• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.44 no.5 s.300
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• pp.144-147
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• 2007

Calcium metaphosphate (CMP) nanofibers with a diameter of ${\sim}600nm$ were prepared using electrospun CMP/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibers through a process of drying for 5 h in air followed by annealing for 1 h at $650^{\circ}C$ in a vacuum. The viscosity of the CMP/PVP precursor containing 0.15 g/ml of PVP was 76 cP. Thermal analysis results revealed that the fibers were crystallized at $569^{\circ}C$. The crystal phase of the as-annealed fiber was determined to be ${\delta}-CMP\;({\delta}-Ca(PO_3)_2)$. However, the morphology of the fibers changed from smooth and uniform (as-spun fibers) to linked-particle characteristics with a tubular form most likely due to the decomposition of the inner PVP matrix. It is expected that this large amount of available surface area has the potential to provide unusually high bioactivity and fast responses in clinical hard tissue applications.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2854-2863
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• 2023

Objective: To present a hybrid approach that incorporates a constrained beam-hardening estimator (CBHE) and deep learning (DL)-based post-refinement for metal artifact reduction in dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: Constrained beam-hardening estimator (CBHE) is derived from a polychromatic X-ray attenuation model with respect to X-ray transmission length, which calculates associated parameters numerically. Deep-learning-based post-refinement with an artifact disentanglement network (ADN) is performed to mitigate the remaining dark shading regions around a metal. Artifact disentanglement network (ADN) supports an unsupervised learning approach, in which no paired CBCT images are required. The network consists of an encoder that separates artifacts and content and a decoder for the content. Additionally, ADN with data normalization replaces metal regions with values from bone or soft tissue regions. Finally, the metal regions obtained from the CBHE are blended into reconstructed images. The proposed approach is systematically assessed using a dental phantom with two types of metal objects for qualitative and quantitative comparisons. Results: The proposed hybrid scheme provides improved image quality in areas surrounding the metal while preserving native structures. Conclusion: This study may significantly improve the detection of areas of interest in many dentomaxillofacial applications.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.382-393
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• 2019

Wound care is a health industry concern affecting millions worldwide. Recent increase in metabolic disorders such as diabetes comes with elevated risk of wound-based complications. Treatment and management of wounds are difficult practices due to complexity of the wound healing process. Conventional wound dressings and treatment applications only provide limited benefits which are mainly aimed to keep wound protected from external factors. To improve wound care, recent developments make biopolymers to be of high interest and importance to researchers and medical practitioners. Biopolymers are polymers or natural origin produced by living organisms. They are credited to be highly biocompatible and biodegradable. Currently, studies reported biopolymers to exhibit various health beneficial properties such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, cell proliferative and angiogenic activities which are crucial for effective wound management. Several biopolymers, namely chitosan, cellulose, collagen, hyaluronic acid and alginic acid have been already investigated and applied as wound dressing agents. Different derivatives of biopolymers have also been developed by cross-linking with other molecules, grafting with other polymers, and loading with bioactive agents or drugs which showed promising results towards wound healing without any undesired outcome such as scarring and physiological abnormalities. In this review, current applications of common biopolymers in wound treatment industry are highlighted to be a guide for further applications and studies.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.76-76
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• 2012

Surface engineering of polymers has a broad array of scientific and technological applications that range from tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, microfluidics and novel lab on chip devices to building mechanical memories, stretchable electronics, and devising tunable surface adhesion for robotics. Recent advancements in the field of nanotechnology have provided robust techniques for controlled surface modification of polymers and creation of structural features on the polymeric surface at submicron scale. We have recently demonstrated techniques for controlled surfaces of soft and relatively hard polymers using ion beam irradiation and plasma treatment, which allows the fabrication of nanoscale surface features such as wrinkles, ripples, holes, and hairs with respect to its polymers. In this talk, we discuss the underlying mechanisms of formation of these structural features. This includes the change in the chemical composition of the surface layer of the polymers due to ion beam irradiation or plasma treatment and the instability and mechanics of the skin-substrate system. Using ion beam or plasma irradiation on polymers, we introduce a simple method for fabrication of one-dimensional, two-dimensional and nested hierarchical structural patterns on polymeric surfaces on various polymers such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), poly (methyl methacrylate) PMMA, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.151-158
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• 2007

