• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.256-262
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of surface modification on the fibrovascular ingrowth into porous polyethylene (PE) spheres ($Medpor^{(R)}$), which are used as an anophthalmic socket implant material. To make the inert, hydrophobic PE surface hydrophilic, nonporous PE film and porous PE spheres were subjected to plasma treatment and in situ acrylic acid (AA) grafting followed by the immobilization of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide. The surface-modified PE was evaluated by performing surface analyses and tested for fibroblast adhesion and proliferation in vitro. In addition, the porous PE implants were inserted for up to 3 weeks in the abdominal area of rabbits and, after their retrieval, the level of fibrovascular ingrowth within the implants was assessed in vivo. As compared to the unmodified PE control, a significant increase in the hydrophilicity of both the AA-grafted (PE-g-PAA) and RGD-immobilized PE (PE-g-RGD) was observed by the measurement of the water contact angle. The cell adhesion at 72 h was most notable in the PE-g-RGD, followed by the PE-g-PAA and PE control. There was no significant difference between the two modified surfaces. When the cross-sectional area of tissue ingrowth in vivo was evaluated, the area of fibrovascularization was the largest with PE-g-RGD. The results of immunostaining of CD31, which is indicative of the degree of vascularization, showed that the RGD-immobilized surface could elicit more widespread fibrovascularization within the porous PE implants. This work demonstrates that the present surface modifications, viz. hydrophilic AA grafting and RGD peptide immobilization, can be very effective in inducing fibrovascular ingrowth into porous PE implants.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.383-389
• /
• 2018

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an innovative environmental and energy system that converts organic wastewater into electrical energy. For practical implementation of MFC as a wastewater treatment process, a number of limitations need to be overcome. Improving cathodic performance is one of major challenges, and introduction of a current collector can be an easy and practical solution. In this study, three types of current collectors made of stainless steel (SS) were tested in a single-chamber cubic MFC. The three current collectors had different contact areas to the cathode (P $1.0cm^2$; PC $4.3cm^2$; PM $6.5cm^2$) and increasing the contacting area enhanced the power and current generations and coulombic and energy recoveries by mainly decreasing cathodic charge transfer impedance. Application of the SS mesh to the cathode (PM) improved maximum power density, optimum current density and maximum current density by 8.8%, 3.6% and 6.7%, respectively, comparing with P of no SS mesh. The SS mesh decreased cathodic polarization resistance by up to 16%, and cathodic charge transfer impedance by up to 39%, possibly because the SS mesh enhanced electron transport and oxygen reduction reaction. However, application of the SS mesh had little effect on ohmic impedance.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.148-154
• /
• 2021

Carbon/epoxy composite bipolar plate (BP) is a BP that is likely to replace existing graphite bipolar plate of vanadium redox flow cell (VRFB) due to its high mechanical properties and productivity. Multi-functional carbon/epoxy composite BP requires graphite coating or additional surface treatment to reduce interfacial contact resistance (ICR). However, the expanded graphite coating has the disadvantage of having low durability under VRFB operating conditions, and the surface treatments incur additional costs. In this work, an excessive resin absorption method is developed, which uniformly removes the resin rich area on the surface of the BP to expose carbon fibers by applying polyester fabric. This method not only reduces ICR by exposing carbon fibers to BP surfaces, but also forms a unique ditch pattern that can effectively hold carbon felt electrodes in place. The acidic environmental durability, mechanical properties, and gas permeability of the developed carbon/epoxy composite BP are experimentally verified.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2010.11a
• /
• pp.77.1-77.1
• /
• 2010

Durability problems of gas diffusion layer(GDL) is one of the important issues for accomplishing commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC). GDL is strongly related to the performance of PEMFC because one of the main function of GDL is to work as a path of fuel, air and water. When the GDL is degraded, it causes water balance problems such as the flooding phenomenon. Thus, investigating the durability characteristics of the GDL is important and understanding the GDL degradation process is needed. In this study, the GDLs are degraded by carbon corrosion stress method which is the electrochemical degradation mode. To determine the effects of carbon corrosion of the GDL, 1.45 V of potential is imposed for 96 hours. In this manner, in the previous research, the structure between the substrate and the MPL is weaken. Further investigations are needed to clarify this phenomenon. Therefore, in this study, the carbon corrosion stress method is carried out with GDLs which have various MPL penetration levels and the effects of the MPL penetration level on the characteristics change of the GDL are analyzed. The changes in characteristics are measured with various properties of GDL such as weight, thickness and static contact angle. The degraded GDL shows loss of their properties.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.11-27
• /
• 1994

