Background: Cell-based therapies have been studied for articular cartilage regeneration. Articular cartilage defects have little treatments because articular cartilage was limited regenerative capacity. Damaged articular cartilage is difficult to obtain a successful therapeutic effect. In additionally these articular cartilage defects often cause osteoarthritis. Chondrocyte implantation is a widely available therapy used for regeneration of articular cartilage because this tissue has poor repair capacity after injury. Human nasal septum-drived chondrocytes (hNCs) from the septum show greater proliferation ability and chondrogenic capacity than human articular chondrocytes (hACs), even across different donors with different ages. Moreover, the chondrogenic properties of hNCs can be maintained after extensive culture expansion. Methods: In this study, 2 dimensional (2D) monolayer cultured hNCs (hNCs-2D) and 3 dimensional (3D) spheroids cultured hNCs (hNCs-3D) were examined for chondrogenic capacity in vitro by PCR and immunofluorescence staining for chondrogenic marker, cell survival during cultured and for cartilage regeneration ability in vivo in a rat osteochondral defect model. Results: hNCs-3D showed higher viability and more uniform morphology than 3D spheroids cultured hACs (hACs-3D) in culture. hNCs-3D also showed greater expression levels of the chondrocyte-specific marker Type II collagen (COL2A1) and sex-determining region Y (SRY)-box 9 (SOX9) than hNCs-2D. hNCs-3D also expressed chondrogenic markers in collagen. Specially, in the osteochondral defect model, implantation of hNCs-3D led to greater chondrogenic repair of focal cartilage defects in rats than implantation of hNCs-2D. Conclusion These data suggest that hNCs-3D are valuable therapeutic agents for repair and regeneration of cartilage defects.

Background: Cell-based therapies have been studied for articular cartilage regeneration. Articular cartilage defects have little treatments because articular cartilage was limited regenerative capacity. Damaged articular cartilage is difficult to obtain a successful therapeutic effect. In additionally these articular cartilage defects often cause osteoarthritis. Chondrocyte implantation is a widely available therapy used for regeneration of articular cartilage because this tissue has poor repair capacity after injury. Human nasal septum-drived chondrocytes (hNCs) from the septum show greater proliferation ability and chondrogenic capacity than human articular chondrocytes (hACs), even across different donors with different ages. Moreover, the chondrogenic properties of hNCs can be maintained after extensive culture expansion. Methods: In this study, 2 dimensional (2D) monolayer cultured hNCs (hNCs-2D) and 3 dimensional (3D) spheroids cultured hNCs (hNCs-3D) were examined for chondrogenic capacity in vitro by PCR and immunofluorescence staining for chondrogenic marker, cell survival during cultured and for cartilage regeneration ability in vivo in a rat osteochondral defect model. Results: hNCs-3D showed higher viability and more uniform morphology than 3D spheroids cultured hACs (hACs-3D) in culture. hNCs-3D also showed greater expression levels of the chondrocyte-specific marker Type II collagen (COL2A1) and sex-determining region Y (SRY)-box 9 (SOX9) than hNCs-2D. hNCs-3D also expressed chondrogenic markers in collagen. Specially, in the osteochondral defect model, implantation of hNCs-3D led to greater chondrogenic repair of focal cartilage defects in rats than implantation of hNCs-2D. Conclusion These data suggest that hNCs-3D are valuable therapeutic agents for repair and regeneration of cartilage defects.

OBJECTIVE: The electric analog circuit model can be used to analyse the various function of the cardio vascular system and the dynamic characteristics on each part of human body. According to the previous studies, viscous resistance, flow inertia, and vascular compliance in the cardiovascular system are analogous to resistance, inductance, and capacitance in electric circuit, so the cardiovascular system models have been represented by the electric circuit models. These approaches were to propose suitable models for the interested part of body and to simulate the various characteristics on the cardiovascular system. METHODS: This paper tried to put the characteristics of morphologic structure into the suggested electric circuit model. After setting parameter values of the model the dynamic characteristics of the cardio vascular system is simulated using VisSim, which is one of the simulation tools. RESULTS: The derived simulation results have represented major cardiovascular functions of normal adults. Also simulation results reflect the variation due to the pathophysiological state. CONCLUSION: The controller by baroreceptor, which is one of controllers to control the cardiovascular system, is appended in the model. The dynamic response characteristics and the procedure to restore blood pressure to normal state was observed by simulation lasted a certain period of bleeding.
Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular System* ; Compliance ; Hemorrhage ; Human Body ; Humans ; Pressoreceptors

BACKGROUND: Mirror movement is common in young children, and it could be seen in normal adults. Several mechanisms including motor pathway reorganization involved in motor recovery after stroke. Motor pathway reorganization has been reported to be a mechanism in several studies of patients with mirror movement. However, the correlation of motor recovery and mirror movement has been debated. We studied the degree of mirror movement in stroke patients compared with a controlled group to look into their relationship. METHODS: Our controls were 50 adults without neurologic symptoms and signs. The hemiparetic group was comprised 94 patients who had incurred unilateral brain lesion: 36 patients were acute stroke patients, 58 patients were chronic stroke patients. Mirror movements were assessed by three different tasks: abduction of thumb, sequential finger tapping, and grasping. We analyzed mirror movements in controls and patients, and tried to find a correlation between the degree of mirror movement and the recovery of motor power in chronic stroke patients. RESULTS: In controls, male exhibited more frequent mirror movement than female at specific tasks, and there was no difference between tasks of right or left hand. In stroke patients, there was more mirror movement in the nonparetic hand than in the paretic one during the movement of contralateral hand. In acute stroke, the frequency of mirror movement had no variability according to the degree of motor power. The recovery of motor power at a late stage was not correlated with the degree of mirror movement. Consclusions: Motor pathway reorganization seems to be insignificant for motor recovery because the degree of mirror movement was not correlated with the recovery of motor power in this study.
Adult ; Brain ; Child ; Female ; Fingers ; Hand ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Male ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Stroke* ; Thumb

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: It is widely believed that the post-lumbar puncture headache(PLPH) is related to CSF leakage through the dural hole made by needle tract. So it is accepted that PLPH is prevented by at least 4 hour bed rest after lumbar puncture (LP). If bed rest was unneccessary, the administrative and nursing advantages would be obvious,, especially in neurologic units, whereLP has been done frequently. Therefore, we evaluate the incidence of PLPH in the ambulant and bed-rest patients prospectively and compared the incidence difference between two group. METHODS: Eighty-eight patients without preceding headache who were done lumbar puncture for diagnostic purpose were selected prospectively. We compared the incidence of PLPH between the ambulant (50 patients) and bed-rest group (38 patient,) at 6 hour and 24 hours. We also evaluated the effect of the CSF profile (count of RBC and WBC, protein level and opening pressure) on PLPH. RESULTS: The PLPH was found in 11 cases(12.5%) among bed-rest and ambulant groups. The frequency of each group was 8% (3/38) in bed-rest group and 16%(8/50) in ambulant group, but there is no significant difference between two groups (p-vaIue = 0.26). The frequency of PLPH is also not correlated to the CSF profiles; count of RBC and WBC, protein level, and opening pressure. CONCLUSIONS: There is no significant difference between the ambulant and bed rest group in the frequency of the PLPH. We conclude that the bed rest after LP is unnecessary for the prevention of the PLPH.
Bed Rest* ; Headache ; Humans ; Incidence ; Needles ; Nursing ; Post-Dural Puncture Headache* ; Prospective Studies ; Punctures ; Spinal Puncture