• Title/Summary/Keyword: Translational research

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Translational gut microbiome research for strategies to improve beef cattle production sustainability and meat quality

  • Yasushi Mizoguchi;Le Luo Guan
    • Animal Bioscience
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    • v.37 no.2_spc
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    • pp.346-359
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    • 2024
  • Advanced and innovative breeding and management of meat-producing animals are needed to address the global food security and sustainability challenges. Beef production is an important industry for securing animal protein resources in the world and meat quality significantly contributes to the economic values and human needs. Improvement of cattle feed efficiency has become an urgent task as it can lower the environmental burden of methane gas emissions and the reduce the consumption of human edible cereal grains. Cattle depend on their symbiotic microbiome and its activity in the rumen and gut to maintain growth and health. Recent developments in high-throughput omics analysis (metagenome, metatranscriptome, metabolome, metaproteome and so on) have made it possible to comprehensively analyze microbiome, hosts and their interactions and to define their roles in affecting cattle biology. In this review, we focus on the relationships among gut microbiome and beef meat quality, feed efficiency, methane emission as well as host genetics in beef cattle, aiming to determine the current knowledge gaps for the development of the strategies to improve the sustainability of beef production.

Effects of Osteoblast Differentiation via C2C12 Cell by Rice Bran Ethyl acetate Fraction (미강 에틸아세테이트 분획물의 C2C12세포를 통한 조골세포 분화 효과)

  • Moon, Jungsun;Moon, Seung Hee;Choi, Sungsook;Lee, Sookyeon;Yim, Dongsool
    • Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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    • v.45 no.4
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    • pp.326-331
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    • 2014
  • In this study, we investigated pharmacologic activity of rice bran ethyl acetate fraction (RBE), based on their osteoblast enhancing effects. It has been found that REB have a stimulatory effect on the commitment of bi-potential mesenchymal precursor C2C12 cells into osteoblasts in the presence of BMP-2. Furthermore, RBE enhanced the BMP-2-stimulated induction of ALP, an early phase biomarker of osteoblast differentiation. In addition, Western blot analysis showed RBE enhanced the BMP-2-stimulated phosphorylation of p38, but not those of ERK or JNK. These findings show RBE has the potential to enhance the BMP-2-mediated commitment of C2C12 cells into osteoblasts and their differentiation through p38 activation.

Numerical Analysis of Offshore Installation Using a Floating Crane with Heave Compensator in Waves (Heave Compensator를 고려한 파랑 중 해상 크레인 설치작업 수치해석)

  • Nam, Bo-Woo;Hong, Sa-Young;Kim, Jong-Wook;Lee, Dong-Yeop
    • Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.70-77
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    • 2012
  • In this study, a numerical analysis of offshore installation using a floating crane with heave compensator is carried out in time domain. The motion analysis of crane vessels is based on floating body dynamics using convolution integral and the crane wire is treated as simple spring. The lifted structure is assumed as a rigid body with 3 degree-of-freedom translational motion. The heave compensator is numerically modelled by the generalized spring-damper system. Firstly, forced motion simulations of crane wire system are carried out to figure out the basic principle of heave compensator. The transfer function of crane wire system is obtained and effective wave period of heave compensator are found. Then, coupled analysis of crane vessel, crane wire, and lifted structure are performed in regular and irregular sea conditions. Two different crane vessels and two lifted structures (suction pile and manifold) are considered in this study. Through a series of numerical calculations, the effective zone of heave compensator is investigated with respect to wave period and crane wire length.

