Bioinspired Heparin Nanosponge Prepared by Photo-crosslinking for Controlled Release of Growth Factors

Indexación: Scopus.Growth factors have great therapeutic potential for various disease therapy and tissue engineering applications. However, their clinical efficacy is hampered by low bioavailability, rapid degradation in vivo and non-specific biodistribution. Nanoparticle based delivery systems are being evaluated to overcome these limitations. Herein, we have developed a thermosensitive heparin nanosponge (Hep-NS) by a one step photopolymerization reaction between diacrylated pluronic and thiolated heparin molecules. The amount of heparin in Hep-NS was precisely controlled by varying the heparin amount in the reaction feed. Hep-NS with varying amounts of heparin showed similar size and shape properties, though surface charge decreased with an increase in the amount of heparin conjugation. The anticoagulant activity of the Hep-NS decreased by 65% compared to free heparin, however the Hep-NS retained their growth factor binding ability. Four different growth factors, bFGF, VEGF, BMP-2, and HGF were successfully encapsulated into Hep-NS. In vitro studies showed sustained release of all the growth factors for almost 60 days and the rate of release was directly dependent on the amount of heparin in Hep-NS. The released growth factors retained their bioactivity as assessed by a cell proliferation assay. This heparin nanosponge is therefore a promising nanocarrier for the loading and controlled release of growth factors.https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-14040-5.pd

The complete mitochondrial genome of a Dokdo shrimp, Lebbeus groenlandicus

Lebbeus groenlandicus is a shrimp species indigenous to the Dokdo islands in the East Sea of Korea. We report the 17,399 bp mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the species that consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and a control region (CR). A maximum-likelihood tree, constructed with 18 prawn and 45 shrimp mitogenomes, confirmed that L. groenlandicus occupies the most basal position within the Caridea infra-order and is closely related to Pandalidae shrimps

Direct exfoliation of graphite using a non-ionic polymer surfactant for fabrication of transparent and conductive graphene films

A high-yielding dispersion of graphene at high concentration in solvent is critical for practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate the formation of a stable dispersion of pristine graphene in ethanol by exfoliating graphite flakes into individual graphene layers using a non-ionic polymer surfactant under bath-type sonication. Oligothiophene-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) was synthesized and used as a non-ionic and amphiphilic surfactant for exfoliating graphite into graphene. A high-quality graphene film was fabricated from the exfoliated graphene solution by the vacuum filtration method. TEM and SEM reveal that the size of exfoliated graphene flakes is larger than 1 mu m. When the graphene film was treated with nitric acid and thionyl chloride after washing with solvent, the film showed high performance with a sheet resistance of 0.3 k Omega sq(-1) and a transparency of 74% at 550 nm.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2013-01/102/0000001236/1SEQ:1PERF_CD:SNU2013-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000001236ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A004558DEPT_CD:445FILENAME:1. Direct exfoliation of graphite using a non-ionic polymer.pdfDEPT_NM:재료공학부EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:NCONFIRM:

In vitro and in vivo Induction of p53-Dependent Apoptosis by Extract of Euryale ferox Salisb in A549 Human Caucasian Lung Carcinoma Cancer Cells Is Mediated Through Akt Signaling Pathway

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death, and mortality rates have steadily been increasing. Recently, several studies were conducted to develop novel, physiologically active compounds from medicinal plant extracts. Several plant-derived extracts and molecules regulate and inhibit signaling molecules associated with the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. Euryale ferox salisb is a medicinal plant that is effective against different types of cancers. In this study, we investigated the apoptotic effects of E. ferox salisb extract (ESE) in A549 lung cancer cells, exerted by the inhibition of the Akt protein and activation of the p53 protein. Our results show that ESE induces apoptosis via the regulation of mitochondrial outer membrane potential and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We demonstrate that apoptosis is induced in a p53-dependent manner when cells are treated with pifithrin-α (a p53 inhibitor) and LY294002 (an Akt inhibitor). The apoptotic effects from ESE were observed in vivo in Balb/c-nu mice bearing A549 xenografts. Altogether, these results suggest that E. ferox salisb extracts exert anti-cancer effects in a p53-dependent manner