The failure of injured axons to regenerate in the mature central nervous system (CNS) has devastating consequences for victims of spinal cord injury (SCI). Traditional strategies to treat spinal cord injured people by using drug therapy and assisting devices that can not help them to recover fully various vital functions of the spinal cord. Many researches have been focused on accomplishing re-growth and reconnection of the severed axons in the injured region. Using cell transplantation to promote neural survival or growth has had modest success in allowing injured neurons to re-grow through the area of the lesion. Strategies for successful regeneration will require tissue engineering approach. In order to persuade sufficient axons to regenerate across the lesion to bring back substantial neurological function, it is necessary to construct an efficient biocompatible bridge (cell-free or implanted with different cell lines as hybrid implant) through the injured area over which axons can grow. Therefore, in this paper, spinal cord and its injury, different strategies to help regeneration of an injured spinal cord are reviewed. In addition, different aspects of designing a biocompatible bridge and its applications and challenges surrounding these issues are also addressed. This knowledge is very important for the development and optimalization of therapies to repair the injured spinal cord.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.160-160
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• 2017

Commercially pure titanium (Cp-Ti) and Ti alloys (typically Ti-6Al-4V) display excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Although the chemical composition and topography are considered important, the mechanical properties of the material and the loading conditions in the host have, conventionally. Ti and its alloys are not bioactive. Therefore, they do not chemically bond to the bone, whereas they physically bond with bone tissue. The electrochemical deposition process provides an effective surface for biocompatibility because large surface area can be served to cell proliferation. Plasma electrolyte oxidation (PEO) enables control in the chemical composition, porous structure, and thickness of the TiO2 layer on Ti surface. Silicon (Si) in particular has been found to be essential for normal bone and cartilage growth and development. Zinc (Zn) plays very important roles in bone formation and immune system regulation, and is also the most abundant trace element in bone. The objective of this work was to study on electrochemical behaviors of PEO-treated Ti-6Al-4V Alloy in solution containing Zn and Si ions. The morphology, the chemical composition, and the microstructure analysis of the sample were examined using FE-SEM, EDS, and XRD. The potentiodynamic polarization and AC impedance tests for corrosion behaviors were carried out in 0.9% NaCl solution at similar body temperature using a potentiostat. The promising results successfully demonstrated the immense potential of Si/Zn-TiO2 coatings in dental and biomaterials applications.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.122-133
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was to develop an effective process for fabricating biocompatible calcium phosphate powders (CPPs) using horse bones, and to investigate the characteristics of them. Methods: The characteristics of horse bone powders (HBPs) were investigated according to the different osseous tissue types (compact bone and cancellous bone), bone types (spine and tibia), pretreatment methods (cold water, $H_2O_2$, and hot water), sintering time (4, 8 and 12h), and sintering temperature (600, 900, 1100 and $1300^{\circ}C$). In addition, the grinding methods were compared based on the wet grinding (ball mill) and dry grinding (blade grinder) method to make it as powders. Finally, their cytotoxicity and cell viability were checked. Results: Regardless of the types of osseous tissues and bones, HBPs were well fabricated as biocompatible CPPs. It was also found that the pretreatment methods did not influence on the resultants, showing well-fabricated HBPs. Considering the processing time, the hot water method was the most suitable compared to other pretreatment methods. Further, 12h-sintering time was sufficient to remove residual organic compounds. The sintering temperatures greatly affected the properties of bone powders fabricated. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) peak of horse bone sintered at $600^{\circ}C$ was most closed to that of hydroxyapatite (HA). Our bioactivity study demonstrated that the HBPs fabricated by sintering horse bones at $1300^{\circ}C$ showed the best performance in terms of cell viability whereas the HBPs $1100^{\circ}C$ showed the cytotoxicity. Conclusions: Using various types of horse bone tissues, biocompatible CPPs were successfully developed. We conclude that the HBPs may have a great potential as biomaterials for various biological applications including bone tissue engineering.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.307-317
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• 2012

