Transcriptional Regulation Of Gene Expression: Dietary Sialic Acid Interaction In Brain Cognitive Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$46,646.00
Summary
In 2004, 8.2% of Australian live births were preterm with poor long-term cognitive outcomes. Sialic acid (SA), a key component of both human milk oligosaccharides and neural tissues, plays a role in neuronal development. This study will examine the mechanisms of how dietary SA or active learning interacts with genes during brain development. It will benefit the neonatal care of all children, particularly those born premature and ultimately, the quality of life of many Australians.
THE ROLE OF SIALIC ACID IN INFANT NUTRITION AND BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$402,750.00
Summary
Sub-optimal nutrition during critical periods of brain growth has persistent effects on the human brain. Premature infants are especially vulnerable because brain growth reaches its peak at 26 weeks gestation and remains high throughout the first year of life. Those fed human milk in the first month after birth have been shown to have a significant intellectual advantage compared with infants fed standard infant formulas. While the n-3 fatty acids such as DHA are thought to be important, other c ....Sub-optimal nutrition during critical periods of brain growth has persistent effects on the human brain. Premature infants are especially vulnerable because brain growth reaches its peak at 26 weeks gestation and remains high throughout the first year of life. Those fed human milk in the first month after birth have been shown to have a significant intellectual advantage compared with infants fed standard infant formulas. While the n-3 fatty acids such as DHA are thought to be important, other components of human milk may be of greater significance for brain growth. Our interest is in a sugar compound called sialic acid. It occurs in remarkably large amounts in human milk (up to 1g-L) but is present in only small quantities in infant formulas. Sialic acid is an important structural and functional component of brain cells. It is directly involved in nerve cell transmission, memory formation and cell-to-cell communication. During peak brain growth, young infants, especially pre-term ones, are unlikely to be able to synthesise sufficient sialic acid to meet their needs. At these times, they rely on human milk and infant formulas to supply the necessary building blocks. If their diet is a poor source of sialic acid, however, there may be lasting consequences for intellectual development. This research project addresses several questions. 1. Does oral sialic acid supplementation over the first few weeks of life increase both brain sialic acid levels as well as learning behaviour? 2. Is there any dose-response relationship - is more better? 3. Does supplementation influence the expression of genes encoding key enzymes in the brain? 4. Does dietary supplementation affect the activity of the liver enzyme involved in synthesis of sialic acid? If our findings can be extrapolated to human infants, they will have implications for the etiology of all types of cognitive and behavioural defects in children, including learning difficulties and attention deficit disorder.Read moreRead less
ASCAPE: Audio App-delivered Screening For Cognition And Age-related Health In Older Prisoners
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$844,050.00
Summary
This study aims to develop and test a new, innovative health screening app to examine the health and functioning of older, ageing prisoners in Australia. The app will deliver a range of health and functioning measures via audio, minimising the need for literacy skills and for staff supervision during testing. It is hoped that this app will be easily implemented in prisons in future, to enable better health management for this growing cohort with complex health needs.
An Investigation Of The Effects Of Higher Plasma Glucose In The Normal Range On Cerebral Health.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$727,524.00
Summary
Until recently it has been assumed that variation in blood sugar levels within the normal range in non-diabetics is innocuous. Recent findings from our team suggest that high normal sugar levels present risks to brain and cognitive health. This project will investigate in detail the extent to which higher sugar levels in healthy individuals living in the community are associated with brain changes over time, and whether these changes are associated with cognitive decline in middle- and old-age.
Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: Enhancement Of Emergency Disease Management Capability In The Queensland Department Of Primary Industries And The Redclaw Crayfish (Cherax Quadricarinatus) Industry
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$11,755.00
Summary
Few major disease incidents have occurred in Australian aquaculture, and as a result, State/Territory departments and industries have relatively little experience in incident management for emergency aquatic animal diseases. No jurisdiction to date, has conducted a large scale response to eradicate an exotic disease in aquaculture, and thus expertise in these areas is limited. In the absence of real-life emergency events to provide "on-the-job" training, simulation exercises provide a practica ....Few major disease incidents have occurred in Australian aquaculture, and as a result, State/Territory departments and industries have relatively little experience in incident management for emergency aquatic animal diseases. No jurisdiction to date, has conducted a large scale response to eradicate an exotic disease in aquaculture, and thus expertise in these areas is limited. In the absence of real-life emergency events to provide "on-the-job" training, simulation exercises provide a practical alternative to expose staff to aspects of emergency management.
