A Study on Apparel Design for Chiropractic Training

In severe cases of spinal misalignment due to wrong back posture during adolescence or focusing on work, modern people can have back pain. Such a symptom is commonly referred to as scoliosis and it already became one of the lifestyle diseases. Hence, the purpose of the present study was to develop a functional musculoskeletal correction wear that can help with maintaining a correct posture by relaxing tonic muscles and maximizing the tension of the relaxed muscle using the principle of sports taping. Market research for design development was conducted at department stores and specialty road shops separately. Department stores were visited on weekdays when the store is not crowded, and specialty road shops were visited at around three o’clock on weekdays after checking their opening, lunch, and closing times. Since the apparel should not interfere with exercise movements while maintaining the body shape, the survey was carried out mostly on yoga and lifestyle training apparel focusing on elasticity and percentage of blending fiber. A camera and audio recorder were prepared and took pictures of clothing tags that show the ratio of polyester and spandex while trying on and checking products at the stores. Data were collected by asking the staff at road specialty shops who has more professional knowledge about the advantages and functions of the existing products and recording their answers. Point color schemes in black color family in which body shapes can look beautiful were mostly checked. Due to the design characteristics that have to maintain the spine, the designs of all-in-one products that can maintain the upper and lower torsos were checked at underwear stores. The existing products were evaluated for their designs to be adopted including the material, integrated into the new design, and then modified and supplemented, and the following chiropractic apparel design was drawn (Table 1). An all-in-one design that wraps around the hips and upper thighs for easy counterbalancing between the upper and lower body was chosen. A design with an accent line that makes body shape looks beautiful and Used compression wear material that is comfortable for activities and presses tight against the skin. Activates the muscle activities of latissimus dorsi muscle using taping method, and provides tension to maintain correct posture of round back and shoulders. In conclusion, prevention, exercise, and stretching are important for scoliosis and sound posture for the loin should be constantly maintained. To that end, not only the proper use of chairs but also apparel that is worn all the time can be helpful

Lactic acid bacteria affect serum cholesterol levels, harmful fecal enzyme activity, and fecal water content

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are beneficial probiotic organisms that contribute to improved nutrition, microbial balance, and immuno-enhancement of the intestinal tract, as well as lower cholesterol. Although present in many foods, most trials have been in spreads or dairy products. Here we tested whether <it>Bifidobacteria </it>isolates could lower cholesterol, inhibit harmful enzyme activities, and control fecal water content.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p><it>In vitro </it>culture experiments were performed to evaluate the ability of <it>Bifidobacterium </it>spp. isolated from healthy Koreans (20~30 years old) to reduce cholesterol-levels in MRS broth containing polyoxyethanylcholesterol sebacate. Animal experiments were performed to investigate the effects on lowering cholesterol, inhibiting harmful enzyme activities, and controlling fecal water content. For animal studies, 0.2 ml of the selected strain cultures (10⁸~10⁹CFU/ml) were orally administered to SD rats (fed a high-cholesterol diet) every day for 2 weeks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>B. longum </it>SPM1207 reduced serum total cholesterol and LDL levels significantly (<it>p </it>< 0.05), and slightly increased serum HDL. <it>B. longum </it>SPM1207 also increased fecal LAB levels and fecal water content, and reduced body weight and harmful intestinal enzyme activities.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Daily consumption of <it>B. longum </it>SPM1207 can help in managing mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia, with potential to improve human health by helping to prevent colon cancer and constipation.</p

Cordycepin promotes apoptosis by modulating the ERK-JNK signaling pathway via DUSP5 in renal cancer cells

Constitutive activation of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK)-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling commonly occurs in tumors. The activation of ERK promotes cell proliferation, whereas that of JNK induces cell apoptosis. However, the apoptotic mechanism of ERK-JNK signaling in cancer is not well understood. Recently, we identified that apoptosis and activation of the JNK signaling pathway were induced after cordycepin treatment in human renal cancer, suggesting that JNK signaling might contribute to TK-10 cell apoptosis. We investigated the apoptotic effects of cordycepin by evaluating the activation of the ERK-JNK signaling pathway in renal cancer TK-10 cells. We found that cordycepin downregulated ERK and DUSP5, upregulated phosphorylated-JNK (p-JNK), and induced apoptosis. Moreover, we showed that siRNA-mediated inhibition of ERK downregulated DUSP5, whereas ERK overexpression upregulated DUSP5, and that DUSP5 knockdown by siRNA upregulated p-JNK. The JNK-specific inhibitor SP600125 upregulated nuclear translocation of β-catenin, and downregulated Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1), which has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of Wnt signaling. Dkk1 knockdown by siRNA upregulated nuclear β-catenin, suggesting the involvement of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. DUSP5 overexpression in TK-10 cells decreased p-JNK and increased nuclear β-catenin. The decreased Bax activation markedly protected against cordycepin-induced apoptosis. Bax subfamily proteins induced apoptosis through caspase-3. Taken together, we show that JNK signaling activation by cordycepin mediated ERK inhibition, which might have induced Bax translocation and caspase-3 activation via regulation of DUSP5 in TK-10 cells, thereby promoting the apoptosis of TK-10 cells. Targeting ERK-JNK signaling via the apoptotic effects of cordycepin could be a potential therapeutic strategy to treat renal cancer

Cordycepin induces apoptosis by caveolin-1-mediated JNK regulation of Foxo3a in human lung adenocarcinoma