Lowering Simulation using Floating Crane in Waves (파랑 중 해상 크레인의 하강 작업 수치 시뮬레이션)

  • Nam, Bo-Woo;Hong, Sa-Young;Kim, Byoung-Wan;Lee, Dong-Yeop
    • Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.17-26
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    • 2012
  • A coupled analysis of a floating crane barge with a crane wire and hanging structure is carried out in thetime domain. The motion analysis of the crane barge is based on the floating multi-body dynamics, and thecrane wire is modeled as a simple spring tension. The hanging structure is assumed to be a rigid body with 3 degree-of-freedom translational motion. In this study, numerical simulations were conducted at three different stages. First, the developed code was validated by comparing the time-domain motion response of a crane barge with the frequency-domain results. Then, a coupled analysis of a crane barge and simple structure hanging by the crane wire was performed using the present scheme. The motion response and wire tension from the present calculations are compared with the results of OrcaFlex. The agreement between the two sets of results isfairly good. Last, lowering simulations in regular and irregular waves were conducted considering buoyancy changes in the hanging structure. The effects of the wave conditions, structure's weight, wire length, and lowering speed on the wire tension are considered.

Approximated Generalized Torques by the Hydrodynamic Forces Acting on Legs of an Underwater Walking Robot

  • Jun, Bong-Huan;Shim, Hyung-Won;Lee, Pan-Mook
    • International Journal of Ocean System Engineering
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    • v.1 no.4
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    • pp.222-229
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    • 2011
  • In this paper, we present the concept and main mission of the Crabster, an underwater walking robot. The main focus is on the modeling of drag and lift forces on the legs of the robot, which comprise the main difference in dynamic characteristics between on-land and underwater robots. Drag and lift forces acting on the underwater link are described as a function of the relative velocity of the link with respect to the fluid using the strip theory. Using the translational velocity of the link as the rotational velocity of the joint, we describe the drag force as a function of joint variables. Generalized drag torque is successfully derived from the drag force as a function of generalized variables and its first derivative, even though the arm has a roll joint and twist angles between the joints. To verify the proposed model, we conducted drag torque simulations using a simple Selective Compliant Articulated Robot Arm.

Current Drugs and Drug Targets in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Limitations and Opportunities

  • Daga, Aditi;Ansari, Afzal;Patel, Shanaya;Mirza, Sheefa;Rawal, Rakesh;Umrania, Valentina
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.16 no.10
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    • pp.4147-4156
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    • 2015
  • Lung cancer is a serious health problem and leading cause of death worldwide due to its high incidence and mortality. More than 80% of lung cancers feature a non-small cell histology. Over few decades, systemic chemotherapy and surgery are the only treatment options in this type of tumor but due to their limited efficacy and overall poor survival of patients, there is an urge to develop newer therapeutic strategies which circumvent the problems. Enhanced knowledge of translational science and molecular biology have revealed that lung tumors carry diverse driver gene mutations and adopt different intracellular pathways leading to carcinogenesis. Hence, the development of targeted agents against molecular subgroups harboring critical mutations is an attractive approach for therapeutic treatment. Targeted therapies are clearly more preferred nowadays over systemic therapies because they target tumor specific molecules resulting with enhanced activity and reduced toxicity to normal tissues. Thus, this review encompasses comprehensive updates on targeted therapies for the driver mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the potential challenges of acquired drug resistance faced i n the field of targeted therapy along with the imminent newer treatment modalities against lung cancer.

Psychological and Physical Health in Family Caregivers of Intensive Care Unit Survivors: Current Knowledge and Future Research Strategies

  • Choi, JiYeon;Donahoe, Michael P.;Hoffman, Leslie A.
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.46 no.2
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    • pp.159-167
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    • 2016
  • Purpose: This article provides an overview of current knowledge on the impact of caregiving on the psychological and physical health of family caregivers of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors and suggestions for future research. Methods: Review of selected papers published in English between January 2000 and October 2015 reporting psychological and physical health outcomes in family caregivers of ICU survivors. Results: In family caregivers of ICU survivors followed up to five years after patients' discharge from an ICU, psychological symptoms, manifested as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, were highly prevalent. Poor self-care, sleep disturbances and fatigue were identified as common physical health problems in family caregivers. Studies to date are mainly descriptive; few interventions have targeted family caregivers. Further, studies that elicit unique needs of families from diverse cultures are lacking. Conclusion: Studies to date have described the impact of caregiving on the psychological and physical health in family caregivers of ICU survivors. Few studies have tested interventions to support unique needs in this population. Therefore, evidence for best strategies is lacking. Future research is needed to identify ICU caregivers at greatest risk for distress, time points to target interventions with maximal efficacy, needs of those from diverse cultures and test interventions to mitigate family caregivers' burden.

