purpose: since there have been some debates about using supa brand silk, this study was designed to elucidate the possible differences between supa and ethicon silk in suturing rat skin. materials & methods: this study was carried out on 60 female spragne-dawly albino rats. the animals were randomly assigned to two equal groups. in group one, 3/0 silk, supa product, and in group two, 3/0 ...

Spider dragline silk has enormous potential for the development of biomimetic fibers that combine strength and elasticity in low density polymers. These applications necessitate understanding how silk reacts to different environmental conditions. For instance, spider dragline silk ;supercontracts' in high humidity. During supercontraction, unrestrained dragline silk contracts up to 50% of its o...

The domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori Linn., a lepidopteran molecular model and an important economic insect that are emerging as an ideal molecular genetic resource for solving a broad range of biological problems. The silkworm, B. mori produces massive amount of silk proteins during the final stage of larval development. These proteins are stored in the middle silk gland and they are dischar...

Spider major ampullate silk is a high-performance biomaterial that has received much attention. However, most studies ignore plasticity in silk properties. A better understanding of silk plasticity could clarify the relative importance of chemical composition versus processing of silk dope for silk properties. It could also provide insight into how control of silk properties relates to spider e...

β-Sheet crystals play an important role in determining the stiffness, strength, and optical properties of silk and in the exhibition of silk-type-specific functions. It is important to elucidate the structural changes that occur during the stretching of silk fibres to understand the functions of different types of fibres. Herein, we elucidate the initial crystallisation behaviour of silk molecu...

Corresponding author: Ji Hee Hong, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Keimyung University School of Medicine, 56, Dalseong-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 700-712, Korea. Tel: 82-53-250-7288, Fax: 82-53-250-7240, E-mail: [email protected] This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http:// creativecommons.org/...