The need for these exercises can be summarised as follows: 1. Both government and industries have relatively little experience with real emergencies 2. In some jurisdictions, there are no emergency plans extant and there is a lack of clarity about the roles and responsibilities of various individuals and departments especially where fisheries are managed separately from terrestrial animal industries. 3. The lack of previous disease incidents has lead to complacency within several industries 4. Lack of experience with emergency management will invariably lead to a delayed response to a disease emergency, and that in turn may lead to a greater spread of the disease, loss of Australia's disease free status and severe impacts on export industries.
All simulation exercises are initiated by requests from clients - both industry and government. Both the QDPI and the redclaw crayfish industry have requested the proposed exercise and actively support this proposal. The proposed exercise has also attracted interest from the NSW Department of Fisheries, the Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries and the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries, all of whom have requested to send observers to the exercise. Objectives: 1. To examine and test the skills and abilities of the participants in group problem solving and decision making skills. 2. To increase the participants' knowledge of the communication routes to be used in an emergency disease response by working through a scenario which mimics a real emergency situation. 3. To improve the participants' ability to manage tasks by prioritising a number of competing demands during the operational phase of an emergency response. 4. To increase participants' understanding of the operational effects of specific requests to field staff operating at infected premises. 5. To familiarise participants with operating practices on a redclaw crayfish farm and to enhance the identification of methods of disease control applicable to this industry. 6. To identify key issues for future development of emergency management in a range of subjects including planning, communication, staffing and resourcing. Read moreRead less
Regulation Of The Beta-secretase (BACE1) By Glycosaminoglycans
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$561,212.00
Summary
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. Because of the prolonged institutionalisation of patients, it is a major health care burden. This project aims to develop novel drugs which can treat Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting production of the protein which causes the neurodegeneration.
Mechanisms For Ageing Changes In The Hepatic Sinusoid
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,750.00
Summary
We recently discovered changes in the blood vessels of the liver that occur with old age that we have called pseudocapillarisation. These changes include thickening of the liver sinusoidal endothelium, deposition of basal lamina and collagen, and marked loss of specialized pores within the endothelium called fenestrations. These changes have profound effects on the transfer of many substrates including toxins, drugs, oxygen, hormones and lipids from the blood into the liver and thus may explain ....We recently discovered changes in the blood vessels of the liver that occur with old age that we have called pseudocapillarisation. These changes include thickening of the liver sinusoidal endothelium, deposition of basal lamina and collagen, and marked loss of specialized pores within the endothelium called fenestrations. These changes have profound effects on the transfer of many substrates including toxins, drugs, oxygen, hormones and lipids from the blood into the liver and thus may explain in part the fact that old age is the major risk factor for many diseases and adverse drug reactions. To further understand the mechanisms for these important ageing liver changes, we are proposing several studies. First, the effects of caloric restriction on the liver blood vessels will be studied because caloric restriction delays the primary ageing process. Second we will study the effects of ageing on F-actin, ATP, caveolin-1 and VEGF because these mechanisms have established roles in regulating the structure and function of the liver blood vessels and in particular their fenestrations. Finally we will determine whether VEGF can reverse the ageing changes in the liver blood vessels and stimulate the formation of new fenestrations within these blood vessels. Our research provides one mechanism for the inexorable association between old age and susceptibility to disease - based on primary ageing changes in the liver. As well as increasing our understanding of the cellular changes for ageing and the basic mechanisms involved in the regulation of the liver endothelial cells and their fenestrations, this proposed research will provide a foundation for the development of therapeutic interventions for the prevention and treatment of some age-related disorders.Read moreRead less
Successful Ageing In Older Men – Thriving Not Just Surviving In The Health In Men Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$628,810.00
Summary
Despite “Ageing well, ageing productively” being listed as a research priority, we still do not know what factors increase the ability for people to live a healthy old age, particularly as they enter their older years. Studies suggest that factors in late life have quite different effects on both survival and the major causes of illness. This application will use a large group of older men who have already been followed for 15 years to determine what increases the chance of successful ageing.