Patellofemoral Arthritis: Efficacy Of Physiotherapy And Understanding The Role Of Joint Stress
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$616,430.00
Summary
Arthritis of the kneecap leads to considerable pain and difficulty with daily activities. This project is testing whether a physiotherapy treatment (8 sessions over 12 weeks) designed specifically for people with kneecap arthritis is effective. In order to understand more about kneecap arthritis, this project will calculate the force on the kneecap and its relationship to pain and other factors, including thigh and hip muscle strength, knee alignments and knee movements.
The Effect Of Loading On The Size, Shape And Strength Of Cortical Bone During Different Stages Of Maturation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$180,000.00
Summary
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the skeleton becomes fragile and susceptible to fractures. It is a public health problem that affects both men and women over the age of sixty. Although osteoporosis affects the elderly, the most opportune time to prevent osteoporosis may be during childhood. Physical activity is a lifestyle factor known to affect the strength of the skeleton. Bone density is commonly used as a measure of bone strength because it is easily measured and is related to the break ....Osteoporosis is a condition in which the skeleton becomes fragile and susceptible to fractures. It is a public health problem that affects both men and women over the age of sixty. Although osteoporosis affects the elderly, the most opportune time to prevent osteoporosis may be during childhood. Physical activity is a lifestyle factor known to affect the strength of the skeleton. Bone density is commonly used as a measure of bone strength because it is easily measured and is related to the breaking strength of bones. However changes in the shape of bones can also affect bone strength with or without an increase in bone density. Changes in bone shape in response to exercise in children or adults have rarely been investigated, and little is known about the effects of exercise on bone shape during different stages of growth. This study is the first to investigate how exercise during childhood may affect bone strength by changing bone shape. 45 elite female tennis players aged between 6 to 18 years have completed two years of this study. 90 novice and competitive male tennis players aged between 6 to 20 years and 60 healthy age matched controls will be asked to participate in this study. Measurements will be made annually for three years. The bone shape and density of the dominant and non-dominant arms of the players will be compared with the children who don't play tennis - comparisons will also be made between i) different stages of puberty and ii) girls and boys. The findings of this study are important because the lifestyle of children today may predispose them to a greater risk of osteoporosis late in life. Physical activity may be the most important modifiable protective factor against fragile bones in old age. The findings of this study will be the first to provide insight into whether there is a unique time during growth when exercise will result in the greatest increase in bone strength by changing bone shape.Read moreRead less
The Design, Development And Clinical Assessment Of A New Metacarpophalangeal Joint Prosthesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$188,450.00
Summary
Rheumatoid arthritis is a crippling form of arthritis that affects many people in the community. It commonly involves the finger joints in the hands resulting in deformity, pain and subsequent loss of function. There have been implants designed for finger joint replacement, but unfortunately these implants have had only moderate benefits and can break and lead to further joint destruction resulting in the worsening of deformity and pain. A new implant for finger joint replacement has been develo ....Rheumatoid arthritis is a crippling form of arthritis that affects many people in the community. It commonly involves the finger joints in the hands resulting in deformity, pain and subsequent loss of function. There have been implants designed for finger joint replacement, but unfortunately these implants have had only moderate benefits and can break and lead to further joint destruction resulting in the worsening of deformity and pain. A new implant for finger joint replacement has been developed. This implant has several potential advantages. Firstly the unique design acts to prevent recurring deformity in the fingers with rheumatoid disease while allowing functional motion. Secondly, it is thought that patients will return to function earlier and avoid the need for further finger surgery as this implant design relies less on the tissues around it for stability. The purpose of this study is to investigate the biomechanical and clinical benefits of this new implant for finger joint replacement. The new design will undergo specific laboratory tests and be used in a clinical trial to quantify the therapeutic benefits it provides to patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Read moreRead less
Young People With Old Knees: Knee Ligament Reconstruction And Early Joint Changes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$782,727.00
Summary
Individuals who have undergone a knee reconstruction are at increased risk of knee osteoarthritis - 'younger people with older knees'. This may be partly due to increased knee load. This study aims to investigate whether muscle strength and activation as well as walking patterns influence changes in the knee joint structure as measured on magnetic resonance imaging. This may lead to rehabilitation strategies to address these factors so as to prevent the premature onset of knee osteoarthritis.
QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF LOOSENING IN HIP ARTHROPLASTIES USING MECHANICAL VIBRATION DIAGNOSTICS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$185,665.00
Summary
Recent advances and improvements made to the mechanical design of artificial joints have led to greater strength, fatigue life and wear resistance. However, this extension to the working life of joint replacements has led to patients becoming increasingly vulnerable to the problem of joint loosening. There are over 500 000 hip joint replacements performed every year, on a worldwide basis. Of these 7 to 13% will require revision surgery because of loosening at some stage of their working life. Th ....Recent advances and improvements made to the mechanical design of artificial joints have led to greater strength, fatigue life and wear resistance. However, this extension to the working life of joint replacements has led to patients becoming increasingly vulnerable to the problem of joint loosening. There are over 500 000 hip joint replacements performed every year, on a worldwide basis. Of these 7 to 13% will require revision surgery because of loosening at some stage of their working life. This is becoming a major concern to health services around the world since revision surgery is associated with a higher risk to the patient and costs are far greater than for the primary operation. Current diagnostic techniques using radiographic imaging are both invasive and lack diagnostic accuracy. The ability to detect joint loosening and to discriminate between the various causes of joint loosening following arthroplasty is of great importance to the success of subsequent care plans. This study will be the first in the world to assess the validity of a new diagnostic test that uses low energy mechanical vibration to quantify the degree of loosening in both components of the implanted hip joint. Once the technique has been proven it could readily be extended to evaluate the degree of fixation of other implanted prostheses used to replace the knee, ankle or joints of the upper limbs.Read moreRead less
THE BIOLOGY OF HUMAN DEC-205: A POTENTIAL ANTIGEN LOADING RECEPTOR FOR DENDRITIC CELLS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$227,017.00
Summary
Dendritic Cells (DC) represent a unique subset of white blood cells which play a critical role in initiating the immune response. Foreign material from bacteria-viruses and potentially cancer cells are recognised by DC, taken inside, processed and presented with other signals to T and B Lymphocytes for a response. Several DC surface molecules may beinvolved in the recognition of foreign material. We have cloned human DEC-205, a molecule which is predicted to bind the sugar groups associated with ....Dendritic Cells (DC) represent a unique subset of white blood cells which play a critical role in initiating the immune response. Foreign material from bacteria-viruses and potentially cancer cells are recognised by DC, taken inside, processed and presented with other signals to T and B Lymphocytes for a response. Several DC surface molecules may beinvolved in the recognition of foreign material. We have cloned human DEC-205, a molecule which is predicted to bind the sugar groups associated with bacteria-viruses and to act as a foreign material recognition and loading receptor. This project seeks to synthesise components of DEC-205 to test the binding capacities of its different components to different sugars and other molecules. We will also establish its expression pattern and how this is regulated on different white blood cell types. It is also possible that DEC-205 transmits signals which activate the DC, and we will test for that possibility. Finally, we will attempt to exploit this knowledge for loading cancer target molecules into DC via DEC-205 to initiate a cancer vaccine response.Read moreRead less
Laser Acupuncture In Patients With Chronic Knee Pain: A Randomised Placebo-controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$701,120.00
Summary
Chronic knee pain is a common and disabling musculoskeletal condition that causes a loss of functional independence and results in significant health care costs. In the majority of patients the most common cause is osteoarthritis. Acupuncture is a form of non-surgical treatment commonly sought by patients and often recommended by GP's. The main outcomes from our project are to establish the role, clinical effectiveness and cost benefit of laser and needle acupuncture in knee pain patients.
Effect Of Lifestyle Factors On Knee Cartilage Volume And Rate Of Cartilage Loss In A Normal Population
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$236,500.00
Summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) has been described by the WHO as a potential epidemic and a major health and care services cost driver in an aging society. OA has the largest impact on burden of disease borne in later life. This has been acknowledged by its listing as the 7th health priority in Australia. To date, most research has focused on treating the resulting pain and disability. However, in order to reduce the burden of OA, identifying modifiable risk factors in the normal population is important. Th ....Osteoarthritis (OA) has been described by the WHO as a potential epidemic and a major health and care services cost driver in an aging society. OA has the largest impact on burden of disease borne in later life. This has been acknowledged by its listing as the 7th health priority in Australia. To date, most research has focused on treating the resulting pain and disability. However, in order to reduce the burden of OA, identifying modifiable risk factors in the normal population is important. This proposal aims to identify life-style factors, such as diet, physical activity and obesity that effect knee cartilage health in healthy subjects, thereby identifying potential targets for future prevention of OA. This will provide us with the opportunity to promote a better quality of life as people age and reduce the economic burden on the community.Read moreRead less