Comparative Genome and Evolution Analyses of an Endangered Stony Coral Species Dendrophyllia cribrosa Near Dokdo Islands in the East Sea

Stony corals often harbor intracellular photosynthetic dinoflagellate algae that receive dissolved inorganic nutrients. However, Dendrophyllia cribrosa is a nonsymbiotic stony coral distributed in the western Pacific. We assembled a chromosome-level D. cribrosa genome using PacBio and Hi-C technologies. The final assembly was 625 Mb, distributed on 14 chromosomes, and contained 30,493 protein-coding genes. The Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs analysis revealed a percentage of 96.8 of the metazoan genome. A comparative phylogenetic analysis revealed that D. cribrosa, which lacks symbionts, evolved to acquire cellular energy by expanding genes related to acyl-CoA metabolism and carbohydrate transporters. This species also has expanded immune-related genes involved in the receptor protein tyrosine kinase signaling pathway. In addition, we observed a specific expansion of calcification genes, such as coral acid-rich proteins and carbonic anhydrase, in D. cribrosa. This high-quality reference genome and comparative analysis provides insights into the ecology and evolution of nonsymbiotic stony corals

Aortic Dissection and Rupture in a Child

After developing sudden severe chest pain, an 11-year-old boy presented to the emergency room with chest pain and palpitations and was unable to stand up. The sudden onset of chest pain was first reported while swimming at school about 30 minutes prior to presentation. Arterial blood pressure (BP) was 150/90 mmHg, heart rate was 120/minute, and the chest pain was combined with shortness of breath and diaphoresis. During the evaluation in the emergency room, the chest pain worsened and abdominal pain developed. An aortic dissection was suspected and a chest and abdomen CT was obtained. The diagnosis of aortic dissection type B was established by CT imaging. The patient went to surgery immediately with BP control. He died prior to surgery due to aortic rupture. Here we present this rare case of aortic dissection type B with rupture, reported in an 11-year-old Korean child

Clinical and panoramic radiographic features of osteomyelitis of the jaw: A comparison between antiresorptive medication-related and medication-unrelated conditions

Purpose: This study was performed to analyze the clinical and imaging features of contemporary osteomyelitis (OM) and to investigate differences in these features on panoramic radiography according to patients' history of use of medication affecting bone metabolism. Materials and Methods: The records of 364 patients (241 female and 123 male, average age 66.8 +/- 14.9 years) with OM were retrospectively reviewed. Panoramic imaging features were analyzed and compared between patients with medication-related OM (m-OM) and those with conventional, medication-unrelated OM (c-OM). Results: The age of onset of OM tended to be high, with the largest number of patients experiencing onset in their 70s. The 2 most frequent presumed causes were antiresorptive medication use (44.2%) and odontogenic origin (34.6%). On panoramic radiographs, a mix of osteolysis and sclerosis was the most common lesion pattern observed (68.6%). Sequestrum, extraction socket, and periosteal new bone formation were found in 143 (42.1%), 79 (23.2%), and 24 (7.1%) cases, respectively. The m-OM group exhibited sequestrum and extraction socket more frequently and displayed significantly higher mandibular cortical index values than the c-OM group. Conclusion: We observed some differences in imaging features as shown on panoramic radiography according to the history of antiresorptive medication use. This study may help elucidate the predictive imaging features of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.N

Comparative Genomic Analysis of the 2016 Vibrio cholerae Outbreak in South Korea

In August 2016, South Korea experienced a cholera outbreak that caused acute watery diarrhea in three patients. This outbreak was the first time in 15 years that an outbreak was not linked to an overseas source. To identify the cause and to study the epidemiological implications of this outbreak, we sequenced the whole genome of Vibrio cholerae isolates; three from each patient and one from a seawater sample. Herein we present comparative genomic data which reveals that the genome sequences of these four isolates are very similar. Interestingly, these isolates form a monophyletic Glade with V. cholerae strains that caused an outbreak in the Philippines in 2011. The V. cholerae strains responsible for the Korean and Philippines outbreaks have almost identical genomes in which two unique genomic islands are shared, and they both lack SXT elements. Furthermore, we confirm that seawater is the likely source of this outbreak, which suggests the necessity for future routine surveillance of South Korea's seashore.