Disruption of the rotator cuff muscles compromises concavity compression force, which leads to superior migration of the humeral head and loss of stability. A novel idea of using the magnetic force ...to achieve shoulder stabilization in massive rotator cuff tears (MRCTs) was considered because the magnets can stabilize two separate entities with an attraction force. This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical effect of the magnetic force on shoulder stabilization in MRCTs.
Seven fresh frozen cadaveric specimens were used with a customized shoulder testing system. Three testing conditions were set up: condition 1, intact rotator cuff without magnets; condition 2, an MRCT without magnets; condition 3, an MRCT with magnets. For each condition, anterior-posterior translation, superior translation, superior migration, and subacromial contact pressure were measured at 0°, 30°, and 60° of abduction. The abduction capability of condition 2 was compared with that of condition 3.
The anterior-posterior and superior translations increased in condition 2; however, they decreased compared to condition 2 when the magnets were applied (condition 3) in multiple test positions and loadings (
< 0.05). Abduction capability improved significantly in condition 3 compared with that in condition 2, even for less deltoid loading (
< 0.05).
The magnet biomechanically played a positive role in stabilizing the shoulder joint and enabled abduction with less deltoid force in MRCTs. However, to ensure that the magnet is clinically applicable as a stabilizer for the shoulder joint, it is necessary to thoroughly verify its safety in the human body and to conduct further research on technical challenges.
Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) can be a solution for preservation of endangered species that have limited oocytes. It has been reported that blastocyst production by iSCNT is ...successful even if the genetic distances between donors and recipients are large. In particular, domestic pig oocytes can support the development of canine to porcine iSCNT embryos. Therefore, we examined whether porcine oocytes may be suitable recipient oocytes for Korean raccoon dog iSCNT. We investigated the effects of trichostatin A (TSA) treatment on iSCNT embryo developmental patterns and nucleolus formation. Enucleated porcine oocytes were fused with raccoon dog fibroblasts by electrofusion and cleavage, and blastocyst development and nucleolus formation were evaluated. To our knowledge, this study is the first in which raccoon dog iSCNT was performed using porcine oocytes; we found that 68.5% of 158 iSCNT embryos had the ability to cleave. However, these iSCNT embryos did not develop past the 4-cell stage. Treatment with TSA did not affect iSCNT embryonic development; moreover, the nuclei failed to form nucleoli at 48 and 72 h post-activation (hpa). In contrast, pig SCNT embryos of the control group showed 18.8% and 87.9% nucleolus formation at 48 and 72 hpa, respectively. Our results demonstrated that porcine cytoplasts efficiently supported the development of raccoon dog iSCNT embryos to the 4-cell stage, the stage of porcine embryonic genome activation (EGA); however, these embryos failed to reach the blastocyst stage and showed defects in nucleolus formation.
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays an important role in inflammation in various cells and increases the phagocytic ability of macrophages. In this study, we found that sauchinone increased the ...phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), a downstream target of AMPK, in mouse peritoneal macrophages. Sauchinone increased macrophage phagocytosis of fluorescent Escherichia coli, which was blocked by compound C, an AMPK inhibitor. Sauchinone also increased the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) in cultured macrophages in a concentration-dependent fashion, which was not blocked by compound C. However, the increase of sauchinone-induced phagocytosis was prevented by SB203580. An inhibitor of the upstream kinase TGF-beta-activated kinase (TAK1), (5z)-7-oxozeaenol, abolished the phosphorylation of ACC and p38 MAPK. Systemic administration of sauchinone to mice led to increased phosphorylation of AMPK and p38 MAPK in the lung, and enhanced phagocytosis of fluorescent E. coli in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid as compared with control mice. These results suggest sauchinone to be a useful adjunctive treatment for bacterial infection.
