Background: The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is unacceptably high in the Pacific Island region. Increasing rates of NCDs are linked with the transition from traditional diets, based on locally-grown foods, to diets high in salt, fat and sugar from processed packaged foods. There is a need to ensure food policies are implemented successfully in order to improve the food environment and decrease the NCD burden in Pacific Island countries. Aims:  The overall goal of this five-year project is to take a comprehensive, empirical approach to understanding and strengthening the policy making process, with an emphasis on implementing, at scale, best possible policy to improve the food environment in the Pacific. The project will identify which interventions are the most feasible in the Pacific, and what factors lead to effective implementation.  Methods: The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (REAIM) framework, together with a quasi-

Background: Glomerulonephritis are comprised of more than 20 different types of diseases characterised by an injury to the glomerulus (the basic filtration unit of the kidney). Although overall, these are rare diseases with a global primary incidence of 0.2 – 2.5 per 100,000 people/ year, they cause serious morbidity and high mortality and account for approximately 19% of incident ESRD cases in Australia in 2016. There has been limited advancement in the discovery of novel therapeutic agents for glomerulonephritis due to knowledge gaps of underlying glomerular disease mechanisms. International registries/biobanks for these rare diseases have shed novel insights into the epidemiology and causation of various types of glomerulonephritis especially with the advent of developments in genomics and new technologies. There has been no such network in Australia and therefore no method to comprehensively and systematically collect data, biological samples or easy identification of patients with glomerulonephr

Background Australians are increasingly shopping for groceries using supermarkets’ online stores. However, we don’t know much about how people are doing their shopping online and how their purchasing habits might be affected by the information available on these online stores. Aim We are interested in understanding how purchasing choices may change depending on the information being presented. Method Over a period of approximately 4 months, we will monitor your online grocery purchases. We will do this through a web-browser extension – the Online Grocery Shopping (OGS) tool. The extension cannot capture any transaction details. Who we are looking for Adults that: Are generally healthy Have high blood pressure or are currently taking a stable dose of blood pressure medication Regularly purchase most of their groceries online and plan to continue for the duration of the study OR Would be willing to shop for their groceries online for the study We are offering

Background: The role of women, as primary caregivers in families, health workers and key decision makers for population health is globally understood. Approximately 38 % of India’s workforce is female; 30% of this workforce comprises nurses and midwives, alongside a cadre of close to a million strong frontline health workers, or ASHAs. At higher levels of qualification, female representation dwindles: only 16% of biomedical doctors are female; only 6% in rural areas. Women are not commonly found in very senior positions in the health domain in India, in line with global trends. In these situations nationally and globally, the south Indian state of Kerala presents a refreshingly different picture. Kerala has the highest female health workforce (64.5%) in India  and eight times the female doctor density than other Indian states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Apart from having a female Health Minister, all the technical Directors – Allopathic medicine, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, and Medical Education –

Background: Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) inhibit the Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor (AT1R). In the non-COVID-19 setting, AT1R promotes vasoconstriction, inflammation and fibrosis, and facilitates endocytosis and cleavage of extracellular membrane-bound ACE2. ACE2 is used by SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, to gain entry into host cells and is expressed on type 2 alveolar lung cells, cardiomyocytes and renal tubular cells, among others, reflecting the clinical manifestations of severe COVID-19. ARBs may ameliorate the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection by two mechanisms: inhibiting AT1R-dependent internalisation of ACE2, interrupting viral cellular entry reducing AT1R-dependent cleavage of ACE2, thereby restoring anti-inflammatory ACE2 activity. Aim: CLARITY aims to establish whether ARBs can shorten the duration of severe COVID-19 disease and reduce the risk of severe disease. Research Methodology: The CLARITY trial is an investigator-initiated, multicentre, int

Background: COVID-19 is a global pandemic which has led to nation-wide lockdowns in many countries including India. Snakebite is a condition which requires immediate medical attention. However, amid COVID-19 scenario, health care services including for snakebite are being disrupted. It is pertinent for health care providers, policymakers, snakebite advocates as well as researchers to understand the ongoing implications of COVID-19 and consequent control responses for better outcomes. Aim: To understand the implications of the cluster-containment strategy for controlling COVID-19 on snakebite care in India. Research Methodology: In Phase 1, the research team will conduct in-depth interviews with range of relevant stakeholders to explore the perceived impact of COVID-19 on snakebite care. The team will also review data on snakebite related services from various health facilities across the country. In Phase 2, further case-studies to understand better how and why COVID-19 containment strategy has aff

Background:Kidney disease is a global health problem due to its increasing prevalence and the high burden it places on individual patients and healthcare systems. Novel treatments to reduce the risk of kidney and cardiovascular complications are thus highly desired. Innovative approaches are needed, such as structures that facilitate access to trials for interested patients, trial designs that allow the efficient testing of multiple agents and stable infrastructures that facilitate continued research activities by health services. This is crucial to accelerate the discovery of novel treatments for patients with chronic kidney disease.Aim:The Global Kidney Patients Trial Network (GKPTN) aims to:establish global infrastructure in a collaborative fashion to facilitate rapid and increased access to trials for patients with kidney diseaseimprove patient outcomes by hosting embedded trials with novel designs, to efficiently test multiple agents faster and more efficiently than current approachesResearch Methodology