Publications by authors named "Minjung Baek"

AbstractIntraspecific variation in camouflage is common in animals. Sexual dimorphism in camouflage is less common and, where observed, attributed to trade-offs between natural selection for predator avoidance and sexual selection for conspicuous mating signals. Here we report on variation in putatively cryptic ventral hindwing patterns in the American snout butterfly, .

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Background: The substance P-neurokinin 1 receptor pathway has been proposed as a therapeutic target for tendinopathy. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding its practical applications.

Purpose: To investigate the therapeutic effects of substance P inhibitor (SPI) on inflamed tenocytes in vitro and in a collagenase-induced rat model of tendinopathy in vivo.

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An important objective of vascularized tissue regeneration is to develop agents for osteonecrosis. We aimed to identify the pro-angiogenic and osteogenic efficacy of adipose tissue-derived (AD) pericytes combined with Nel-like protein-1 (NELL-1) to investigate the therapeutic effects on osteonecrosis. Tube formation and cell migration were assessed to determine the pro-angiogenic efficacy.

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Inadequate vessel maintenance or growth causes ischemia in diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, developing an effective strategy to salvage ischemic tissues using a novel compound is urgent. Drug repurposing has become a widely used method that can make drug discovery more efficient and less expensive.

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Article Synopsis
  • Recent research highlights the dual role of substance P (SP) in tendon health, with some studies linking it to inflammation and tendinopathy while others associate it with tendon healing.
  • The study hypothesized that prolonged exposure to SP could lead to tendinopathy, confirming this through experiments that showed detrimental effects on tendon strength and structure after 10-day SP exposure.
  • Findings indicate that ongoing SP exposure correlates with worsening tendinopathic changes, suggesting potential for targeting SP in future treatments for patients suffering from tendinopathy.
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Different species of water striders match leg speeds to their body sizes to maximize their jump take off velocity without breaking the water surface, which might have aided evolution of leg structures optimized for exploitation of the water surface tension. It is not understood how water striders achieve this match. Can individuals modify their leg movements based on their body mass and locomotor experience? Here we tested if water striders, Gerris latiabdominis, adjust jumping behaviour based on their personal experience and how an experimentally added body weight affects this process.

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Tendinopathy, a painful condition that develops in response to tendon degeneration, is on the rise in the developed world due to increasing physical activity and longer life expectancy. Despite its increasing prevalence, the underlying pathogenesis still remains unclear, and treatment is generally symptomatic. Recently, numerous therapeutic options, including growth factors, stem cells, and gene therapy, were investigated in hopes of enhancing the healing potency of the degenerative tendon.

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Objective: The Revised Obsessive Intrusion Inventory (ROII) is a 52-item scale that evaluates obsessional intrusive thoughts. The aim of the present study was to validate a short, 20-item Korean version of the ROII (ROII-20).

Methods: Of the 1125 participants who completed the ROII-20, 895 participants completed the scale to examine the factor structure of the scale.

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Degenerative disorders of the intervertebral discs (IVDs) are generally characterized by enhanced matrix degradation, angiogenesis, innervation, and increased expression of catabolic cytokines. In this study, we investigated the effects of inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β, and TNF-α, on the expression of an angiogenic factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and neurotrophic factors, nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in human IVD degeneration. IL-1β and TNF-α stimulated the gene expression of VEGF, NGF, and BDNF in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells isolated from patient tissues.

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Objective: To discuss a case of heterotopic cornual and tubal pregnancy managed with transvaginal potassium chloride (KCl) injection of cornual pregnancy and laparoscopic operation of tubal pregnancy.

Methods: The subject was a 30-year-old woman with twin pregnancy with a left cornual and a tubal pregnancy. The heterotopic cornual pregnancy was treated with ultrasonographically-guided transvaginal injection of KCl into the thorax of ectopic fetus, and the tubal pregnancy was treated with laparoscopic left salpingectomy.

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