The morphological development of the carotid body was studied by electron microscope in human fetuses from 40mm to 260mm crown rump length (10-30 weeks of gestational age). At 40mm fetus, the carotid body was composed of cluster of primitive glomus cells, primitive supporting cells, unmyelinated nerve fibers, and blood capillaries. In connective tissue between internal and external carotid arteries adjacent to the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion, two types of glomus cells through all prenatal period were found. Dark cells contained a dense cytoplasm with conspicuous large dense-cored granules, whereas light cells had a less dense cytoplasm with dense-cored granules. The light cells contained dense-cored granules that were smaller and less abundant than those in the dark cells. The primitive supporting cells appeared star-shaped with attenuated cytoplasmic extensions intervening between the adjacent glomus cells. Synaptic contact between the axon terminals and soma of the glomus cells were first observed at 40mm fetus. In 80-100mm fetus, the carotid body contained tightly packed collection of glomus cells and supporting cells which surrounded the abundant thin-walled blood vessels. Intercellular junctions between the glomus cells and adjacent cells were commonly seen. Nerve endings on the glomus cells have the form of small boutons and the other from of large calyces. During the second half of the fetal period, the glomus cells were completely enveloped by supporting cells and nerve terminals. At 260mm, the morphological features of carotid body were similar to those of human adult. The result of this study demonstrates that there are differences between the carotid body and aorticopulmonary bodies, especially with respect to their synaptic complexes, abundant blood capillaries, and two glomus cell types.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.113-125
• /
• 2018

Exosomes are membranous vesicles of 30-150 nm in diameter that are derived from the exocytosis of the intraluminal vesicles of many cell types including immune cells, stem cells, cardiovascular cells and tumor cells. Exosomes participate in intercellular communication by delivering their contents to recipient cells, with or without direct contact between cells, and thereby influence physiological and pathological processes. They are present in various body fluids and contain proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and microRNAs that can be transported to surrounding cells. Theragnosis is a concept in next-generation medicine that simultaneously combines accurate diagnostics with therapeutic effects. Molecular components in exosomes have been found to be related to certain diseases and treatment responses, indicating that they may have applications in diagnosis via molecular imaging and biomarker detection. In addition, recent studies have reported that exosomes have immunotherapeutic applications or can act as a drug delivery system for targeted therapies with drugs and biomolecules. In this review, we describe the formation, structure, and physiological roles of exosomes. We also discuss their roles in the pathogenesis and progression of diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. The potential applications of exosomes for theragnostic purposes in various diseases are also discussed. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the physiological and pathological roles of exosomes as well as their diagnostic and therapeutic uses, including emerging exosome-based therapies that could not be applied until now.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.393-401
• /
• 2018

Natural fibers derived from lignocellulosic materials are considered to be more environment-friendly than petroleum-based synthetic fibers. Several natural fibers, such as seedpod fibers, have a potential for development, including kapok and balsa fibers. The characteristics of both fibers were evaluated to determine their suitability for specific valuable applications. The purpose of this study was to analyze some important fundamental properties of kapok and balsa fibers, including their dimensions, morphology, chemical components, and wettability. The results showed that the average fiber lengths for kapok and balsa were 1.63 and 1.30 cm, respectively. Kapok and balsa fibers had thin cell walls and large lumens filled with air. The kapok fiber was composed of 38.09% ${\alpha}-cellulose$, 14.09% lignin, and 2.34% wax content, whereas the balsa fiber was composed 44.62% ${\alpha}-cellulose$, 16.60% lignin, and 2.29% wax content. The characteristics of kapok and balsa fibers were examined by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry analyses. The contact angle of the distilled water on kapok and balsa fibers was more than $90^{\circ}$, indicating that both fibers are hydrophobic with low wettability properties because of to the presence of wax on the fiber surface.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.43-57
• /
• 1997

