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| L-R: Prof Peter Ebeling, A/Prof David Scott |
Showing posts with label David Scott. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Scott. Show all posts
Tuesday, 28 July 2020
$1.39 million MRFF grant for research on falls and fragility fractures
Wednesday, 11 September 2019
NHMRC funding success at the Monash Health Translation Precinct
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| Dr David Scott |
Wednesday, 26 June 2019
Department of Surgery celebrates 50 years
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| Professor Julian Smith speaking at the 50 year celebration dinner |
Monday, 16 July 2018
Bone and Muscle Research Group support inaugural Australia Sarcopenia Day
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| Jakub Mesinovic and Cat Shore-Lorenti, Bone and Muscle Research Group |
Most people recognise that ageing is associated with
deterioration in muscle mass, strength and physical performance. However,
severe declines in muscle mass and function in older adults are known as
‘sarcopenia’.
A relatively new condition, sarcopenia only received a disease
classification code from the World Health Organisation in 2016. The condition may
affect up to one in three people aged 60 years and older and can lead to loss
of mobility and independence, falls and a reduced quality of life. It has also
been associated with mortality, fractures and hospitalisation.
Monday, 21 May 2018
Monday, 16 April 2018
Monday, 12 March 2018
Calf muscle density is independently associated with physical function in overweight and obese older adults
Read article here.
Monday, 12 February 2018
Competitive grant will support bone and muscle health research
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| Dr David Scott |
Senior Research Fellow Dr David
Scott from the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health (SCS) has been
awarded a Rebecca L. Cooper Medical Research Foundation Project Grant to support
his research into sarcopenia.
Sarcopenia is the degenerative
loss of skeletal muscle mass and function.
It is estimated that 5–13% of elderly
people aged 60–70 years are affected by sarcopenia, and this increases to
11–50% for those aged over 80.
Dr Scott, an NHRMC Career Development Fellow in the Bone and Muscle
Health Research Group, will use the $100,000 grant to undertake a
randomised controlled trial comparing the effects of weight loss plus a
bone-targeted exercise intervention versus weight loss alone in obese older
adults with sarcopenia.
“We have demonstrated previously
that obese older adults with sarcopenia have increased risk for falls,
fractures and type 2 diabetes,” Dr Scott said.
“These individuals can undoubtedly
benefit from weight loss interventions, but can experience significant losses
of bone and muscle mass as a result.”
“We will determine whether a
12-week bone-targeted exercise intervention involving high-velocity resistance
training and impact activities prevents decreases in bone and muscle mass
during weight loss,” he said.
“We will also explore whether this
type of exercise enhances the benefits of weight loss for improving insulin
sensitivity in obese older adults with sarcopenia.”
Dr Scott’s application was the
top-ranked grant in the geriatrics discipline.
He has also been invited to attend the Rebecca L. Cooper Medical
Research Foundation dinner in Sydney next month.
Dr Scott acknowledges the ongoing
support of Professor Peter Ebeling and the team in the Bone and Muscle Health
Research Group.
Monday, 29 January 2018
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
Tuesday, 16 January 2018
Monday, 27 November 2017
Two Tall Poppies in the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health
Dr Connie Wong, Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow and Head of
Neuroinflammation Research Group, Centre for Inflammatory Diseases and Dr David
Scott, NHMRC Career Development Fellow, Bone and Muscle Health Research Group
were presented with the highly competitive awards at Swinburne University last
Thursday.
The annual Young Tall Poppy Science Awards recognise the
achievements of Australia’s outstanding young scientific researchers and
communicators. The Award winners (‘Tall Poppies’) participate in education and community outreach programs in
which they become role models to inspire school students and the broader
community about the possibilities of science.
Dr Wong said it was a great honour to receive such a prestigious
Award and she will continue to thrive for scientific excellence and work
towards better communication and community engagement to promote an
understanding of science.
Dr Wong received her Award in recognition of her novel research
into stroke.
“It’s been recognised for many years that stroke patients are
prone to infections, but very little is known about where these infections come
from,” Dr Wong said. “Traditionally,
infections were assumed to come about because of the patient’s immobility and
the hospital environment they are in.”
