Co-Administered Low Doses Of Ibuprofen And Dexamethasone Produce Synergistic Antinociceptive Effects On Neuropathic Mechanical Allodynia In Rats.

Background: The traditional analgesics used to treat neuropathic pain such as anticonvulsants, opioids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) lack efficacy and/or carry unpleasant side effects. The present study aimed to investigate the synergistic antinociceptive effects of co-administered low doses of ibuprofen and dexamethasone in rats with trigeminal neuropathic pain.

Materials And Methods: A Sprague-Dawley rat model for trigeminal neuropathic pain was produced using mal-positioned dental implants.

Corrigendum to "Antiadipogenic Effects of Extract: In Vivo and In Vitro Effects".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2013/859624.].

Application of massage for ankle joint flexibility and balance.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of calf muscle massage on ankle flexibility and balance. [Subjects and Methods] The study's subjects were 32 healthy college students, divided into two groups according to the massage methods applied. Both groups received five-minutes of massage to each calf, making a total of ten minutes.

Anti-cancer effect of bee venom on colon cancer cell growth by activation of death receptors and inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B.

Bee venom (BV) has been used as a traditional medicine to treat arthritis, rheumatism, back pain, cancerous tumors, and skin diseases. However, the effects of BV on the colon cancer and their action mechanisms have not been reported yet. We used cell viability assay and soft agar colony formation assay for testing cell viability, electro mobility shift assay for detecting DNA binding activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and Western blotting assay for detection of apoptosis regulatory proteins.

Rapid genotyping of Plasmodium vivax Pvs25 and Pv38 genes by using mismatch specific endonuclease.

Mismatch specific endonuclease (MSE) method was used to detect natural polymorphisms in Pvs25 and Pv38 genes of Plasmodium vivax. Eighty seven patients with P. vivax were recruited in the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Association between the Growth Hormone Receptor Exon 3 Polymorphism and Metabolic Factors in Korean Patients with Acromegaly.

Background: This study investigated the association between the frequency of growth hormone receptor (GHR) exon 3 polymorphism (exon 3 deletion; d3-GHR) and metabolic factors in patients with acromegaly in Korea.

Methods: DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of 30 unrelated patients with acromegaly. GHR genotypes were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction and correlated with demographic data and laboratory parameters.

Flow cytometric enumeration of parasitemia in cultures of Plasmodium falciparum stained with SYBR Green I and CD235A.

A flow cytometric (FACS) detection method for Plasmodium falciparum cultures (P. falciparum) was developed using SYBR Green I and CD235A and compared against the Giemsa stained microscopic examination. The cultured P.

Moxibustion treatment for knee osteoarthritis: a multi-centre, non-blinded, randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness and safety of the moxibustion treatment versus usual care in knee osteoarthritis patients.

Introduction: This study tested the effectiveness of moxibustion on pain and function in chronic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and evaluated safety.

Methods: A multi-centre, non-blinded, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial compared moxibustion with usual care (UC) in KOA. 212 South Korean patients aged 40-70 were recruited from 2011-12, stratified by mild (Kellgren/Lawrence scale grades 0/1) and moderate-severe KOA (grades 2/3/4), and randomly allocated to moxibustion or UC for four weeks.

Caffeoylated phenylpropanoid glycosides from Brandisia hancei inhibit advanced glycation end product formation and aldose reductase in vitro and vessel dilation in larval zebrafish in vivo.

In our continuing efforts to identify effective naturally sourced agents for diabetic complications, five caffeoylated phenylpropanoid glycosides, acteoside (1), isoacteoside (2), poliumoside (3), brandioside (4), and pheliposide (5) were isolated from the 80% EtOH extract of Brandisia hancei stems and leaves. These isolates (1-5) were subjected to an in vitro bioassay evaluating their inhibitory activity on advanced glycation end product formation and rat lens aldose reductase activity. All tested compounds exhibited significant inhibition of advanced glycation end product formation with IC50 values of 4.

