In Vivo Confocal Microscopic Evaluation of Previously Neglected Oval Cells in Corneal Nerve Vortex: An Inflammatory Indicator of Dry Eye Disease

To investigate association of a type of previously neglected oval cell that located in corneal vortex with dry eye disease (DED). Observational, prospective study of 168 patients with different degrees of DED. In vivo confocal microscopy was used to observe the corneal sub-basal nerves and Langerhans cells (LCs) in both corneal vortex and periphery. The bright and oval cells also be inspected in corneal vortex. An artificial intelligence (AI) technique generated the sub-basal nerve fibre parameters. Patients were divided into three different groups based on existence of inflammatory cells. Group 2 patients showed a significant increase in corneal peripheral nerve maximum length and corneal peripheral nerve average density. Patients in Group 3 had more LC numbers than others. A type of bright and oval cell was identified in the corneal vortex might be a type of immature LC and related to disease severity of DED.

Improving SCOBY starter using co-culture of tapai and bakery yeast

Urbahillah A, Jayus J, Nurhayati N. 2021. Improving SCOBY starter using co-culture of tapai and bakery yeast. Biodiversitas 22: 4617-4624. Kombucha is a beverage fermented by a symbiotic bacteria and yeast known as SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). Bacteria and yeast contribute to the formation of organic acids, aroma, taste, and flavor of kombucha. The commercial yeasts used in Indonesian are baker’s yeast and tapai yeast. This study was conducted to develop SCOBYco-culture with tapai yeast and baker’s yeast and evaluate its activity. The ingredients for the kombucha were cascara, water, and sugar, which were fermented with three formula starter, i.e. original SCOBY 10% w/v (SN), co-culture SCOBY 10% w/v with 0.1% w/v of baker’s yeast (SNR), and co-culture SCOBY 10% w/v with tapai yeast 0.1% w/v (SNT). The starter activity were determined based on the OD (Optical Density) value. Yeast screening was carried out on the dominant starter population. Furthermore, morphologically yeast was identified based on colony type, color, and shape of cell. Then yeast was identified by their fermentation profile using API 20C Aux Kit. Isolate A showed white colony with convex elevation and the cell was round-shaped. Colony of isolate B and isolate C were creamy in color and oval cell shaped. The API results revealed that the first isolate was identified as Candida famata, second isolate was as Candida krusei, and the third isolate was as Candida magnoliae. Three types of fungi were found from SCOBY, namely Mucor sp., Trichoderma sp., and Fusarium sp. Mucor sp. has non-septate hyphae, and round black spores. Trichoderma sp. has septate hyphae, greenish-white spores, and the conidia have the shape of globose to ellipsoidal Fusarium sp. has a mold with septate hyphae, yellowish-white colonies, and the conidia have the shape of obovoid. Bacteria, yeast, and mold present in the medium form a powerful symbiosis for produce metabolite.

Histomorphological and Cytochemical Characters of Endocrine Cells of the Gastrointestinal Mucosa of Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Background: It is known that balance diet is the key success for better production in poultry. The digestive physiology is regulated by the neurocrine and endocrine secretions. Growth, secretion, motility, cell signalling, vasoregulation, cell proliferation and differentiation of the epithelial cells of the alimentary canal are reported to be controlled by the peptides or amines released from the gut endocrine cells and enteric neurons. References particularly on systematic study of gastrointestinal endocrine cells in duck as regards to histomorphology and cytochemistry are gravely scanty. Hence the present investigation envisages authenticating the histomorphological characters and cytochemical behaviour of the gastrointestinal endocrine cells in duck.Methods: For this study the abdomen of six Khaki campbell ducks from either sex was cut open following euthanasia. Tissue pieces from different segments of gut were collected and processed routinely to get 7-8µ thick serial paraffin sections. The tissue sections were stained for evaluation of histomorphological and histochemical characters of the entero-endocrine cells.Result: A panel of seven cytochemical stains identified nine endocrine cell types in the digestive mucosa of Khaki Campbell duck i.e. basally granulated oval cell, densely granulated spindle shaped cell, densely granulated oval cell, diffusely granulated oval cell, pyramidal cell, densely granulated elongated cell, densely granulated pyriform cell, peripherally granulated spherical cell and non-argentaffin chromaffin oval cell. The cells occurred in single or in small clusters in the basal or middle or neck part of glandular epithelium or in the surface epithelium. All the endocrine cells were ‘close type’. Cytochemically they were four types i.e. argentaffin, argyrophil, chromaffin and APUD (Amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation) cells.

A Signaling Crosstalk between BMP9 and HGF/c-Met Regulates Mouse Adult Liver Progenitor Cell Survival

During chronic liver disease, hepatic progenitor cells (HPC, oval cells in rodents) become activated, proliferate, and differentiate into cholangiocytes and/or hepatocytes contributing to the final outcome of the regenerative process in a context-dependent fashion. Here, we analyze the crosstalk between the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met signaling axis, key for liver regeneration, and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)9, a BMP family ligand that has emerged as a critical regulator of liver pathology. Our results show that HGF/c-Met signaling blocks BMP9-mediated apoptotic cell death, while it potentiates small mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD)1 signaling triggered by BMP9 in oval cells. Interestingly, HGF-induced overactivation of SMAD1, -5, -8 requires the upregulation of TGF-β type receptor activin receptor-like kinase (ALK)1, and both ALK1 and SMAD1 are required for the counteracting effect of HGF on BMP9 apoptotic activity. On the other hand, we also prove that BMP9 triggers the activation of p38MAPK in oval cells, which drives BMP9-apoptotic cell death. Therefore, our data support a model in which BMP9 and HGF/c-Met signaling axes establish a signaling crosstalk via ALK1 that modulates the balance between the two pathways with opposing activities, SMAD1 (pro-survival) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38MAPK; pro-apoptotic), which determines oval cell fate. These data help delineate the complex signaling network established during chronic liver injury and its impact on the oval cell regenerative response.