|
|
High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia |
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
HBPRCA
Email Newsletter
September
2006
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
The important reminder this month is the call for Abstracts for the
ASM which is coming up very shortly (October 6) see Jaye’s section. The Annual Scientific Meeting
of course will be held this year
in Brisbane this December (7-8), preceded by a full day workshop on “Radio Telemetry applications for animal research” which I hope many members of the council will
attend. Our feature piece this time
is the first of a 2 part serial from the Department
of Physiology, Melbourne University. Thanks to Stephen Harrap, Andrew Allen and Lea Delbridge for their
article. Stay tuned for part 2 in the next issue, which will be just prior to
the ASM. ABSTRACT DEADLINE OCTOBER 6 |
|||||
|
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE from Stephen Harrap This spring edition of e-news
has some important items, much of it around the plans for our Annual
Scientific Meeting in Brisbane. We are really keen to make this meeting as strong
as any meeting in Melbourne and your active participation will make it a
reality. As always, we want to support our student members and we shall be
offering travel support to assist as many young investigators to attend as
possible. The other student benefits are the student informal dinner (in part
sponsored by the Council) and the range of valuable prizes available at the
meeting. Also worth noting is Kate Denton's section on our developing links
with other societies including the British Hypertension Society, the Council
for High Blood Pressure Research of the American Heart Association and the
Canadian High Blood Pressure Research Council. Kate is facilitating some very
positive interactions for the mutual benefits of our members. Finally, many thanks to all
those people for the thoughtful comments on the Position Statement in
relation to the replacement of mercury manometers. I was delighted by the
warm support the general concept of such statements received and also for the
very useful specific suggestions. On the basis of these we have edited the
Statement to emphasise the need for regular maintenance and calibration of
automated and semi-automated blood pressure machines. With these changes we
shall now mount the Statement on our website. |
|||||
|
MEETING NEWS from Jaye Chin Dusting We have now called for abstract submissions for the 2006
Annual HBPRCA. Please click here to
submit an abstract. The deadline is October
6th. Please note that there will maximal free oral sessions and that we
have chosen 2 Focus Areas: Vascular Biology
and Cardiovascular Imaging. This is
to encourage wider participation amongst our many colleagues who are involved
in there areas of research. There is ample opportunity for our student and
post-doctorate members to shine in award-related, showcase sessions and we
have 3 excellent invited speakers in Frederich
Luft, John Mattick and Kristopher Kahle. Suitable abstracts will be published in the top-ranked journal
in our field Hypertension and the social scene is set with our Brisbane
committee having selected a lovely riverside venue for our annual dinner. The meeting promises to be a
really spectacular event once again and not to be missed. Your participation
is anticipated and I am putting out a special plea that you and members of
your team will respond to all our hard work with your attendance. So… Submit those abstracts and submit them now !! |
|||||
|
3rd
Australian Telemetry Users Group Meeting at the HBPRCA ASM from Geoff Head, James Armitage &
Dmitry Mayorov The 3 rd Australian telemetry users
workshop will be held this year on December the 6th 2006 in Brisbane
adjoining the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia Annual
Scientific meeting (7th-8th December). It will be an official
workshop of the HBPRCA as well. We hope therefore to capture a wider audience
including those who may be considering using telemetry. The plans so far
are for a full day workshop with state of the art lectures from
International speakers highlighting new developments in the technology. There
will also be specialized sessions for the main areas of
interest. We will also include a basic information "how
to" session aimed at newcomers to the technology. As per last
time we will have the opportunity for poster presentations from those members
that prefer this form of communication. We will also provide the opportunity
for some hands on live demonstrations of software and hardware. There will be
a small registration fee. What:
"Telemetry in animal research : New Directions and
Developments" Where: Carlton Crest Hotel Brisbane When: Wednesday 6th December Full day workshop, including State of the art presentations from the
USA, Canada and New Zealand. Sessions including, Telemetry for
cardiovascular research, Telemetry and the mouse Telemetry for drug research,
Behavioural applications of telemetry, Basic "how to" information
session for beginners. Free communications and posters. Sponsored
by Data Sciences International and the HBPRCA Dinner at a local restaurant on
the 6th of December. We look forward
to seeing you there! |
|||||
|
STUDENT
MESSAGE from
Jennifer Irvine As your student representative on
the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia Executive, I would once
again like to invite you to a Student Dinner at the 2006 Annual Scientific
Meeting. Given that the meeting runs from
