• 대한물리치료과학회지
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• 제14권1_4호
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• pp.11-23
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• 2007

This study was performed to evaluate the effects of low-intensity ultrasound application to the peripheral nerve injury animal model on enhancement of nerve regeneration and functional recovery. Using aseptic microsurgical techniques, the sciatic nerve of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats was crushed at the outside of right mid-thigh for 30 seconds with fine forceps. Beginning just after surgery, various continuous-wave ultrasound treatments with intensities of 0.2 W/$cm^2$, 0.5 W /$cm^2$ and 1.0 W /$cm^2$ operated at 1 MHz or sham treatment were applied to the opposite inside of the crush site for 1 minute every other day with a transducer moving speed of 2cm/sec. For evaluation of the progress of sciatic nerve regeneration, c-Fos expression in the lumbar spinal cord (L4-5) dorsal horn was investigated. c-fos expression was markedly increased at 1hour after sciatic nerve crush injury, then gradually decreased thereafter. The c-fos expressions were significantly decreased (p<0.05) in all the experimental groups in comparison with the control group until 3days post-crush, and the degrees of decrease were higher in 0.5 W/$cm^2$ and 1 W/$cm^2$ intensity ultrasound application groups. It is suggested that low-intensity ultrasound application to an animal model of sciatic crush injury may suppress pain transmission and promote nerve regeneration, and which may result in delayed progress of muscle atrophy and accelerated progress of muscle recovery and eventually may result in accelerated and improved foot function recovery.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.92-102
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• 2015

This work aimed to study whether rice bran extract fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum (LW) promotes functional recovery and reduces cognitive impairment after ischemic brain injury. Ischemic brain injury was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats. Four groups were studied, namely the (1) sham, (2) vehicle, (3) donepezil, and (4) LW groups. Animals were injected with LW once a day for 7 days after middle cerebral artery occlusion. LW group showed significantly improved neurological function as compared to the vehicle group, as well as enhanced learning and memory in the Morris water maze. The LW group showed the greatest functional recovery. Moreover, the LW group showed an enhanced more survival cells anti-apoptotic effect in the cortex and neural cell densities in the hippocampal DG and CA1. In addition, this group showed enhanced expression of neurotrophic factors, antioxidant genes, and the acetylcholine receptor gene, as well as synaptophysin (SYP), Fox-3 (NeuN), doublecortin (DCX), and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) proteins. Our findings indicate that LW treatment showed the largest effects in functional recovery and cognitive improvement after ischemic brain injury through stimulation of the acetylcholine receptor, antioxidant genes, neurotrophic factors, and expression of NeuN, SYP, DCX, and ChAT.

• 대한물리의학회지
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.525-532
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• 2013

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different loading swimming exercises on muscle recovery after sciatic nerve crush injury in rats. METHODS: For this study, thirty-one Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided into five groups. There were the negative control group (NCG, n=5), the positive control group (PCG, n=7), the low intensity swimming exercise group (LISEG, n=7), the moderate intensity swimming exercise group (MISEG, n=7) and the high intensity swimming exercise group (HISEG, n=5). Each rat was weighed to determine the lead weight to be attached to the base of its tail. Subsequently, the PCG, the LISEG, the MISEG and the HISEG were underwent standard unilateral sciatic nerve crush. The LISEG (no load), the MISEG (lead weight equivalent to 2% average body mass) and the HISEG (lead weight equivalent to 4% average body mass) were received the 10 minute swimming exercise in a day for 10 days. The NCG and PCG were not received with any therapeutic intervention. The diameter of the calf muscle and the level of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured to detect the effects of the swimming exercise. RESULT: The maximum diameter of the calf muscles was significantly increased after seventh swimming exercise in the LISEG, the MISEG and the HISEG compared with the PCG (p<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the LISEG, the MISEG and the HISEG. Also, the level of the serum LDH was significantly decreased in the LISEG, the MISEG and the HISEG compared with the PCG (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results suggest that swimming exercise could accelerate muscle recovery processes after crush injury, but the different intensity of the swimming exercise does not affect healing processes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.157-161
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• 2010

