2013 De Castella run for mental health research - 25 August

The annual Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre (MAPrc) fun(d)run is happening 25 August 2013, to raise awareness about serious mental illness and raise funds for mental health research. If you would like to participate either as a runner or a donor, MAPrc would love to hear from you. MAPrc are offering a prize for the organisation with the largest number of entrants! Enquiries to Anthony de Castella, ph 9076 6554, anthony.decastella@monash.edu.

2013 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) CCS heat will be big

11 PhD students from Central Clinical School will be competing in the 2013 3MT CCS heat on 17 July. The challenge is to present the topic, typically technical and complex in basic medical research, in three minutes or under, in a way that is engaging and accessible to a wider audience.

Melanie Voevodin wins international scholarship from Academy ofNutrition & Dietetics

Congratulations to Melanie Voevodin, PhD student in the Centre for Ethics in Medicine and Society, who has been awarded the international scholarship offered annually by the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition (HEN) Dietetic Practice Group. This is a well-known and strategic arm of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (AND; previously the American Dietetic Association - ADA).

Research study: exploring how social interactions are processed in thebrain

MAPrc are currently seeking healthy volunteers, aged between 18 and 40 years, for a research study exploring how social interactions are processed in the brain.This study involves the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which is a painless, safe, and non-invasive means of stimulating nerve cells in the brain. More information about the study can be found at

Nitrous oxide anaesthetic damages leukocyte DNA

Prof Paul Myles, HOD Department of Anaesthesia & Perioperative Medicine, & colleagues have published research looking at the damage caused by the commonly used anaesthetic gas nitrous oxide to the DNA of leukocyte cells, with implications for wound healing. "The authors observe that maintenance of anesthesia with 70% nitrous oxide and sevoflurane in patients undergoing colorectal surgery doubles the incidence of DNA damage [as measured in a comet assay]"

Treating spine trauma in morbidly obese patients

Hannah Rosenfeld, 5th year MBBS student at University of Adelaide, and colleagues, have published a paper on the logistic, medical, and societal challenges faced in treating spine trauma in morbidly obese patients. Last author on the paper is Hannah's father, Prof Jeffrey V. Rosenfeld, HOD Surgery.

Slowing down SLE kidney disease

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), more simply known as lupus, is an autoimmune disease where the body makes antibodies against its own DNA. It may involve a variety of genes, follow a variety of genetic pathways, and damage a variety of cell types. In many cases, the consequence is impairment of kidney function, which is known as glomerulonephritis.