• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.209-217
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• 2010

Retinal prostheses are being developed to restore vision for the blind with retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Since retinal prostheses depend upon electrical stimulation to control neural activity, optimal stimulation parameters for successful encoding of visual information are one of the most important requirements to enable visual perception. Therefore, in this paper, we focused on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) responses to different voltage stimulation parameters and compared threshold charge densities in normal and rd1 mice. For this purpose, we used in vitro preparation for the retina of normal and rd1 mice on micro-electrode arrays. When the neural network of rd1 mouse retinas is stimulated with voltage-controlled pulses, RGCs in degenerated retina also respond to voltage amplitude or voltage duration modulation as well in wild-type RGCs. But the temporal pattern of RGCs response is very different; in wild-type RGCs, single peak within 100 ms appears while in RGCs in degenerated retina multiple peaks (~4 peaks) with ~10 Hz rhythm within 400 ms appear. The thresholds for electrical activation of RGCs are overall more elevated in rd1 mouse retinas compared to wild-type mouse retinas: The thresholds for activation of RGCs in rd1 mouse retinas were on average two times higher ($70.50{\sim}99.87\;{\mu}C/cm^2$ vs. $37.23{\sim}61.65\;{\mu}C/cm^2$) in the experiment of voltage amplitude modulation and five times higher ($120.5{\sim}170.6\;{\mu}C/cm^2$ vs. $22.69{\sim}37.57\;{\mu}C/cm^2$) in the experiment of voltage duration modulation than those in wild-type mouse retinas. This is compatible with the findings from human studies that the currents required for evoking visual percepts in RP patients is much higher than those needed in healthy individuals. These results will be used as a guideline for optimal stimulation parameters for upcoming Korean-type retinal prosthesis.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2004

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of fusion and/or activation protocol on in vitro development of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos. Porcine fetal fibroblast cells were transferred into the perivitelline space of enucleated in vitro matured oocytes. Cell fusion and activation were induced simultaneous fusion/activation (SA) or delayed activation (DA) with or without cytochalasin B (CB) treatment with electic pulses in 0.28 M mannitol-based medium. The SCNT embryos were cultured in vitro for 7 days and stained with Hoechst 33342 to determine the number of nuclei. After 7 days culture, cleavage and blastocyst formation rates were 72.4% and 7.6% in SCNT and 76.3% and 20.4% in parthenotes. To examine the effect of electric field strengths on development of SCNT embryos, oocytes were fused two pulses of 110 V/mm, 130 V/mm or 150 V/mm for 30 sec post-injection. The fusion and cleavage rates in 130 V/mm group (70.2% and 72.6%) and 150 V/mm group (72.6% and 70.5%) were higher (P<0.05) than 110 V/mm group (47.1% and 48.6%), respectively. However, the rate of embryos developing to the blastocyst stage (8.1%, 9.7% and 10.7%) were not different among three groups. The cleavage rates and the blastcyst formation rates were not different among three treatment groups (SA group, 71.4% and 9.7%; SA+CB treatment group, 74.7% and 8.0%; DA+CB treatment group, 70.8% and 11.2%, respectively). And, no different in the number of cells in blastocysts was observed among the three groups (22.5$\pm$12.8, 23.3$\pm$11.2 and 21.6$\pm$10.4, respectively). These result suggest that two pulses of 130 V/mm or 150 V/mm for 30 sec with SA treatment or DA treatment are enough for fusion/activation of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos to develop to the blastocyst stage.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.16-21
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• 2015

Medial patellar luxation (MPL) of dog is one of the most common joint diseases. This study performed to know rehabilitative effect after reconstruction as application with intramuscular electrostimulation (IMES) on the cranial part of sartorius muscle. In this study, the 12 dogs with operated medial luxation divided into electrostimulation group (n = 8) and no electrostimulation group (n = 4) measured affected sided range of motion, muscle mass, lameness score and weight bearing for hospitalization 2 weeks. IMES group showed significant results after operation on 5th day (p < 0.01). Except lameness score, IMES group showed significant results on 10th day (p < 0.05). As results, in small sized dog after reconstruction of MPL, IMES on the cranial part of sartorius muscle considered a great help in the initial rehabilitation.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.247-255
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to compare kinesio tapping with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to single intervention in chronic stroke patients. 29 stroke patients were divided into taping group (n = 10), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation group (n = 10), and taping with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation group (combined group n = 9). The intervention period was 5 times (30min) per week for 4 weeks. Timed Up & Go (TUG) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) were used for balance evaluation. Functional Gait Assessment (FGA) and 10-meter walk test were used for gait evaluation. The quality of life evaluation was performed using the EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D). There were significant improvements in TUG, BBS, FGA, 10-meter walk test, and EQ-5D in all three groups (p <.05). In the comparison of the intervention effects between the three groups, the combined group showed a significant increase in FGA compared to the other two groups. This study showed that taping with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is more effective for FGA than single methods. However, there was no difference between the three groups except for FGA. Therefore, more subjects and intervention period will be needed in future studies.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.1399-1410
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• 2009

It is a method to treat pain using medication, neurotomy, and surgery. And acupuncture, ultrasound, electric treatment, and magnetic treatment are applied as a alternative physiotherapy. Electronic therapy is useful but it can be affected by impedance of skin or subcutaneous tissue. So, percutaneous stimulation is leading therapy, that is very randomly. We developed the system which can stimulate parts of acupuncture point noninvasively using the focused magnetic field. And we designed the magnetic stimulation electrode which is considered efficiency of the magnetic stimulation. It can make similar stimulation with manual acupuncture. To confirm the availability and reliability we compared Meridian Electronic Potential(MEP) change between manual acupuncture and magnetic stimulation. From this result, we found out the MEP changes of manual acupuncture and magnetic stimulation were similar. And there were various response properties as changes of stimulation method, intensity, and frequency. Also, the MEP change can be induced by electromagnetic stimulation. We confirmed that it is possible to use electromagnetic stimulation as a acupoint stimulation or pain treatment instrument.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 2000

