Does Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Induce Protective Mitochondrial Function In Congenital Heart Defect Repair Surgery?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$142,759.00
Summary
The body's own protective mechanism against injury due to reduced blood flow (ischemic preconditioning) has been studied for over 2 decades, yet the clinical benefits have not been realised until recently . We have previously shown that this innate protection can be induced without drugs in children having heart surgery. We will extend these findings to determine the mechanism of protection, develop a method to monitor this in blood cells and see if this is related to post-operative outcomes.
Improving Breathing Support For Newborn Infants In Non-Tertiary Centres: The HUNTER Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,203,844.00
Summary
Every year in Australia, thousands of newborn babies have breathing difficulties. Our trial will study a new, simple method of providing breathing support to newborn babies in special care nurseries, called high-flow (HF). HF is cheaper, easier to use, and more comfortable for babies than the current standard treatment, called CPAP. If HF is as good as CPAP at supporting babies' breathing, it will change practice in Australia and around the world.
Randomised Controlled Trial Of The Use Of Nitazoxanide Versus Placebo To Treat Gastroenteritis Among Aboriginal Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,324,808.00
Summary
Better treatment strategies are needed for Indigenous children with gastroenteritis. At present, most treatment is supportive only, with little effect on the duration of symptoms. Nitazoxanide appears to have effects on a broad range of pathogens which cause gastroenteritis, but it is not clear whether it will be of benefit in this population. We will compare the speed of symptom resolution in children who receive nitazoxanide with a group who receive a placebo instead.
A Novel Paradigm For Immunity And Vaccine Development Against Group A Streptococcus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$491,229.00
Summary
Serious disease caused by the group A streptococcus (GAS) is responsible for more than 500,000 deaths per year. With no effective control strategies available, a vaccine is urgently needed. One vaccine shows great promise, but there are concerns it may not cover all GAS strains. Our project aims to show that the vaccine may in fact have very broad coverage because of cross-protection between strains using natural immunity model, and may lead to a new paradigm in understanding of GAS immunity.
Retinal Photography To Assess Early Kidney Development In Indigenous Babies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$888,098.00
Summary
The objective of this study is to identify infants who are at high risk off subsequent kidney failure . To achieve this objective, we plan to carry out comparison of kidney growth and function between Aboriginal and and non-Aboriginal infants from birth until they are 2 years old. We also hope to determine if changes in the blood vessels in these infants' eyes correspond to changes in the growing kidney- we are trying to determine if the eyes are the windows to the growing kidneys.