December 7-8, the Student Dinner will be held on the evening of December 6th,
at a venue to be determined later. It should be an enjoyable and
casual affair and the Council has generously offered to contribute to drinks
on the night. Further information will be given
and RSVPs called for closer to the date of the ASM. If you are interested in attending
please respond via email, to assist us with making the
arrangements. |
|||||
|
MEMBERSHIP
MESSAGE from
Doug McKitrick With the HBPRCA Annual
Scientific Meeting (7-8 December, Brisbane) coming up we once again remind
supervisors that your graduate students can enjoy free membership in the
HBPRCA and your post docs and research assistants are equally welcome. On top
of that your graduate students can put themselves in the running for a
variety of awards and prizes. This year promises to be a feature packed
meeting with something for just about everyone. As we are starting to strengthen
our clinical ties, we again remind you to start thinking about whom of your
clinical colleagues might be interested in membership with Australia’s
premier society for hypertension-related research and information. If you have specific comments or concerns with your membership, or issues affecting membership generally, accept the invitation to communicate them directly to the Membership Secretary, Dr Doug McKitrick. |
|||||
|
SOCIETY NEWS from Kate Denton Early Career Investigator Award
Supported
by the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia and the British
Hypertension Society Our first winner of this award, Enzo
Porrello (Physiology, Melbourne) will shortly be making his appearance at the
Annual Meeting of the British Hypertension Society (18 - 20 Sep 2006) to be held at Churchill College,
Cambridge. Enzo, has been given a
prominent position in the program, with his talk scheduled immediately before
the Sir George Pickering Lecture, which is the main keynote presentation of the
meeting. The audience will consist of
250 members and guests of the British Hypertension Society, together with
members of the Nurses Hypertension Association. All delegates have a research interest in hypertension,
approximately two-thirds clinical and one third non-clinical. I think that this is prestigious opportunity not
only for Enzo, but also to advertise the strengths of our Society
internationally. For those of you
intending to apply for this award at our December meeting in Brisbane this year,
the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Hypertension Society in 2007
will be held from Monday 24th – Wednesday 26th September 2007 at St. John’s
College, Cambridge. American Council for High Blood Pressure Research
(CHBPR)
I have been invited to attend
the CHBPR Leadership Committee meeting as a representative of HBPRCA. This meeting in conjunction with their
annual scientific meeting is being held San Antonio, Texas in October this
year. The following item has been
added to the meeting agenda: The
HBPRCA is strengthening its ties with other like societies
internationally. We would like to
explore possible initiatives with the CHBPR with this aim in mind. Including: ·
Young investigator and student travel awards. ·
A joint exchange to promote early career
researchers ·
Reciprocal information on websites; including
advertisement of the FHBPR International Fellowship. ·
Potential joint satellite meetings as part of ISH
2012 Australia Canadian Hypertension Society (CHS)
Discussions,
with the similar intention of developing closer ties with CHS, are in
progress. An invitation has also been
extended for me to attend the CHS executive meeting in October this
year. With the ISH2010, taking place
in Vancouver and ISH2012 in Sydney, we are exploring the possibility of
initiating some collaboration between our societies before these events. |
|||||
|
SENIOR
LECTURER (PHYSIOLOGY) Applications are invited for appointment
to the position of Senior Lecturer (Physiology) in the School of Medical
Sciences. In addition to maintaining an active research program, the
appointee will be involved in teaching physiology to medical and science
programs offered by the School. The salary range for Senior
Lecturer is A$80,958 - A$92,880 per year (Package value A$95K -
A$109K). This is a full time, fixed term position for 2 years. Enquiries may be directed to Professor Margaret Morris on
telephone (61 2) 9385 1560 or email. For more information, click here to
visit the website. Applications close 9 October 2006. |
|||||
|
SEPTEMBER FEATURE ARTICLE Cardiovascular Research in the Department
of Physiology at Melbourne University |
|||||
|
|
Physiology at Melbourne has always
had a strong commitment to cardiovascular research with names such as Trefor
Morgan and the late Sandy Skinner just 2 outstanding examples. Today, Cardiovascular Health is one of 3
Research Clusters in Physiology (the others being Neurophysiology and Muscle
& Exercise). The Cardiovascular Health cluster is characterised by the
diversity of research across molecular genetics, cardiomyocyte
electrophysiology, central cardiovascular regulation, perinatal origins of
adult disease and clinical trials. This diversity facilitates active
collaborations here and abroad and provides a strong foundation for
competitive funding and research training. The following paragraphs and
photographs briefly describe the details of cardiovascular research in
Melbourne Physiology. You can learn more about the Department and its
research at http://www.physiology.unimelb.edu.au. This
edition we highlight 2 laboratories and will complete the set next time.
