• BMB Reports
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• 제48권11호
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• pp.595-596
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• 2015

Skeletal muscle exhibits a loss of muscle mass and function with age. Decreased regenerative potential of muscle stem/progenitor cells is a major underlying cause of sarcopenia. We analyzed microRNAs (miRNA) that are differentially expressed in young and old myoblasts, to identify novel intrinsic factors that play a degenerative role in aged skeletal muscle. miR-431, one of decreasing miRNAs in old myoblasts, improved the myogenic differentiation when overexpressed in old myoblast, but suppressed their myogenic capability in knockdowned young myoblasts. We found that miR-431 directly binds to 3` untranslated regions (UTR) of Smad4 mRNA, and decreases its expression. Given that SMAD4 is one of the downstream effectors of TGF-β, a well-known degenerative signaling pathway in myogenesis, the decreased miR-431 in old myoblast causes SMAD4 elevation, thus resulting in defective myogenesis. Exogenous expression of miR-431 greatly improved the muscle regeneration in the cardiotoxin-injured hindlimb muscle of old mice by reducing SMAD4 levels. Since the miR-431 seed sequence is conserved in human SMAD4 3'UTR, miR-431 regulates the myogenic capacity of human skeletal myoblasts in the same manner. Our results suggest that age-associated miR-431 is required for the maintenance of the myogenic capability in myoblasts, thus underscoring its potential as a therapeutic target to slow down muscle aging.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.57-66
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• 1990

In the design of an electric power plant, the capacity to meet the peak load demand is one of the important factors to be considered. This peak load usually occurs when the most of the cooling air conditioning systems are being operated during daytime in summer season, which inevitably entails the construction of an additional electric power plant. This study is aimed to carry out a basic experiment for the development of a cooling air conditioning system using the ice energy by the surplus electric power during the night-time. The experimental apparatus consists of four major parts; (1) the heating section consisting of the air duct and I.D. fan, (2) the cold section with the ice chamber, (3) the bundle of heat pipes made in a form of the staggered arrangement with ${C_y}/{d_o}$=2.0 and ${C_x}/{d_o}$=1.73, (4) the refrigerator system to cool down the ice chamber. This study involves an intensive experiment concerning the convective heat transfer of the air flow surrounding the bundle of heat pipes. This major experimental parameters are the amount of working fluid, the velocity of air and the working temperature. The major findings of the present study are as follows; (1) The optimum amount of the working fluid necessary for the horizontal heat pipes is much more than that for the vertical type. (2) The convective heat transfer coefficients of the air are coincided with the empirical equations of Grimson and ${\breve{Z}ukauskas}$. (3) The equation of the mean heat transfer coefficient obtained in the present study is ${N_um}=0.32 {Re_max^{0.63}}$.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• 제45권4호
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• pp.136-144
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• 2015

Purpose: The objective of this study was to comparatively assess the bone regenerative capacity of absorbable collagen sponge (ACS), biphasic calcium phosphate block (BCP) and collagenated biphasic calcium phosphate (CBCP) loaded with a low dose of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). Methods: The CBCP was characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. In rabbit calvaria, four circular 8-mm-diameter defects were created and assigned to one of four groups: (1) blood-filled group (control), (2) rhBMP-2-soaked absorbable collagen sponge (0.05 mg/mL, 0.1 mL; CS group), (3) rhBMP-2-loaded BCP (BCP group), or (4) rhBMP-2-loaded CBCP (CBCP group). The animals were sacrificed either 2 weeks or 8 weeks postoperatively. Histological and histomorphometric analyses were performed. Results: The CBCP showed web-like collagen fibrils on and between particles. Greater dimensional stability was observed in the BCP and CBCP groups than in the control and the CS groups at 2 and 8 weeks. The new bone formation was significantly greater in the BCP and CBCP groups than in the control and CS groups at 2 weeks, but did not significantly differ among the four groups at 8 week. The CBCP group exhibited more new bone formation in the intergranular space and in the center of the defect compared to the BCP group at 2 weeks, but a similar histologic appearance was observed in both groups at 8 weeks. Conclusions: The dose of rhBMP-2 in the present study enhanced bone regeneration in the early healing period when loaded on BCP and CBCP in rabbit calvarial defects.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권8호
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• pp.613-619
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• 2014