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Bursting of nanobombs with co-encapsulating detonating molecule and nitromethane (NM) inside a carbon nanotube (CNT) has been investigated via nonequilibrium reactive molecular ...dynamics (NERMD) with density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The target detonating molecules were screened by using Kamlet–Jacobs (K–J) equations. The detonating molecules (i.e., HMX and RDX) exhibited a much higher decomposition rate than NM and contributed to the accelerated decomposition of NM. Subsequently, the CNT nanocontainer functionalized by reaction intermediates burst. The bursting time was shortened by detonating molecules, as predicted by DFT calculations. The overall reaction mechanism did not differ significantly with or without detonating molecules.
Summary
Aim
We aimed to compare the effects of fixed‐dose combinations of ezetimibe plus rosuvastatin to rosuvastatin alone in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia, including a subgroup ...analysis of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) or metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Method
This multicenter eight‐week randomized double‐blind phase III study evaluated the safety and efficacy of fixed‐dose combinations of ezetimibe 10 mg plus rosuvastatin, compared with rosuvastatin alone in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia. Four hundred and seven patients with primary hypercholesterolemia who required lipid‐lowering treatment according to the ATP III guideline were randomized to one of the following six treatments for 8 weeks: fixed‐dose combinations with ezetimibe 10 mg daily plus rosuvastatin (5, 10, or 20 mg daily) or rosuvastatin alone (5, 10, or 20 mg daily).
Results
Fixed‐dose combination of ezetimibe plus rosuvastatin significantly reduced LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels compared with rosuvastatin alone. Depending on the rosuvastatin dose, these fixed‐dose combinations of ezetimibe plus rosuvastatin provided LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglyceride reductions of 56%–63%, 37%–43%, and 19%–24%, respectively. Moreover, the effect of combination treatment on cholesterol levels was more pronounced in patients with DM or MetS than in non‐DM or non‐MetS patients, respectively, whereas the effect of rosuvastatin alone did not differ between DM vs non‐DM or MetS vs non‐MetS patients.
Conclusion
Fixed‐dose combinations of ezetimibe and rosuvastatin provided significantly superior efficacy to rosuvastatin alone in lowering LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Moreover, the reduction rate was greater in patients with DM or MetS.
We examined the expression patterns of porcine sirtuin 1 to 3 (Sirt1–3) genes in preimplantation embryos derived from parthenogenetic activation (PA), in vitro fertilization (IVF) and somatic cell ...nuclear transfer (SCNT). We also investigated the effects of sirtuin inhibitors (5 mM nicotinamide NAM and 100 μM sirtinol) on embryonic development of PA and IVF embryos under in vitro culture (IVC). The expression patterns of Sirt1–3 mRNA in preimplantation embryos of PA, IVF, and SCNT were significantly (P < 0.05) decreased from metaphase stage of oocyte to blastocyst stage. Especially, the expressions of Sirt1–3 in SCNT blastocysts were significantly (P < 0.05) lower and Sirt2 in PA blastocyst was significantly higher compared with the IVF blastocysts. Treatment with sirtuin inhibitors during IVC resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) decreased blastocyst formation and total cell number of blastocyst derived from PA (NAM: 29.4% and 29.6, sirtinol: 31.0% and 30.3, and control: 40.9% and 41.7, respectively) and IVF embryos (NAM: 10.4% and 30.9, sirtinol: 6.3% and 30.5, and control: 16.7% and 42.8, respectively). There was no significant difference in cleavage rate in both PA and IVF embryos. The early and expanded blastocyst formations at Day 7 were significantly lower in the sirtuin inhibitors-treated groups than the control. It was demonstrated that sirtuin inhibitor (NAM) influenced the percentage of blastocyst formation and total cell number of PA derived blastocyst when NAM was added during Day 4 to 7 (22.1% and 32.4) or Day 0 to 7 (23.1% and 31.6) of IVC compared with the control (41.8% and 41.5). No significant difference in cleavage rates appeared among the groups. The blastocysts derived from PA embryos treated with sirtuin inhibitors showed lower (P < 0.05) expressions of POU5F1 and Cdx2 genes. Also, Sirt2 mRNA expression was significantly decreased in sirtinol treated group and Sirt3 mRNA expression was also significantly decreased in both NAM and sirtinol treated groups compared with the control. In conclusion, these results suggest that sirtuins may have a physiological and important role in embryonic development of porcine preimplantation embryos by regulating essential gene expressions of developing embryos. These findings could have implications for understanding the role of sirtuins during embryo development and for improving SCNT and related techniques.
