ABSTRACT
METHODS@#In this review, we summarize the unique structure and function of intestinal PPs and current technologies to establish in vitro intestinal PP system focusing on M cell within the follicle-associated epithelium and IgA+ B cell models for studying mucosal immune networks. Furthermore, multidisciplinary approaches to establish more physiologically relevant PP model were proposed. @*RESULTS@#PPs are surrounded by follicle-associated epithelium containing microfold (M) cells, which serve as special gateways for luminal antigen transport across the gut epithelium. The transported antigens are processed by immune cells within PPs and then, antigen-specific mucosal immune response or mucosal tolerance is initiated, depending on the response of underlying mucosal immune cells. So far, there is no high fidelity (patho)physiological model of PPs; however, there have been several efforts to recapitulate the key steps of mucosal immunity in PPs such as antigen transport through M cells and mucosal IgA responses. @*CONCLUSION@#Current in vitro PP models are not sufficient to recapitulate how mucosal immune system works in PPs. Advanced three-dimensional cell culture technologies would enable to recapitulate the function of PPs, and bridge the gap between animal models and human.
ABSTRACT
E-cigarettes were considered safe at the early stage of market entry because they were thought not to contain harmful ingredients such as nicotine and because the smoke emitted was vapor. For this reason, the use of e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes or as a smoking cessation aid has emerged. However, the study results on the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation are mixed. In response to the increased use of e-cigarettes, foreign countries have implemented various regulations, such as utilizing e-cigarettes for smoking cessation with a prescription in Australia; however, South Korea is still standing firm on recommending not to use e-cigarettes at all. Therefore, the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation and the regulatory trends of e-cigarette use overseas will be reviewed to discuss the future direction in South Korea needs to take.
ABSTRACT
Background@#This study aims to determine whether the new 6-year pharmacy curriculum is designed to help students in their career path based on the employment status of the current 2+4 pharmacy school graduates. @*Methods@#An online survey was conducted to the pharmacists who graduated from Woosuk University College of Pharmacy between 2015 and 2021. The survey questions included the current employment status of the graduates and their feedback on the clinical pharmacy curriculum at Woosuk University. @*Results@#There were a total of 104 graduates who responded to the survey out of 312 graduates of whom the school had current contact information. Most of the graduates are currently working in a community pharmacy (63.5%), followed by hospital pharmacy (27.9%) and pharmaceutical industry (4.8%). Although most graduates were satisfied with clinical pharmacy courses at our college, many thought there needs to be a reinforcement or improvement in the curriculum, including pharmacotherapy and pharmacy practice experiences as well as social pharmacy courses. @*Conclusion@#Based on our study, clinical and social pharmacy are the courses that teach the knowledge and skills required in community and hospital pharmacy and yet, are most in need of improvement. As most graduates work in a community or hospital pharmacy, it is necessary to improve our pharmacy curriculum so that they can learn and demonstrate their clinical skills effectively.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Brain organoids are self-organized from human pluripotent stem cells and developed into various brain region following the developmental process of brain. Brain organoids provide promising approach for studying brain development process and neurological diseases and for tissue regeneration. @*METHODS@#In this review, we summarized the development of brain organoids technology, potential applications focusing on disease modeling for regeneration medicine, and multidisciplinary approaches to overcome current limitations of the technology. @*RESULTS@#Generations of brain organoids are categorized into two major classes by depending on the patterning method.In order to guide the differentiation into specific brain region, the extrinsic factors such as growth factors, small molecules, and biomaterials are actively studied. For better modelling of diseases with brain organoids and clinical application for tissue regeneration, improvement of the brain organoid maturation is one of the most important steps. @*CONCLUSION@#Brain organoids have potential to develop into an innovative platform for pharmacological studies and tissue engineering. However, they are not identical replicas of their in vivo counterpart and there are still a lot of limitations to move forward to clinical applications.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Brain organoids are self-organized from human pluripotent stem cells and developed into various brain region following the developmental process of brain. Brain organoids provide promising approach for studying brain development process and neurological diseases and for tissue regeneration. @*METHODS@#In this review, we summarized the development of brain organoids technology, potential applications focusing on disease modeling for regeneration medicine, and multidisciplinary approaches to overcome current limitations of the technology. @*RESULTS@#Generations of brain organoids are categorized into two major classes by depending on the patterning method.In order to guide the differentiation into specific brain region, the extrinsic factors such as growth factors, small molecules, and biomaterials are actively studied. For better modelling of diseases with brain organoids and clinical application for tissue regeneration, improvement of the brain organoid maturation is one of the most important steps. @*CONCLUSION@#Brain organoids have potential to develop into an innovative platform for pharmacological studies and tissue engineering. However, they are not identical replicas of their in vivo counterpart and there are still a lot of limitations to move forward to clinical applications.
ABSTRACT
Gene therapy holds a great promise and has been extensively investigated to improve bone formation and regeneration therapies in bone tissue engineering. A variety of osteogenic genes can be delivered by combining different vectors (viral or non-viral), scaffolds and delivery methodologies. Ex vivo & in vivo gene enhanced tissue engineering approaches have led to successful osteogenic differentiation and bone formation. In this article, we review recent advances of gene therapy-based bone tissue engineering discussing strengths and weaknesses of various strategies as well as general overview of gene therapy.