Judul: Diferensiasi Embryonic Stem Cells Mencit menjadi  Neuron menggunakan Conditioned Medium
Abstrak: Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) merupakan sel pluripoten yang mampu untuk berproliferasi dan berdiferensiasi menjadi berbagai tipe sel penyusun tubuh. Potensi tersebut telah diyakini sangat bermanfaat dalam pengobatan penyakit degeneratif. Kemampuannya untuk berdiferensiasi hingga saat ini masih terus dikaji. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mempelajari tingkat diferensiasi ESCs menjadi neuron secara in vitro dengan menggunakan conditioned medium (CM) tanpa melalui pembentukan embryoid bodies (EB). ESCs mencit dikultur dalam medium dengan penambahan 20 ng/ml Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) selama 8 hari hingga terbentuk outgrowth. CM berasal dari supernatan kultur primer sel syaraf. Digunakan 2 konsentrasi CM yaitu 1x-CM (CM tidak dikonsetratkan) dan 10x-CM (CM dikonsentratkan hingga 10 kali). ESCs dikultur dalam petri yang telah dilapisi gelatin selama 7 hari hingga berdiferensiasi. Ekspresi nestin diketahui melalui metode 2 steps reversed transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penambahan 10x-CM ke dalam medium mampu menginduksi pertumbuhan neural-like cells (NLC) dengan persentase sebesar 8.83 ± 3.06. Hasil PCR memperlihatkan adanya perbedaan ekspresi gen nestin pada tiap sampel. Sementara itu, medium dengan penambahan 1x-CM belum mampu menginduksi terbentuknya NLC. Dengan demikian, penambahan CM yang dikonsentratkan hingga 10 kali dapat mengarahkan perkembangan ESCs mencit menjadi NLC tanpa melalui pembentukan EB.
Keyword: 

Judul: Kemampuan conditioned medium dari kultur primer pankreas dewasa dalam mengarahkan (diferensiasi) embryonic stem cell Mencit Menjadi Sel Beta Pankreas
Abstrak: The ability of embryonic stem cells (ESC) to differentiate into all cell types of the body has become a new hope in curing various degenerative diseases including diabetes. In diabetes, ESC can be used as a cell source that can be differentiated into pancreatic beta cells before being transplanted. The differentiation of ESC was influenced by several growth factors, such as activin, fibroblast growth factor, retinoic acid, and transforming growth factor. In this research, we examined the influence of conditioned medium (CM) resulted from the primary culture of adult mouse pancreas in various concentration (0%, 10%, 30%, and 50%) toward differentiation of ESC into pancreatic beta cells. Differentiation of ESC into pancreatic beta cells indicated by the positive result from dithizone staining and the expression of proinsulin 1 and proinsulin 2 genes. The results showed that ESC cultured with 50% CM concentration had higher quality of colour intensity than the 30% and 10% concentration (P < 0.05). The RNA analysis clearly showed that dithizone positive cells are expressing proinsulin 1 and proinsulin 2, which indicate gene mark of pancreatic beta cells. In conclusion, CM resulted from the primary culture of adult mouse pancreas was able to differentiate ESC into pancreatic beta cells with 50% CM as the optimum concentration to direct ESC differentiation into pancreatic beta cells.
Keyword: 

Judul: Impact Of water policy on poverty reduction and women roles in water management In Zimbabwe
Abstrak: Water management is a key factor in the battle to remove the scourge of extreme poverty and to build secure and prosperous lives for people in the developing world. The water sector in Zimbabwe is complicated by the large number of actors; it is interwoven within various ministries. The research used secondary data and review of literature to evaluate how the current water policy has contributed towards marginalising women and the poor. It looked at how actors can also marginalise or put other actors at risk thereby undermining their role through prioritisation of certain projects, stakeholder participation and usage policy. From a descriptive analysis it is found that women are further relegated and marginalised. The poor are further impoverished through marginalisation and vulnerability. The policy environment favours business and state interests against those of grassroots actors and women. It recommends the establishment of home grown pro- poor water management strategies.
Keyword: