• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3917-3925
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• 2012

Background: The relationship between postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) and invasive breast cancer has been extensively investigated, but that with breast carcinoma in situ (BCIS) has received relatively little attention. The aim of our present study was to review and summarize the evidence provided by longitudinal studies on the association between postmenopausal HT use and BCIS risk. Methods: A comprehensive literature search for articles published up to May 2012 was performed. Prior to performing a meta-analysis, the studies were evaluated for publication bias and heterogeneity. Relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR) values were calculated using 14 reports (8 case-control studies and 6 cohort studies), published between 1986 and 2012. Results: There was evidence of an association between ever postmenopausal estrogen use and BCIS based on a random-effects model (RR = 1.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01, 1.55). However, we found no strong evidence of an association between ever postmenopausal estrogen combined with progesterone use and BCIS using a randomeffects model (RR = 1.55, 95% CI = 0.95, 2.51). Furthermore, our analysis showed a strong association between "> 5 years duration" of estrogen or estrogen combined with progesterone use and BCIS. Furthermore, current use of any HT is associated with increased risk of BCIS in cohort studies. Additional well-designed large studies are now required to validate this association in different populations.

• Journal of the Korean society of biological therapies in psychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.163-172
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• 2018

Objectives : The aim of this study was to examine associations between quality of life in patients with schizophrenia and their family relationships. Methods : A total of 68 patients with schizophrenia participated in the study. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected, as well as results from the Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic Treatment Scale-Short Form(SWN-K), Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale(FEICS), a visual analogue scale for evaluating the degree of perceived criticism(VAS), the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale(FACES), Beck Cognitive Insight Scale(BCIS), and Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale(R-SES). Psychiatrists administered the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia(CDSS), and collected a history of previous suicide attempts. Results : The SWN-K total scores showed significant negative correlations with scores on the FEICS perceived criticism, CDSS, and VAS measures and significant positive correlations with scores on the R-SES, FACES, and BCIS. Multiple regression analysis revealed that FEICS perceived criticism, FACES, and BCIS scores were significantly associated with SWN-K scores. The FACES total score was significantly lower in patients with a history of previous suicide attempt. Conclusion : The quality of life of patients with schizophrenia was negatively associated with greater perceived familial criticism and positively associated with better family cohesion and higher patient insight. In patients with a history of suicide attempts, family adaptability and cohesion were significantly low.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 2024

Steady-state visual evoked potential-based brain-computer interface (SSVEP-BCI) is one of the promising systems that can serve as an alternative input device due to its stable and fast performance. However, one of the major bottlenecks is that some individuals exhibit no or very low SSVEP responses to flickering stimulation, known as SSVEP illiteracy, resulting in low performance on SSVEP-BCIs. However, a lengthy duration is required to enhance multiple SSVEP responses using traditional single-frequency transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). This research proposes a novel approach using dual-frequency tACS (df-tACS) to potentially enhance SSVEP by targeting the two frequencies with the lowest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each participant. Seven participants (five males, average age: 24.42) were exposed to flickering checkerboard stimuli at six frequencies to determine the weakest SNR frequencies. These frequencies were then simultaneously stimulated using df-tACS for 20 minutes, and the experiment was repeated to evaluate changes in SSVEP responses. The results showed that df-tACS effectively enhances the SNR at each targeted frequency, suggesting it can selectively improve target frequency responses. The study supports df-tACS as a more efficient solution for SSVEP illiteracy, proposing further exploration into multi-frequency tACS that could stimulate more than two frequencies, thereby expanding the potential of SSVEP-BCIs.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.257-263
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• 2016

Among several technologies related to human brain, Brain Computer Interface (BCI) system is one of the most notable technologies recently. Conventional BCI for direct communication between human brain and machine are discomfort because normally electroencephalograghy(EEG) signal is measured by using multichannel EEG sensor. In this study, we propose 2-channel EEG sensor-based application control system which is more convenience and low complexity to wear to get EEG signal. EEG sensor module and system algorithm used in this study are developed and designed and one of the BCI methods, Motor Imagery (MI) is implemented in the system. Experiments are consisted of accuracy measurement of MI classification and driving control test. The results show that our simple wearable system has comparable performance with studies using multi-channel EEG sensor-based system, even better performance than other studies.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2010

