Ageing
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Inter-and intra-individual pattern of disease - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisor: Professor Andrea Maier
Project Site: University of Melbourne, RMH, Department of Medicine and Aged Care
Contact: T: + 61 3 9342 2635, E: andrea.maier@mh.org.au
Project description: The accumulation of age related diseases is one of the most striking phenomenon during the (human) ageing process. Chronological age is the most important risk factor for the development of diseases due to the underlying ageing process, which has been partly unraveled during the last decennia. Little is known about the rate of ageing of different organ systems within individuals, which might eventually result in different pattern of diseases. This knowledge is essential to disentangle disease specific traits from ageing specific traits, which eventually defines the counteracting interventions to overcome multimorbidity at older age.
Prerequisite: epidemiological/statistical skills, capacity to work in a multidisciplinary team, fascination for the ageing process.
The intra-individual rate of ageing - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisor: Professor Andrea Maier
Project Site: University of Melbourne, RMH, Department of Medicine and Aged Care
Contact: T: + 61 3 9342 2635, E: andrea.maier@mh.org.au
Project description: The ageing process is the underlying cause of most age related diseases in humans. Antagonizing the ageing process prevents the development of age related diseases in model organisms. In humans, the accumulation of DNA damage and senescent cells has been shown to be positively associated with the chronological age as well as biological age, e.g. the rate of aging, of the donors of tissue. Currently, the rate of ageing of different organ / cell systems within individuals is unknown. The aim is to characterize different tissues of the same individual in terms of their senescent load to determine the rate of ageing intra-individually.
Prerequisite: biomedical background and preferable lab skills, basic epidemiological/statistical skills, capacity to work in a multidisciplinary team, passion to unravel the ageing process.
Towards a biological geriatric assessment - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisor: Professor Andrea Maier
Project Site: University of Melbourne, RMH, Department of Medicine and Aged Care
Contact: T: + 61 3 9342 2635, E: andrea.maier@mh.org.au
Project description: In current geriatric practice, patients are assessed by use of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) evaluating the functional, mental and social state of the aged patient using predominantly subjective, not well defined and badly standardized tools. The consequence is that CGAs are not comparable and that the causal mechanisms of the geriatric condition often remain unidentified. The aim is to refine the CGA and define the biological basis of geriatric conditions to eventually introduce a standardized biological geriatric assessment being predictive for relevant outcomes and sensitive and specific for change over time.
Prerequisite: basic lab skills (preferable), basic epidemiological/statistical skills, capacity to work in a multidisciplinary team, passion to unravel the ageing process, enjoying to work with patients.
The underestimated power of human muscle - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisor: Professor Andrea Maier
Project Site: University of Melbourne, RMH, Department of Medicine and Aged Care
Contact: T: + 61 3 9342 2635, E: andrea.maier@mh.org.au
Project description: Muscle is one of the most powerful, but most neglected organs of our human body. Physical inactivity leads to immediate significant decrease in volume and therewith muscle function, whereas recovery of function is hard to accomplish without dedicated intervention. The EMPOWER II study aims to 1. evaluate the course of muscle mass and function during acute hospitalization and geriatric rehabilitation and 2. intervene by use of dedicated strength and nutritional interventions during geriatric rehabilitation to increase muscle mass and function. The EMPOWER II study is based on results of the EMPOWER I study conducted in the acute patient setting (papers in press), indicating the urgent need for individualized interventions to preserve physical function in the aged patient. Three positions are available (one for the observational part and two for the intervention part).
Prerequisite: intention to learn how to conduct epidemiological studies / interventions, epidemiological/statistical skills, intention to write a journal article, good communication skills, capacity to work in a multidisciplinary team.
Refining the comprehensive geriatric assessment - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisor: Professor Andrea Maier
Project Site: University of Melbourne, RMH, Department of Medicine and Aged Care
Contact: T: + 61 3 9342 2635, E: andrea.maier@mh.org.au
Project description: The comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is currently the most important assessment tool of geriatricians to define the functional, mental and social state of geriatric patients, but not well defined. There is an urgent need to refine the CGA to increase the power to predict detrimental outcome and to increase sensitivity and specificity for changes of geriatric conditions over time. From 2013-2015 all patients of a Dutch academic geriatric outpatient clinic were assessed using the same extensive CGA, the dataset is now available for data analysis to define 1. the functional, 2. mental and 3. social domain of the CGA. The defined CGA will then be validated in a dataset of Australian geriatric outpatients. Three positions are available (each domain is one project).