The optic nerve often suffers regenerative failure after injury, leading to serious visual impairment such as glaucoma. The main inhibitory factors, including Nogo-A, oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein, and myelin-associated glycoprotein, exert their inhibitory effects on axonal growth through the same receptor, the Nogo-66 receptor (NgR). Oncomodulin (OM), a calcium-binding protein with a molecular weight of an ~12 kDa, which is secreted from activated macrophages, has been demonstrated to have high and specific affinity for retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and promote greater axonal regeneration than other known polypeptide growth factors. Protamine has been reported to effectively deliver small interference RNA (siRNA) into cells. Accordingly, a fusion protein of OM and truncated protamine (tp) may be used as a vehicle for the delivery of NgR siRNA into RGC for gene therapy. To test this hypothesis, we constructed OM and tp fusion protein (OM/tp) expression vectors. Using the indirect immunofluorescence labeling method, OM/tp fusion proteins were found to have a high affinity for RGC. The gel shift assay showed that the OM/tp fusion proteins retained the capacity to bind to DNA. Using OM/tp fusion proteins as a delivery tool, the siRNA of NgR was effectively transfected into cells and significantly down-regulated NgR expression levels. More importantly, OM/tp-NgR siRNA dramatically promoted axonal growth of RGC compared with the application of OM/tp recombinant protein or NgR siRNA alone in vitro. In addition, OM/tp-NgR siRNA highly elevated intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels and inhibited activation of the Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA). Taken together, our data demonstrated that the recombinant OM/tp fusion proteins retained the functions of both OM and tp, and that OM/tp-NgR siRNA might potentially be used for the treatment of optic nerve injury.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.263-271
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• 2009

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the most cause of death around the world and fields of interest for cardiac stem cells. Also, current use of terminally differentiated adult cardiomyocytes for CVDs has limited regenerative capacity therefore any significant cell loss may result in the development of progressive heart failure. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived from blastocyst-stage embryos spontaneously have ability to differentiate via embryo-like aggregates (endoderm, ectoderm and mesoderm) in vitro into various cell types including cardiomyocyte. However, most effective molecule or optimized condition which can induce cardiac differentiation of hESCs is rarely studied. In this study, we developed both spontaneous and inductive cardiomyocyte-like cells differentiation from hESCs by treatment of induced-factors, 5-azacytidine, BMP-4 and cardiogenol C. On the one hand, spontaneous and inductive cardiomyocyte-like cells showed that cardiac markers are expressed for further analysis by RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry. Interestingly, BMP-4 greatly improved homogeneous population of the cardiomyocyte-like cells from hESCs CHA15 and H09. In conclusion, we verified that spontaneously differentiated cells showed cardiac specific markers which characterize cardiac cells, treated extrinsic factors can manage cellular signals and found that hESCs can undergo differentiation into cardiomyocytes better than spontaneous group. This finding offers an insight into the inductive factor of differentiated cardiomyocytes and provides some helpful information that may offer the potential of cardiomyocytes derived from hESCs using extrinsic factors.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.49-58
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• 2008

Objective: The Purpose of the study was to investigate the bone morphogenic protein expression of rhBMP-2(recombinant human bone morphogenic protein-2) as singnaling molecule and ${\beta}-TCP$(Tricalcium phosphate) as a bone substitute and carrier medium of rhBMP-2. Materials and Methods: 16 rabbits divided into 2 group of each 8 rabbit. Two standardized bone defect, round bilateral defect was made in the cranium of the 8 rabbit of first group, and was grafted with $150{\sim}500{\mu}m$ diameter ${\beta}-TCP$ 0.25g in one side, which was soaked with rhBMP-2, and autogenous bone was grafted on another side as a positive control. Second group of 8 rabbit, only ${\beta}-TCP$ was grafted with same size and same manner. After 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, specimen was taken for microscopic immunohiostochemical and histomorphometric analysis. Result: Grafting ${\beta}-TCP$ with rhBMP show the early formation of the bone regenerative factor (BMP-4) and more quantity of new bone formation than only use of ${\beta}-TCP$ (8,12 week), even show less new bone formation than autogenous bone. Conclusion : The experimental study result that ${\beta}-TCP$ graft combination with rhBMP-2 as a delivery system is an effective with osteoinductive capacity and biodegradable properties, so that provide clinical availibility of composite use in reconstruction of bony defect.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.811-825
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• 2002

