News

1. Older People Framework Forum: Celebrating improvements (30 November 2005) at Mercure Sydney Airport Hotel

Please put this date in your diary now.

Inquiries should be directed to:

Barbara Anderson, Aged Care Integration Unit
NSW Health
bande@doh.health.nsw.gov.au or phone: 02 9391 9506  

About the Forum:

The final program is currently being developed.

Each Area Health Service and Justice Health will be asked to make a presentation showcasing highlights from their achievements in implementing the NSW Health Framework for integrated support and management of older people in the NSW health care system. There will be ample opportunity for sharing experience and discussing lessons learned.

The Forum anticipates that Areas are currently working on completing their second comprehensive self assessment against the Framework standards due at the end of December 2005. All Areas and Justice Health are invited to send participants involved in the Framework self assessment process and in the implementation of initiatives designed to improve the patient journey for older people and their families and carers.

Numbers will be limited to 12-14 per Area. There will be no registration fee for the day. Refreshments and lunch will be provided. However, Areas are expected to cover travel and accommodation costs for their representatives.

2. Food on the Move
Food Safety Week 2005 (7-13 November)

Launching the Food Safety Week, Federal Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, Christopher Pyne, said the theme of the week was Food on the Move. Publicity during the week reminded Australians; particularly older Australians that they need to take extra care with handling food when they were travelling.

“It is great to see people taking advantage of our wonderful climate to enjoy the outdoor life, but imagine what it would be like if you suffer food poisoning when you are in a remote area, a long way from a doctor and with limited facilities. Often there is less workspace and equipment available, which raises the risk of cross contaminating the food.   Also, clean water for washing ingredients, utensils and hands may be in short supply or not available.

“Food poisoning is more of a risk in hot weather, particularly when we are travelling because it is harder to keep food at a safe temperature. High-risk food may also need to be kept longer because of long distances between shops.

“As we get older, the consequences of getting food poisoning become more severe, so retirees who travel around the country, who have become known as the grey nomads may be particularly at risk. ”

During last week, the Food Safety Information Council distributed fact sheets to help Australians who go camping or bushwalking, as well as those travelling in caravans, motor homes and campers to keep their food safe. The fact sheets are available at national parks and other venues to keep travellers informed.

The Food Safety Information Council is a not-for-profit group of Australian federal and state government agencies, the food industry, consumer groups and professional associations. It aims to reduce the over five million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year by educating citizens to handle food safely from the time it leaves the retailer until it appears on the plate. Membership is open to any organisation with an interest in promoting food safety practices for consumers. Please consult the Council’s web site for fact sheets at www.foodsafety.asn.au

An apple a day keeps the doctor away: reality or a myth?

Apples are one of the most popular fruit in Australia. As well as being consumed whole, apples are processed for desserts, sauces, juices and infant foods. However, some people are reported to have allergic reaction to apples. This is the first time that the effects of heat and the presence of sugars on apple allergens have been characterised at a molecular level.

The October 2005 issue of Allergy reports the results of a new research that will debunk old wives’ tales that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. This research is based on a study of the Institute of Food Research (IFR) in which scientists have discovered how an apple allergy protein retains its potency. The researchers are a consortium of the Sanquin Research, University of Amsterdam ( Netherlands), Clinica San Carlo ( Italy), Lofarma SpA ( Italy), and Fundación Hospital Alcorcón ( Spain). Their study will help the food industry to understand the effects of processing on allergens.

Corresponding author, Dr Ana Sancho says that it was important to investigate how this allergen stands up to processing because reaction to apple allergens in the Mediterranean countries is often as severe as peanuts. Sancho’s research team studied a lipid transfer protein (LTP) from apple peel called Mal d 3, which can cause severe symptoms including anaphylaxis. They heated it at different temperatures with and without the addition of sugar and analysed the effects on the protein structure. Colleagues in Amsterdam investigated the impact on histamine release in the blood of apple allergic patients. Histamine is one of the main chemicals unleashed when the immune system overproduces the antibody IgE, causing allergic symptoms. Sancho adds:

“For the first time, our study showed how tough this protein really is. It demonstrated how Mal d 3 maintains its ability to cause allergic reactions, and the extent to which reactivity can be reduced by different processing methods.