Prerequisite: intention to improve epidemiological/statistical skills, intention to write a journal article, good communication skills, capacity to work in a multidisciplinary team.
The blood pressure drop makes you fall ..................- also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisor: Professor Andrea Maier
Project Site: University of Melbourne, RMH, Department of Medicine and Aged Care
Contact: T: + 61 3 9342 2635, E: andrea.maier@mh.org.au
Project description: (Initial) orthostatic hypotension ((i)OH) is highly prevalent in older adults, especially in those with one or more chronic diseases. iOH is defined as a blood pressure decrease(BP) of 40 mmHg systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or 20 mmHg diastolic blood pressure (DBP) within 15 seconds after standing up, whereas OH is classically defined as a drop in BP of at least 20 mmHg of SBP and/or 10 mmHg of DBP at 1 and 3 minutes after standing up. iOH has been shown to be most predictive for balance impairment, increased self-reported impaired standing balance and falls in geriatric outpatients. While OH diagnostics are occasionally performed in clinical practice using a sphygmomanometer, continuously measured blood pressure measurements using beat to beat analyses has not entered routine geriatric care yet. Two student positions are available:
Aim project 1: Define the determinates of iOH and OH and consequences of iOH and OH in geriatric outpatients using an existing database and a validation cohort.
Aim project 2: Analysis of effectiveness of non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions to counteract iOH and OH in geriatric patients.
Prerequisite: intention to improve epidemiological/statistical skills, intention to write a journal article, good communication skills, capacity to work in a multidisciplinary team, pleasure to work with patients
Causes of Depressive Symptoms in Early Ageing – also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisor: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Dept of Medicine, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital, UoM, Parkville, Vic 3052.
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke T: 61 3 8344 1835 E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au
Project description: It is predicted that by 2051, 26.1% of Australians will be older than 65 years and 9.4% will be 80 years or older (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2001). With prevalence rates of depression in the elderly set to rise in accordance with the population surge identifying preventative measures and means of early detection in this population is especially important. The focus of this project will be to examine factors which affect the rating of depressive symptoms on three different standardised and widely used measures in a cross-section of women entering late-life. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Centre for Epidemiological Studies – Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) will be administered to the cohort of the Women’s Healthy Ageing Project. Analysis will be conducted examining the consistency of item rating between measures in order to identify correlations between scales. Psychological and social data will also be obtained from the cohort and will allow for the identification of any factors influencing the rating of measures. Major benefits of this study are:
1. There is opportunity for publication
2. You will have access to a unique database with two decades of psychological and social data
Lifestyle Factors for Healthy Ageing - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisor: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Dept of Medicine, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital, UoM, Parkville, Vic 3052.
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke T: 61 3 8344 1835, E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au
Project Description: Several studies have described the benefit of lifestyle change for healthy ageing and cognitive improvement. For example smoking, alcohol consumption and a lack of physical activity have been linked to an increased rate of cognitive impairment and cardiovascular diseases. Studies investigating lifestyle factors have been limited by cohort sampling bias, cross sectional designs, short follow‐ups and small sample sizes. Furthermore the frequency and intensity of lifestyle alteration is still not defined. In this project we examine a 20 year longitudinal dataset to determine the influence of lifestyle (i.e. alcohol consumption, smoking, diet and physical activity) on cognitive performance and health.
This project will involve direct hands-on participant evaluation. You will also have the opportunity to work with a rich database with lifestyle data that spans over 20 years. There will be the opportunity for publication.
Multimorbidity and ageing women - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisors: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Dept of Medicine, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital, UoM, Parkville, Vic 3052.