Forkhead transcription factor (Foxo3a) is a downstream effector of JNK-induced tumor suppression. However, it is not clear whether the caveolin-1 (CAV1)-mediated JNK/Foxo3a pathway is involved in cancer cell apoptosis. We found that cordycepin upregulates CAV1 expression, which was accompanied by JNK phosphorylation (p-JNK) and subsequent Foxo3a translocation into the nucleus, resulting in the upregulation of Bax protein expression. Furthermore, we found that CAV1 overexpression upregulated p-JNK, whereas CAV1 siRNA downregulated p-JNK. Additionally, SP600125, a specific JNK inhibitor, significantly increased Foxo3a phosphorylation, which downregulated Foxo3a translocation into the nucleus, indicating that CAV1 mediates JNK regulation of Foxo3a. Foxo3a siRNA downregulated Bax protein and attenuated A549 apoptosis, indicating that the CAV1-mediated JNK/Foxo3a pathway induces the apoptosis of A549 lung cancer cells. Cordycepin significantly decreased tumor volume in nude mice. Taken together, these results indicate that cordycepin promotes CAV1 upregulation to enhance JNK/Foxo3a signaling pathway activation, inducing apoptosis in lung cancer cells, and support its potential as a therapeutic agent for lung cancer

The lipoxygenase gene family: a genomic fossil of shared polyploidy between Glycine max and Medicago truncatula

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Soybean lipoxygenases (<it>Lxs</it>) play important roles in plant resistance and in conferring the distinct bean flavor. <it>Lxs </it>comprise a multi-gene family that includes <it>GmLx1</it>, <it>GmLx2 </it>and <it>GmLx3</it>, and many of these genes have been characterized. We were interested in investigating the relationship between the soybean lipoxygenase isozymes from an evolutionary perspective, since soybean has undergone two rounds of polyploidy. Here we report the tetrad genome structure of soybean <it>Lx </it>regions produced by ancient and recent polyploidy. Also, comparative genomics with <it>Medicago truncatula </it>was performed to estimate <it>Lxs </it>in the common ancestor of soybean and <it>Medicago</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two <it>Lx </it>regions in <it>Medicago truncatula </it>showing synteny with soybean were analyzed. Differential evolutionary rates between soybean and <it>Medicago </it>were observed and the median Ks values of Mt-Mt, Gm-Mt, and Gm-Gm paralogs were determined to be 0.75, 0.62, and 0.46, respectively. Thus the comparison of Gm-Mt paralogs (Ks = 0.62) and Gm-Mt orthologs (Ks = 0.45) supports the ancient duplication of <it>Lx </it>regions in the common ancestor prior to the <it>Medicago</it>-<it>Glycine </it>split. After speciation, no <it>Lx </it>regions generated by another polyploidy were identified in <it>Medicago</it>. Instead tandem duplication of <it>Lx </it>genes was observed. On the other hand, a lineage-specific duplication occurred in soybean resulting in two pairs of <it>Lx </it>regions. Each pair of soybean regions was co-orthologous to one <it>Lx </it>region in <it>Medicago</it>. A total of 34 <it>Lx </it>genes (15 <it>MtLxs </it>and 19 <it>GmLxs) </it>were divided into two groups by phylogenetic analysis. Our study shows that the <it>Lx </it>gene family evolved from two distinct <it>Lx </it>genes in the most recent common ancestor.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study analyzed two pairs of <it>Lx </it>regions generated by two rounds of polyploidy in soybean. Each pair of soybean homeologous regions is co-orthologous to one region of <it>Medicago</it>, demonstrating the quartet structure of the soybean genome. Differential evolutionary rates between soybean and <it>Medicago </it>were observed; thus optimized rates of Ks per year should be applied for accurate estimation of coalescence times to each case of comparison: soybean-soybean, soybean-<it>Medicago</it>, or <it>Medicago</it>-<it>Medicago</it>. In conclusion, the soybean <it>Lx </it>gene family expanded by ancient polyploidy prior to taxon divergence, followed by a soybean- specific duplication and tandem duplications, respectively.</p

Early Growth Response Factor-1 Is Associated With Intraluminal Thrombus Formation in Human Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

ObjectivesThe goal of this study was to investigate the expression of early growth response-1 (Egr-1), a vascular pathogenic transcription factor, and its potential relationship with tissue factor (TF), a key player during the thrombus formation in the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) wall.BackgroundAlthough intraluminal thrombus is a common finding in human AAA, the molecular mechanism of the thrombus formation has not been studied.MethodsDuring the elective AAA repair, specimens were taken from the thrombus-covered and thrombus-free portions of the aneurysmal wall in each of 16 patients with AAA and analyzed to assess the differential expression of Egr-1 and TF. The proinflammatory and prothrombogenic activities of Egr-1 in vasculature were evaluated in vitro and in vivo by overexpressing it using adenovirus.ResultsThe expression of both Egr-1 and TF was significantly increased in the thrombus-covered wall compared with the thrombus-free wall, in which their up-regulation in the thrombus-covered wall was strongly correlated with each other (p < 0.005, r = 0.717). Adenoviral overexpression of Egr-1 in human vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells was found to up-regulate the expression of TF and inflammation-related genes. Moreover, Egr-1 overexpression in endothelial cells increased their adhesiveness to monocytes and also substantially promoted the intravascular thrombus formation in vivo, as shown in the inferior vena cava ligation experiment of the rat.ConclusionsThe present study demonstrates the differential up-regulation of Egr-1 in the thrombus-covered wall of human AAA and also suggests its possible contribution to the thrombogenic and inflammatory pathogenesis in human AAA