Flinders University

About: Flinders University is a education organization based out in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 12033 authors who have published 32831 publications receiving 973172 citations. The organization is also known as: Flinders University of South Australia.

Consumption of grape seed extract prevents amyloid-beta deposition and attenuates inflammation in brain of an Alzheimer's disease mouse.

Abstract: Polyphenols extracted from grape seeds are able to inhibit amyloid-beta (Abeta) aggregation, reduce Abeta production and protect against Abeta neurotoxicity in vitro. We aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of a polyphenol-rich grape seed extract (GSE) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice. APP(Swe)/PS1dE9 transgenic mice were fed with normal AIN-93G diet (control diet), AIN-93G diet with 0.07% curcumin or diet with 2% GSE beginning at 3 months of age for 9 months. Total phenolic content of GSE was 592.5 mg/g dry weight, including gallic acid (49 mg/g), catechin (41 mg/g), epicatechin (66 mg/g) and proanthocyanidins (436.6 mg catechin equivalents/g). Long-term feeding of GSE diet was well tolerated without fatality, behavioural abnormality, changes in food consumption, body weight or liver function. The Abeta levels in the brain and serum of the mice fed with GSE were reduced by 33% and 44%, respectively, compared with the Alzheimer's mice fed with the control diet. Amyloid plaques and microgliosis in the brain of Alzheimer's mice fed with GSE were also reduced by 49% and 70%, respectively. Curcumin also significantly reduced brain Abeta burden and microglia activation. Conclusively, polyphenol-rich GSE prevents the Abeta deposition and attenuates the inflammation in the brain of a transgenic mouse model, and this thus is promising in delaying development of AD.

Changing paradigms in insect social evolution: insights from halictine and allodapine bees

Abstract: Until the 1980s theories of social insect evolution drew strongly on halictine and allodapine bees. However, that early work suffered from a lack of sound phylogenetic inference and detailed information on social behavior in many critical taxa. Recent studies have changed our understanding of these bee groups in profound ways. It has become apparent that forms of social organization, caste determination, and sex allocation are more labile and complex than previously thought, although the terminologies for describing them are still inadequate. Furthermore, the unexpected complexity means that many key parameters in kin selection and reproductive skew models remain unquantified, and addressing this lack of information will be formidable. At the same time, phylogenetic questions have become more tractable, and DNA sequence-based studies have resolved questions that earlier studies could not resolve, radically changing our understanding of the number of origins and losses of sociality in these bees.

Quantitative analysis of peristalsis in the guinea-pig small intestine using spatio-temporal maps.

Abstract: 1 Peristalsis was evoked in guinea-pig small intestine by slow fluid infusion and recorded onto video and digitized. Spatio-temporal maps of diameter and longitudinal movement were constructed and parameters of motion were calculated. 2 During the filling of the isolated segments of intestine, rhythmic local longitudinal movements were observed at several points along the preparation. These phasic longitudinal muscle contractions were associated with small but significant local increases in diameter and probably reflect a passive mechanical coupling by connective tissue in the gut wall. In addition, occasional synchronized longitudinal muscle contractions caused net shortening of the preparation and always preceded the onset of peristaltic emptying. 3 Peristaltic emptying was characterized by a contraction of the circular muscle which usually started at the oral end of the preparation, that propagated aborally, propelling the contents. However, in 19% of trials, the first circular muscle contraction occurred in the aboral half of the preparation. 4 The propagation of peristalsis consisted of separate sequential circular muscle contractions several centimetres long, particularly in the oral half of the preparation, giving a ‘step-like’ appearance to the spatio-temporal map. The gut was transiently distended aboral to the propagating circular muscle contraction due to the propulsion of contents. 5 At each point in the preparation, the longitudinal muscle remained contracted during the propulsive part of the circular muscle contraction. Only when the circular muscle contraction became lumen occlusive did lengthening of the longitudinal muscle take place. 6 Spatio-temporal maps are a powerful tool to visualize and analyse the complexity of gastrointestinal motility patterns.