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are specifically induced by various forms of stress. Hsp70.1, a member of the hsp70 family is known to play an important role in cytoprotection from stressful insults. However, the functional role of Hsp70 in motor function after spinal cord injury (SCI) is still unclear. To study the role of hsp70.1 in motor recovery following SCI, we assessed locomotor function in hsp70.1 knockout (KO) mice and their wild-type (WT) mice via the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale, before and after spinal hemisection at T13 level. We also examined lesion size in the spinal cord using Luxol fast blue/cresyl violet staining. One day after injury, KO and WT mice showed no significant difference in the motor function due to complete paralysis following spinal hemisection. However, when it compared to WT mice, KO mice had significantly delayed and decreased functional outcomes from 4 days up to 21 days after SCI. KO mice also showed significantly greater lesion size in the spinal cord than WT mice showed at 21 days after spinal hemisection. These results suggest that Hsp70 has a protective effect against traumatic SCI and the manipulation of the hsp70.1 gene may help improve the recovery of motor function, thereby enhancing neuroprotection after SCI.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.98-102
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• 2004

The terrible triad of the shoulder, a combination of anterior shoulder dislocation, massive rotator cuff tear and neurologic injury, is rare. We experienced 4 patients with this condition who were treated with a rotator cuff repair. The mean age was 65 years. Follow-up averaged 27 months. All patients had a history of redislocation after initial traumatic shoulder dislocation and were evaluated with electromyography and magnetic resonance imaging. At the operation, massive rotator cuff tear and hypertrophy of the long head of the biceps were found in all patients. Clinically, 3 patients achieved recovery of their nerve injury by 3 months postoperatively and the final results were fair. In one patient, there was no recovery of deltoid function and this case was rated as a failure. For this injury pattern, the prognosis appears to be dependent on eventual nerve recovery when the rotator cuff has been repaired early.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.535-546
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• 2021

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of texture analysis on non-contrast-enhanced T1 maps of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging for the diagnosis of myocardial injury in acute myocardial infarction (MI). Materials and Methods: This study included 68 patients (57 males and 11 females; mean age, 55.7 ± 10.5 years) with acute ST-segment-elevation MI who had undergone 3T CMR after a percutaneous coronary intervention. Forty patients of them also underwent a 6-month follow-up CMR. The CMR protocol included T2-weighted imaging, T1 mapping, rest first-pass perfusion, and late gadolinium enhancement. Radiomics features were extracted from the T1 maps using open-source software. Radiomics signatures were constructed with the selected strongest features to evaluate the myocardial injury severity and predict the recovery of left ventricular (LV) longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility. Results: A total of 1088 segments of the acute CMR images were analyzed; 103 (9.5%) segments showed microvascular obstruction (MVO), and 557 (51.2%) segments showed MI. A total of 640 segments were included in the 6-month follow-up analysis, of which 160 (25.0%) segments showed favorable recovery of LV longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility. Combined radiomics signature and T1 values resulted in a higher diagnostic performance for MVO compared to T1 values alone (area under the curve [AUC] in the training set; 0.88, 0.72, p = 0.031: AUC in the test set; 0.86, 0.71, p = 0.002). Combined radiomics signature and T1 values also provided a higher predictive value for LV longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility recovery compared to T1 values (AUC in the training set; 0.76, 0.55, p < 0.001: AUC in the test set; 0.77, 0.60, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The combination of radiomics of non-contrast-enhanced T1 mapping and T1 values could provide higher diagnostic accuracy for MVO. Radiomics also provides incremental value in the prediction of LV longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility at six months.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.464-471
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• 2006

