Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) experience a wide array of cognitive deficits, which typically include the impairment of explicit memory. In previous studies, the authors reported that a flavonoid, quercetin, reduces the expression of ATF4 and delays memory deterioration in an early-stage AD mouse model. In the present study, the effects of long-term quercetin intake on memory recall were assessed using contextual fear conditioning in aged wild-type mice. In addition, the present study examined whether memory recall was affected by the intake of quercetin-rich onion (a new cultivar of hybrid onion 'Quergold') powder in early-stage AD patients. In-vivo analysis indicated that memory recall was enhanced in aged mice fed a quercetin-containing diet. Memory recall in early-stage AD patients, determined using the Revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale, was significantly improved by the intake of quercetin-rich onion (Quergold) powder for 4 weeks compared with the intake of control onion ('Mashiro' white onion) powder. These results indicate that quercetin might influence memory recall.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The present study investigated the ultrastructural features of the basilar artery of the largest rodent species, the capybara. The study suggests that the general ultrastructural morphological organization of the basilar artery of the capybara is similar to that of small rodents. However, there are some exceptions. The basilar artery of the capybara contains a subpopulation of 'granular' vascular smooth muscle cells resembling monocytes and/or macrophages. The possibility cannot be excluded that the presence of these cells reflects the remodelling processes of the artery due to animal maturation and the regression of the internal carotid artery. To clarify this issue, more systemic studies are required involving capybaras of various ages.

We studied the effect of chronic oral exposure to lead acetate (PbA) on the sensitivity of RBC to hemolysis and whether the sensitivity could be decreased by feeding the rats with extract of medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum. Three groups of rats, control, PbA-exposed, and G. lucidum (Gl)+PbA, were used. PbA (3 mM) was administered via drinking water and G. lucidum extract by gavage at 300 mg/Kg BW/day for 12 weeks. Afterwards, the rats were killed and washed RBCs were subjected to hemolysis in the presence of Fenton's reagents. Hemolysis was determined by estimating the amount of released hemoglobin. The levels of lipid peroxide (LPO) and GSH were determined from RBC membranes and whole RBCs, respectively. The levels of TNFα and LPO also were determined from hepatic tissues. The RBCs of PbA-exposed rats displayed significantly higher sensitivity to hemolysis than those of the Gl+PbA rats. The levels of LPO increased and GSH decreased in the RBCs, with concomitant increases in the levels of hepatic TNFα and LPO in the PbA-exposed rats. The degree of hemolysis was significantly low in the RBCs of Gl+PbA rats, concurrently with amelioration of hepatic parameters. Finally, the study suggests that PbA-induced-hemolysis and related oxidative-toxicity might be minimized by consumption of G. lucidum.

The Barind Tract is an elevated Pleistocene Terraces (about 11-48 m amsl) in northwestern Bangladesh and is widely accepted Tract to have been evolved from tectonic upliftment and /or exists as an erosional geomorphic feature. Some part of the Barind Tract bears the characteristics of morphological origin but some areas are providing evidences of tectonic upliftment. The present study is an attempt to interpret the morphological characteristics of the rivers in the area and tried to unveiling the processes that are responsible for the evolution of the Tract. River morphology are interpreted from satellite images and fi eld mapping and are used to relate neotectonic activities occurred in the area. The river forms U-shaped valleys in fl oodplain areas whereas these are V-shaped within the Barind Tract. The rivers and valleys on the Tract are also comparatively more straight, incised and entrenched, and rivers are tightly meandered, more localized, form paired and unpaired terraces, and antecedent in nature, whereas, the rivers in the fl oodplain are either meandering, braided or anastomosing drainage channels. Along the boundary between Barind and fl oodplain the rivers form asymmetric valley with steeping bank along the tract sides. The width/ depth (W/D) ratios of these rivers are much lower within or near to the Tract than the nearby fl oodplain. The rivers fl owing from the Himalayas change their morphology, trend, nature etc. near and within the Tract. Some of the N-S fl owing rivers turned towards southeast and southwest directions to maintain slope of the uplifted Tract. These are the indication of structural control of these rivers as well as the tectonic origin of the Barind Tract rather than only geomorphic origin. Earthquakes in this region in the recent past also support the same view about structural control and neotectonic activities.