Uniken

Creator
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit
Call Number
Nf 378.944 UNI
Created/Published
Kensington, N.S.W. : University of New South Wales, [1975]-2015
Issue
1987, no. 13 (28 Aug., 1987)
Images
6
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Contents

UNIKEN THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES 1
Weight loss lowers blood pressure more than drugs: UNSW report 1
UNSW team contests University Challenge 1
Vice-Chancellor appoints Working Party to formulate Code for links with commerce and industry 1 , 3
AMP supports new Chair at AGSM 2
Academic Registrar takes up post 2
Engineers and engineering of the future 2
Man under his own microscope 2
Nursing education study under way 2
HOTOL space launcher to be developed by year 2000 2
Rodd Island visit to highlight symposium 2
AIDS and materialism discussions from a Christian perspective 2
Uranium industry over the worst, says economist 3
Staff Association discusses draft statement on industry contracts 3
Ingenuity in spaghetti 3
'Purchase' tertiary places, says Senator 3
In brief ... Lunchtime at The Fernery 4
Calling all helpers ... 4
UNISEARCH launches newsletter 4
Christian Fellowship Bible study 4
Dirac Medal to Nobel Laureate 4
UNSW ENGINEERS WIN BP PRIZE 4
Diary covering 29 Aug-13 Sept 4
Advertising 4
Egalitarian values under attack, says minister 5
'Sure I'm elitist', says top restaurateur 5
UNSW representatives on body to improve image of Aust universities 5
Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards 5
Print exhibition at Senior Common Room Club 5
STORY ON RETHINKING DOMESTIC SPACE IN PUBLIC HOUSING 5
Sport Record entries expected for annual Heart Fun Run 6
Sports Briefs Golf classes 6
STUDENT FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS 6
Wildlife expert at celebrity luncheon 6
Architect's works displayed 6

Text

UNIKEN  

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES  

No. 233 (No. 13 of 1987)  

Published fortnightly by the Public Affairs Unit  

Registered by Australia Post Publication No. NBF 4388  

28 August 1987  

Weight loss lowers blood  

pressure more than drugs:  

UNSW  

report  

recent UNSW report,  

published in The Lancet (UK) and  

The New England Journal of Med-  

icine (USA) claims that young  

people who are overweight and  

suffering from high blood pressure  

can lower their blood pressure more  

by losing weight than by taking  

drugs.  

The study, jointly undertaken  

by Associate Professor Graham  

Macdonald, Dr Stephen MacMahon  

and Mrs Leah Bernstein of the  

School of Medicine, and Associate  

Professor Gavin Andrews of the  

School of Psychiatry, UNSW, also  

shows that weight loss can reduce  

the thickening of the heart’s left  

ventricle (its major pumping ven-  

tricle.)  

Professor Macdonald says that  

while number of studies have  

shown connection between  

weight loss and blood pressure,  

none till now had compared the  

efficacy of drugs with weight loss.  

comparison of the two treat-  

ments has been urged by the  

National Heart Foundation in an  

effort to discover alternatives to  

pharmacological treatment for the  

growing numbers of patients suffer-  

ing from hypertension.  

Three groups of patients were  

selected from community blood  

pressure screening program.  

‘There were 20 in each group.  

All between the ages of 20 and 55,  

all about 20 per cent overweight  

obese, you could say. One group  

lost weight, one took metroprolol  

and one group got placebo’, says  

Professor Macdonald. [Seediagram.]  

High blood pressure  

‘High blood pressure damages  

the heart and the arteries. Hyper-  

tension sufferers ultimately die of  

stroke, heart failure or kidney  

failure. So we measured the size  

of the heart among other things.’  

At the end of six months,  

according to Professor Macdonald,  

subjects in the weight loss group  

had in general, reduced their body  

weight by less than 10 per cent  

(about 7.5 kilos) yet half the  

group showed normal blood  

pressure readings. Not only that,  

the ventricular walls of their hearts  

had returned to normal. Their  

cholesterol and triglyceride readings  

had also dropped.  

On the other hand, those who  

took metroprolol, while showing an  

initial improvement in their blood  

pressure readings, by the end of the  

six-month period, were no more  

improved than those given the  

placebo. And their cholesterol  

levels had risen.  

‘lt seems, therefore,’ says Profes-  

sor Macdonald, ‘that weight loss  

strategy for younger overweight  

patients with hypertension works  

better than standard drug treat-  

ment provided, of course, people  

stick to their diets.’  

Some subjects had been unable  

to do this. ‘About 70 per cent  

managed it’, Professor Macdonald  

says. ‘So it’s not strategy for  

everyone.’  

Now the team has to determine  

whether changes in weight and  

blood pressure can be maintained  

over longer periods.  

UNSW team contests  

University Challenge  

team of quiz contestants from  

UNSW has just returned from  

Hobart where they competed in the  

first Australian University Challenge  

series to be screened on ABC-TV.  

