2019, Vol.32, No.4

Anatomy & Biological Anthropology 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.33

pISSN : 2671-5651 / eISSN : 2671-566X
https://journal.kci.go.kr/aba

The study was undertaken to determine if there is a difference in length among the upper, middle and lower thirds of the face. Undergraduates, 18~30 years old, of Izon and Urhobo ethnic groups in two Nigerian Universities constituted the study population. Five hundred and thirty subjects, 250 Izon (127 males and 123 females) and 280 Urhobo (130 males and 150 females) participated in the study based on the systematic sampling technique. The horizontal facial thirds were measured in millimeters (mm) with the sliding caliper. Data analysis was done with SPSS 23. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Statistical significance was fixed at p<0.05. In all the horizontal facial thirds, the mean lengths in males were significantly higher than in females (p<0.05), except the middle third in the Izon that did not show significant difference. The mean heights of the upper and lower thirds were significantly longer in the Izon than the Urhobo, while the mean height of the middle third was significantly longer in the Urhobo than the Izon. The mean height of the lower third in males was significantly longer in the Izon than the Urhobo, while Urhobo females had significantly longer middle third than the Izon. This study suggests that the three horizontal facial segments are not equal. The outcome of this study will be useful to guide the oral maxillofacial surgeon, orthodontist and orthognathic surgeon concerned with aesthetic surgery of the face.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is the most abundant neuropeptide in primary afferent sensory neurons. Exogenous CGRP can induce cell death in kidney tubular cells. The objective of this study was to determine whether exogenous CGRP could induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in kidney proximal tubule epithelial cells and whether CGRP-induced ROS production might contribute to cell death. In HK-2, LLCPK1 and TCMK-1 cell lines derived from human, pig, and mouse respectively, administration of CGRP increased cell death in time- and dose-dependent manners, as demonstrated by decreased cell viability. Exogenous CGRP also increased ROS production levels in those cell lines. Treatment with CGRP receptor antagonist (CGRP8-37) significantly inhibited the increases in cell death and ROS production in CGRP-exposed cells. Furthermore, treatment with a ROS scavenger (MnTMPyP) markedly reduced kidney proximal tubule epithelial cell death after CGRP administration. Taken together, these data suggest that extraneural CGRP can induce cell death through excessive oxidative stress in kidney proximal tubule epithelial cells.

Postoperative abdominal adhesion (PAA) causes significant long-term postoperative morbidity. Although numerous physical anti-adhesion barriers (AAB) are used as therapeutical interventions, none of them has achieved sustained success. As a potential strategy to overcome the limitations, drug-eluting AAB have attracted scientific attention. Here, we produced agar films (AF) chemically cross-linked with different concentrations of citric acid (CA) and we measured the physicochemical properties such as crosslinking strength, swelling ratio, hydrophilicity, and biodegradability of the yielded CA-AFs. Next, Metformin (MET), an antidiabetic drug with anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory properties, was loaded in the CA-AFs yielding the MET-loaded CA-AF (MET@CA-AF) and the time-dependent MET release was monitored. Based on their physicochemical properties, MET@CA-AF containing 20% CA appeared a promising AAB candidate and was further used in an in vivo study. Mouse models of PAA were established with cecum abrasion and the MET@CAAF and CA-AF were applied between the injured interfaces. At postoperative day 14, the therapeutic efficacies were analyzed by using clinical adhesion scoring and quantification of collagen-I and fibroblasts in adhesion interfaces. The results showed that applications of MET@CA-AF or CA-AF for 14 days significantly attenuated the clinical adhesion score and thickness of adhesion interface. Furthermore, when compared with the group with operation, the groups with MET@CA-AF or CA-AF exhibited the significant attenuation in PAA-associated myofibroblast activation in adhesion interface. Importantly, these attenuations were significantly more intensified in the group with MET@CA-AF than in the group with CA-AF. Based on our data, we anticipate that MET@CAAF, a novel synthesized drug-eluting AAB, can protect against PAA by exerting the dual role of physical barrier and MET-based pharmaceutic.