ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8040-0914
Current Organisation
University of Adelaide
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-05-2018
DOI: 10.1007/S12015-018-9814-0
Abstract: Dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) are a heterogeneous population of highly proliferative stem cells located in the soft inner pulp tissue of the tooth. Demonstrated to have an affinity for neural differentiation, DPSC have been reported to generate functional Schwann cells (SC) through in vitro differentiation. Both DPSC and SC have neural crest origins, recently a significant population of DPSC have been reported to derive from peripheral nerve-associated glia. The predisposition DPSC have towards the SC lineage is not only a very useful tool for neural regenerative therapies in the medical field, it also holds great promise in the veterinary field. Devil Facial Tumour (DFT) is a clonally transmissible cancer of SC origin responsible for devastating wild populations of the Tasmanian devil. Very few studies have investigated the healthy Tasmanian devil SC (tdSC) for comparative studies between tdSC and DFT cells, and the development and isolation of a tdSC population is yet to be undertaken. A Tasmanian devil DPSC model offers a promising new outlook for DFT research, and the link between SC and DPSC may provide a potential explanation as to how a cancerous SC initially arose in a single Tasmanian devil to then go on to infect others as a parasitic clonal cell line. In this review we explore the current role of DPSC in human regenerative medicine, provide an overview of the Tasmanian devil and the devastating effect of DFT, and highlight the promising potential DPSC techniques pose for DFT research and our current understanding of DFT.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-04-2018
DOI: 10.1111/AVJ.12690
Abstract: This study reports necropsy findings of koalas from the Mount Lofty Ranges region in order to identify health threats to this mainland South Australian population. Koalas from the Mount Lofty Ranges region (n = 85) that had died or been euthanased on welfare grounds were examined at necropsy during 2012-13 at the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide. Disease findings, approximate age, sex and body condition of koalas were recorded. Histopathological examination was undertaken on gross lesions and in suspect cases, skin scrapings taken for microscopy and PCR performed for Chlamydia pecorum detection. Traumatic injury was the most common necropsy finding (48/85 57%), caused by motor vehicle accidents (35/48 73%), canine attacks (11/48 23%) or bushfire burns (2/48 4%). Oxalate nephrosis (27/85 32%) was also more common than other conditions. Infectious diseases included chlamydiosis (10/85 12%) and sarcoptic mange (7/85 8%). Marked testis asymmetry was evident in 11% (6/56) of males, with histopathology suggestive of atrophic change in four animals. Other pathological conditions included gastrointestinal disease (7/85 8%) and respiratory disease (3/85 4%). Almost half of the koalas (38/85 45%) were found to have two or more abnormalities at necropsy. This study found trauma, mainly from motor vehicle accidents, and oxalate nephrosis to be the predominant causes of death and/or disease in koalas from the Mount Lofty Ranges region. Recent emergence of both clinical chlamydiosis and sarcoptic mange has also occurred, providing insight into the health status and causes of disease or injury in this South Australian mainland koala population.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/ZO14011
Abstract: Studies characterising the thyroid gland structure of koalas are limited and have not previously been undertaken in South Australian populations. Hence, this study aimed to describe the thyroid gland morphology of koalas from the Mount Lofty region, South Australia. Results showed that thyroid gland morphology was highly variable between in idual koalas (n = 36), ranging from that considered typical for healthy mammals, in which small colloid-filled follicles were lined by cuboidal epithelium, to that consistent with colloidal goitre, in which macrofollicles distended with colloid were lined by flattened epithelium. Juvenile koalas more frequently showed typical thyroid gland morphology than adults, with significantly higher thyroid follicle density (P 0.05) and a higher proportion of follicles lined by cuboidal epithelium compared with flattened epithelium (P 0.05). Thyroid glands of most adult koalas were characterised by colloidal macrofollicles (P 0.01), and classified as colloidal goitre. There were no significant differences in thyroid gland morphology based on health status or sex of koalas. These findings suggest that an age-dependent colloidal goitre occurs in adult koalas, which is unlikely to have ill effects and may be associated with the low metabolic rate of this species, or exposure to a dietary goitrogen.
No related grants have been discovered for Chelsea M. Graham.