Happy reading, Stephen Harrap. |
||||
Central Cardiovascular Regulation: Dr Andrew Allen
The group has an overarching
interest in how the central nervous system modulates cardiovascular function
via the autonomic nervous system. This encompasses an interest in neuroscience,
particularly how neural groups interact in vivo to generate specific
motor patterns (in this case sympathetic activity to vascular smooth muscle),
as well as the cardiovascular physiology. |
|||||
|
|
|
||||
Juxtacellular-labelling,
with Neurobiotin, of an electrophysiologically characterized RVLM neuron
(green). Subsequent immunohistochemistry demonstrates that this is a
catecholaminergic neuron (red = tyrosine hydroxylase).
|
|||||
|
The specific research questions being
addressed: How does the renin-angiotensin system in the brain function? Is
upregulation of this system in the brain involved in the generation or
maintenance of cardiovascular diseases? What are the neural mechanisms
involved in the generation of sympathetic nerve activity to the
cardiovascular system? Is increased sympathetic vasomotor activity sufficient
to induce an increase in blood pressure? These specific research
questions are being addressed by recordings of neuronal activity in vivo and in vitro, measurement of gene and protein expression from defined
brain regions, measurement of cardiovascular parameters using radiotelemetry in vivo and viral transduction
approaches to modulate gene expression in
vivo. |
|||||
|
|
|||||
Staff and students
Dr Andrew Allen (Head of Laboratory), Jaspreet Dosanjh (Research
Assistant), Lisa Hazelwood (Research Assistant), Charles Sevigny (PhD
Student), Erin O’Callaghan (B.Biomed.Sci.(Hons) student).
Collaborators
Dr W.G. Thomas (Baker Heart Research Institute), Prof.
B.J. Oldfield (Department of Physiology, Monash University), Prof. I.
Llewellyn-Smith (Department of Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre), D. J.
Phillips (Department of Health Science, Murdoch University), Prof. M.J.
McKinley (Howard Florey Institute), Prof. R.A.L. Dampney (Department of
Physiology, University of Sydney), Dr. T. Le and Prof. T. Coffman (Department
of Medicine, Duke University, North Carolina, USA), Associate Prof. S.
Kasparov and Prof. J.F.R. Paton (Department of Physiology, University of
Bristol, UK). Recent
publications
Montanaro M, Allen AM,
Oldfield BJ. Structural and functional evidence supporting a role for leptin
in central neural pathways influencing blood pressure. Experimental
Physiology 2005; 90:689-696. McAllen RM, Allen AM, Bratton
BO. A neglected ‘accessory’ vasomotor pathway: implications for blood
pressure control. Clin. Exper. Pharmacol. Physiol. 2005; 32: 473-477. Richardson RJ, Grkovic I,
Allen AM, Anderson CR. Separate neurochemical classes of sympathetic
postganglionic neurons project to the ventricle of the rat heart. Cell Tissue Res. 2006; 324: 9-16. Allen AM, Dosanjh J,
Dassanayake S, Tan G, Thomas WG. Baroreceptor reflex stimulation does not
induce cytomegalovirus promoter-driven transgene expression in the
ventrolateral medulla in vivo. Auton. Neurosci. 2006; 126: 150-155. Allen AM, Dosanjh J, Erac M,
Dassanayake S, Hannan RD, Thomas WG. Expression of constitutively active
angiotensin receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla increases blood
pressure. Hypertension 2006; 47:
1054-1061. Steinberg GR, Watt MJ, Fam BC, Prioetto J,
Andrikopoulos S, Allen AM, Febbraio MA, Kemp BE. Ciliary neurotrophic factor suppresses
hypothalamic AMP-kinase signaling in leptin resistant obese mice.
Endocrinology 2006; 147: 3906-3914. |
|||||
|
Cardiac Phenomics Laboratory: Associate Professor Lea Delbridge |
|||||
|
|
Our goal is to understand how genes and environmental factors
interact to shape heart growth and function. We use unique genetic models of
hypertrophic cardiac disease to probe the molecular and cellular
abnormalities associated with hormonal disturbances (eg diabetes,
renin-angiotensin system dysfunction, estrogen withdrawal). We investigate
how pharmacological and dietary interventions can both exacerbate and
alleviate cardiomyopathic conditions. In pursuing these studies, we have
developed and patented novel microscopic techniques for measuring myocyte
morphology and growth responses. |
||||
|
Recently we have demonstrated that elevated production of angiotensin
II in the heart, even when systemic hormone levels and blood pressure are
normal, can induce growth and excitation-contraction coupling
abnormalities. At a cellular level we
have characterized the links between abnormal growth and defective cellular
Ca2+ flux. Our studies of the effects
of omega-3 dietary interventions have revealed a beneficial influence of
these lipids in suppressing excessive heart growth and arrhythmogenesis. The
role of reactive oxygen species in mediating abnormal cardiomyocyte growth
responses in insulin resistant hearts is emerging as an important theme in
our research. We have characterized the extent to which the heart relies
differentially on glycolytic and oxidative energy supplies in a compromised
metabolic environment. |
|
||||
|
Staff and students A/Prof Lea
Delbridge (Head of Laboratory), Dr Claire Curl (Post Doctoral Fellow), Ms Kate
Huggins (PhD Student), Mr Enzo Porrello (PhD Student), Ms Ruchi Patel (PhD
Student), Ms Wendy Ip (Honours Student), Ms Sarah Miller (MSc Student), Ms
Belinda Howard (Honours Student), Ms Kim Mellor (Honours Student), Ms Beata
Zoltkowski (Research Assistant), Mr Bill Meeker (Research Assistant), Ms
Greta Meredith (Research Assistant) Collaborators Associate Professor Igor Wendt (Department of Physiology, Monash
University), Dr Salvatore Pepe (Baker Heart Research Institute), Dr Rebecca
Ritchie (Baker Heart Research Institute), Dr Walter Thomas (Baker Heart
Research Institute), Professor Joe Proietto (Austin Repatriation Hospital),
Dr Gordon Smyth (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute), Associate Professor
Thierry Pedrazzini (University of Lausanne), Associate Professor Peter
McLennan (University of Wollongong), Associate Professor Robert Widdop
(Department of Pharmacology, Monash University), Professor Keith Nugent
(School of Physics, University of Melbourne), Associate Professor Ann Roberts
(School of Physics, University of Melbourne), Associate Professor Michell Gee
(Department of Chemistry, University of Melbourne), Professor Peter Harris
(University of Melbourne), Dr Brendan Allman (Iatia Ltd, Australia),
Associate Professor Alastair Stewart (Department of Pharmacology, University
of Melbourne), Professor Margaret Morris (Department of Pharmacology &
Physiology, University of New South Wales) Recent publications Ritchie RH & Delbridge LMD.
