Bioengineered Organoids Offer New Possibilities for Liver Cancer Studies: A Review of Key Milestones and Challenges

Hepatic cancer is widely regarded as the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite recent advances in treatment options, the prognosis of liver cancer remains poor. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop more representative in vitro models of liver cancer for pathophysiology and drug screening studies. Fortunately, an exciting new development for generating liver models in recent years has been the advent of organoid technology. Organoid models hold huge potential as an in vitro research tool because they can recapitulate the spatial architecture of primary liver cancers and maintain the molecular and functional variations of the native tissue counterparts during long-term culture in vitro. This review provides a comprehensive overview and discussion of the establishment and application of liver organoid models in vitro. Bioengineering strategies used to construct organoid models are also discussed. In addition, the clinical potential and other relevant applications of liver organoid models in different functional states are explored. In the end, this review discusses current limitations and future prospects to encourage further development.

Prevalence of ovine cystic echinococcosis in Kashmir Valley, North India

A total of 1455 local and non-local (originating from other Indian states), slaughtered or spontaneously dead, sheep in various areas of Kashmir Valley were investigated for the presence of cystic echinococcosis over a period of one year. The overall prevalence was 7.97% with higher prevalence in local (14.3%) than in non-local sheep (6.06%). The prevalence of infection, total number of cysts recovered and mean intensity of infection were higher in lungs as 66.2%, 506 & 5.1% respectively, followed by liver (28.5%, 169, 3.9%) and spleen (5.3%, 9, 1.13%). Either single (71.55%) or multiple (28.45%) organ involvements were observed. 66.6% of cysts were of small size, 19.29% medium, 7.01% large and 7.01% calcified. The fertility of cysts was noted to be 65.7% whereas 34.2% were infertile which included 27.1% sterile and 7.01% calcified cysts. The viability percentage of protoscolices from all the fertile cysts was 74.2%. The number of cysts recovered was higher in sheep with body condition score- emaciated, thin and average, and lower in, fat and obesed. The study showed that the local sheep were more vulnerable to contract cystic echinococcosis than non-local sheep which is further aggravated by poor body condition.

Pinhole castration technique: an alternative to orchiectomy in stray dogs

The study evaluates a pinhole castration technique in male stray dogs. Animals (n=18) were randomly allotted to 2 groups: group I (n=12, pinhole castration) and group II (n=6, sham control). Percutaneous (in situ) spermatic cord ligation was performed under xylazine-ketamine anesthesia in all animals of group I. Scrotal and the testicular dimensions and testicular volume were measured on day 28 followed by bilateral orchiectomy in both the groups. Significantly lower readings were obtained from animals of group I when compared with pre-ligation readings as well as the corresponding readings from group II animals. In ligated animals volume of testicles showed a reduction by 40.57%. Histopathological examination of testicles revealed degeneration and atrophy in Group I animals. On the whole pinhole castration was found effective, minimally invasive, cheap, simple and a quick technique for male dog sterilization with potential for adoption in large-scale animal birth control programs.

Prevalence and the associated lesions of Cheilospirura (Acuaria) hamulosa in the indigenous chicken of Kashmir Valley, India

The present investigation reports the results from a 2-yr study conducted on the prevalence and associated lesions of the nematode Cheilospirura (Acuaria) hamulosa (Nematoda, Acuarioidea) in a sample size of 478 indigenous fowl collected from different localities of Kashmir Valley, India. The investigation revealed the annual prevalence for the nematode for the first and second yr of study to be 3.4% (8/233) and 3.7% (9/245), respectively, with an overall prevalence of 3.5% (17/478). Parasitized birds did not present with clinical signs. Despite the low parasite burdens, the lesions induced by C. hamulosa were severe. Histological examination of the infected gizzard revealed discrete and coalescing nodular and cystic lesions in the mucosa and musculature which contained sections of the parasite. Cellular reaction in the lesions was characterized by a large number of lymphocytes, monocytes, plasma cells, heterophils, and, in some of the sections, severe eosinophilic reaction. The mucosa and submucosa showed markedly thickened and diffuse mononuclear infiltration as well as reactive lymphoid nodules.

Adrenoceptors in the human foetal small intestine

Human foetal small intestine was shown to contain both alpha- and beta-adrenoceptors with a predominance of beta-adrenoceptors. The tissue examined was obtained from foetuses of gestational age between 8 and 26 weeks.