“During heating the protein unfolded, but it refolded once cooled. Mild heat treatment did not alter the reactivity of the protein, but severe heat treatment (100°C) caused a 30-fold decrease in the allergenicity of Mal d 3. The presence of sugars—which results in the Maillard reaction—had a protective effect and less allergenicity was lost. The Maillard reaction is one of the most common chemical reactions to occur during processing.

“We found that the protein binds to glucose, demonstrating the importance of studying allergens in context. Different food components will interact with allergens and have an impact on their stability. Some may mask an allergen so it cannot be detected, but will not actually affect its ability to cause a reaction.”

And so, with a greater understanding of how food processing modifies allergens it may now be possible to generate new ways to reduce current problems and prevent allergenic activity in novel foods of the future.

Further information on food allergy suitable for the agro-food industry (including primary producers, manufacturers and retailers), allergic consumers, health professionals and regulators is available at http://www.informall.eu.com.

The Institute of Food Research (IFR) is a private company of charitable status. It undertakes independent basic and strategic research on food safety, quality, nutrition and health www.ifr.ac.uk. This research was funded through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) competitive strategic grant to IFR with support from the EU SAFE project akh-wien.ac.at/safe.

References

Funding announcements and opportunities

National

Healthy Local Government Grants Program
A grants program is offered by the NSW Local Government and Shires Associations to build on the work done by Councils in promoting health of their respective communities. Closing date: 30 November 2005.
Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2642.html

Families with Adolescents Education and Resource Project- EOI
The Better Futures Family Education and Resource Project will provide a range of information and education programs aimed at supporting families with young people. Programs will focus on adolescent development, challenges faced by young people and their families. Closing date: 02 December 2005
Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2649.html

Breast Cancer Rural Training Scholarships
Funding from the Polo Ralph Lauren Pink Pony Initiative assists the National Breast Cancer Centre (NBCC) to provide scholarships for nurses and community health workers in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia who wish to improve their knowledge. Closing date: 07 December 2005
Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2711.html

Centre for Leadership for Women Achievement Award 2006
The CLW Leadership Achievement Award has been established to recognise women in the community who use their own initiative to create and implement projects for the benefit of the community and in collaboration with the community. Closing date: 22 December 2005. Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2547.html

Sisters of Charity Foundation and Ministry Fund
The Sisters of Charity Foundation and Sisters of Charity Ministry Fund are primarily concerned with funding projects/programs that respond to the needs of the under-served in today's community. Closing date: 08 January 2006
Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2359.html

Various community engagement funding options with open dates

ANZ Staff Foundation
Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2099.html

AMP Foundation
Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2094.html

APEC Education Foundation
To support educational co-operative initiatives for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in three broad areas: (i) educational co-operation; (ii) research and scholarship; and (iii) community building.
Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2080.html

Foundation for Young Australians Funding Programs
To support initiatives that help provide young people with opportunities to reach their full potential and make a valuable contribution to the community.
Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2213.html

Macquarie Bank Foundation
To support programs in the areas of education, the arts, health care and research, social welfare, and the environment for benefiting communities and in which Macquarie has a presence. Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2379.html

Myer Foundation Grants
To support programs responding to community needs and for the development of new ideas focusing on six key areas: arts & humanities; beyond Australia; G4 Fund; natural environment; philanthropy in Australia; and social justice.
Program URL: http://www2.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/funding/2398.htm

International

Program No 00487
Synopsis The sponsor awards research grants of up to five years in research areas of the National Institutes of Health. Grants are awarded to institutions on behalf of Principal Investigators. The deadline dates each year are February 1, June 1, and October. Duration: 5 years.

