• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.213-218
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• 2006

As the large defect of peripheral nerve occurs, the autologous nerve graft is the most ideal method but it has many limitations due to donor site morbidities. Various materials have been developed for the nerve defect as the conduits, but none of these materials is satisfactory. Among them, $Gore-Tex^{(R)}$ tube seems to be one of the most ideal nerve conduit materials at peripheral nerve defect. Many researches have focused on finding the neurotrophic factors. It is recently demonstrated that Valproic acid(VPA) has an effect of axonal regeneration as a neurotrophic factor without enzymatic degradation and toxicity problems. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of VPA on the nerve regeneration at the peripheral nerve defect. A 10 mm gap of rat sciatic nerve was made and $Gore-Tex^{(R)}$ tube filled with biceps femoris muscle was placed at the nerve defect site. We let the rat take VPA as drinking water in experimental group and did not give VPA to the control group. We estimated the results as electrophysiologic and histological aspects for 16 weeks after the surgery. The nerve conduction velocity, total myelinated axon count, myelin sheath thickness and mean nerve fiber diameter significantly increased in VPA-treated experimental group when compared to the control (p < 0.05). From the above results, we conclude that VPA promotes the nerve regeneration at the peripheral nerve defect site. It is suggested that $Gore-Tex^{(R)}$ tube filled with skeletal muscle and VPA administration may be a good substitute for autologous nerve graft.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1504-1510
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• 2013

Native chickens hold a significant share of the market in China. In response to the huge demand from the market, the productivity of Chinese native chickens needs to be improved. Cross breeding is an effective method to increase productivity, although it might affect meat quality. In this study, two pure lines (SD02 and SD03) of Erlang mountainous chickens were hybridized with a yellow feather and faster growing line (SD01). The effect of hybridization on carcass and meat quality (physiochemical and textural traits) was measured in the $F_1$ population at d 91 of age. The hybrids exhibited higher body weight and dressed weight, and amount of semi-eviscerated, eviscerated, breast muscle and abdominal fat (p<0.05). Abdominal fat yield also increased (p<0.05) compared to the offspring of the two pure-lines. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in meat quality traits except for the myofiber diameter and density and the shear force of the breast muscle. Overall, the offspring of cross-lines were similar to pure lines in meat color, pH value, inosinic acid, crude protein, crude fat, dry matter, moisture content and amino acid composition in the breast muscle. These results suggest that productivity can be improved via cross-breeding while maintaining meat quality of the Erlang mountainous chicken.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.218-227
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• 2019

This study was designed to determine the effects of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) apoptosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) disruption in a murine abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) model. After injection of PVT1-silencing lentiviruses, AAA was induced in Apolipoprotein E-deficient ($ApoE^{-/-}$) male mice by angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion for four weeks. After Ang II infusion, mouse serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were analysed, and aortic tissues were isolated for histological, RNA, and protein analysis. Our results also showed that PVT1 expression was significantly upregulated in abdominal aortic tissues from AAA patients compared with that in controls. Additionally, Ang II treatment significantly increased PVT1 expression, both in cultured mouse VSMCs and in AAA murine abdominal aortic tissues. Of note, the effects of Ang II in facilitating cell apoptosis, increasing matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, reducing tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP)-1, and promoting switching from the contractile to synthetic phenotype in cultured VSMCs were enhanced by overexpression of PVT1 but attenuated by knockdown of PVT1. Furthermore, knockdown of PVT1 reversed Ang II-induced AAA-associated alterations in mice, as evidenced by attenuation of aortic diameter dilation, marked adventitial thickening, loss of elastin in the aorta, enhanced aortic cell apoptosis, elevated MMP-2 and MMP-9, reduced TIMP-1, and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that knockdown of lncRNA PVT1 suppresses VSMC apoptosis, ECM disruption, and serum pro-inflammatory cytokines in a murine Ang II-induced AAA model.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.743-750
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• 2021

