Sipyimigwanjung-tang, a traditional herbal medication, alleviates weight gain in a high-fat diet-induced obese mice model.

Obesity leads to the development of metabolic syndrome and comorbidities. Overweight and obesity continue to be a relentless global issue. Sipyimigwanjung-tang (SGT), a traditional herbal medication, was first mentioned in Dongui Sasang Shinpyun and has been used to treat edema, meteorism, and jaundice, which are common findings associated with obesity. The main physiological feature of obesity is expanded adipose tissue, which causes several impairments in liver metabolism. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the anti-obesity effects of SGT in the epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) and livers of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. SGT significantly blocked HFD-induced weight gain in C57BL/6N mice. In addition, SGT effectively reduced the increased weight and adipocyte size in eWAT of HFD-induced obese C57BL/6 N mice. Moreover, SGT significantly decreased the elevated gene expression of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α, and Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 in the eWAT of HFD-induced obese mice. Furthermore, SGT significantly decreased lipid accumulation in the livers of HFD-induced obese mice and differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Hence, the present study provides substantial evidence that SGT has potential therapeutic effects on obesity.

Space Target Classification Improvement by Generating Micro-Doppler Signatures Considering Incident Angle.

Classifying space targets from debris is critical for radar resource management as well as rapid response during the mid-course phase of space target flight. Due to advances in deep learning techniques, various approaches have been studied to classify space targets by using micro-Doppler signatures. Previous studies have only used micro-Doppler signatures such as spectrogram and cadence velocity diagram (CVD), but in this paper, we propose a method to generate micro-Doppler signatures taking into account the relative incident angle that a radar can obtain during the target tracking process. The AlexNet and ResNet-18 networks, which are representative convolutional neural network architectures, are transfer-learned using two types of datasets constructed using the proposed and conventional signatures to classify six classes of space targets and a debris-cone, rounded cone, cone with empennages, cylinder, curved plate, and square plate. Among the proposed signatures, the spectrogram had lower classification accuracy than the conventional spectrogram, but the classification accuracy increased from 88.97% to 92.11% for CVD. Furthermore, when recalculated not with six classes but simply with only two classes of precessing space targets and tumbling debris, the proposed spectrogram and CVD show the classification accuracy of over 99.82% for both AlexNet and ResNet-18. Specially, for two classes, CVD provided results with higher accuracy than the spectrogram.

Classification of Space Objects by Using Deep Learning with Micro-Doppler Signature Images.

Radar target classification is an important task in the missile defense system. State-of-the-art studies using micro-doppler frequency have been conducted to classify the space object targets. However, existing studies rely highly on feature extraction methods. Therefore, the generalization performance of the classifier is limited and there is room for improvement. Recently, to improve the classification performance, the popular approaches are to build a convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture with the help of transfer learning and use the generative adversarial network (GAN) to increase the training datasets. However, these methods still have drawbacks. First, they use only one feature to train the network. Therefore, the existing methods cannot guarantee that the classifier learns more robust target characteristics. Second, it is difficult to obtain large amounts of data that accurately mimic real-world target features by performing data augmentation via GAN instead of simulation. To mitigate the above problem, we propose a transfer learning-based parallel network with the spectrogram and the cadence velocity diagram (CVD) as the inputs. In addition, we obtain an EM simulation-based dataset. The radar-received signal is simulated according to a variety of dynamics using the concept of shooting and bouncing rays with relative aspect angles rather than the scattering center reconstruction method. Our proposed model is evaluated on our generated dataset. The proposed method achieved about 0.01 to 0.39% higher accuracy than the pre-trained networks with a single input feature.

A Prosthetic Socket with Active Volume Compensation for Amputated Lower Limb.

