Depression and poor sleep are important heart disease risk factors

Disrupted circadian rhythms contribute to heart disease risk.
Image: Shutterstock

A international collaborative study led by Professor Paul Zimmet has recommended including poor sleep quality and depression in heart disease risk equations. 

Globally, heart disease is a major threat to human health. The identification of its risk is vital for its prevention. To date, the cluster of risk factors used as an index for predicting heart disease is collectively known as the 'metabolic syndrome'. They include high blood pressure, blood lipids and sugar, and also obesity.

Honours student Sahan Muthuhetti shone in 2020 on Reviver project

Dr Ben Sinclair with a Reviver participant

The Reviver is an innovative exercise assistance device which allows mobility-impaired individuals to exercise far beyond their unassisted capacity. Monash University Central Clinical School researchers are performing the world's first clinical trial of the device to assess its impact on symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, such as impaired balance and mobility.

During 2020 Dr Ben Sinclair, who runs the Reviver trial, together with Professor Meng Law, Director of the iBRAIN group, co-supervised a very talented Honours student, Mr Sahan Muthuhetti. Sahan got a high distinction for his Honours project, "Treatment of balance associated symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease using a novel rehabilitation strategy". 

15-21 Dec 2020 Central Clinical School publications

Medihoney antibacterial wound gel
sub-optimal: Study. Image: annalscts

Recent publications featuring research as notified by PubMed during 15-21 December 2020 from Central Clinical School affiliated researchers in the following departments. The below is not a comprehensive list:

• Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine
  
• Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
• Diabetes
  
• Infectious Diseases
  
• Medicine - Alfred & Peninsula
• Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry

Having your Low FODMAP Christmas Cake and eating it too

Check out the Monash University Low FODMAP blog for innumerable recipe ideas and research updates on the low FODMAP diet. 

Their 2020 Christmas edition is very much about having your cake and eating it too! See the Low FODMAP Christmas Cake with Brandy Custard recipe and more at their blog site, to which you can also subscribe to get the latest news items delivered to your inbox.

Congratulations to our 2020 NHMRC Ideas grants recipients!

CCS won ten NHMRC Ideas Grants in the 2020 round.

NHMRC Investigator grants were announced this morning by Minister for Health, Greg Hunt. See Monash announcement.

Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences researchers have continued their success in the latest round of funding, awarded in excess of $40m, across 43 projects in the highly competitive 2020 NHMRC Ideas Grant scheme, for innovative research projects.

Congratulations to Central Clinical School's ten NHMRC Idea grant recipients. See more about the CCS projects, below. The grant income for the school from this round totals $9.5M across the period 2021-2025.

Commiserations to our researchers whose grants were ranked very highly, but nonetheless missed out.

Blood test to help diagnose and manage mild traumatic brain injury

Dr Stuart McDonald has won a $1M NHMRC grant for research
on a blood test for mild traumatic brain injury.

Dr Stuart McDonald, from the Monash Trauma Group, in the Department of Neuroscience, CCS, and his colleagues have been awarded an NHMRC Ideas Grant of $1,092,780 for his research on blood markers of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). 

This grant was one of 283 grants announced by the Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP on Tuesday 15 December, with a total budget of $260 million. The Ideas Grants provide an opportunity for researchers to make future advances in health and well-being, with projects being funded for 3-5 years.

Professor Anne Holland's pulmonary rehabilitation research in NHMRC's 10 best!

Prof Anne Holland (centre, lowest row) and her group

Congratulations to Professor Anne Holland, whose National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded research, "Benefits and costs of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease" (GNT1046353), was selected in 2020 for inclusion in the 2018 edition of NHMRC’s Ten of the Best Research Projects.

This is the twelfth year of NHMRC's Ten of the Best, which highlights outstanding Australian research that is contributing to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of health issues facing Australians.