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the isolation and characterization of multipotent human periodontal ligament (PDL) stem cells and to assess their ability to differentiate into bone, cartilage, and adipose tissue. Methods: PDL stem cells were isolated from 7 extracted human premolar teeth. Human PDL cells were expanded in culture, stained using anti-CD29, -CD34, -CD44, and -STRO-1 antibodies, and sorted by fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS). Gingival fibroblasts (GFs) served as a positive control. PDL stem cells and GFs were cultured using standard conditions conducive for osteogenic, chondrogenic, or adipogenic differentiation. Results: An average of $152.8{\pm}27.6$ colony-forming units was present at day 7 in cultures of PDL stem cells. At day 4, PDL stem cells exhibited a significant increase in proliferation (p < 0.05), reaching nearly double the proliferation rate of GFs. About $5.6{\pm}4.5%$ of cells in human PDL tissues were strongly STRO-1-positive. In osteogenic cultures, calcium nodules were observed by day 21 in PDL stem cells, which showed more intense calcium staining than GF cultures. In adipogenic cultures, both cell populations showed positive Oil Red O staining by day 21. Additionally, in chondrogenic cultures, PDL stem cells expressed collagen type II by day 21. Conclusions: The PDL contains multipotent stem cells that have the potential to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. This adult PDL stem cell population can be utilized as potential sources of PDL in tissue engineering applications.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.98-100
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• 2003

Synthetic polymers such as PET and ePTFE have widely been used for artificial vascular patches. However, these materials cannot function for a long term as blood vessel due to thrombotic occlusion and calcification. To overcome this limitation, a biocompatible vascular patch was developed using stem cell and tissue engineering approach. Autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were differentiated into vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. These cells were seeded onto collagen patch matrices. The matrices were anastomosed to abdominal arteries in canine models. Prior to implantation, histological and scanning electron microscopical examination revealed stem cell adhesion and growth on the matrices. At 3 weeks, the implanted vascular patches were patent. Histological examination showed the regeneration of endothelium, media and adventitia in the grafts. Cell tracing analysis using fluorescent reagent showed that labeled stem cells were present in the implanted grafts and contributed to the regeneration of vascular tissues. This study may help us develop a tissue-engineered vascular patch appropriate for clinical applications.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.616-620
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• 2006

Purpose: The isolated human chondrocytes for cartilage reconstruction and transplantation presents a major problem as these cells would change biologically in vitro. For more effective applications of these cells in the clinical field, it is necessary to get a large amount of cells in a short period without affecting their function and phenotype. Methods: This study reports the effects of placenta extract on chondrocytes in vitro. We initiated this study on the basis of the hypothesis that placenta extract can influence both the proliferation of chondrocytes and their biologic functions(for example, to express cell specific gene or to produce their own extracellular matrix). Chondrocytes in monolayer culture with or without placenta extract were collected and analyzed by MTT assay, ECM assay, and RT-PCR. Results: Placenta extract stimulated the proliferation of chondrocytes in monolayer culture. The phenotype of chondrocytes was well maintained during the expansion in monolayers. Chondrocytes expanded in the presence of placenta extract produced ECM, glycosaminoglycan, abundantly. Compared to chondrocyte expanded in culture medium only, chondrocytes expanded with placenta extract demonstrated higher COL2A1 expression that was biochemically comparable to primary chondrocytes. This study provides an evidence that placenta extract is helpful to expand chondrocytes during tissue cultivation, to maintain their differentiated phenotype and to promote their function. Conclusion: These results suggest that placenta extract during cultivation play an important role in controlling cell behaviors. Furthermore, these results provide a biologic basis for cartilage tissue engineering.