The 19-week series will be  

screened from 9.30 pm on Tuesday  

September, with the final to be  

shown on January 1988.  

University Challenge researcher,  

Mr Keith Halliwell, says the series is  

based on similar successful shows in  

England and New Zealand. ‘Univer-  

sity Challenge has been running on  

Granada TV in England for 25  

years and on NZTV for the last  

10 years’, he says.  

‘Depending on the success of the  

initial Australian series we might  

well consider an international series  

in the future.’  

The UNSW team was made up  

of Ralph Ilchef (Medicine IV), Tim  

Nelson (Arts/Law III), Antony  

Sachs (Arts/Law III) and Rena  

Sofroniou (Arts/Law IV), along  

with team manager and reserve,  

Rhonda Daniels (Applied Science  

I). (Antony Sachs was recently  

elected as student member of the  

University Council, making him  

probably the first member of  

Council to appear as quiz contes-  

tant on TV.)  

They have been in Hobart for  

the last fortnight recording the  

series which brought together teams  

from 16 Australian universities. The  

universities were divided into two  

groups of eight with the leading  

pointscorers from each group con-  

testing the final.  

University Challenge provides  

questions for teams and individuals  

and related bonus questions for  

correct answers. According to Mr  

Halliwell the questions are of  

university standard. ‘They cover  

wide range of topics including  

literature, general knowledge,  

science and sport with leaning  

towards Australian-based questions’,  

he says.  

UNSW’s other involvement in  

the series was provided by Mr Bill  

Cole, tutor in the School of  

Psychiatry, who prepared the ques-  

tions and acted as adjudicator for  

the series.  

Rhonda Daniels says the UNSW  

team was chosen after the Debating  

Society had been approached to  

organize team. ‘The Debating  

Society organized se'ection night  

where Trivial Pursuit questions  

were asked and short-list of  

players was prepared’, she says.  

‘On the second selection night  

ABC-TV provided questioner and  

team was selected.’  

Teams stayed at the Jane  

Franklin College at the University  

of Tasmania during the two weeks  

of filming.  

As to how the UNSW team fared  

in the inaugural University Chal-  

lenge; well that won’t be known  

until January 1988.  

Vice-Chancellor appoints Working  

Party to formulate Code for  

links with commerce and industry  

UNSW Vice-Chancellor, Profes-  

sor Michael Birt, has established  

Working Party to formulate  

Code of Practice to assist the  

University in developing its inter-  

actions with industry, commerce,  

the professions and the community  

generally.  

In recent report to the Univer-  

sity, Professor Birt said such step  

followed the encouragement by the  

Commonwealth Government for  

Australian universities to expand  

their opportunities for outside  

funding to develop new teaching  

and research activities.  

‘Experience of universities  

around the world has shown that  

such initiatives can raise various  

difficulties’, he said.  

‘However, the establishment of  

Code of Practice would enable the  

University to better manage its  

external relations and strengthen  

even further its interactions with  

groups beyond the campus.’  

Professor Birt said the Code could  

offer documentary affirmation of  

the University’s commitment to  

collaborative arrangements with  

commerce, industry and the general  

community.  

He said it would give promi-  

nence to the University’s recogni-  

tion that in the latter part of this  

century, universities would be  

expected, and indeed required, to  

augment public sector funding.  

Professor Birt said the Code  

would allow the University to  

‘make it clear that, in seeking out-  

side funding, we wish to enhance  

rather than compromise the essen-  

tial integrity of the University’s  

work, by formulating for the  

various units within the University  

the standards which are to be  

Continued on page  

Associate Professor Graham Macdonald who has been involved in study of weight  

loss and its effect on blood pressure.  

UNSW's team which contested the University Challenge in Hobart was (from left):  

Ralph llchef, Rhonda Daniels, Antony Sachs, Rena Sofroniou and Tim Nelson.  

Systolic blood pressure (top) and diastolic blood pressure (bottom) from  

weeks to 25 in the three study groups. An example from the above  

graphs shows that person on the weight reduction program say, after  

16 weeks, would have blood pressure reading of about 138 (systolic)  

over 93 (diastolic).  

Public Affairs Unit  

Public Affairs Unit  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252107216

APA citation

University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. (1975). Uniken Retrieved June 8, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252107216

MLA citation

University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit and University of New South Wales, issuing body. Uniken Kensington, N.S.W: University of New South Wales, 1975. Web. 8 June 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252107216>

Harvard/Australian citation

University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. 1975, Uniken University of New South Wales, Kensington, N.S.W viewed 8 June 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252107216

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  | author1=University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit.
  | author2=University of New South Wales, issuing body.
  | title=Uniken.
  | year=1975
  | section=volumes : illustrations ; 30-43 cm.
  | issn=0312-7877
  | issue=1987, no. 13 (28 Aug., 1987)
  | location=Kensington, N.S.W
  | publisher=University of New South Wales
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252107216
  | id=nla.obj-252107216
  | access-date=8 June 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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