Inhibitory effect of a 2,4-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butenal diacetate on neuro-inflammatory reactions via inhibition of STAT1 and STAT3 activation in cultured astrocytes and microglial BV-2 cells.

2,4-Bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butenal (Butenal), a tyrosine-fructose Maillard reaction product has been demonstrated as an effective compound for prevention of neuroinflammatory diseases. However, this compound was vulnerable to environmental factors. Our research has been continuously made to improve druggability of Butenal and identified 2,4-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)but-2-enal diacetate (HPBD) as an alternative.

Fabrication and characterization of gold nanoflowers formed via chitosan-tripolyphosphate template films for biomedical applications.

Flowerlike gold nanostructure was facilely prepared by the seed-mediated growth of gold nanoparticles in chitosan-TPP template films. Firstly, chitosan nanoparticles, spontaneously formed by inter and/or intra cross-linking with TPP, were transformed into gel-type of chitosan-TPP films under strong sonication process. After then, gold seeds (1-3 nm) were entrapped in chitosan-TPP films via electrostatic interactions, and the resulting films were subsequently used as a template for growing gold nanoparticles and subsequent formation of anisotropic gold nanoflowers.

Measurement of RBC agglutination with microscopic cell image analysis in a microchannel chip.

Since Landsteiner's discovery of ABO blood groups, RBC agglutination has been one of the most important immunohematologic techniques for ABO and RhD blood groupings. The conventional RBC agglutination grading system for RhD blood typings relies on macroscopic reading, followed by the assignment of a grade ranging from (-) to (4+) to the degree of red blood cells clumping. However, with the new scoring method introduced in this report, microscopically captured cell images of agglutinated RBCs, placed in a microchannel chip, are used for analysis.

Perceived neighborhood environments and leisure-time walking among korean adults: an application of the theory of planned behavior.

Objective: To examine personal, social, and perceived environmental factors related to leisure-time walking behavior among Korean adults using the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).

Background: Sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity contribute to rising obesity rates and chronic diseases among Korean adults. Understanding correlates of walking is necessary to develop effective interventions to promote regular walking.

Fabrication of triple-layered magnetite/hydrogel/quantum dots via the molecular linkage of bi-functional diamines.

A multifunctional biomedical agent with magnetism, pH-sensitive, fluorescent properties was fabricated as a triple-layered magnetite/hydrogel/quantum dots. First, core-shell magnetic silica nanospheres (Fe3O4@SiO2) were synthesized via the sol-gel reaction of magnetite clusters with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and the resuting magnetic particles were encapsulated with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydrogels through a free radical polymerization. The hydrogel-encapsulated magnetic particles were subsequently anchored by quantum dots (QDs) via the molecular linkage of bi-functional diamines.

NMR studies of artificial double-crossover DNA tiles.

This report documents the design and characterization of DNA molecular nanoarchitectures consisting of artificial double crossover DNA tiles with different geometry and chemistry. The Structural characterization of the unit tiles, including normal, biotinylated and hairpin loop structures, are morphologically studied by atomic force microscopy. The specific proton resonance of the individual tiles and their intra/inter nucleotide relationships are verified by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and 2-dimensional correlation spectral studies, respectively.

Fabrication of triple-layered magnetite-hydrogel-gold nanocomposites for biomedical applications.

Magnetite-hydrogel-gold nanocomposites with optical-active, thermo-responsive, and magnetism have been prepared by the following consecutive steps. Hydrogel-encapsulated magnetites were first synthesized by the combination of sol-gel reaction and radical polymerization process, and the resulting magnetic hydrogels were subsequently bound with nano-sized Au (1-3 nm) via a molecular linkage of diamine ligand which was covalently bonded to the carboxylic groups on the hydrogel surface. Au seeds anchored on the magnetic hydrogels were further reduced into nano-scale Au layer which induced the distinct red-shift of absorption band into NIR region.

Coprecipitation synthesis and characterization of La0.8Sr0.2Ga(0.8-x)Mg0.2Co(x)O2.8 for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell electrolytes.

La0.8Sr0.2Ga(0.

