S100A expression in normal corneal-limbal epithelial cells and ocular surface squamous cell carcinoma tissue

Molecular Vision172263-2271MVEP

Regulation of Toll-Like Receptor Expression in Human Conjunctival Epithelial Cells

Previous studies showed marked decrease of multiple Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression in corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells upon culture in vitro. The aim of this study was to identify factor(s) which regulate TLR expression. Primary human conjunctival epithelial cells and immortal conjunctival (IOBA-NHC) and corneal epithelial cell lines (HCET) were used. The effect of various cytokines, hypoxia, mechanical wounding, and airlifting culture on TLR expression was examined by quantitative PCR and western blot analysis. Ligand stimulated TLR activation was analyzed. TLR mRNA expression increased modestly when cultured monolayered cells were stimulated by TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-γ (about 2-fold), hypoxia (2.1- to 4.8-fold selectively), and wounding (3.1- to 9.3-fold). In airlifted multilayered cells, TLR expression increased 7.8- to 25.9-fold compared to monolayered cells. Airlifted cells showed increased response to low concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan (PGN) stimulation. NFκB inhibition prevented the formation of cell sheets and led to the collapse of already-formed multilayered structure and the simultaneous reduction of TLR mRNA level. In conclusion, our study showed that the conjunctival epithelial cell expressed TLR was sensitive to various stimulants, and a multilayered epithelium-like structure was needed to maintain TLR expression

Pengembangan media digital untuk meningkatkan minat siswa dan kualitas pembelajaran Geografi di sekolah

[Bahasa]: Media pembelajaran berkembang seiring dengan pesatnya perkembangan teknologi informasi dan komunikasi. Namun pemanfaatan IPTEK dalam pembelajaran belum optimal disebabkan keterbatasan pengetahuan dan keterampilan guru terhadap Informasi Teknologi (IT). Pengabdian kepada masyarakat melalui program pelatihan ini bertujuan agar guru dapat membuat media pembelajaran digital untuk meningkatkan minat siswa dalam belajar. Pelatihan ini menawarkan enam media digital yang dapat diterapkan dalam pembelajaran yaitu Google Earth Engine, Google My Maps, Google Earth Pro, Android, Augmented Reality, dan Website.  Metode pelaksanaan program ini adalah analisis situasi, pemberian materi, dan praktik pembuatan produk media digital melalui pendampingan trainer terlatih. Hasil dari program pengabdian ini menunjukkan bahwa belum semua guru geografi mampu menerapkan media digital di dalam pembelajaran. Namun tidak semua guru mampu untuk membuat media digital secara mandiri karena keterbatasan pengetahuan dan keterampilan serta faktor usia. Program pengabdian melalui pelatihan media digital ini membantu guru geografi dalam membuat dan mengembangkan media digital untuk pembelajaran geografi. Kata Kunci: guru geografi, media digital, pelatihan, pembelajaran [English]: Learning media develops along with the rapid development of information and communication technology. However, the utilization of science and technology in learning still needs to be improved due to the limitations of teachers' knowledge and skills in Information Technology (IT). This community service program aimed to help teachers create digital learning media to increase students' interest in learning. This program offered six digital media: Google Earth Engine, Google My Maps, Google Earth Pro, Android, Augmented Reality, and Website. The method used was situation analysis, material provision, and practice of making digital media products through the assistance of trained trainers. The results of this program show that not all geography teachers applied digital media in learning, and not all teachers can create digital media due to limitations of knowledge and skills. Thus, this program can help geography teachers to create and develop digital media for geography learning. Keywords: geography teacher, digital media, training, learnin

Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing 1-Year Outcomes of Low-Energy Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery versus Conventional Phacoemulsification

10.3389/fmed.2021.811093Frontiers in Medicine881109

Functionalization of the Polymeric Surface with Bioceramic Nanoparticles via a Novel, Nonthermal Dip Coating Method

The only nonthermal method of depositing a bioceramic-based coating on polymeric substrates is by incubation in liquid, e.g., simulated body fluid to form an apatite-like layer. The drawbacks of this method include the long processing time, the production of low scratch resistant coating, and an end product that does not resemble the intended bioceramic composition. Techniques, such as plasma spraying and magnetron sputtering, involving high processing temperature are unsuitable for polymers, e.g., PMMA. Here, we introduce a nonthermal coating method to immobilize hydroxyapatite (HAp) and TiO2 nanoparticles on PMMA via a simple and fast dip coating method. Cavities that formed on the PMMA, induced by chloroform, appeared to trap the nanoparticles which accumulated to form layers of bioceramic coating only after 60 s. The resulting coating was hydrophilic and highly resistant to delamination. In the context of our research and to address the current clinical need, we demonstrate that the HAp-coated PMMA, which is intended to be used as a visual optic of a corneal prosthetic device, improves its bonding and biointegration with collagen, the main component of a corneal stroma. The HAp-coated PMMA resulted in better adhesion with the collagen than untreated PMMA in artificial tear fluid over 28 days. Human corneal stromal fibroblasts showed better attachment, viability, and proliferation rate on the HAp-coated PMMA than on untreated PMMA. This coating method is an innovative solution to immobilize various bioceramic nanoparticles on polymers and may be used in other biomedical implants.NMRC (Natl Medical Research Council, S’pore)Accepted versio

Nerve regeneration by human corneal stromal keratocytes and stromal fibroblasts

10.1038/srep45396Scientific Reports74539

Surface Modification of PMMA to Improve Adhesion to Corneal Substitutes in a Synthetic Core–Skirt Keratoprosthesis

Patients with advanced corneal disease do poorly with conventional corneal transplantation and require a keratoprosthesis (KPro) for visual rehabilitation. The most widely used KPro is constructed using poly­(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in the central optical core and a donor cornea as skirt material. In many cases, poor adherence between the PMMA and the soft corneal tissue is responsible for device “extrusion” and bacterial infiltration. The interfacial adhesion between the tissue and the PMMA was therefore critical to successful implantation and device longevity. In our approach, we modified the PMMA surface using oxygen plasma (plasma group); plasma followed by calcium phosphate (CaP) coating (p-CaP); dopamine followed by CaP coating (d-CaP); or plasma followed by coating with (3-aminopropyl)­triethoxysilane (3-APTES). To create a synthetic KPro model, we constructed and attached 500 μm thick collagen type I hydrogel on the modified PMMA surfaces. Surface modifications produced significantly improved interfacial adhesion strength compared to untreated PMMA (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The p-CaP group yielded the best interfacial adhesion with the hydrogel (177 ± 27 mN/cm²) followed by d-CaP (168 ± 31 mN/cm²), 3-APTES (145 ± 12 mN/cm²), and plasma (119 ± 10 mN/cm²). Longer-term stability of the adhesion was achieved by d-CaP, which, after 14 and 28 days of incubation in phosphate buffered saline, yielded 164 ± 25 mN/cm² (<i>p</i> = 0.906 compared to adhesion at day 1) and 131 ± 20 mN/cm² (<i>p</i> = 0.053), respectively. In contrast, significant reduction of adhesion strength was observed in p-CaP group over time (<i>p</i> < 0.001). All surface coatings were biocompatible to human corneal stromal fibroblasts, except for the 3-APTES group, which showed no live cells at 72 h of culture. In contrast, cells on d-CaP surface showed good anchorage, evidenced by the expression of focal adhesion complex (paxillin and vinculin), and prominent filopodia protrusions. In conclusion, d-CaP can not only enhance and provide stability to the adhesion of collagen hydrogel on the PMMA surface but also promote biointegration