Jin‐Hong Kim

Anchorage to a compliant extracellular matrix (ECM) and contact with neighboring cells impose important constraints on the proliferation of epithelial cells. How anchorage and contact dependence are inter-related and how cells weigh these adhesive cues alongside soluble growth factors to make a net cell cycle decision remain unclear. Here, we show that a moderate 4.5-fold stiffening of the matrix reduces the threshold amount of epidermal growth factor (EGF) needed to over-ride contact inhibition

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by impairment of the load-bearing function of articular cartilage. OA cartilage matrix undergoes extensive biophysical remodeling characterized by decreased compliance. In this study, we elucidate the mechanistic origin of matrix remodeling and the downstream mechanotransduction pathway and further demonstrate an active role of this mechanism in OA pathogenesis. Aging and mechanical stress, the two major risk factors of OA, promote cartilage matrix stiffening

Abstract The permeation of riboflavin and insulin through poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan blend membrane was conducted. The permeability coefficients of both solutes through the crosslinked PVA and chitosan blend membrane were in the order of 10 −6 −10 −7 cm 3 cm/cm 2 s and showed a pH dependence. The pH‐dependent permeation behavior was discussed in terms of water content and water structure inside of the swollen membrane. Riboflavin and insulin were presumed to permeate through the free

Contact-inhibition of proliferation constrains epithelial tissue growth, and the loss of contact-inhibition is a hallmark of cancer cells. In most physiological scenarios, cell-cell contact inhibits proliferation in the presence of other growth-promoting cues, such as soluble growth factors (GFs). How cells quantitatively reconcile the opposing effects of cell-cell contact and GFs, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF), remains unclear. Here, using quantitative analysis of single cells within mu

In this study, medium-energy group (group M) showed greater improvement in regard to relieving pain and restoring functional outcome than the low-energy group (group L). Therefore, EFD can be considered to have significant influence when treating with ESWT for knee osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND Impairments of hand function make it difficult to perform daily life activities and to return to work. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) combined with task-oriented mirror therapy (TOMT) on hand rehabilitation in acute stroke patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty subacute stroke patients in the initial stages (<3 months) participated in the study. Subjects were allocated to 2 groups: the experim

This paper presents a new one-dimensional theory for static and dynamic analysis of thin-walled closed beams with general cross-sections. Existing one-dimensional approaches are useful only for beams with special cross-sections. Coupled deformations of torsion, warping and distortion are considered in the present work and a new approach to determine sectional warping and distortion shapes is proposed. One-dimensional C0 beam elements based on the present theory are employed for numerical analysi

We have investigated the effects of interfacial roughness on the surface anisotropy in Co/Pt multilayer films prepared by sputtering. Degree of interfacial roughness was varied by changing the Ar sputtering gas pressure from 2 to 20 mTorr in the sample preparation. The surface anisotropy was found to be increasing with decreasing interface roughness. We have observed that the surface anisotropy energy for the multilayer films prepared at various Ar pressures was logarithmically dependent on the

A yellow-pigmented, rod-shaped, Gram-staining-negative, aerobic bacterial strain, designated CJ7(T), was isolated from a freshwater lake at Chung-Ang University in Anseong, South Korea. Results from 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolate was phylogenetically affiliated with members of the genus Flavobacterium. Strain CJ7(T) showed sequence similarity values of 91.5-98.0 % to the type strains of recognized Flavobacterium species. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain CJ7(T) an

Humanized antibodies are constructed by CDR grafting, while retaining those murine framework residues that influence the antigen-binding activity. To reduce the immunogenicity of CDR-grafted humanized antibodies, the murine content in the CDR-grafted humanized antibodies is minimized through SDR grafting. Within each CDR, there are more variable positions that are directly involved in the interaction with antigen, i.e., specificity-determining residues (SDRs), whereas there are more conserved re

A chlorine-assisted method for synthesizing porous boron nitride (BN) is developed. Large scale fabrication is possible by this method under moderate conditions. B and N sources, TiB2 and TiN, respectively, are reacted under a chlorine atmosphere to yield a porous turbostratic BN that displayed a higher surface area (960 m2 g−1) and a larger micropore volume (0.38 cm3 g−1) than have been reported by others. The products exhibit a high hydrogen uptake, as high as 1.01 wt% at 77 K and 1 bar. These

Building a sophisticated protein nano-assembly requires a method for linking protein components in a predictable and stable structure. Diabodies are engineered antibody fragments that are composed of two Fv domains connected by short peptide linkers. They are attractive candidates for mediators in assembling protein nano-structures because they can simultaneously bind to two different proteins and are rigid enough to be crystallized. However, comparison of previous crystal structures demonstrate