Objective: The objectives of this study were to explore the expression patterns of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) genes of different skeletal muscles from Chinese cattle, and to investigate the relationship between myofiber characteristics and meat quality of M. longissimus lumborum (LL), M. psoas major (PM), and M. semimembranosus (SM) from Chinese Luxi and Qinchuan cattle. Methods: Three major muscles including LL, PM, and SM from Chinese Luxi cattle and Chinese Qinchuan cattle were used in this study. The myofiber characteristics were measured by histochemical analysis. The MyHC isoforms expression was evaluated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Quality traits including pH value, meat color, cooking loss, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and sarcomere length were determined at day 5 postmortem. Results: PM muscle had higher pH value, a* value, sarcomere length and lower WBSF value compared to LL and SM muscles (p<0.05). Numbers of type I myofiber and the relative expression of MyHC I mRNA in PM muscle were higher than those of LL and SM muscles (p<0.05). Myofiber diameter of PM muscle was lower than that of LL and SM muscles, regardless of myofiber types (p<0.05). Conclusion: According to the stepwise linear regression analyses, tenderness was influenced by myofiber characteristics in all three examined muscles. Tenderness of beef muscles from Qinchuan and Luxi cattle could be improved by increasing numbers of type I myofiber.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 1997

A peripheral nerve when approximation of the ends imparts tension at the anastomosis and with a relatively long segment defect after excision of neuroma and neurofibroma cannnot be repaired by early primary suture. The one of the optimistic reconstruction method of severed peripheral nerves is to restore tension-free continuity at the repair site putting an autogenous nerve graft into the neural gap despite of ancipating motor or sensory deficit of the donor nerve area. To overcome the deficit of the autogenous nerve graft, several other conduits supplying a metabolically active environment which is able to support axon regeneration and progression, providing protection against scar invasion, and guiding the regrowing axons to the distal stump of the nerve have been studied. An author have used ipsilateral femoral vein, ipsilateral femoral vein filled with fresh thigh muscle, and autogenous sciatic nerve for the sciatic nerve defect of around 10 mm in length to observe the regeneration pattern in rat by light and electron microscopy. The results were as follows. 1. Light microscopically regeneration pattern of nerve fibers in the autogenous graft group was more abundant than vein graft and vein filled with muscle group. 2. On ultrastructural findings, the proxial end of the graft in various groups showed similar regenerating features of the axons, myelin sheaths, and Schwann cells. The fascicular arrangement of the myelinated and unmyelinated fibers was same regardless of the type of conduits. There were more or less increasing tendency in the number and the diameter of myelinated fibers correlated with the regeneration time. 3. In the middle of the graft, myelinated nerve fibers of vein filled with muscle group were more in number and myelin sheath was thinner than in the venous graft, but the number of regenerating axons in autogenous nerve graft was superior to that in both groups of the graft. The amount of collagen fibrils and amorphous materials in the endoneurial space was increased to elapsed time. 4. There was no difference in regenerating patterns of the nerve fibers of distal end of the graft. The size and shape of the myelinated nerve fbers were more different than that of proximal and middle portion of the graft. From the above results, the degree of myelination and regenerating activity in autogenous nerve is more effective and active in other types of the graft and there were no morphological differences in either ends of the graft regardless of regeneration time.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.184-194
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• 2023

In this study, we investigated whether p-anisaldehyde (PAA), the main component of essential oils derived from anise seeds, influences the differentiation of mouse C2C12 myoblasts. Cells were induced to differentiate over 5 days using a differentiation medium with or without PAA (50 or 200 mg/mL). Myotube length and diameter were measured, and the expressions of myogenic markers (myoblast determination protein 1, myogenin, myocyte enhancer factor 2, muscle creatine kinase, and myosin heavy chain) and atrophy-related genes (atrogin-1 and muscle ring finger-1 [MuRF-1]) were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, protein kinase B (Akt) phosphorylation was monitored by western blotting. PAA significantly induced the formation of smaller and thinner myotubes and reduced myogenic marker expression. Furthermore, PAA increased the expressions of atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 and simultaneously reduced Akt phosphorylation. Our findings indicate that PAA inhibits the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells by reducing the phosphorylation and activation of Akt.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1640-1649
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• 2021

