SCS researchers’ part of a team awarded $5 million to stop stroke in its tracks

Professor Amanda Thrift

Congratulations to SCS researchers from the Stroke and Ageing Group who have been successful in securing a five million dollar NHMRC Synergy Grant in collaboration with researchers at UTas, UWA and UniSA. Professors Amanda Thrift and Dominique Cadilhac, and Drs Monique Kilkenny and Joosup Kim received the grant for their project 'Synergies to Prevent Stroke – STOPstroke'.

Publications week ending 24 August 2018

Long-term disability after stroke in Iran: Evidence from the Mashhad Stroke Incidence Study.  Amanda Thrift et al. published in the International Journal of Stroke.

Patient survival on haemodiafiltration and haemodialysis: a cohort study using the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry. Kevan Polkinghorne et al. published in Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation.

Amnion epithelial cells - a novel therapy for ischemic stroke? Rebecca Lim et al. published in Neural Regeneration Research.  

The NACSTOP trial: A multi-center, cluster-controlled trial of early cessation of acetylcysteine in acetaminophen overdose. Anselm Wong et al. published in Hepatology.

Determining the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a stroke instructional and educational DVD in a multinational context: a randomized controlled pilot study

Amanda Thrift et al. published in Clinical Rehabilitation.

Evaluation of a training program of hypertension for accredited social health activists (ASHA) in rural India

Amanda Thrift et al. published in BMC Health Services Research.

Factors contributing to sex differences in functional outcomes and participation after stroke

Amanda Thrift et al. published in Neurology.

Advances in Stroke 2017

Amanda Thrift et al. published in Stroke.

Urinary hypoxia: an intraoperative marker of risk of cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury

Michael Zhu et al. published in Nephrology, Dialysis, Translplantation.

Read article here.

Five-Year Case Fatality Following First-Ever Stroke in the Mashhad Stroke Incidence Study: A Population-Based Study of Stroke in the Middle East

Amanda Thrift et al. published in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases.

Read article here.

Quality of Life Is Poorer for Patients With Stroke Who Require an Interpreter

Monique Kilkenny et al. published in Stroke.

Read article here.

Prescription of antihypertensive medication at discharge influences survival following stroke

Joosup Kim et al. published in Neurology.

Read article here.

Five-Year Recurrence Rate and the Predictors Following Stroke in the Mashhad Stroke Incidence Study: A Population-Based Cohort Study of Stroke in the Middle East

Amanda Thrift et al. published in Neuroepidemiology.

Read article here.

Long-Term Outcomes of Ischemic Stroke of Undetermined Mechanism: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort

Amanda Thrift et al. published in Neuroepidemiology.

Read article here.

The Incidence and Characteristics of Stroke in Urban-Dwelling Iranian Women

Amanda Thrift et al. published in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases.

Read article here.

Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders during 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Amanda Thrift et al. published in The Lancet. Neurology.

Read article here.

Improving quality and outcomes of stroke care in hospitals: Protocol and statistical analysis plan for the Stroke123 implementation study

Dominique Cadilhac et al. published in the International Journal of Stroke.

Read article here.

SCS researcher—and first woman—receives Excellence in Stroke Award

Professor Thrift

Professor Amanda Thrift from the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health has been recognised for her lifetime contribution to stroke research and overall contribution to the field, receiving the Stroke Society of Australasia’s (SSA) Excellence in Stroke Award.

As part of the Award, Professor Thrift delivered the Excellence in Stroke Oration at the SSA annual scientific meeting in Queenstown, New Zealand last month.

During Professor Thrift’s post-doctoral work, she undertook a large incidence study of stroke in the northern suburbs of Melbourne (the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study: NEMESIS).

“This work resulted in more than 50 publications, contributed to 7 PhD completions and also led to a number of international collaborations, including further work in Iran and Viet Nam, as well as some data pooling studies of individual patient data, one of which included 13 studies in 11 countries,” Professor Thrift said. 

In her Stroke Oration, Professor Thrift presented an overview of the work she has led, including the NEMISIS and STANDFIRM (Shared Team-Approach Between Nurses and Doctors For Improved Risk Factor Management) studies.

One of the key focuses of Professor Thrift’s research is stroke and other chronic diseases in under-privileged settings.

“The study I conducted in Iran was a replica of NEMESIS, and demonstrated the enormous burden in that country, with people having their strokes about a decade earlier than in Australia,” Professor Thrift said.

“Aboriginal Australia also suffers a disproportionate burden of stroke—some of the messages from the Aboriginal people we interviewed for our early research studies were very powerful.”

“One man who lived in a remote community, had no access to rehabilitation, and so he devised his own program which involved riding his bicycle about 120 km per week. His resilience, innovation, and determination was truly remarkable.”

Professor Thrift’s oration also included an overview of how improvements in health can be made in settings where resources are limited.

“In India we taught health workers about hypertension (and other risk factors), and provided them with the skills to teach their local communities how to manage their hypertension—to reduce their chances of having stroke or heart disease,” Professor Thrift said.

Professor Thrift said she was overwhelmed by the honour and recognition of the Award. All prior four awardees have been neurologists.

“I’m particularly honoured to be the first woman to receive the Award, and the first epidemiologist!”

“I’ve been very fortunate to have great colleagues, collaborators and PhD students,” she added. “I would like to acknowledge their enormous contribution as, in reality, this award is not mine alone, but is recognition of our combined research efforts.”

Strategies to Improve Stroke Care Services in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Amanda Thrift et al. published in Neuroepidemiology.

Read article here.

Self-Reported Exercise Prevalence and Determinants in the Long Term After Stroke: The North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study

Amanda Thrift et al. published in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases.

Read article here.

Epidemiology of Intracranial and Extracranial Large Artery Stenosis in a Population-Based Study of Stroke in the Middle East

Amanda Thrift et al. published in Neuroepidemiology.

Read article here.

Community-Based Intervention to Improve Cardiometabolic Targets in Patients With Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Muideen Olaiya et al. published in Stroke.

Read article here.