This study was investigated to analyze the inactivating point mutation and expression level of follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH) receptor mRNA. In first experiment, we analyzed the point mutation. Peripheral blood was collected from each patient. To screen individuals for the C566T mutation, PCR was performed for exon 7 of the FSH receptor gene in 10 patients. No inactivating point mutation of FSH receptor gene was identified in women with premature ovarian failure. To analyze the expression level of FSH receptor, mRNA expressions were examined by RT-PCR method using specific primers for the FSH receptor. The amount of FSH receptor mRNA expressed in POF patients was lower than that in the control group. But it was not significantly different. These finding suggests that lower expression of FSH receptor in premature ovarian failure patients might be the cause of the low response to the gonadotropin during the hyperstimulation in IVF-ET cycles.

• Prospectives of Industrial Chemistry
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.3-18
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• 2018

전자피부(Electronic skin)는 외부 환경과의 상호작용하는 인간 피부의 기능을 대체하여 외부 자극 신호를 전기적 신호로 변환하는 센서들로 이루어진 인공피부로써, 최근 인간과 전자기기 간의 인터페이스에 대한 관심이 급증하면서 이에 대한 많은 연구들이 진행되고 있다. 그중에서도 피부의 주된 기능인 외부 물리적 자극을 인지하는 촉각을 모방하는 촉각센서는 많은 발전을 거쳐 왔으며, 한계를 극복하고자 다양한 연구들이 진행되고 있다. 촉각센서는 압력, 인장, 굽힘과 같은 물리적 자극에 반응하며, 물리적 자극 신호를 아날로그 및 디지털 신호로 변환하여 인지하는 연구들이 폭넓게 개발되고 있다. 또한, 소자의 구조에 따라 물리적 자극을 전달하는 다양한 변환 방식들이 있으며, 최근에는 각 신호 변환 방식의 민감도, 반응속도, 자극 인지 범위 등의 한계점을 극복하고, 소재의 기계적 물성을 향상시키기 위해 소재의 변형을 주거나 생체의 기관 구조 및 외부 자극 인지 원리 등을 모사한 연구들이 많은 관심을 받고 있다. 본 기고에서는 이러한 촉각센서의 물리적 자극 신호 변환 방식과 소재 변형 및 생체 모사를 통한 다양한 연구들을 소개하고자 하며, 이를 통하여 촉각센서의 나아갈 방향을 제시하고자 한다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Fiber Society Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.60-63
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• 2003

Smart 재료는 외부의 환경으로부터 자극을 받을 경우 형상, 색, 전기적 또는 광학적 특성 등이 변할 수 있는 소재를 말한다. 기존의 재료들은 단지 주어진 환경변화를 수동적으로 받아들이는 데 대하여 smart 재료는 이런 한계를 넘어 생물체처럼 환경에 반응한다는 점에서 앞으로 새로운 소재로 각광받을 수 있을 것이다. 변색성 재료도 이와 같은 중요한 smart 소재에 해당하는데, 물질에 따라 광, 온도, 화학물질, 전기장 등의 외부 환경조건에 응답할 수 있다. (중략)

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.143-148
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• 1984

비접합성 골절의 치료를 위한 전기적인 방법으로는 관혈적이 방법, 부분적으로 관혈적인 방법, 비관혈적인 방법 들이 있는데, 비관혈적인 방식은 다른 방법들과는 달리 수술 등 외과적 처기 등이 필요하지 않을뿐더러 환자에게도 가장 안전한 방식이다. 본 논문에서는 유도 결합 현상을 이용한 반관혈적인 전기 자기 자극기를 설계, 제작하였으며, 임상 실험 겨과 좋은 결과를 보이고 있다.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 2002

This study was conducted to examine the effects of electric stimulation conditions on in vitro developmental ability of procine embryos after somatic cell nuclear transfer, The porcine ear cell was cultured in vifro for confluency in serum-starvation condition (TCM-199＋0.5% FBS) for cell confluency. The zona pellucida of IVM oocytes were partially drilled using laser system. Single somatic cell was individually transferred into the enucleated oocyte. The reconstructed embryos were electrically fused with 0.3M mannitol. After electric fusion, the embryos were activated and cultured in NCSU-23 medium containing 10% FBS at 39$^{\circ}C$, 5% $CO_2$ in air for 6 to 8 days. Nuclear transferred(NT) oocytes which fused at a field strength of 1.90kv/cm showed a higher (P<0.05) fusion rate(49.5%, 50/101) compared to 2.10 kv/cm(25.8%, 24/93) or 2.50kv/cm(30.3%, 27/89). After electric activation, the cleavage rate of NT embryos was 48.0(24/50), 66.6(16/24) and 70.3% (19/27), respectively and these were not different. There was no significant difference in fusion rate by duration and pulse of electric stimulation. In cleavage rate, however, more NT embryos(76.3%, 45/59) cleaved at 60 $\mu$sec twice than other embryos(49.1 to 56.5%) with different conditions of electric stimulation(P<0.05). NT embryos activated at a field strength of 1.50kv/cm showed a higher developmental rate(9.8%, 5/51) than those embryos activated at 1.25kv/cm(0%) or parthenotes(6.4%, 7/109). These results suggest that some factors such as field strength, duration and pulse of electric stimulation could be affected to in vitro developmental ability of nuclear transplanted porcine embryos.