Potential Roles Of 5-hydroxytryptamine In Diseases Affecting The Colon
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$346,018.00
Summary
The overall aim of this project is to examine the biological roles played by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the human colon. 5-HT is a naturally occurring substance of the body, normally involved in controlling many body activities. Relevance is placed in this project on the possibility that 5-HT is involved in causing or contributing to certain clinical conditions, either by excess or deficiency. The conditions that are the focus of this project are chronic constipation, diverticular disease and ....The overall aim of this project is to examine the biological roles played by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the human colon. 5-HT is a naturally occurring substance of the body, normally involved in controlling many body activities. Relevance is placed in this project on the possibility that 5-HT is involved in causing or contributing to certain clinical conditions, either by excess or deficiency. The conditions that are the focus of this project are chronic constipation, diverticular disease and irritable bowel syndrome. It is a matter of concern that there are no specific treatments for these conditions to date, hence the thrust of the project is to increase knowledge in this area, so hopefully treatments will be developed. Our Pharmacology research group is recognised for its experience in defining drug effects on the intestine and in characterising the target sites on which they act. This has been achieved by using an integrated approach whereby different functional methods reliably detect effects at the levels of the muscle layers, the nerves that supply them and at the absorptive surface using experimental animals. In addition, the use of isolated pieces of human colon obtained from discarded operation material has been an invaluable inclusion into this process. This has allowed us to establish that 5-HT has a target site in the muscle of the colon and that this leads to relaxation and inhibition of the normal spontaneous contractile activity, said anecdotally to be abnormally high in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. We now wish to apply this expertise and knowledge to test whether 5-HT is involved in causing chronic constipation and diverticular disease and to design a drug that would be expected to be of value in treating patients with irritable bowel syndrome.Read moreRead less
New Evidence To Guide Decisions About The Prevention And Treatment Of Common Cardiovascular Diseases.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$7,309,675.00
Summary
The Program brings together clinicians, epidemiologists and statisticians in a unique endeavour designed to improve the prevention and treatment of heart attack and stroke. For the foreseeable future, these conditions will remain leading causes of death and disease in Australia and most other countries in the region. While there are many established treatment and prevention strategies for these conditions there remains great potential for further advances to be made, which might avert very large ....The Program brings together clinicians, epidemiologists and statisticians in a unique endeavour designed to improve the prevention and treatment of heart attack and stroke. For the foreseeable future, these conditions will remain leading causes of death and disease in Australia and most other countries in the region. While there are many established treatment and prevention strategies for these conditions there remains great potential for further advances to be made, which might avert very large numbers of premature deaths and serious disabling outcomes. This Program of research seeks to provide new information that will give patients, doctors and policy makers innovative options for the treatment and prevention of heart attack and stroke. The Program will incorporate two main elements: observational studies and randomised controlled trials. The observational studies will establish the precise importance of each of the main causes of cardiovascular diseases (such as diabetes, blood pressure, smoking and cholesterol) at different ages, in different ethnic groups and in different geographic regions. Furthermore, these studies will also define the relative importance of established and novel risk factors for cardiovascular disease, providing important new information about how resources for prevention should be directed. The large-scale trials will provide evidence about the effectiveness and safety of a range of new cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment strategies. The work will build on the team�s very successful approach of evaluating the effects of established interventions in high-risk groups for whom those particular treatments are not currently indicated.The Program will also include studies that address the critical issue of translating health research findings into practice _ in terms of health policy, clinical practice and consumer behaviour. A particular focus involves the application and evaluation of novel Internet technologies for promoting best practice. The methodologies used by the team will ensure that the evidence generated by the Program is as precise and reliable as possible, in order to provide a sound base to guide decisions about changes in health care policy and practice. The research findings will have direct relevance to the healthcare needs of millions of Australians within the next five years, and the impact of the work will be assured by the development of implementation and dissemination plans for each major component of the Program.Read moreRead less
A vitamin-sized capsule, containing gas sensors, is to be fully developed for assessing the state of health and diagnosing the diseases relevant to gastrointestinal tract. The capsule travels along the tract, transmitting information about the gas species generated by the microorganisms of the gut, which is closely associated with the health of the human under surveillance. The information will be invaluable for diagnostics and adjusting the diet to mitigate and cure the diseases of the guts.