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke T:61 3 8387 2224 F : 61 3 9387 9384, E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au
Project description: Multimorbidity is an under-researched area, despite 80% of elderly Australians having 2 or more chronic illnesses. The optimal measure for multimorbidity has not yet been established. This research project will investigate which of the currently available multimorbidity measures has the best predictive power, working with the Healthy Ageing Program in the Department of Medicine. This is a unique opportunity to work on an Australian dataset with midlife and late life data collected over 25 years.
This project will provide opportunity for publication and suits a candidate with an interest in a number of disease areas.
Physical Activities for Health Ageing - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisors: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au T: 8344 1835
Project description: Several studies have described the benefit of lifestyle change for healthy ageing and cognitive improvement. A lack of physical activity have been linked to an increased rate of cognitive impairment and cardiovascular diseases. Studies investigating physical activity have been limited by cohort sampling bias, cross sectional designs, short follow‐ups and small sample sizes. Furthermore the frequency and intensity of lifestyle alteration is still not defined. In this project we examine a 20 year longitudinal dataset to determine the influence of physical activity on cognitive performance and health.
This project will involve direct hands-on participant evaluation and provide clinical skills experience. You will also have the opportunity to work with a rich database with lifestyle data that spans over 20 years, as well as an opportunity for publication.
Vitamin D levels and cardiovascular disease - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisors: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au T: 8344 1835
Project description: Low vitamin D levels are common amongst the Australian population, especially in ageing and elderly women. Vitamin D has been reported to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death in the first world and the top cause of death in the elderly. There is growing evidence that vitamin D is associated with a range of typical cardiovascular risk markers such as blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as a few studies demonstrating association with several other biomarkers that have been linked to cardiovascular risk such as C-reactive protein, homocysteine and fasting glucose. This study will investigate the relationship between vitamin D cardiovascular risk in healthy women.
The key benefits of this project are:
- Opportunity for publication
- Working with an internationally renowned cohort and research team
- Working with a vast dataset with over 20 years of data already collected
This project is ideal for candidates with an interest in commercialization, interaction with industry partners and media.
Vitamin D levels and Mood - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisors: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au T: 8344 1835
Project description: Vitamin D is made in the skin, a process that requires sun exposure, ingestion in the diet or being taken as a nutritional supplement. Adequate levels of vitamin D are essential for healthy bones and muscle function, and research has only recently started to associate low levels of vitamin D to depression and other mood related disorders. The effects of mild to moderate deficiency are less clear‐cut, but symptoms may include muscle pain, weak bones, low energy, fatigue, lowered immunity, and symptoms of depression; moods swings, and sleep irregularities. In Australia, mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency is relatively common in the adult population, but the health consequences of this deficiency in apparently healthy adults are poorly understood. It is also not clear below which level in the blood, vitamin D level mood disorders may arise. The purpose of this project is to investigate the consequences of mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency (blood already collected) on mood including depression, anxiety, and wellbeing (measures already collected) in healthy women from the Women’s Healthy Ageing Project (WHAP).
Opportunities: You will have the opportunity to work with an internationally renowned cohort and research team, each with international recognition, and for publication. This project would suit a candidate with an interest in psychiatry.
Diet and Healthy Ageing - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisors: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au T: 8344 1835
Project description: Several studies have described the benefit of lifestyle change for healthy ageing and cognitive improvement. For example smoking, alcohol consumption and a lack of physical activity have been linked to an increased rate of cognitive impairment and cardiovascular diseases. Studies investigating diet have been limited by cohort sampling bias, cross sectional designs, short follow‐ups and small sample sizes. Furthermore the frequency and intensity of lifestyle alteration is still not defined. In this project we examine a 20 year longitudinal dataset to determine the influence of diet on cognitive performance and health.
Opportunities: You will have the opportunity to work with a rich database with lifestyle data that spans over 20 years. This project will provide clinical skills experience as it involves direct hands-on participant evaluation, and will suit a student with an interest in nutrition who is interested in publishing findings.
Patterns of Violence in Australian Women - A twenty year follow up study - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisors: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au T: 8344 1835
Project description: Women are more likely than men to experience various forms of violence. One in four Australian women experience physical or sexual assault from a current or former partner (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012), and since the age of 15 years, one in three women has experienced physical violence (Cox, 2015). Women are also over two times more likely than men to experience elder abuse (Boldy et al, 2002). This project will examine the cross-sectional relationship between women’s experiences of violence and their health and quality of life outcomes, and the impact that experiences of violence have on women’s health and quality of life over time.