Black soy peptides have been shown to possess properties that may decrease blood pressure (BP). To examine the effects of black soy peptide supplementation on BP and oxidative stress in subjects with ...prehypertension or stage I hypertension, 100 participants with an initial untreated systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 130-159 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 80-99 mm Hg or both were enrolled. Participants were randomly assigned to either a group ingesting supplement containing 4.5 g black soy peptides daily or a placebo group for 8 weeks. SBP and DBP decreased after 8-week black soy peptide supplementation versus controls (P<0.001). At 8 weeks, SBP decrease was significantly greater for the black soy peptide group (-9.69 ± 12.37 mm Hg) than for the control group (-2.91 ± 13.29 mm Hg) after adjusting for the baseline levels (P = 0.015). Plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and urinary 8-epi-prostaglandin F2α decreased (P = 0.004 and P = 0.046, respectively) and plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased (P<0.001) following 8 weeks of black soy peptide supplementation versus baselines. The MDA decreases (P = 0.022) and SOD activity and nitric oxide (NO) increases (P = 0.022 and P<0.001, respectively) were greater for the black soy peptide group than for the control group. Changes in SBP negatively correlated with changes in NO (r = -0.343, P = 0.001). Changes in angiotensin-converting enzyme activity negatively correlated with NO decreases (r = -0.490, P<0.001) and SOD activity increases (r = -0.338, P = 0.001). Black soy peptide dietary supplementation significantly reduces SBP and oxidative stress in patients with prehypertension and stage I hypertension.
The aim of this study was to investigate whether preserved vestibular function in the high-frequency range influences the prognosis of patients with bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP) after vestibular ...rehabilitation.
Twenty-four patients followed up with vestibular rehabilitation were recruited. The enrolled patients were divided into two groups according to the preservation of the high-frequency vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) based on the video head impulse test (vHIT). The results of computerized dynamic posturography and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) survey collected at baseline and at the 6-month follow-up after vestibular rehabilitation therapy were analyzed.
Both groups showed significantly increased composite and DHI scores after follow-up with vestibular rehabilitation. The group with preserved high-frequency VOR showed a better composite score (p=0.064) and vestibular score (p= 0.008) than the group with lost high-frequency VOR at the 6-month follow up. The DHI score significantly decreased only in the group with lost high-frequency VOR (p=0.047). Among the three vestibular function tests (caloric test, rotary chair test, and vHIT) used to diagnose BVP, only vHIT showed a significant correlation (p=0.015) with a favorable prognosis (composite score ≥70).
Better treatment outcomes are likely in patients with BVP with preserved vestibular function in response to high-frequency stimulation, as measured by the vHIT.
In 2004, Korea became the fifth country in the world to own and operate a high-speed railway called Korea Train eXpress (KTX). Numerous uncertainties and challenges during planning and managing phase ...resulted in schedule delays and cost overruns. The delay causes of each activity along the 412 km Korea high-speed railway route were very difficult to identify because KTX project consisted of 11 141 different activities. This paper evaluates challenges, obstacles, and performances of KTX project. First, critical sections in the railway route that influenced significant delays to project completion were identified. Then, delay causes of these critical sections were investigated thoroughly. The analysis discovered five major delay causes for KTX project. They are lack of owner's abilities and strategies to manage hi-tech oriented mega project; frequent changes of routes triggered by conflicts between public agencies and growing public resistance from environmental concerns; the inappropriate project delivery system; a lack of proper scheduling tool tailored for a linear mega project; and redesign and change orders of main structures and tunnels for high-speed railway, which is fundamentally different from the traditional railway construction. Based on the in-depth analysis of KTX project, through which a conceptual framework was established to identify the various facets of mega projects, this paper suggests lessons learned for engineers to better prepare and respond to potential causes of schedule delays for mega projects.
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