“Research from my laboratory shows for the first time that stroke
not only damages the brain but also directly weakens the immune system in such
a way that the “bad” bacteria in the intestines have the opportunity to escape
and travel to other organs to cause fatal infections.”
Dr Wong said that gut bacteria taking advantage of a patient’s
weakened immune system after stroke is a huge concern, especially if the gut
bacteria are antibiotic-resistant.
“Our research suggests stroke clinicians should stop giving
unnecessary antibiotics to patients because they simply don’t work.”
“I believe our research will trigger a change in stroke patient
management in hospitals and reduce the overuse of ineffective antibiotics.”
Importantly, now that Dr Wong’s research has revealed an important
role for the gut in patients who develop infections after stroke, her lab is
investigating an effective and targeted therapy to improve patient outcomes.
Meanwhile Dr Scott, also from the Department of Medicine, was
deemed a Tall Poppy for his research into the link between sarcopenia, obesity
and osteoporotic fractures.
“Australia has a growing obese older adult population and while
obese older adults generally have reduced risk of osteoporotic fractures, my
research has shown that obese older adults with sarcopenia (low muscle mass and
strength) have higher rates of these fractures,” Dr Scott said.
Dr Scott’s research suggests that health professionals need to
carefully monitor and treat declines in muscle and bone health in obese older
adults in order to avoid preventable fractures.
“My team and I are trialling inexpensive exercise programs that
can reduce fat mass, increase muscle mass and strength, and improve bone
quality, with the ultimate aim of developing home- and community-based
interventions for reducing falls and fracture rates in older adults with
sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity.”
Dr Scott said that given the outstanding achievements of fellow
and past winners, it was a great honour to be recognised with this Award.
“I'm excited to participate in the community outreach programs and
use this opportunity to promote science to the community, particularly our
future scientists,” he said.
Dr Wong and Dr Scott expressed their thanks and gratitude to
Professors Eric Morand and Peter Ebeling for nominating them as well as their
ongoing support.
Monday, 13 November 2017
Monday, 7 August 2017
SCS researcher receives ASBMR Rising Star Award to reduce falls and fracture risk in obese older adults
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| Dr David Scott |
School of
Clinical Sciences at Monash Health (SCS) researcher Dr David Scott from the
Bone and Muscle Health Group has received the prestigious 2017 Rising Star
Award from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
The highly
competitive US$60,000 award funds the most promising young scientists in the
bone field and recognizes Dr Scott’s research into reducing risk factors for
falls and fractures in obese older adults.
Dr
Scott’s recent research demonstrates that obese older adults with poor muscle
function—known as sarcopenic obese—have high rates of falls and poor bone
quality, resulting in increased risk of fractures.
“While exercise interventions can reduce falls risk in older adults,
none have been specifically designed for the sarcopenic obese population, who
have unique challenges,” Dr Scott said.
“Our pilot randomised controlled trial investigates the effects of a
six-month multi-component exercise program on balance and strength, body
composition and bone quality, in sarcopenic obese older adults.”
Dr Scott said that evidence generated from the pilot study will
contribute to future funding applications to support larger trials, which
assess whether the exercise intervention can reduce incidence of falls and
fractures in sarcopenic obese older adults.
“If proven effective, these exercise guidelines can then be readily
translated into community-based programs for obese older adults in Australia
and worldwide,” he said.
Monday, 24 July 2017
Monday, 17 July 2017
Lower muscle tissue is associated with higher pulse wave velocity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational study data
Alexander Rodriguez et al. published in Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology.Read article here.
Monday, 20 February 2017
School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health (SCS) researcher receives Young Investigator Award
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| Dr David Scott |
Department of Medicine postdoctoral research fellow Dr David
Scott has received the prestigious 2017 ESCEO-AgNovos Healthcare Young
Investigator Award, and will be presented with his prize at the World Congress
on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (WCO) next month
in Florence, Italy.
A partnership of the WCO, the International Osteoporosis Foundation
(IOF) and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of
Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO), the annual
Congress is the world’s leading clinical conference on bone, joint and muscle
health.
At the conference, Dr Scott will present his latest research on
sarcopenic obesity.
"We have previously demonstrated
that older adults with sarcopenia (low muscle mass and strength), combined with
obesity, have increased fracture risk but surprisingly this was not explained
by greater falls rates,” said Dr Scott.