It was claimed that the herbal medicine with the function of strengthening the body resistance exerts to enhance the immunity. And the medicine with the effect of eliminating the pathogenic factor is stated to inhibit the immune response. To evaluate the the effects of the herbal medicine on the immune response, the mice were administrated with the herbal medicine for 2 weeks. And the responses were analyzed. As the result, water extract of Radix Astragali, Fructus Psoraleae, Cortex Acanthopanacis, Semen Coicis, Herba Ecliptae, Spica Prunellae, and Radix Sophorae increased the ROI production, while Radix Tripterygia inhibited it. Phagocytic activity was increased after administration of Radix Astragal, Fructus Psoraleae, Cortex Acanthopanacis, Herba Ecliptae, Spica Prunellae and Radix Sophorae. NK cell activity was also significantly inhibited by Radix Tripterygia. Administration of Radix Astragali, Fructus Psoraleae, Cortex Acanthopanacis, Herba Ecliptae, Spica Prunellae and Semen Coicis enhanced the antibodies(hemagglutinin and hemolysin) formation and the appearance of rosette forming cells of the spleen, while Radix Sophorae and Radix Tripterygia decreased it. Radix Sophorae and Radix Tripterygia also decreased the allogenic immune response and mixed-lymphocyte reaction. And all the experimental herbs decreased contact hypersensitivity against dinitroflurobenzene. These results show Radix Astragali, Fructus Psoraleae, Spica Prunellae, Cortex Acanthopanacis, Semen Coicis and Herba Ecliptae enhanced innate immunity, humoral and cellular immune responses. However Radix Sophorae and Radix Tripterygia exert imunosuppressive action. Also these results indicate that the medicine with the action of the strengthening the body resistance enhances the immunity. And the the some of drugs belonging to the eliminating the pathogenic factor also increase the immune responses.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Pathology
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.127-138
• /
• 1998

Transmissible venereal tumor(TVT) is a naturally occurring contagious neoplasm which can be transmitted by mechanical contact during mating in dogs and transplanted as intact viable cells to dogs and other members of canine family such as coyotes, jackals, wolves, and foxes. The incidence of this tumors tends to increase in Korean native Jindo dogs. This is probably due to the high density and unrestrained management system. With time, TVT reaches the maximum size and then tends to regress spontaneously unless individuals are immunologically compromised. It consists of different types of cells depending on the stage. In this study, 10 tumors were selected from Jindo dogs. These were histologically calssified into three stages; progressive, steady-state, and regressive. Mitotic figures were counted, and their histological appearance at each stage is compared with their DNA ploidy. Histologically, 5 tumor cases were calssed as the progressors, 3 cases as the steady-state tumors, and 2 cases as regressors. Progressors were composed of round cells with large nuclei containing conspicuous nucleoli and frequent mitotic figures. A few spindle-shaped cells and inflammatory cells including mainly lymphocytes, a few neutrophils and macrophages were also seen. In the steady-state tumors, there was an increased number of spindle shaped cells and mitotic figures were rare. Six tumors were diploid and four were aneuploid with the variation coefficient of 7.02. Two of five progressive tumors were aneuploid. Two of three steady-state tumors were aneuploid while both tumors at the regressive stage were diploid. Progressive and steady-state tumors had a much larger S/G2M fraction and a higher mitotic index than regressive tumors. Two tumors which persisted for more than one year were aneuploid. These results suggest that the progressive and steady-state tumors had more active cell division than the regressive neoplasms.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.44 no.5
• /
• pp.173-178
• /
• 2011

Separator of stack in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is high cost and heavy. If we make it low cost and lighter, it will have a great ripple. In this study, low carbon steel is used as base metal of separator because the cost of low carbon steel is very cheaper commercial metal material than stainless steels, which is widely used as separator. Low carbon steel has not a good corrosion resistance. In order to improve the corrosion resistance and electrolytic conductivity, low carbon steel needs to be surface treated. We made Chromium electroplated layer of $5{\mu}m$, $10{\mu}m$ thickness on the surface of low carbon steel and it was nitrided for 2 hours at $1000^{\circ}C$ in a furnace with 100 torr nitrogen gas pressure. Cross-sectional and surface microstructures of surface treated low carbon steel are investigated using SEM. And crystal structures are investigated by XRD. Interfacial contact resistance and corrosion tests were considered to simulate the internal operating conditions of PEMFC stack. The corrosion test was performed in 0.1 N $H_2SO_4$ + 2 ppm $F^-$ solution at $80^{\circ}C$. Throughout this research, we try to know that low carbon steel can be replaced stainless steel in separator of PEMFC.