An Intercultural Experiment to Build Life Science Innovation in Korea

  • Nehrbass, Ulf
    • STI Policy Review
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.96-116
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    • 2012
  • The establishment of Institut Pasteur Korea (IP-K) has been an intercultural experiment, which transplanted a French research organization with many foreign researchers into Korea to grow a new institution as a long-term collaboration. The Mission of the newly founded institute has been to develop more effective ways of generating value with basic life science research in the face of a world-wide Pharma crisis. The challenges have been i.) to invent new technologies and approaches in drug discovery, ii.) to convince the Korean stakeholders of their inherent value, iii.) to induce Pharma industry to adopt the new technologies and iv.) to create a context in the Korean R&D landscape where the new institute could contribute tangible benefits. If Institut Pasteur Korea has succeeded in all counts, then due to a somewhat skewed and unlikely set of cultural complementarities between Korea and France. The abstract and conceptual French approach was matched by Korean pragmatism, linearity and relentless improvement towards the defined development goal. IP-K has become an example for innovation made in Korea, which is now re-imported into Europe. As the project could arguably not have succeeded in either partner county alone, it highlights the benefits of longterm, in depth international collaborations.

Enhancement of skin permeation of vitamin C using vibrating microneedles

  • Lee, Cho-A;Baek, Jong-Suep;Kwag, Dong-Gi;Lee, Hye-Jin;Park, Jeanho;Cho, Cheong-Weon
    • Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
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    • v.25 no.1
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    • pp.15-20
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    • 2017
  • This study was performed to evaluate the use of vibrating microneedles for the transdermal delivery of vitamin C. The microneedles were designed to vibrate at three levels of intensity. In vitro permeation by vitamin C was evaluated according to the specific conditions such as vibration intensity (levels 1, 2 and 3), application time (1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 min), and application power (500, 700 and 1,000 g). The highest permeation of vitamin C was observed at level 3 of vibration intensity, 5 min of application, and 1,000 g of application power. Vitamin C gel showed no cytotoxic effect against Pam212 cells or skin irritation effects. A pharmacokinetic study of the gel in rats was conducted under optimized conditions. The $AUC_{0-{\infty}}$ and $C_{max}$ increased 1.35-fold and 1.44-fold, respectively, compared with those after vitamin C gel without application with vibrating microneedles. The present study suggests that vibrating microneedles can be used to facilitate the skin permeability of vitamin C under optimal conditions.

Differences Regarding the Molecular Features and Gut Microbiota Between Right and Left Colon Cancer

  • Kim, Kwangmin;Castro, Ernes John T.;Shim, Hongjin;Advincula, John Vincent G.;Kim, Young-Wan
    • Annals of Coloproctology
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    • v.34 no.6
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    • pp.280-285
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    • 2018
  • For many years, developmental and physiological differences have been known to exist between anatomic segments of the colorectum. Because of different outcomes, prognoses, and clinical responses to chemotherapy, the distinction between right colon cancer (RCC) and left colon cancer (LCC) has gained attention. Furthermore, variations in the molecular features and gut microbiota between right and LCCs have recently been a hot research topic. CpG island methylator phenotype-high, microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancers are more likely to occur on the right side whereas tumors with chromosomal instability have been detected in approximately 75% of LCC patients and 30% of RCC patients. The mutation rates of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes also differ between RCC and LCC patients. Biofilm is more abundant in RCC patients than LLC patients, as are Prevotella, Selenomonas, and Peptostreptococcus. Conversely, Fusobacterium, Escherichia/Shigella, and Leptotrichia are more abundant in LCC patients compared to RCC patients. Distinctive characteristics are apparent in terms of molecular features and gut microbiota between right and LCC. However, how or to what extent these differences influence diverging oncologic outcomes remains unclear. Further clinical and translational studies are needed to elucidate the causative relationship between primary tumor location and prognosis.