Photo of the Week: 2015 Early & Mid Career Researchers at AMREP

The AMREP based Early and Mid Career Researcher (EMCR) committee is a large and lively group committed to supporting all EMCRs at the AMREP precinct. For more about their activities see web: www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/ecr/

L-R: Mr Prabhat Lamichhane (SPHPM), Dr Leah Kivavali (SPHPM), Dr Loretta Piccenna (NTRI/CCS), Mr Brian Drew (BakerIDI), Dr Haloom Rafehi (SPHPM), Dr Lachlan Gray (Burnet), Dr Louisa Lam (SNM), Mr Justin Chen (Burnet), Ms Sarah Charnaud (Burnet/CCS).

Absent: Dr Eric Chow (CCS), Dr Judy Lowthian (SPHPM), Dr Carolina Weller (SPHPM), Dr Jo O'Toole (SPHPM), Mr Chhavi Bhatt (SPHPM), Dr Jennifer Pilgrim (SPHPM), Ms Laura Anderson (SPHPM), Mr Emdad Hoque (SPHPM), Ms Emma Gearon (BakerIDI), Ms Elisha de Valle (Burnet)

Forthcoming CCS events: Seminars, public events, general notices

Dr Anna Hearps, Burnet
Institute

Central Clinical School has regular seminar series and postgraduate presentations. All event notices are maintained on the CCS Events calendar.

CCS staff & students can see details of both public and local events (including professional development courses, trade fairs and Graduate Research Student calendars) and deadlines, at the Intranet's Announcements page.

Various Departments have their own calendars, see CCS seminar index: www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/events/seminars.html

 

 

What's on for next week (1 - 5 Jun 2015)

Mon Jun 1	12:00 PM	►	Nature Masterclass for EMCRs: Deadline for registration
Tue Jun 2	1:00 PM	►	Honours Coursework Research Seminar: Novel treatments for diabetes-associated atherosclerosis
	1:00 PM	►	PhD Mid-candidature review - Ms Marina Iacovou
	3:30 PM	►	PhD Mid-candidature review - Ms Maria Kristina Zaldivia
Wed Jun 3	8:30 AM	►	Media training for scientists courses in 2015 workshops
	11:30 AM	►	Special seminar: Prof Harshal Nandurkar, Purinergic nucleotide metabolism regulates vascular haemostasis

In the Future

•  8 June Department of Immunology special seminar: Prof Ranjeny Thomas
• 11 June BMedSc(Hons) Information night
  
• 15 June 3MT thesis deadline for registration

Nepal Earthquake reconstruction effort update: Please contribute!

BBC reporting on the reconstruction work of Abari, the NGO
for which Monash PhD student, Sewa Rijal, is raising funds.

Since the launch of this appeal, we have collectively raised the total of the appeal to AUD $3,394 that will go a long way in helping the fighting endurance of people in Nepal post the earthquakes. This makes me realize the power that we have within each of us to make a difference by coming together in this time of great need. Thank you very much for your kindness and compassion!

Continue reading my story or donate here.

Breakthrough opens door to safer lupus drugs

Prof Fabienne Mackay's group. Lead research Dr Will Figgett
seated far left, Fabienne Mackay next to him. Pin Shie Quah,
another author on the paper, standing immediately behind
Fabienne.

A ground-breaking discovery by Monash University researchers could revolutionise treatments given to lupus sufferers, saving thousands of people each year from serious illness or death caused by secondary infections.

Lupus is a debilitating and widespread autoimmune disease that can attack any part of the body. It affects one in 1,000 Australians and 5 million people worldwide, and its victims are typically young women. Indigenous and Asian people suffer higher rates than other groups.

Female HPV vaccination programmes are effective in reducing infections

Prof Christopher Fairley, Director of Melbourne Sexual Health
Centre, and colleagues. Prof Fairley is an author on this paper.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes were first implemented in several countries worldwide in 2007. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the population-level consequences and herd effects after female HPV vaccination programmes, to verify whether or not the high efficacy reported in randomised controlled clinical trials are materialising in real-world situations.

How different settings affect psychiatric recovery

Image: http://neuroticarkitekten.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html

Existing reports of the environmental aspects of recovery from mental illness have been confined to consideration of community spaces and the natural environment. This paper assesses the role of psychiatric settings in recovery. Nineteen inpatients from the psychiatric unit of a large inner city hospital in Melbourne, Australia, took part in the study, which involved semi-structured interviews and focus groups.

Serotonergic markers in Parkinson's disease and levodopa-induced dyskinesias

Video of Prof Elsdon Storey describing his centre's research
including Parkinson's Disorder

Effective treatment for Parkinson's Disorder (PD) patients remains elusive. While Levadopa (l-dopa) is the most widely used antiparkinsonian medication, it also can induce dyskinesias, or movement disorders. This is the largest ever study to examine pathological changes in a post-mortem PD cohort specifically separated according their dyskinetic phenotype, thereby allowing a direct correlation of biochemical markers with l-dopa–induced dyskinesias (LID) incidence and severity. 

Reference: Cheshire P, Ayton S, Bertram KL, Ling H, Li A, McLean C, Halliday GM, O'Sullivan SS, Revesz T, Finkelstein DL, Storey E, Williams DR. Serotonergic markers in Parkinson's disease and levodopa-induced dyskinesias. Mov Disord. 2015 May;30(6):796-804. doi: 10.1002/mds.26144

Monitoring Crohn's disease after surgery

Prof Peter Gibson, one of the
study's authors

Crohn's disease (CD) usually recurs after intestinal resection; postoperative endoscopic monitoring and tailored treatment can reduce the chance of recurrence. The researchers investigated whether monitoring levels of fecal calprotectin (FC) can substitute for endoscopic analysis of the mucosa. In this analysis of data from a prospective clinical trial, FC measurement has sufficient sensitivity and NPV values to monitor for CD recurrence after intestinal resection. Its predictive value might be used to identify patients most likely to relapse. After treatment for recurrence, the FC level can be used to monitor response to treatment. It predicts which patients will have disease recurrence with greater accuracy than CRP level or CDAI score.

Low FODMAP research team launches Facebook page

The Department of Gastroenterology's low FODMAP research team launched their Facebook page two weeks ago, and have accrued over 3,000 'likes' in that time. Their research program on low FODMAP food and a diet which assists with the management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome has proved to be of enormous popular interest as continued sales of their diet app and large public interest in information feeds such as this demonstrate. See more:

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MonashFODMAP
• Twitter: twitter.com/MonashFODMAP
• Blog: fodmapmonash.blogspot.com.au/
• Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/CCSMonash/fodmap-research-ccs-monash/
• Web: www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/gastro/fodmap/

Participants sought: Do gender and hormones influence the effects of brain stimulation?

A research group at the Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre is seeking healthy, right-handed adults aged between 18-40 years who are eligible for Medicare to help us investigate the influence of gender and hormones on the effects of brain stimulation. Participation will involve visiting our research centre in Prahran for one (for men) or two (for women) research sessions. Each session will take approximately three hours. Participants will be reimbursed $30 per session.