support systems necessary for people with limited mobility. As the number of people aged over 65 years is expected to double in the next few deca ....Chronic leg ulcers are a significant cause of pain, immobility and decreased quality of life for 1 - 3% of the over 60 years age group. The condition is difficult to heal and commonly becomes a long term problem, costing the Australian health care system over $500 million - year. Additional costs to the community include loss of productivity and social support systems necessary for people with limited mobility. As the number of people aged over 65 years is expected to double in the next few decades, this problem will become increasingly significant. Most chronic leg ulcers are caused by venous disease, and compression bandage therapy is the accepted standard treatment. However, there is little information available on the cellular responses associated with compression treatment and how they promote wound healing. The project proposed here will examine the cellular responses to compression and investigate the relationships between these cellular responses and wound healing. Knowledge gained from the study will provide valuable information for improved techniques to promote wound healing, improved ulcer healing rates, informed decisions on wound care treatment, improved qualtiy of life and reduced health care costs.Read moreRead less
Targeting Inflammation-associated Macrophages For Imaging And Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,218.00
Summary
Cancer and cardiovascular disease are the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The development of effective therapies remains a major challenge and is often associated with severe side-effects. I recently developed novel targeting reagents to effectively deliver therapeutics and diagnostic agents deep inside diseased tissues, such as tumours and atherosclerotic plaques. My research will further explore their therapeutic and imaging applications in cancer and atherosclerosis.
The aim is to make life safer for at-risk older people and to give them the capacity to participate in daily life activity. Transition from hospital to home and accidental falls are two events in which a lack of capacity to make adaptive changes or resume previous life activities can alter life course outcomes. I will engage in effectiveness trials of interventions and research to ensure the implementation of new knowledge into clinical and public health practice.
Responding To Multi-morbidity And Social Disadvantage Through General Practice: Practical Approaches To Understanding Best Practice And Incorporating Patient Views
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,387.00
Summary
I am a General Practitioner researcher focused on the problems related to chronic illness and social disadvantage. People living in disadvantaged circumstances suffer more chronic illnesses and the burden from those illnesses is greater for them. GPs trying to meet the needs of those patients face greater challenges. My research will identify strategies for enhancing the care provided and the experiences of patients in General Practice when faced with these difficulties.
Exploiting Increased Autophagy In Bronchial Epithelial Cells: A New Therapeutic Approach For Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$724,161.00
Summary
COPD is incurable, a leading cause of death, and new therapies are urgently needed. Autophagy is a cell response to cell stress conditions, however increased autophagy is harmful. We will investigate the association of increased autophagy with COPD and smoking and evaluate therapies that can reduce autophagy, including zinc-related drugs and novel antibiotics that have been modified to lose their anti-bacterial activity.
Efficacy Of Activated Protein C To Treat Diabetic Leg Ulcers - A Randomised, Controlled Clinical Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$519,284.00
Summary
Chronic leg ulcers are a major public health burden. Research undertaken by the CIs and funded by a NHMRC Development Grant have shown that activated protein C heals chronic wounds in animals and now in humans, and resolved mechanisms underlying activated protein C's actions. The current chronic leg ulcer trial is an essential step to validate the therapeutic use of activated protein C in wound healing, which is likely to emerge as a cost-effective treatment for this difficult health problem.
Characterisation Of Emerging New Signaling Networks That Underlie COPD Phenotypes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$696,966.00
Summary
Incurable diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are becoming increasingly prevalent in Australia’s aging population and new therapies are urgently needed. We have discovered a possible cause of severe emphysema and developed a novel method to image functional changes in the diseased lung. Using advanced molecular and imaging techniques we are now probing for ways to turn this discovery into effective treatments for this fatal disease.
A type of white blood cell, the macrophage, is a key player in determining the chronicity of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, psoriasis, nephritis, multiple sclerosis etc. Two particular proteins can control macrophage development and functions, both under normal conditions and during inflammation. The project aims to understand this control. More rational ways to suppress inflammation due to aberrant macrophage function should result.
Determinants Of The Outcomes From Infectious Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$532,630.00
Summary
Professor Lloyd will continue studies of the factors which lead to varied clinical outcomes from common infectious diseases. The outcomes include chronic or persistent illness, rather than prompt recovery. The factors being studied include aspects of the microbes causing the infection; and aspects of the individual suffering from infection, including genetic make-up, immune defences, and treatment responses. The infections studied include common "flu-like" illnesses, as well as hepatitis C.