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Researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) have discovered a potential link between COVID-19 and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The study also found a potential treatment.
Through exploring COVID-19’s effect on the brain’s immune cells, ‘microglia’, the team at UQ, led by Professor Trent Woodruff and Dr Eduardo Albornoz Balmaceda, discovered that the virus triggered the cells to respond and become ‘angry’ in a similar way to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Mr Woodrufff explained that the microglia’s inflammatory response to COVID-19 was comparable to the process by which Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s proteins can trigger an inflammasome pathway that leads to chronic and sustained neuron reduction.
The study also found that people who are pre-disposed to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s may face greater risks, as the microglia’s inflammatory response is heightened when there are pre-existing brain proteins linked to neurodegenerative conditions. Mr Woodruff described that for these people, having COVID-19 could be like “pouring more fuel on that fire in the brain.” A further concern is that people don’t see outward symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases for many years, and therefore recognising COVID-19’s long term impact on brain health is a challenging prospect within the industry.
On a brighter note, UQ’s research has assisted in the discovery of a potential treatment to prevent neurodegeneration caused by COVID-19. A class of inhibitory drugs developed by UQ that are being trialled by Parkinson’s patients, were found to effectively block the inflammatory pathway activated by COVID-19. While the similarity between how COVID-19 and neurodegenerative conditions affect the brain is worrying, this relationship may assist in the development of new approaches to managing the long term effects of COVID-19.
To learn more, find the article here.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15 to 44.
Identifying individuals at risk of suicide is an essential step for preventing suicidal behaviours. However, it is difficult to predict suicidal traits accurately with traditional risk assessments. Patients are evaluated with questionnaires and rating scales by clinicians for suicidal risk and those who have a low risk outcome are discharged. In Queensland, a post-mortem analysis found that 75% of people who died by suicide were classified as low risk in a formal suicide risk assessment and none were classified as high risk.
A team of researchers at the Black Dog Institute correctly predicted 66% of people who would experience a suicide outcome and 87% of people who would not experience a suicide outcome with machine learning models.
Karen Kusuma, a UNSW Sydney PhD candidate in psychiatry, said that the machine learning models can incorporate data sources such as social media and can be flexibly applied to large datasets to discover complex relationships between many risk factors and suicidal outcomes. There is a need for more innovation in suicidology and a re-evaluation of standard suicide risk prediction models.
To read the article, please click here.
Every government primary school in Victoria will receive funding to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader by 2026. This is part of the expansion of a pilot program in partnership with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne, in which 100 schools are currently participating.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader will be a qualified teacher who has received evidence-based training in mental health literacy, supporting student needs, and building school capacity. They will receive ongoing professional development through Communities of Practice. Their role will include building the capacity of school staff, in particular classroom teachers, to identify and support students with mental health concerns in the classroom, supporting the school to create clear referral pathways internally and externally, coordinating targeted mental health support for students and advocating for student voice and agency in their wellbeing and mental health needs.
The pilot program has revealed that 95% of Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders consider the Mental Health in Primary Schools model has improved their school’s capacity to support student’s mental health and wellbeing needs. The Minister for Education, Natalie Hutchins, has advised the program will be rolled out in stages from term 1 2023.
To learn more about the program, click here.
The Department of Health has warned Victorians of the health risks associated with the recent flooding crisis.
Acting Chief Health Officer, Suman Majumdar, stated that the widespread floods have increased the risk of water and food-borne diseases, mosquito-borne diseases and uncommon conditions such as leptospirosis, carbon monoxide poisoning and illnesses caused by mould exposure.
Flooding has also increased the risk of communicable diseases, as well as environmental hazards such as injury and asbestos exposure and animal-related hazards such as snake and spider bites.
Dr Majumbar noted that while all community members have been affected, those with physical, sensory and cognitive impairments, those reliant on medication and care support and those with weaker support networks were disproportionately affected.
Victorians should be aware that any food, medication or other items that contain or have been in contact with flood water are considered contaminated and should be discarded.
To read more, please click here.
The Australian government has invested $25.2 million to establish and run the National Nurse and Midwife Health Service to provide peer-to-peer support and referrals. It is modelled on the Victorian Nursing and Midwifery Health Program that has been operating since 2006. Work will commence on the national rollout framework, led by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation in consultation with the Australian and state and territory governments, key service providers and nursing peaks.
The aim of the program is to keep nurses and midwives healthy and supported so that they can stay in the workforce and care for patients. This is done by addressing increasing rates of fatigue, stress and burnout in the industry.
The health service will employ registered nurses, enrolled nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives to offer free, confidential and independent advice, support, information, treatment and specialist referrals.
The service will operate through four central hub locations, including Victoria–Tasmania, New South Wales–Australian Capital Territory, South Australia–Western Australia, and Queensland–Northern Territory and additional regional offices.
To read more about the article, please click here.
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