Dr Scott’s current research is
exploring whether the relationship is explained by weaker bones.
“Indeed, we have found that
sarcopenic obese older adults have low bone density and quality, and this
appears to be related to their low relative muscle mass and also higher amounts
of fat infiltration within their muscles."
Dr Scott said the next steps are to
seek funding to trial a multi-component exercise program for sarcopenic obese
older adults, including a range of activities designed to reduce fat mass,
while improving muscle mass and function, as well as and bone quality.
Monday, 6 February 2017
SCS researcher receives internationally competitive Young Investigator Award
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| Dr David Scott |
Congratulations
Dr David Scott from the Department of Medicine on the award of a prestigious American
Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) John Haddad Young Investigator
Award. Dr Scott will use the US$1600
award to attend the Advances in Mineral Metabolism (AIMM)/ASBMR Young
Investigators' Meeting in Snowmass, Colorado, USA in April.
The John
Haddad Award is the major young investigator award of the ASBMR; only ten are
awarded annually and only one other Australian researcher has been a recipient
in the past five years.
“The Young
Investigators Meeting provides a unique opportunity to demonstrate our
outstanding bone and muscle research team and facilities, including the bone
imaging suite in the Clinical Trials Centre at the Monash Health Translation
Precinct,” said Dr Scott.
“By
highlighting our expertise and capabilities at the meeting, we expect to attract
collaborations from international researchers.”
Dr Scott’s
research focuses on sarcopenia, obesity and osteoporosis.
Monday, 19 December 2016
SCS researchers working to improve health outcomes for obese children and older adults
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| Dr Michelle Blumfield and Dr David Scott |
Dr
David Scott from the Department of Medicine received a Career Development
Fellowship to reduce risk factors for falls and fractures in obese older
Australians while Department of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Dr Michelle Blumfield
will study the impact of sleep in pregnancy on maternal and child weight-related
outcomes.
Dr Scott’s Fellowship, worth $425,000 over four years will address two of Australia’s significant public health issues: our ageing population and obesity epidemic.
“40%
of Australia’s older adult population will soon be obese—while this population
generally have normal life expectancy, they can develop functional disability
at a much younger age than non-obese older adults,” said Dr Scott.
As
an exercise scientist, Dr Scott is particularly interested in how exercise can
reduce disability, and the increasing number of falls and fractures now
occurring in our growing obese older adult population.
“My
research to date has demonstrated that low muscle mass and function (sarcopenia)
and high levels of fat inside our muscles (IMAT) are important risk factors for
falls, osteoporosis and fractures in obese older adults,” said Dr Scott.
“Over
the next four years, I will conduct exercise studies targeting improvements in
muscle and bone health in older adults with obesity, and investigate strategies
to ensure exercise programs are achievable and provide optimal outcomes in this
population.”
By
improving physical function and preventing falls and fractures, Dr Scott
believes his research can help reduce health costs and improve the quality of
life of older adults.
Dr
Blumfield’s research is tackling another serious public health problem, childhood
obesity.
“Strong evidence supports the tracking of overweight and
obesity from infancy to adult life and reduced sleep is a strong risk factor
for obesity in infants, children and adults,” said Dr Blumfield.
Sleep disruption has been linked to increased energy intake, poorer
food choices, decreased signals to stop eating and a lowered metabolism.
“In pregnancy, sleep deprivation has been associated with
higher rates of caesarean section, preterm birth, risk of gestational diabetes
mellitus and postnatal depression, however, no research has examined the
relationship between sleep, diet and maternal-child adiposity using reference
measures.”
Dr Blumfield has developed a research program to optimise
maternal and child weight-related outcomes by improving sleeping practices in
pregnancy.
Dr Blumfield’s
projects include several ‘world
firsts’— the
use of reference methods for sleep measurement in pregnancy with longitudinal
assessment of maternal-child outcomes, and a randomised controlled trial to
test the effect of increased sleep opportunity in pregnancy on prenatal
predictors of childhood obesity.
Drs Scott and Blumfield
thank their supervisors and collaborators, including Professor Peter Ebeling, Professor
Helen Truby, Dr Sean Cain, Professor Euan Wallace and Associate Professor Arul
Earnest.
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