Decellularized allogeneic cartilage paste with human costal cartilage and crosslinked hyaluronic acid-carboxymethyl cellulose carrier augments microfracture for improved articular cartilage repair.

Articular cartilage lacks natural healing abilities and necessitates surgical treatments for injuries. While microfracture (MF) is a primary surgical approach, it often results in the formation of unstable fibrocartilage. Delivering hyaline cartilage directly to defects poses challenges due to the limited availability of autologous cartilage and difficulties associated with allogeneic cartilage delivery.

Predicting of tunneling resistivity between adjacent nanosheets in graphene-polymer systems.

In this work, the tunneling resistivity between neighboring nanosheets in grapheme-polymer nanocomposites is expressed by a simple equation as a function of the characteristics of graphene and tunnels. This expression is obtained by connecting two advanced models for the conductivity of graphene-filled materials reflecting tunneling role and interphase area. The predictions of the applied models are linked to the tested data of several samples.

Bone Marrow Homeostasis Is Impaired via JAK/STAT and Glucocorticoid Signaling in Cancer Cachexia Model.

Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial systemic inflammation disease caused by complex interactions between the tumor and host tissues via soluble factors. However, whether cancer cachexia affects the bone marrow, in particular the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), remains unclear. Here, we investigated the bone marrow and bone in a cancer cachexia animal model generated by transplanting Lewis lung carcinoma cells.

Coordinated Regulation of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Migration by Various Chemotactic Stimuli.

Endogenous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells are mobilized to peripheral blood and injured tissues in response to changes in the expression of various growth factors and cytokines in the injured tissues, including substance P (SP), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), and stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1). SP, TGF-β, and SDF-1 are all known to induce the migration of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). However, it is not yet clear how these stimuli influence or interact with each other during BM-MSC mobilization.

Substance P enhances cellular migration and inhibits senescence in human dermal fibroblasts under hyperglycemic conditions.

Diabetes induces cellular dysfunction in dermal fibroblasts, such as impairment in migration, which is a major cause of chronic wound. Here, we demonstrated that the migration of human dermal fibroblasts was impaired under a high glucose culture condition. Substance P (SP) rescued the impaired migration of the fibroblasts.

Comparing Verum and Sham Acupuncture in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Acupuncture is often used for relieving symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Our aim is to ascertain whether verum acupuncture is more effective than sham acupuncture in FMS.

Methods: We collected RCTs to investigate the effects of verum acupuncture and sham acupuncture on pain, sleep quality, fatigue, and general status in FMS patients.

BMP-4 enhances epithelial mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell properties of breast cancer cells via Notch signaling.

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling and Notch signaling play important roles in tumorigenesis in various organs and tissues, including the breast. BMP-4 enhanced epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem cell properties in both mammary epithelial cell line and breast carcinoma cell line. BMP-4 increased the expression of EMT biomarkers, such as fibronectin, laminin, N-cadherin, and Slug.

Association between tongue coating thickness and ultraviolet fluorescence in patients with functional dyspepsia: A prospective observational study.

The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between the tongue coating thickness (TCT) and ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence and propose a new method for the estimation of TCT using a computerized tongue image acquisition system (CTIS).In this prospective and observational single-center study, we acquired tongue images under visible light and near-UV light for 60 patients with functional dyspepsia. Tongue images were acquired twice within a 30-minute interval to assess the reliability of CTIS.

Reliability, Accuracy, and Use Frequency of Evaluation Methods for Amount of Tongue Coating.

Objective: To classify the evaluation methods for amount of tongue coating (TC) and investigate their reliability, accuracy, and frequency of use.

Methods: Articles published from 1985 to 2015 were searched for evaluation methods for the amount of TC in PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Only clinical researches were included except protocol articles.

Comparative Analysis of Tongue Indices between Patients with and without a Self-Reported Yin Deficiency: A Cross-Sectional Study.

We investigated the hypothesis that Yin-deficient patients have a reddened tongue with less coating. We screened 189 participants aged 20 to 49 years, complaining of headache. To classify patients in terms of Yin deficiency, we used two self-reporting Yin-deficiency questionnaires (Yin-Deficiency Questionnaire and Yin-Deficiency Scale) and diagnosis by a doctor.