Recently, many natural medicines, whose advantages are less side effects and possibility of long-term use, have been studied for their capacity, their anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects and regenerative potential of periodontal tissues. Cervi Parvum Comu(CPC) have been traditionally study as an hale, growth. hematogenous, anti-aging, hack pain in Eastern medicine. The purpose of present study was to investigate the effects of CPC extract on cell cycle progression and its molecular mechanism in human fetal osteoblasts. CPC extracts (10 ${\mu}g/ml$) increased cell proliferation in the human fetal osteoblasts compared to non-supplemented control. There was no significant change in the G1 and S phase, hut a increase in the G2/M phase in 10 ${\mu}g/ml$ and 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ of CPC extracts group as compared to non-supplemented control. The protein expression of cyclin E, cdk 2, cycln D, cdk 4, and cdk 6 was higher than that of control group. The level of p21 was lower than that of control. But that of pRb and pl6 was not distinguished from control. These results indicate that the increase of cell proliferation by CPC extracts may be due t o the increased expression of cyclin E, cdk 2, cyclin D, cdk 4 and cdk 6, and the decreased expression of p21 in human fetal osteoblasts.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.18-26
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• 2004

The effect of Panax ginseng administration in muscle inflammatory process induced after eccentric exercise, that causes myofibrillar disruption, was studied. Changes in lipid peroxidation, inflammation, glycogen levels in muscle and release of myocellular proteins to blood were measured. The analyses were performed immediately after eccentric exercise and over week since this period are necessary for the muscle damage-repair cycle. The ginseng extract (100 mg kg$^{-1}$ ) was orally administered to rats for three months, before the eccentric exercise performance. The results showed the protective role of ginseng against skeletal muscle damage. This effect could be associated with their membrane stabilising capacity since creatine kinase (CK) activity was significantly decreased 96 h post-exercise from 523$\pm$70 to 381$\pm$53 and 120 h post-exercise from 443$\pm$85 to 327$\pm$75 in treated animals. $\beta$-glucuronidase activity, as indicator of inflammation, showed a significant reduction of about 15-25% in soleus, vastus and triceps in these post-exercise times. The lipid peroxidation, measured by malondyaldehyde levels, was significantly decreased in the 24 h post-exercise period in soleus and vastus intermedius muscles and on the recovery period. Finally ginseng administration reduced significantly the decrease of the glycogen levels immediately after exercise and when the regenerative process took place (72-168 h post exercise). Collectively, the results have showed that ginseng did not inhibit the vital inflammatory response process associated with the muscle damage-repair cycle but presumably ameliorate the injury.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.46-53
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• 2005

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells, unlike most cells derived from adult or fetal human tissues, represent a potentially unlimited source of various cell types for basic clinical research. To meet the increased demand for characterized hES cell lines, we established and characterized nine new lines obtained from frozen-thawed pronucleus-stage embryos. In addition, we improved the derivation efficiency from inner cell masses (to 47.4%) and optimized culture conditions for undifferentiated hES cells. After these cell lines had been maintained for over a year in vitro, they were characterized comprehensively for expression of markers of undifferentiated hES cells, karyotype, and in vitro/in vivo differentiation capacity. All of the cell lines were pluripotent, and one cell line was trisomic for chromosome 3. Improved culture techniques for hES cells should make them a good source for diverse applications in regenerative medicine, but further investigation is needed of their basic biology.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.28-39
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the regenerative capacity of reconstruction in the atrophied posterior maxilla by comparing bone graft procedures and alveolar distraction osteogenesis (ADO) techniques. We performed the autogenous iliac bone graft (AGB group, 5 specimens in 3 patients), and the combination (Mixed group, 3 specimens in 3 patients) of the autogenous and deproteinized bovine bone ($Bio-Oss^{(R)}$, Geistlich Co., Switzerland) as the ratio of 2:1 in the sinus floor elevation procedures. ADO procedures using $TRACK^{(R)}$ (KLS Martin Co., Germany) were also performed to augment vertical alveolar height in atrophied posterior maxilla (ADO group, 5 specimens in 4 patients). Newly generated bone tissues were obtained with the 2.0mm diameter trephine bur (3i Co., USA) during implant fixture installation after 5-7 months. Routine histolomorphological observation, immunodot blot assay for quantitative evaluation, and immunohistochemical staining with antibodies to MMP-1, -9, -10, TIMP-1, -2, and BMP-2, -4 were all carried out. Lamellar bone formation was well shown in all specimens and new bone formations of ADO group increased than those of other procedures. In immunohistochemical staining, the strong expression of BMP-2 was shown in all specimens, and immunodot blot assay showed that bone formation is accompanied by the good induction of factors associated with angiogenesis and appeared more increased amount of osteogenic and angiogenic factors in ADO group. ADO is the most effective technique for new bone formation compared to sinus floor elevation with autogenous or mixed bone graft in the atrophied posterior maxilla. In the quantitative immunodot blot assay, the regenerated bone after ADO showed more increased products of VEGF, BMP-2, PCNA and MMP-1 than those after the other procedures, and these findings were able to be confirmed by immunohistochemical stainings.