STan Intrapartum Fetal Monitoring (cardiotocographic Plus Electrocardiographic) Compared With Cardiotocographic (CTG) Monitoring Alone: An Australian Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$791,369.00
Summary
Women in high risk labour have their babies monitored by electronic fetal monitoring. This detects unborn babies not coping during labour, but may lead to unnecessary caesarean sections by incorrectly indicating that the baby is at risk. We will compare CTG to STan monitoring, which may give fewer false readings. We will show if STan reduces emergency caesarean section, and will investigate the impact on the baby, assess psychological aspects such as mental health and wellbeing, and costs.
Creatine Synthesis And Transport In The Fetus - Critical Regulation Of Energy Supply For Fetal Growth & Survival?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$288,210.00
Summary
Survival at birth depends on the baby being able to breathe effectively, to maintain adequate blood flow to every organ, and for the brain to coordinate these activities. Failure of any one of these will result in death. In this application we propose that the ability of the fetus and newborn baby to obtain adequate supplies of CREATINE is essential for survival, because this substance is essential for maintaining energy turnover in all cells in the body. In the adult, CREATINE is obtained eithe ....Survival at birth depends on the baby being able to breathe effectively, to maintain adequate blood flow to every organ, and for the brain to coordinate these activities. Failure of any one of these will result in death. In this application we propose that the ability of the fetus and newborn baby to obtain adequate supplies of CREATINE is essential for survival, because this substance is essential for maintaining energy turnover in all cells in the body. In the adult, CREATINE is obtained either from the diet (after absorption from the gut), or after synthesis in, and release from the liver. We do not know how fetal tissues obtain CREATINE, but we do know that when CREATINE is too low the fetus is likely to die, and that if extra CREATINE is supplied in the mother's diet the fetus is more likely to survive profound asphyxia at birth. In this project, in pregnant animals we will determine if fetal tissues can synthesize and take up CREATINE, and if providing extra CREATINE in the maternal diet throughout pregnancy can protect the heart, brain and breathing apparatus from the damaging effects of asphyxia or low oxygen (hypoxia). If successful, we will have developed a new treatment for pregnant women that protects their unborn baby from the dangers of birth asphyxia.Read moreRead less
Breaking The Intergenerational Cycle Of Obesity Through Nutritional Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$477,180.00
Summary
The nutritional environmental experienced by an individual before birth and in early infancy is a critical determinant of their risk of obesity and assocaited metabolic disorders in later life. Over the course of this fellowship, I will focus on defining the nutritional factors which are the key drivers of this metabolic programming. My ultimate aim is to identify nutritional interventions during pregnancy and/or early infancy which can improve the long-term health outcomes of the child and redu
The Effects Of Maternal Health On Fetal Kidney Development And Its Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$297,338.00
Summary
There is an epidemic of renal disease among Australian aborigines. While much of this could have been prevented by effective control of Group A streptococcal skin infections, there is also evidence that the high susceptibility to end-stage renal disease is related to poor intrauterine development of the kidney as low- birth weight is a predisposing factor. Mothers, whose renal function is impaired, tend to have babies which are low birth weight. There is no knowledge about the effects of materna ....There is an epidemic of renal disease among Australian aborigines. While much of this could have been prevented by effective control of Group A streptococcal skin infections, there is also evidence that the high susceptibility to end-stage renal disease is related to poor intrauterine development of the kidney as low- birth weight is a predisposing factor. Mothers, whose renal function is impaired, tend to have babies which are low birth weight. There is no knowledge about the effects of maternal renal dysfunction on development of the fetal kidney. We have recently developed an animal model in which we can study the effects of maternal renal dysfunction on the development of the kidney of her offspring. Human beings form 60% of the functional units (nephrons) in the kidney in the last trimester. Sheep, like human beings (and unlike rats), completely form all the nephrons that they will ever have, during intrauterine life. While the fetal kidneys play an essential role in the formation of amniotic fluid, regulation of fetal fluid and electrolyte homeostasis depends on maternal renal function via transplacental transfer. If maternal renal function is reduced, it is likely that the fetal kidneys will be exposed to a greater volume and solute load through transplacental equilibration. This may have a profund effect on renal development especially if coupled with an inadequate maternal diet and a high maternal salt intake. Under these conditions we predict that development of the fetal kidney will be impaired and renal capacity after birth, reduced. This means that the kidney will 'age' more rapidly. Thus the affected individual would be predisposed to renal disease in adult life. In our animal model we will study the effects and interactions of maternal renal insufficiency, poor fetal nutrition and a high maternal salt intake on fetal kidney development and function.Read moreRead less
Defining The Optimal Nutrition In Pregnancy And Early Life To Prevent Childhood Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,900.00
Summary
Obesity threatens to reduce the length and quality of life of future generations and prevention is a priority. There is now good evidence that the risk a person has of becoming obese is related to the nutritional environment they experience before birth and in early infancy. My research aims to identify nutritional strategies which can be applied safely during pregnancy and infancy to help reduce body fat mass in children and improve their long term health outcomes.