Tongue diagnosis system for quantitative assessment of tongue coating in patients with functional dyspepsia: a clinical trial.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Tongue diagnosis is a significant procedure to examine the physiological and pathological changes of the human body in oriental medicine. However, the conventional method of tongue diagnosis including direct observation of tongue has limitations because of various external factors and subjective factors. Therefore, the current study investigated the usefulness of the tongue diagnosis system (TDS) as a diagnostic tool for evaluating tongue coating thickness (TCT) by assessing the agreement between the TDS and a gold standard established by assessors using the conventional method.

Acupuncture with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) versus acupuncture or NSAIDs alone for the treatment of chronic neck pain: an assessor-blinded randomised controlled pilot study.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and sample size required for a full-scale randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of acupuncture with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for chronic neck pain compared with acupuncture or NSAID treatment alone.

Methods: A total of 45 patients with chronic neck pain participated in the study. For 3 weeks the acupuncture with NSAIDs treatment group took NSAIDs (zaltoprofen, 80 mg) daily while receiving acupuncture treatment three times a week.

Availability of tongue diagnosis system for assessing tongue coating thickness in patients with functional dyspepsia.

Tongue diagnosis is an important procedure in traditional Korean medicine (TKM). In particular, tongue coating thickness (TCT) is deemed to show the progression of the disease. However, conventional tongue diagnosis has limitations because of various external factors.

Low-frequency, Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: a Double-blind, Sham-controlled Study.

Objective: Several studies have suggested that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the right prefrontal cortex may be useful in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study was to compare the effect of rTMS on the right prefrontal cortex with that of sham stimulation among patients with PTSD.

Methods: In total, 18 patients with PTSD were randomly assigned to the 1-Hz low-frequency rTMS group or the sham group for 3 weeks.

Measurement of spatial pulse wave velocity by using a clip-type pulsimeter equipped with a Hall sensor and photoplethysmography.

A prototype of a clip-type pulsimeter equipped with a magnetic field-sensing semiconductor Hall sensor was developed. It has a permanent magnet attached in the "Chwan" position to the center of a radial artery. The clip-type pulsimeter is composed of a hardware system measuring voltage signals.

Measurement of blood pressure using an arterial pulsimeter equipped with a Hall device.

To measure precise blood pressure (BP) and pulse rate without using a cuff, we have developed an arterial pulsimeter consisting of a small, portable apparatus incorporating a Hall device. Regression analysis of the pulse wave measured during testing of the arterial pulsimeter was conducted using two equations of the BP algorithm. The estimated values of BP obtained by the cuffless arterial pulsimeter over 5 s were compared with values obtained using electronic or liquid mercury BP meters.

Association of toll-like receptor 5 gene polymorphism with susceptibility to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine in korean population.

Objective: Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) has a strong genetic component. Specific gene polymorphisms may be associated with OPLL in several genes which regulate calcification in chondrocytes, change of extracellular collagen matrix and secretions of many growth factors and cytokines controlling bone morphogenesis. Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) may play a role in the pathogenesis of OPLL by intermediate nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB).

Embryotropic effect of glycosaminoglycans and receptors in development of porcine pre-implantation embryos.

The present study investigated the expression of receptors for glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and the effect of GAGs supplementation on development of porcine IVF embryos. Total RNA was prepared from oocytes, 2-, 4- and 8-cell embryos, morulae and blastocysts. The expression of hyaluronic acid receptor (CD44) and heparin (HP) interacting protein (HIP) was determined using RT-PCR and Southern blot analysis.

Improved in vitro development of porcine embryos with different energy substrates and serum.

The effect of replacing 5.5 mM glucose in North Carolina State University (NCSU)-23 medium with 0.5 mM pyruvate/5.

Improved developmental competence of cloned porcine embryos with different energy supplements and chemical activation.

The present study investigated the effect of lactate/pyruvate supplement in culture medium and of chemical activation after electric stimulus on in vitro development of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos. In vitro matured gilt oocytes were enucleated, reconstructed with fetal fibroblasts, and simultaneously fused/activated using a single pulse of 2.0 kV/cm for 30 microsec.

Production of nuclear transfer-derived piglets using porcine fetal fibroblasts transfected with the enhanced green fluorescent protein.

A system for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) was developed and led to the successful production of GFP-transfected piglets. In experiment 1, two groups of SCNT couplets reconstructed with porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFF) and enucleated sow (S) or gilt oocytes (G): 1). received a simultaneous electrical fusion/activation (S-EFA or G-EFA groups), or 2).