Dr Gillian Caughey

Welcome to Gillian Caughey's Homepage.

Post Doctoral Research Fellow of The Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre,Sansom Institute, School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia.

Post Doctoral Research Fellow; Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre Sansom Institute, Department of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University of South Australia

Ph.D. Department Medicine and Rheumatology Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital

Bachelor of Science with Honours Department of Zoology

Bachelor of Science

• My current research focuses on a NHMRC / ARC Ageing Well, Ageing Productively Program Grant (Oct 2006 – Oct 2011) entitled “The development and evaluation of management strategies designed to address poly-morbidity in older people: Implications for health policy planning, practitioners and patients”.

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  This study aims to identify, develop and evaluate management strategies for older people with multiple chronic conditions. Two large Australian linked health datasets, are being studied to determine the current prevalence and patterns of polymorbidity, medication use and treatment strategies in Australians aged >50 years.
• This research aims to direct the development of practical treatment algorithms to assist health professionals, at the point of patient care, prioritise management strategies and achieve the best possible outcomes for older Australians with common combinations of chronic conditions.
• Practice-based research; implementation and evaluation of new practices
• On completion of my Ph.D., I continued with my successful biochemical based research projects. This included examination of the roles of specific isotypes of cyclooxygenase (COX), an enzyme central to eicosanoid production, with a particular focus on the effect of inhibition of COX-2 by both traditional NSAIDs and the newly developed selective COX-2 inhibitors.
• I also studied the regulation of COX by specific cellular interactions and by hypoxia a condition that arises in both inflamed joints and vessel occlusions. These studies were published in highly regarded journals and successful grant funding.
• I then began more clinically focused research, in particular on an Early Arthritis Clinical Trial. This was a large randomised double blinded controlled trial that examined the efficacy of n-3 fatty acid supplementation (fish oil) on a background of triple drug therapy (methotrexate, sulphasalazine and hydroxychloroquine) in pateints with recent onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
• Primary end-points included a variety of clinical, biochemical, radiographic and functional analyses. My particular research interest was on the cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory benefits associated with long-term use of fish oil. In addition, I examined the association of specific genomic variations in RA patients with clinical endpoints. I also coordinated preliminary studies examining the efficacy of fish oil in the treatment of gout, and also the interactions between paracetamol and fish oil, in patients with osteoarthritis and RA.

SM Proudman, H Keen, LK Stamp, A Lee, O Ayres, M Rischmueller, MJ James, CL Hill, GE Caughey, LG Cleland (2006) Observational study of combination therapy for early rheumatoid arthritis with dose adjustments according to response and tolerance. Arth Res Ther (In Press).

LG Cleland, GE Caughey, MJ James, SM Proudman. Reduction of Cardiovascular Risk Factors with Long Term Fish Oil Treatment in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis. J Rheumatology, 33: 1973-9.

Caughey GE, James MJ and Cleland LG. (2005) Prostaglandins and Leukotrienes: Physiology. Book Chapter in The Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition, 2nd Edition Eds B Cabellero, A Prentice and L Allen Elsevier Ltd Oxford UK p42-49.

Cleland LG, James MJ, Keen H, Danda D, Caughey GE and Proudman SM (2005) Fish oil – an example of an anti-inflammatory food. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 14:66-71

Demasi M, Cleland LG, Cook-Johnson RJ, Caughey GE, James MJ. (2003) Effects of Hypoxia on Monocyte Inflammatory Mediator Production. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 278(40): 38607-16

Caughey GE, Cleland LG, Gamble JR and James MJ (2001) Up-regulation of endothelial cyclooxygenase-2 and prostanoid synthesis by platelets: Role of thromboxane A2. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276: 37839-37845

Caughey GE, Cleland LG, Penglis PS and James MJ (2001) Roles of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 in prostanoid production by human endothelial cells: selective up-regulation of prostacyclin synthesis by COX-2. Journal of Immunology, 167: 2831-2838

James MJ, Penglis PS, Caughey GE, Demasi M and Cleland LG (2000) Eicosanoid production by human monocytes: Does COX-2 contribute to a self-limiting inflammatory response? Inflammation Research, 50: 249-253

Penglis PS, Cleland LG, Demasi M, Caughey GE and James MJ. (2000) Differential regulation of prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane A2 production in human monocytes: Implications for the use of cyclooxygenase inhibitors. Journal of Immunology, 165: 1605-1611

Demasi M, Caughey GE, Cleland LG and James MJ (2000) Assay of cyclooxygenase type 1 and type 2 in human monocytes. Inflammation Research, 49: 737-743

I am able to provide media comment in the following areas of expertise:

Discipline: Pharmacology

• Arthritis
• Inflammatory diseases
• Co-morbiditiy
• chronic conditions
• COX-2 (cyclooxygenase inhibitors)
• Fish Oil- omega-3 fatty acids