• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제27권5호
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• pp.224-228
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• 2006

The object of this study is to investigate the potential of dual-electrospun polymer based structure for vascular tissue engineering, especially for the medium or small sue blood vessels. Polyurethane(PU), which is known to be biocompatible in this area, was electrospun with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). Concentration of PU was fixed at 20wt%, while that of PEO was set from 15 to 35wt%. Morphological features were observed by SEM image and measurement of porosity and cellular responses were tested before and after extracting PEO from the hybrid scaffolds by immersing the scaffolds into distilled water. The diameter of PEO fibers were ranged from 200nm to 500nm. The lower concentration of PEO tended to show beads. The porosity of the scaffolds after extracting PEO was highly increased with higher concentration of PEO as expected. Also, higher proliferation rate of smooth muscle cells was observed at higher concentration of PEO than at the lower concentration and without PEO. As conclusions, this dual electrospinning technique combined with PU and PEO is expected to overcome the current barrier of cell penetration by providing more space for cells to proliferation.

• 대한의용생체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한의용생체공학회 1997년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.478-481
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• 1997

A technique or the preparation of porous polyurethane vascular prostheses was investigated. Small-diameter vessels are not in general clinical use due to their limited long-term biocompatibility and low patency rates in experimental trial. These limits are mainly due to the failure of mechanical unction of the vascular grafts. This failure has been suggested to result partially from compliance mismatch. The long-term patency is considered to depend critically on the properties of the material and the fabrication process of the graft. So the control of pores is very important and main points to develop a available vascular grafts. Two-kind polymer sheets was compared. One was the porous PU-sheet made at room temperature by the solvent/non-solvent exchange. And the other was the porous PU-sheet which was fabricated by thermal phase transition and solvent-/non-solvent exchange using the thermal controller. The polymer sheets had a uniform pore size and pore occupation. According to the result of the above experiments, polyurethane solution was injected into a mold designed or U-type tube. The average pore size and pore occupation were easily changed by changing polyurethane concentration, freezing temperature, and methods. This technique can give a proper pore size ($10{\sim}45\;{\mu}m$) or tissue in growth, and suitable compliances or matching with arteries and veins. Besides, the fabrication of more complicated shaped vessels such as the U-type vascular grafts is easily controlled by using the fixed mold. this method might give a desired compliant graft or artificial implantation with the presently valid medical polymers.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• 제52권9호
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• pp.643-658
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• 2022

Cell-based therapy has emerged as a promising option for treating advanced ischemic cardiovascular disease by inducing vascular regeneration. However, clinical trials with adult cells turned out disappointing in general. As a newer approach, direct reprogramming has emerged to efficiently generate endothelial cells (ECs), which can promote neovascularization and vascular regeneration. This review provides recent updates on the direct endothelial reprogramming. In general, directly reprogrammed ECs can be generated by two approaches: one by transitioning through a plastic intermediate state and the other in a one-step transition without any intermediate states toward pluripotency. Moreover, the methods to deliver reprogramming factors and chemicals for the fate conversion are highlighted. Next, the therapeutic effects of the directly reprogrammed ECs on animal models are reviewed in detail. Other applications using directly reprogrammed ECs, such as tissue engineering and disease modeling, are also discussed. Lastly, the remaining questions and foremost challenges are addressed.

• 대한의용생체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한의용생체공학회 1990년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.9-12
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• 1990

He impregnated a highly porous, knitted polyester (Dacron) graft with a biodegradable nonproteinaceous material, algin. This new vascular graft is blood tight but still retains high porosity in the body. It does not need to be preclotted with blood before implantation and has good tissue ingrowth and biological healing properties due to the high porosity. The algin impregnated graft was investigated by "in vitro" examinations in this study. It was characterized by ESCA analysis, SEM observation, and measurements of water permeability, algin coating weight, mechanical properties and whole blood clotting time. The water permeability of the graft was reduced more than 99% by the algin impregnation treatment without changing any mechanical properties. "In vivo" examinations of the algin impregnated vascular graft are on progress.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.10.1-10.17
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• 2024

In this review, we will explore the intricate roles of cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factors in autoimmune diseases (ADs), with a particular focus on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple sclerosis (MS). AD is characterized by self-destructive immune responses due to auto-reactive T lymphocytes and Abs. Among various types of ADs, RA and MS possess inflammation as a central role but in different sites of the patients. Other common aspects among these two ADs are their chronicity and relapsing-remitting symptoms requiring continuous management. First factor inducing these ADs are cytokines, such as IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-17, which play significant roles in the pathogenesis by contributing to inflammation, immune cell activation, and tissue damage. Secondly, vascular endothelial growth factors, including VEGF and angiopoietins, are crucial in promoting angiogenesis and inflammation in these two ADs. Finally, placental growth factor (PlGF), an emerging factor with bi-directional roles in angiogenesis and T cell differentiation, as we introduce as an "angio-lymphokine" is another key factor in ADs. Thus, while angiogenesis recruits more inflammatory cells into the peripheral sites, cytokines secreted by effector cells play critical roles in the pathogenesis of ADs. Various therapeutic interventions targeting these soluble molecules have shown promise in managing autoimmune pathogenic conditions. However, delicate interplay between cytokines, angiogenic factors, and PlGF has more to be studied when considering their complementary role in actual pathogenic conditions. Understanding the complex interactions among these factors provides valuable insights for the development of innovative therapies for RA and MS, offering hope for improved patient outcomes.