Typically, the actual volume of the residual limb changes over time. This causes the prosthesis to not fit, and then pain and skin disease. In this study, a prosthetic socket was developed to compensate for the volume change of the residual limb. Using an inflatable air bladder, the proposed socket monitors the pressure in the socket and keeps the pressure distribution uniform and constant while walking. The socket has three air bladders on anterior and posterior tibia areas, a latching type 3-way pneumatic valve and a portable control device. In the paper, the mechanical properties of the air bladder were investigated, and the electromagnetic analysis was performed to design the pneumatic valve. The controller is based on a hysteresis control algorithm with a closed loop, which keeps the pressure in the socket close to the initial set point over a long period of time. In experiments, the proposed prosthesis was tested through the gait simulator that can imitate a human's gait cycle. The active volume compensation of the socket was successfully verified during repetitive gait cycle using the weight loads of 50, 70, and 90 kg and the residual limb model with a variety of volumes. It was confirmed that the pressure of the residual limb recovered to the initial state through the active control. The pressure inside the socket had a steady state error of less than 0.75% even if the volume of the residual limb was changed from -7% to +7%.

Pharmacological Properties of a Traditional Korean Formula Bojungchiseup-tang on 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes and High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity Mouse Model.

The global obesity epidemic has nearly doubled since 1980, and this increasing prevalence is threatening public health. It has been reported that natural products could contain potential functional ingredients that may assist in preventing obesity. Bojungchiseub-tang (BJT), mentioned in the Donguibogam as an herbal medication for the treatment of edema, a symptom of obesity, consists of eleven medicinal herbs. However, the pharmacological activity of BJT has not been investigated. The present study was designed to investigate the putative effect of BJT on the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 cells and the weight gain of high-fat diet (HFD-) fed C57BL/6 mice. Oil Red O staining was conducted to examine the amount of lipids in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups: standard diet group (control, CON), 45% HFD group (HFD), and HFD supplemented with 10% of BJT (BJT). The expression levels of genes and proteins related to adipogenesis in cells, WAT, and liver were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot, respectively. We found that BJT treatment significantly decreased the protein and mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) in a dose-dependent manner in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. Similar to the results of the in vitro experiment, BJT suppressed HFD-induced weight gain in an obese mouse model. In addition, BJT effectively reduced the HFD-induced epididymal adipose tissue weight/body weight index. BJT also downregulated the mRNA levels of PPARγ, C/EBPα, and SREBP1 in the epididymal adipose and liver tissue of HFD-fed obese mice. These findings suggest that BJT induces weight loss by affecting adipogenic transcription factors.

The Antiobesity Effects of Buginawa in 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes and in a Mouse Model of High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity.

There has been a remarkable interest in finding lipid inhibitors from natural products to replace synthetic compounds, and a variety of oriental medicinal herbs are reported to have biological activity with regard to lipid inhibition. Buginawa (Bugi) is a novel combined formula that contains twelve medicinal herbs with potential for weight loss induction. We hypothesized that Bugi may have antiobesity effects in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and in a high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced mouse model. In this study, 3T3-L1 cells were treated with varied concentrations of Bugi (62.5, 125, or 250 µg/mL). Bugi treatment inhibited adipocyte differentiation by suppressing adipogenic transcription genes, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ protein (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1), and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein ß (C/EBPß). Mice were fed a normal diet or an HFD for 11 weeks, and Bugi was simultaneously administered at 50 or 100 mg/kg. Bugi administration significantly reduced body weight gain and white adipose tissue (WAT) weight and effectively inhibited lipid droplet accumulation in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) and liver tissue. Further, Bugi treatment suppressed mRNA levels of PPARγ, C/EBPα, and SREBP1 in eWAT and liver tissue. Our findings demonstrate that Bugi could be an effective candidate for preventing obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Development of ECG Monitoring System and Implantable Device with Wireless Charging.