본 연구에서는 흰쥐의 좌골신경을 손상시킨 후 트레드밀 운동을 적용하여 신경돌기 성장과 좌골신경의 축삭 재생 및 신경성장 인자 발현 그리고 신경기능지수의 변화를 연구했다. 본 연구결과 좌골손상 후 트레드밀 운동을 실시한 그룹이 비운동군에 비해 축삭재생이 촉진되었고, 원위부의 좌골신경에서도 NGF, BDNF단백질 발현이 상당히 증가된 것으로 나타났다. 또한 좌골신경지수를 검사한 결과에서도 운동을 실시한 흰쥐가 비운동 흰쥐에 비해 기능적 회복이 상당히 빠른 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과는 좌골손상 후 운동의 실시가 좌골신경의 축삭재생 촉진과 신경영양인자의 발현증가를 통해 기능적 회복에 도움이 될 수 있음을 보여주는 것이다.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제38권5호
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• pp.331-337
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• 2005

Objective : The purpose of this study is to identify correlations between diffusion tensor imaging[DTI] and motor improvement by quantifying and visualizing the corticospinal tract on DTI to predict motor impairment in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage[ICH]. Methods : Fifteen normal subjects and 7 patients with hypertensive ICH were examined and the latter were treated surgically. DTI was performed with a 3.0 T MRI. The region of interest[ROI] from the posterior limbs of both internal capsules was measured on a fractional anisotropy[FA] map, and the ratios of ROIs were calculated. Tractography, 3-dimensional DTI was then constructed. Motor impairment was assessed on admission and 2weeks after stroke by the Motricity Index[MI]. The FA ratio, tractography and score on MI were analyzed for correlations. Results : The FA ratio from the initial DTI did not show a linear correlation with motor impairment. However, after 2weeks, patients with high FA ratios showed high degrees of motor recovery, regardless of the initial severity, and patients with low FA ratios showed low recovery rates. Otherwise, a relationship between the amount of hematoma and the degree of motor recovery could not be determined. On tractography, injury of the corticospinal tract could be visualized and estimated 3-dimensionally. Conclusion : FA ratio analysis and tractography constructed from DTI may be useful in understanding corticospinal tract injury and in predicting the recovery from motor impairment in patients.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.33-44
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• 2007

Purpose: To investigate and analyze effects of environmental enrichment(EE) and nerve stimulation that follows in application times with change of functional recovery(1, 3, 7 and 14 days). Methods: Focal ischemic brain injury was produced in 100 Sprauge-Dawley rats through middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO). Neurobehavioral assessment were selected, such as tilting plane testing, horizontal wire testing, vestibulomotor function testing and complex neuromotor function test, then they were randomly divided into five groups; Group I : Sham group, Group II: MCAO group, Group III: MCAO and ES group, Group IV: MCAO and EE group, Group V: MCAO and EE and ES group. Results: In neurobehavioral assessment, group V were significantly difference from other groups on between-subject effects. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that in focal ishemic brain injury, combined environmental enrichment and peripheral nerve electrical stimulation is more improved that the improvement of exercise function recovery than non treatment group.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.177-186
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• 2018

Background and Objectives: Glial scarring and inflammation after spinal cord injury (SCI) interfere with neural regeneration and functional recovery due to the inhibitory microenvironment of the injured spinal cord. Stem cell transplantation can improve functional recovery in experimental models of SCI, but many obstacles to clinical application remain due to concerns regarding the effectiveness and safety of stem cell transplantation for SCI patients. In this study, we investigated the effects of transplantation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) that were genetically modified to express Olig2 in a rat model of SCI. Methods: Bone marrow-derived hMSCs were genetically modified to express Olig2 and transplanted one week after the induction of contusive SCI in a rat model. Spinal cords were harvested 7 weeks after transplantation. Results: Transplantation of Olig2-expressing hMSCs significantly improved functional recovery in a rat model of contusive SCI model compared to the control hMSC-transplanted group. Transplantation of Olig2-expressing hMSCs also attenuated glial scar formation in spinal cord lesions. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that transplanted Olig2-expressing hMSCs were partially differentiated into Olig1-positive oligodendrocyte-like cells in spinal cords. Furthermore, NF-M-positive axons were more abundant in the Olig2-expressing hMSC-transplanted group than in the control hMSC-transplanted group. Conclusions: We suggest that Olig2-expressing hMSCs are a safe and optimal cell source for treating SCI.