The main opportunities in this project are:
- Working with a large dataset spanning over 20 years from an internationally renowned cohort
- Working with an internationally recognised research team
- You will also have the opportunity for publication
- This project would suit a student with an interest in women’s health
Social and physical activities in ageing women - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisors: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au T: 8344 1835
Project description: Social engagement is important for the maintenance of physical health and cognitive function, with these outcomes found to be particularly evident in women. However the role of social engagement in age-related cognitive function is not well understood. In this project we will examine the relationship between social and physical activities, and physical and cognitive health from a cross-sectional perspective. The relationship between these variables over time will also be examined.
The key benefits of this project are:
- It will involve direct hands-on participant evaluation and provide clinical skills experience
- The opportunity to work with a rich database with data that spans over 20 years already collected
- The opportunity for publication
Social engagement and ageing mental health - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisors: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au T: 8344 1835
Project description: Mental health is a key aspect of health that is impacted by increasing population age. Nearly half of the world’s leading causes of life lost due to disability are mental illnesses such as mood and neurological disorders, accounting for 10% of the global burden of disease Social engagement has been identified as a protective factor in ageing mental health. However, there is a paucity of research that informs on specific social roles relevant to older adults. The currently study aimed to establish a multidimensional social profile of older Australian adults, and investigate the relationship between social engagement and ageing mental (cognitive and emotional) health. The study accessed participants from the epidemiologically sampled, longitudinal prospective Women's Healthy Ageing Project (WHAP). Social variables will include marital status, employment status, household composition, personal care, babysitting, grandparenting, volunteerism, and community organisation membership. Mental health was assessed using a battery of validated and establish neuropsychological and mood measures.
This project will involve direct hands-on participant evaluation and provide clinical skills experience. You will also have the opportunity to work with a rich database with lifestyle data that spans over 20 years, as well as an opportunity for publication within one year.
Characterising the Degeneration of Brainstem Neural Circuits that Control Swallowing and Breathing - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisors: Dr Davor Stanic and A/Prof Mathias Dutschmann
Project Site: Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (Howard Florey Laboratories)
Contact: Dr Davor Stanic T: 83440182 E: davor.stanic@florey.edu.au
Project description: Swallowing disorders that increase the risk of aspiration and subsequent pneumonia are prevalent in the elderly and patients suffering neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Swallowing disorders are often attributed to weakening of the aging upper airway and digestive tract musculature. However, disturbed neural coordination of breathing and swallowing is increasingly evident in such diseases.
Recent research in our laboratory identified three key brainstem areas that are critically involved in the coordination of swallowing and breathing: 1) Nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), which generates a phasic or rhythmic ‘command’ to produce sequential swallowing in response to sensory stimuli; 2) Nucleus ambiguus (NA), which contains the laryngeal motoneurons innervating the vocal folds; and 3) Kölliker-Fuse nucleus (KF), which provides tonic drive for the laryngeal adductors and completely seals the trachea during, and between, swallows.
Project 1
This project examines the underlying brainstem pathology linking dementia and swallowing dysfunction in an established mouse model of neurodegeneration. The onset and progression of tauopathy and neurofibrillary tangle-related morphology will be characterised in the brainstem of this mouse model, with particular focus on regions that control swallowing and breathing. This includes the NTS, NA and KF. The project will also identify neurotransmitter systems responsible for the emergence and manifestation of swallowing-breathing disorders.
Project 2
Using adult born stem cells to replace neurons lost as a consequence of disease has the potential to be of great benefit to sufferers of neurodegenerative disorders. However, despite the extensive research efforts that have gone into examining the biology and therapeutic potential of adult stem cells, the precise cues that modulate the birth of neurons in the adult brain remain unknown.
In an established model of neurodegeneration, this project examines whether alterations occur in the:
1) Rate of stem cell division;
2) Migration of newly born cells; and
3) Positioning and phenotype of newly born cells in the olfactory bulb and dentate gyrus.
Techniques include: immunohistochemistry, and stereology.