We developed an implantable electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring system and demonstrated its performance through an in vivo test. In the system, the implantable device senses not only the ECG signal of the animal but also the voltage level of the secondary cell and temperature inside the implantable device, and users can check the transmitted information through a PC program or a mobile application. The adoption of wireless charging technology eliminates the use of a lead wire and repetitive surgery to replace the implantable device. The proposed wireless charging technology demonstrated experimentally a wireless power transfer efficiency of approximately 30%. To minimize the size of the implantable device, the antenna and coil were integrated into a size of 34 mm × 14 mm. Communication between the implantable device and the basestation can reach up to 2.4 m when the implantable device is inserted into a porcine skin sample.

Clinical and radiological evaluation after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using suture bridge technique.

BACKGROUND: We retrospectively assessed the clinical outcomes and investigated risk factors influencing retear after arthroscopic suture bridge repair technique for rotator cuff tear through clinical assessment and magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA). METHODS: Between January 2008 and April 2011, sixty-two cases of full-thickness rotator cuff tear were treated with arthroscopic suture bridge repair technique and follow-up MRA were performed. The mean age was 56.1 years, and mean follow-up period was 27.4 months. Clinical and functional outcomes were assessed using range of motion, Korean shoulder score, Constant score, and UCLA score. Radiological outcome was evaluated with preoperative and follow-up MRA. Potential predictive factors that influenced cuff retear, such as age, gender, geometric patterns of tear, size of cuff tear, acromioplasty, fatty degeneration, atrophy of cuff muscle, retraction of supraspinatus, involved muscles of cuff and osteolysis around the suture anchor were evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty cases (48.4%) revealed retear on MRA. In univariable analysis, retear was significantly more frequent in over 60 years age group (62.5%) than under 60 years age group (39.5%; p = 0.043), and also in medium to large-sized tear than small-sized tear (p = 0.003). There was significant difference in geometric pattern of tear (p = 0.015). In multivariable analysis, only age (p = 0.036) and size of tear (p = 0.030) revealed a significant difference. The mean active range of motion for forward flexion, abduction, external rotation at the side and internal rotation at the side were significantly improved at follow-up (p < 0.05). The mean Korean shoulder score, Constant score, and UCLA score increased significantly at follow-up (p < 0.01). The range of motion, Korean shoulder score, Constant score, and UCLA score did not differ significantly between the groups with retear and intact repairs (p > 0.05). The locations of retear were insertion site in 10 cases (33.3%) and musculotendinous junction in 20 cases (66.7%; p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Suture bridge repair technique for rotator cuff tear showed improved clinical results. Cuff integrity after repair did not affect clinical results. Age of over 60 years and size of cuff tear larger than 1 cm were factors influencing rotator cuff retear after arthroscopic suture bridge repair technique.

Volar long locking compression plate fixation for distal radius fractures with metaphyseal and diaphyseal extension.

Comminuted distal radial fractures with metaphyseal and diaphyseal extension are uncommon and remain a challenge to treat. The purpose of this study was to assess the radiographic and functional outcomes of treatment with the volar long locking compression plate (LCP) system for distal radius fractures with metaphyseal and diaphyseal extension. This retrospective study was performed on 22 consecutive patients who were treated with open reduction and internal fixation with the application of a 2.4-mm-extra-long LCP volar distal radius plate. Patients were evaluated based on clinical signs and radiography studies. The average time to fracture union was 16 weeks. The volar tilt was restored to a mean of 10.1°. The radial length and radial inclination were restored to a mean of 12.8 mm and 23.6° at final follow-up, respectively. The mean loss of radial length was -1.0 mm at final follow-up as compared with the contralateral extremity. The average ulnar variance was positive 0.1 mm at final follow-up with a congruent distal radioulnar joint. The degree of collapse after fixation between immediate postoperative and final follow-up visit was -0.1 mm. Using the demerit-point system of the Gartland and Werley rating system, 14 results were rated as excellent, 5 as good and 1 as fair. DASH scores averaged 10.1 points. Based on our experience, the volar long LCP is useful in the management of comminuted fractures of the distal radius, in which there is proximal extension into the diaphysis and can avoid or minimize the complications of external fixation or dorsal bridging distraction plate.