• 한국의학물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국의학물리학회 2002년도 Proceedings
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• pp.442-445
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• 2002

We present an algorithm for automatic anatomically adaptive image enhancement of digital chest radiographs. Chest images were exposed using digital radiography system with a 0.143 mm pixel pitch, l4-bit gray levels, and 3121 ${\times}$ 3121 matrix size. A chest radiograph was automatically divided into two classes (lung field and mediastinum) by using a maximum likelihood method. Each pixel in an image was processed using fuzzy domain transformation and enhancement of both the dynamic range and local gray level variations. The lung fields were enhanced appropriately to visualize effectively vascular tissue, the bronchus, and lung tissue, etc as well as pneumothorax and other lung diseases at the same time with the desired mediastinum enhancement. A prototype implementation of the algorithm is undergoing trials in the clinical routine of radiology department of major Korean hospital.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제48권5호
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• pp.559-567
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• 2021

The potential to differentiate into different cell lines, added to the easy and cost-effective method of extraction, makes adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) an object of interest in lymphedema treatment. Our study's goal was to conduct a comprehensive systematic review of the use of ADSCs in lymphatic tissue engineering and regeneration. On July 23, 2019, using PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Clinical Answers, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Embase databases, we conducted a systematic review of published literature on the use of ADSCs in lymphatic tissue engineering and regeneration. There were no language or time frame limitations, and the following search strategy was applied: ((Adipose stem cell) OR Adipose-derived stem cell)) AND ((Lymphedema) OR Breast Cancer Lymphedema). Only original research manuscripts were included. Fourteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies were experimental (in vitro or in vivo in animals), and only three were clinical. Publications on the topic demonstrated that ADSCs promote lymphangiogenesis, and its effect could be enhanced by modulation of vascular endothelial growth factor-C, interleukin-7, prospero homeobox protein 1, and transforming growth factor-β1. Pilot clinical studies included 11 patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema, and no significant side effects were present at 12-month follow-up. Literature on the use of ADSCs in lymphatic tissue engineering and regeneration demonstrated promising data. Clinical evidence is still in its infancy, but the scientific community agrees that ADSCs can be useful in regenerative lymphangiogenesis. Data collected in this review indicate that unprecedented advances in lymphedema treatment can be anticipated in the upcoming years.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 제어로봇시스템학회 2004년도 ICCAS
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• pp.101-106
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• 2004

In this paper, a blood vessel in an angiographic image, which plays an importance role in the diagnose diseases including in the eyes, brain and heart, is enhanced by using a directed diffusion technique. A fundamental component of the angiographic analysis is vessel segmentation that the proposed method provides a preprocessing of the image into a form suitable for human analysis, or more importantly, for machine analysis such the segmentation. Vessel enhancement is a challenging problem due to the complex nature of vascular trees and to imaging imperfections. Some parts of the inherent imperfections in angiography are the intensity inhomogeneity between the larger and smaller vessels, and another imperfection is the leakage of contrast agent into the background tissue that provides to low contrast between vessels and tissue. In the proposed scheme, the directed diffusion solves the problem by formulating a local geometric structure, which consists of direction and scale of the blood vessels. The diffusion process uses the local structure to enhance by a diffusivity tensor. The proposed algorithm can be applied to maintain sharpness and coherence-smooth the intra-regions into homogeneity better than traditional diffusion methods, which are Gaussian regulation and coherence enhancing diffusion.

• 한국기계가공학회지
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.79-86
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• 2022

Numerous fabrication techniques have been used to mimic cylindrical natural tissues, such as blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and skeletal muscles. However, most processes have limitations in achieving the biomimetic properties of multilayered and porous architectures. In this study, to embrace both features, a novel self-assembly method was proposed using electrospun microfibrous sheets. A bilayer microfibrous structure, comprising two sheets with different internal stresses, was fabricated by electrospinning a polycaprolactone (PCL) sheet on a uniaxially stretched thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) sheet. Then, by removing the stretching tension, the sheet was rolled into a hollow cylindrical structure with a specific internal diameter. The internal diameter could be quantitatively controlled by adjusting the thickness of the PCL sheet against that of the TPU sheet. Through this self-assembly method, biomimetic cylindrical structures with multilayer and porous features can be manufactured in a stable and controllable manner. Therefore, the resulting structures may be applied to various tissue engineering scaffolds, especially vascular and connective tissues.

• 재활복지공학회논문지
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• 제10권4호
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• pp.259-265
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• 2016

본 논문에서는 폐질환 조기 검출을 위하여 Broncho vascular, Emphysema, Ground Glass Reticular, Ground Glass, Honeycomb, Normal의 6가지 폐조직에 대한 새로운 분류기법을 제안하였다. 단순 베이즈 분류기와 아다부스트 학습 기법을 도입하여 459개의 결합 히스토그램 특징인자로부터 유효한 특징인자를 선별함으로써 폐조직을 분류하였다. 다중 해상도 해석, 체적 LBP 및 CT 휘도를 기반으로 하는 결합 히스토그램 특징인자는 정확도, 민감도, 특이도 결과에서 기존의 3D AMFM보다 우수한 결과를 보였다. 제안한 특징인자와 3D AMFM 특징인자의 정확도는 각각 90.1%과 85.3%로서 제안한 특징인자의 우수한 분류 성능을 확인하였다.