Objective: Flattening in the anteroposterior direction (AP flattening) of the terminal ileum (TI) or sigmoid colon (SC) lying across the psoas muscle, on magnetic resonance enterography (MRE), might mimic bowel inflammation in the coronal view. This study investigated the prevalence of AP flattening and the factors associated with its development. Materials and Methods: A total of 364 surgery-naïve patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who had undergone MRE were retrospectively reviewed. AP flattening was defined as a luminal collapse in the anteroposterior direction, with a bowel width in the axial plane < 1/4 of the normal diameter without reduction of bowel width in coronal images. The prevalence of AP flattening of the TI and SC on MRE in patients with bowel segments lying across the psoas muscle was determined. We further compared the rate of AP flattening between MRE and computed tomography enterography (CTE) in a subcohort of patients with prior CTE. The factors associated with AP flattening were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression in a subcohort of patients with endoscopic findings of TI. Results: Three hundred and twenty-two and 363 patients, respectively, had TI and SC lying across the psoas muscle. The prevalence of AP flattening on MRE was 7.5% (24/322) in TI and 5.2% (19/363) in SC. The prevalences were significantly higher on MRE than on CTE in both the TI (7.3% [12/164] vs. 0.6% [1/164]; p = 0.003) and SC (5.8% [11/190] vs. 1.6% [3/190]; p = 0.039). AP flattening of the TI was independently and strongly associated with the absence of CD inflammation on endoscopy, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.066 (p = 0.003) for the presence versus the absence (reference) of inflammation. Conclusion: AP flattening of the TI or SC lying across the psoas muscle was uncommon and predominantly observed on MRE of the bowel without CD inflammation.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.42-49
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• 1987

This study is to evaluate the potential use of aclarubicin-loaded gelatin microspheres as an intravascular biodegradable drug delivery system for the regional cancer therapy. The diameter of the microspheres prepared by water in oil emulsion polymerization could be controlled by adjusting the stirring rate in the range of 10-50 $\mu$m : D(in $\mu$m) = -73.8 log (rpm) + 262.7. The addition of proteolytic enzyme increased the in vitro aclarubicin release but it did not change the amount of the initial burst release which reached about 45%. Microspheres injected intravenously into the mouse tail vein embolized only to the lung when observed by fluorescence microscopy. From histological examination following injection of gelatin microspheres into mouse femoral muscle, mild inflammation was observed from the appearance of neutrophils after 2 days and rapid repair process was confirmed thereafter. Biodegradation process of gelatin microspheres lodged on the pulmonary capillary bed was followed up by microscopic observation; degradation was taking place by about 36 hrs, followed by severe damage on the spheerical shape and microspheres was no longer found 10 days after injection.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.867-867
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• 2005

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.541-558
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• 2014

This paper proposes a new design of shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuated gripper for open mode operation. SMA can generate smooth muscle movements during actuation which make them potentially good contenders in designing grippers. The principle of the shape memory alloy gripper is to convert the linear displacement of the SMA wire actuator into the angular displacement of the gripping jaw. Steady state analysis is performed to design the wire diameter of the bias spring for a known SMA wire. The gripper is designed to open about an angle of $22.5^{\circ}$ when actuated using pulsating electric current from a constant current source. The safe operating power range of the gripper is determined and verified theoretically. Experimental evaluation for the uncontrolled gripper showed a rotation of $19.97^{\circ}$. Forced cooling techniques were employed to speed up the cooling process. The gripper is simple and robust in design (single movable jaw), easy to fabricate, low cost, and exhibits wide handling capabilities like longer object handling time and handling wide sizes of objects with minimum utilization of power since power is required only to grasp and release operations.