Cardiac hypertrophy, substrate utilization and metabolic remodeling: cause or
effect? Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 33:171-178, 2006. Curl CL, Bellair CJ, Harris PJ, Allman
BE, Roberts A, Nugent KA, Delbridge LM. Single cell volume measurement by
quantitative phase microscopy (QPM): a case of erythrocyte morphology. Cell Physiol
Biochem. 2006; 17: 193-200. Domenighetti AA, Wang Q, Egger M,
Richards SM, Pedrazzini T, Delbridge LMD. Angiotensin II-mediated phenotypic
cardiomyocyte remodeling leads to age-dependent cardiac dysfunction and
failure. Hypertension. 2005 Aug;46(2):426-32. Curl CL, Bellair CJ, Harris T, Allman BE, Harris PJ, Stewart AG,
Roberts A, Nugent KA & Delbridge LMD. Refractive index measurement in
viable cells using quantitative phase-amplitude microscopy and confocal
microscopy. Cytometry 65A:88-92, 2005. |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
Athina Patti at Meetings First t 61 3 9739 7697 f 61 3 9739 7076 |
|||||
|
SPONSORS HBPRCA would like to
acknowledge the ongoing support of the following sponsors:
|
|||||
|
MEETINGS
IN 2006 |
|||||
11th Annual Meeting of the European
Council for Cardiovascular Research (ECCR)
29 September – 1 October 2006 Nice, France Click here for meeting website |
British Geriatrics Society Autumn Meeting 4 – 6 October 2006 Harrogate Click here for meeting website |
||||
|
Primary
Care Cardiovascular Society Annual Scientific Meeting 5 – 7
October 2006 Newcastle,
Gateshead Click here for
meeting website |
60th Annual Fall Conference and
Scientific Sessions of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research in
association with the Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease
4 – 10 October
2006 San Antonio,
Texas Click here for meeting website |
||||
|
Atrial Fibrillation 2006 – All Change! 10 October 2006 Royal College of Physicians, London Click here for
meeting website |
International Conference on Healthy
Ageing and Longevity (3rd Annual Meeting)
13 –15 October
2006 Melbourne,
Australia Click here for meeting
website |
||||
International Society of
Hypertension
21st Scientific Meeting15 - 19 October
2006 Fukuoka, Japan Click here for meeting website Click here
for International Society of hypertension web page |
Comprehensive Cardiovascular
Conference 20 – 21 October
2006 Florida, USA Click here for meeting
website |
||||
Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (27th Annual Meeting)21 – 25 October
2006 Vancouver,
British Columbia Click here for
meeting website |
1st World Congress on Controversies
in Obesity, Diabetes and Hypertension (CODHy)
26 – 29 October 2006 Berlin, Germany Click here for
meeting website |
||||
Hypertension Update XVIII
30 – 31 October
2006 Holiday Inn
Hotel, Stratford Click here for
meeting website |
Cardiovascular
Medicine - Turning people into patients: Has modern medicine gone too far? 31 October 2006 Queen Mother
Conference Centre, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Click here for
meeting website |
||||
|
6th
BHS Clinical Education Meeting for Primary Care 10
November 2006 East
Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham Click here for
meeting website |
American Heart Scientific Sessions
2006
12 – 15 November 2006 Chicago IL, USA Click here for meeting website
|
||||
|
Hypertension
and the Kidney (Joint Meeting between the BHS and the Renal Association) 28
November 2006 Royal
College of Physicians, London Click here for
meeting website |
|
||||
|
|
|
||||
|
MEETINGS IN
2007 |
|
||||
|
UK Consensus
Conference on Early Chronic Kidney Disease 6 – 7
February 2007 Royal
College of Physicians of Edinburgh Click here for
meeting website |
Society
for Endocrinology BES 2007 5 – 8
May 2007 Birmingham Click here for
meeting website |
||||
|
8th International Conference of Nuclear Cardiology
- ICNC8 29 April – 2 May 2007 Prague - Czech Republic Click here for
meeting website |
American
Society of Hypertension 19 – 23 May 2007
Chicago
Click here for
meeting website |
||||
|
Heart Failure 2007 9– 12 June 2007 Hamburg - Germany Click here for
meeting website |
Europace 2007
24 – 27 June 2007 Lisbon – Portugal Click here for
meeting website |
||||
|
ESC Congress 2007 1 – 5 September 2007 Vienna – Austria Click here for
meeting website |
|
||||
