ABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate the effect of whole body vibration (WBV) on the sensory and motor nerve components with sciatic nerve injury model rats. Surgery was performed on 21 female Wister rats (6-8 weeks) under intraperitoneal anesthesia. The nerve-crush injuries for the left sciatic nerve were inflicted using a Sugita aneurysm clip. The sciatic nerve model rats were randomly divided into two groups (n=9; control group, n=12; WBV group). The rats in the WBV group walked in the cage with a vibratory stimulus (frequency 50 Hz, 20 min/day, 5 times/wk), while those in the control group walked in the cage without any vibratory stimulus. We used heat stimulation-induced sensory threshold and lumbar magnetic stimulation-induced motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) to measure the sensory and motor nerve components, respectively. Further, morphological measurements, bilateral hind-limb dimension, bilateral gastrocnemius dimension, and weight were evaluated. Consequently, there were no significant differences in the sensory threshold at the injury side between the control and WBV groups. However, at 4 and 6 weeks postoperatively, MEPs latencies in the WBV group were significantly shorter than those in the control group. Furthermore, both sides of the hind-limb dimension at 6 weeks postoperatively, the left side of the gastrocnemius dimension, and both sides of the gastrocnemius weight significantly increased. In conclusion, WBV especially accelerates the functional recovery of motor nerve components in sciatic nerve-crush injury model rats.
ABSTRACT
Both periodontal disease and diabetes are common chronic inflammatory diseases. One of the major problems with type 2 diabetes is that unregulated blood glucose levels damage the vascular endothelium and cause complications. A bidirectional relationship between periodontal disease and diabetic complications has been reported previously. However, whether periodontal disease affects the presence of diabetic complications has not been clarified. Therefore, we examined the effect of the periodontal disease status on diabetic complications in patients with type 2 diabetes. Periodontal doctors examined the periodontal disease status of 104 type 2 diabetic patients who visited a private diabetes medical clinic once a month between 2016 and 2018. The subject's diabetic status was obtained from their medical records. Bayesian network analysis showed that bleeding on probing directly influenced the presence of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes patients. In addition, bleeding on probing was higher in the diabetic retinopathy group (n = 36) than in the group without diabetic retinopathy (n = 68, p = 0.006, Welch's t-test). Bleeding on probing represents gingival inflammation, which might affect the presence of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes patients who regularly visit diabetic clinics.
ABSTRACT
Metal-filled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are known to be used as pen-tip injectors for 3D manufacturing on the nanoscale. However, the CNT interior cannot accumulate enough material to fabricate complex metallic nanostructures. Therefore a method for refilling the CNT cartridge needs to be developed. The strategy for refilling of CNT cartridges is suggested in this study. Controlled growth of gold nanowires in the interior of isolated CNTs using a real-time manipulator installed in a transmission electron microscope is reported herein. The encapsulation process of discrete gold nanoparticles in the hollow spaces of open-ended multi-wall CNTs was evaluated in detail. The experimental results reveal that the serial loading of isolated gold nanoparticles allows the control of the length of the loaded nanowires with nanometer accuracy. Thermophoresis and the coalescence of gold nanoparticles are assumed to be the primary mechanisms responsible for gold loading into a CNT cartridge.