Properties of dye-sensitized solar cells with TiO2 passivating layers prepared by electron-beam evaporation.

The aim of this work is to prevent back transfer of electrons due to direct contact between the electrolyte and the FTO glass substrate using a TiO2 passivating layer. The TiO2 passivating layer was deposited on FTO glass by e-beam evaporation. The TiO2 film was prepared with different deposition rates.

Preparation of Mo/Cu(In, Ga)Se2 thin films by one-step sputtering.

An attempt was made for preparing CIGS absorber layers by one-step sputtering of a quaternary target for eventual use such as large area CIGS solar cells. For fabricating the layers, a single quaternary target with pre-determined compositions of the constituents, Cu, In, Ga and Se was employed and the in-situ and post-annealing by RTP were performed. Then the layers were characterized by SEM, AFM, XPS, XRD and EDX.

Surface morphology changes of graphene on flexible PET substrate upon thermal annealing.

The performance of a polymer photovoltaic device using multilayered graphene on an amorphous PET substrate as the electrode was studied. The changes in surface morphology of graphene coated polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) substrate upon thermal annealing were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and current-voltage characteristics. The root mean square (RMS) roughness of PETG substrate before annealing was 36.

The extract of Chrysanthemum indicum Linne inhibits EBV LMP1-induced NF-κB activation and the viability of EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection transforms B lymphocytes into proliferating lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). EBV latent infection membrane protein 1 (LMP1) is required for EBV-mediated B lymphocyte transformation, and LMP1-induced NF-κB activation is essential for LCL survival. To identify a novel inhibitor candidate for LMP1-induced NF-κB activation, crude ethanol extracts of medicinal plants were screened for the potential NF-κB inhibitory activity.

Measuring ligand-receptor binding events on polymeric surfaces with periodic wave patterns using liquid crystals.

In this study, we measured ligand-receptor binding events on polymeric substrates with periodic nanostructures using liquid crystals (LCs). Periodic sinusoidal wave patterns were generated through the buckling of the poly-(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrate on a cylindrical surface followed by replicating the associated relief structures on a poly-(urethane acrylate) (PUA) surface, where a film of gold was deposited. Avidin was then covalently immobilized onto a gold surface decorated with carboxylic acid-terminated self-assembled monolayer via NHS/EDC chemistry.

Real-time electrical measurement of L929 cellular spontaneous and synchronous oscillation.

Nonexcitable cell types, fibroblasts of heart muscle or astrocytes, are well known for their spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations. On the other hand, murine fibroblast (L929) cells are known to be deficient in cell-cell adhesive proteins and therefore lack gap junctions for cellular communication. However, these cells exhibit a unique property of collectively synchronized and spontaneous oscillation, as revealed by real-time monitoring of cells cultured on a 250-μm diameter microelectrode for more than 3 days using an electrical cell-substrate impedance-sensing system (ECIS).

Preparation of TiO2 nanotube/nanoparticle composite particles and their applications in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells [DSSCs] was enhanced by combining the use of TiO2 nanotubes [TNTs] and nanoparticles. TNTs were fabricated by a sol-gel method, and TiO2 powders were produced through an alkali hydrothermal transformation. DSSCs were constructed using TNTs and TiO2 nanoparticles at various weight percentages.

An integrated ethical decision-making model for nurses.

The study reviewed 20 currently-available structured ethical decision-making models and developed an integrated model consisting of six steps with useful questions and tools that help better performance each step: (1) the identification of an ethical problem; (2) the collection of additional information to identify the problem and develop solutions; (3) the development of alternatives for analysis and comparison; (4) the selection of the best alternatives and justification; (5) the development of diverse, practical ways to implement ethical decisions and actions; and (6) the evaluation of effects and development of strategies to prevent a similar occurrence. From a pilot-test of the model, nursing students reported positive experiences, including being satisfied with having access to a comprehensive review process of the ethical aspects of decision making and becoming more confident in their decisions. There is a need for the model to be further tested and refined in both the educational and practical environments.