Understanding The Contribution Of Sympathetic Overactivity To Maternally Programmed Obesity Related Hypertension
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$605,083.00
Summary
Obesity and associated diseases are increasing worldwide. Aside from adult risk factors, the environment encountered during development may predispose to later disease. Our data shows that the diet consumed by pregnant mothers can influence the development of obesity and hypertension in her offspring and that the sympathetic nervous system becomes dysregulated. This project will assess how maternal fat intake in pregnancy affects sympathetic nervous system function in the offspring and we invest ....Obesity and associated diseases are increasing worldwide. Aside from adult risk factors, the environment encountered during development may predispose to later disease. Our data shows that the diet consumed by pregnant mothers can influence the development of obesity and hypertension in her offspring and that the sympathetic nervous system becomes dysregulated. This project will assess how maternal fat intake in pregnancy affects sympathetic nervous system function in the offspring and we investigate possible management strategies.Read moreRead less
Vitamin D In Pregnancy And Growth Of The Offspring.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$168,550.00
Summary
Vitamin D is a potent steroid hormone required for bone growth and mineralisation, and there is evidence that it regulates cell proliferation. Insufficiency in pregnant women is a cause for concern. The role of vitamin D in human fetal development has been little investigated. At the severe end of the maternal vitamin D insufficiency spectrum, a very small number of deficient neonates have congenital rickets. Low maternal vitamin D status has also been associated with neonatal hypocalcaemia and ....Vitamin D is a potent steroid hormone required for bone growth and mineralisation, and there is evidence that it regulates cell proliferation. Insufficiency in pregnant women is a cause for concern. The role of vitamin D in human fetal development has been little investigated. At the severe end of the maternal vitamin D insufficiency spectrum, a very small number of deficient neonates have congenital rickets. Low maternal vitamin D status has also been associated with neonatal hypocalcaemia and defective tooth enamel. Randomised trials have shown that giving vitamin D to deficient women significantly improves their offspring's birth size and length at a year of age, in one study even though all infants were given vitamin D supplements post-natally. We do not understand the nature of the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and offspring growth. There could be a continuous association, or a threshold vitamin D level below which offspring growth is impaired. If the latter is the case, that threshold value needs to be known. Furthermore, we do not know whether maternal vitamin D level in early or late gestation is most influential in terms of fetal and infant growth. Raised maternal parathyroid hormone (PTH) level is a marker of disturbed vitamin D metabolism. There is evidence that offspring are shorter with increasing level of maternal PTH. In a study in Geelong, 63% of 20-45 year old women tested in winter, and 32% tested in summer, had vitamin D levels in the range where PTH rises. Thus a significant proportion of women may have insufficient vitamin D, in early or late pregnancy, to sustain optimal fetal growth. These issues are important for the health of mothers and their offspring, and there are public health implications, in terms of maternal health and possibly later health of the offspring. These issues have not been investigated in Australia or elsewhere, and this is a novel and important study.Read moreRead less
Measuring Hypoxia Induced MRNA In Maternal Blood To Determine Acidaemic Status Of Growth Restricted Fetuses In Utero
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$120,253.00
Summary
Small babies are at greater risk of dying while inside their mothers and the right time to deliver them is an obstetric conundrum. Currently obstetricians rely on ultrasound measures of the baby's wellbeing which do not always correspond with how sick the baby truly is. There is a great need for a more accurate test. This research intends to show that a blood test from the mother can more accurately tell how sick the baby is and provide an answer to when is the best time to deliver the baby.
Improving The Outcomes For Mothers And Babies After IVF Using Big Data Research
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$309,754.00
Summary
This Fellowship by using an array of modern and advanced research methods will evaluate whether IVF is safer and more effective by freezing embryos and transferring them in a subsequent menstrual cycle as compared to transferring the embryo in the same cycle where ovarian stimulation and egg collection have been performed. It will provide high quality evidence that will allow clinicians and patients to make informed choices regarding the safest IVF method for the health of mothers and babies.