Objectives Research project grants (R01) are awarded to institutions on behalf of a principal investigator for any discrete project related to the investigator's interests and competence that address areas of the National Institutes of Health.
E-mail: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (Reference Program Number 00487)
Program URL: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html

Program No 01737
Synopsis The sponsor provides support for graduate students to participate in research under the guidance of a senior ETS staff member in one of the following areas: psychology, education, teaching, learning, psychometrics, statistics, literacy, policy research, linguistics, educational technology, new constructs, minority issues, testing issues including alternate forms of assessment for special populations, and new forms of assessment.

Objectives The goals of this program are to provide research opportunities to individuals enrolled in a doctoral program to increase the number of women and underrepresented minority professionals conducting research in educational measurement and related fields.
E-mail: internships@ets.org (Reference Program Number 01737)
Program URL: http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem

Program No 03097
Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Program
Synopsis Up to three fellows will be selected to conduct independent research in Princeton, New Jersey, in one of the following areas: psychology, education, teaching, learning, literacy, statistics, computer science, educational technology, minority issues, and testing issues, including new forms of assessment and alternate forms of assessment for special populations.
Duration: 2 years @ $50,000

Objectives The goal of the program is to provide research opportunities to individuals holding a doctorate in the fields indicated above and to increase the number of women and minority professionals conducting research in educational measurement and related fields.
E-mail:internfellowships@ets.org (Reference Program Number 03097)
Program URL: http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem

Program No 70431
Visiting Fellowships Program
Synopsis The Center for Cultural Analysis ( Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Penn. USA) offers fellowship awards to visiting scholars for 2006-07 on the topic of "Cultures of Circulation". The sponsor invites scholars from all disciplinary perspectives to submit proposals for studies of all kinds--empirical, analytical, literary, historical and theoretical. Emphasis will be given to projects that are markedly interdisciplinary in approach.

Objectives The sponsor awards fellowships to visiting scholars for 2006-07 on the topic of "Cultures of Circulation". The fellowships will involve projects that study patterns in the movement of culture across space and time, as well as the orientation of cultural works and performances to their own movement and reproduction. Proposals from all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences are welcome. The funding amount includes a stipend of $40,000 and support for research with office space located in the Center. Closing date: 06 January 2006.
Email: info@cca.rutgers.edu (Reference Program Number 70431)
Program URL: http://www.criticalanalysis.rutgers.edu/fellowships/index.html

Program No 81153
Research on the Economics of Diet, Activity and Energy Balance
Synopsis The sponsor offers support for research projects that enhance the state-of-the-science on the causes of obesity and to inform federal decision making on effective public health interventions for reducing the rate of obesity. Research strategies that nest economic analysis within a broader interdisciplinary context of other social and behavioral sciences as well as the epidemiological, bio-statistical, medical, and biological disciplines relevant to public health policy are especially encouraged.

Objectives This program is intended to make funding opportunities in the area of energy balance (i.e.the relationship between diet, physical activity, and obesity) known to researchers with expertise and experience in health economics and health services research who might otherwise not be aware of the opportunity to apply these disciplines to this area. This program also aims to foster collaborative activities between researchers from these disciplines and more traditional researchers of cancer and other chronic diseases. Research areas supported by this program include: consumer economics, industrial organization, community structure, policy, and cost-effectiveness/cost benefit studies. A multidisciplinary research approach that integrates economics research in one or more of these areas with knowledge and methodologies from other social and behavioral sciences, and/or with epidemiological and clinical research is strongly encouraged.

The awards are $100,000 direct cost per year for a maximum of two years for R21 grants. R01 grants are expected to be in the range of $200,000-$500,000 direct cost per year for three years. Closing date: 01 February 2006
E-mail: mb53o@nih.gov (Reference Program Number 81153)
Program URL: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-009.html

Wishing you a peaceful and relaxing week!

Monika

Monika Bhatia
Project Manager and Editor
15 November 2005

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