There are a great numbers of disabled individuals who cannot freely move or control specific parts of their body because of serious neurological diseases such as spinal cord injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brainstem stroke, and so on. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can help them to drive and control external devices using only their brain activity, without the need for physical body movements. Over the past 30 years, several Bel research programs have arisen and tried to develop new communication and control technology for those who are completely paralyzed. Thanks to the rapid development of computer science and neuroimaging technology, new understandings of brain functions, and most importantly many researchers' efforts, Bel is now becoming 'practical' to some extent. The present review article summarizes the current state of electroencephalogram (EEG)-based Bel, which have been being studied most widely, with specific emphasis on its basic concepts, system developments, and prospects for the future.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.5 no.10
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• pp.1770-1782
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• 2011

A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a communication system that translates brain activity into commands for computers or other devices. In other words, BCIs create a new communication channel between the brain and an output device by bypassing conventional motor output pathways consisting of nerves and muscles. This is particularly useful for facilitating communication for people suffering from paralysis. Due to the low bit rate, it takes much more time to translate brain activity into commands. Especially it takes much time to input characters by using BCI-based typewriters. In this paper, we propose a brain-operated typewriter which is accelerated by a language prediction model. The proposed system uses three kinds of strategies to improve the entry speed: word completion, next-syllable prediction, and next word prediction. We found that the entry speed of BCI-based typewriter improved about twice as much through our demonstration which utilized the language prediction model.

• Journal of Information Processing Systems
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.315-330
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• 2012

Recently, methodologies for developing brain-computer interface (BCI) games using the BCI have been actively researched. The existing general framework for processing brain waves does not provide the functions required to develop BCI games. Thus, developing BCI games is difficult and requires a large amount of time. Effective BCI game development requires a BCI game framework. Therefore the BCI game framework should provide the functions to generate discrete values, events, and converted waves considering the difference between the brain waves of users and the BCIs of those. In this paper, BCI game frameworks for processing brain waves for BCI games are proposed. A variety of processes for converting brain waves to apply the measured brain waves to the games are also proposed. In an experiment the frameworks proposed were applied to a BCI game for visual perception training. Furthermore, it was verified that the time required for BCI game development was reduced when the framework proposed in the experiment was applied.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.242-247
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• 2021

Purpose: Blunt cardiac injuries (BCI) have a wide clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic myocardial contusion to cardiac rupture and death. BCIs rarely require surgical intervention, but can be rapidly fatal, requiring prompt evaluation and surgical treatment in some cases. The aim of this study was to identify potential factors associated with in-hospital mortality after surgery in patients with BCI. Methods: The medical records of 15 patients who had undergone emergency cardiac surgery for BCI between January 2014 and August 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. We included trauma patients older than 18 years admitted to Regional Trauma Center, Gachon University Gil Medical Center during the study period. Clinical and laboratory variables were compared between survivors and non-survivors. Results: Non-survivors showed a significantly higher Injury Severity Score (p=0.001) and Abbreviated Injury Scale in the chest region (p=0.001) than survivors. American Association for the Surgery of Trauma-Organ Injury Scale Grade V injuries were significantly more common in non-survivors than in survivors (p=0.031). Non-survivors had significantly more preoperative packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions (p=0.019) and were significantly more likely to experience preoperative cardiac arrest (p=0.001) than survivors. Initial pH (p=0.010), lactate (p=0.026), and base excess (BE; p=0.026) levels showed significant differences between the two groups. Conclusions: Initial pH, lactate, BE, ventricular injury, the amount of preoperative PRBC transfusions, and preoperative cardiac arrest were potential predictors of in-hospital mortality.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2020

Background and Objectives: We aimed to measure the head dimensions on computed tomography (CT) images, to compare them to directly measured head dimensions, and to predict a new parameter of bone thickness for aiding bone conduction implant (BCI) placement. Subjects and Methods: We reviewed the facial and mandibular bone CT images of 406 patients. Their head sizes were analyzed using five parameters included in the 6th Size Korea project, and they were divided into age groups (ranging from the 10s to the 80s). We compared the head length, head width, sagittal arc, bitragion arc, and head circumference in the CT and Size Korea groups. We also added the parameter bone thickness for aiding BCI placement. Results: All the head size parameters measured using CT were significantly smaller than those measured directly, with head length showing the smallest difference at 7.85 mm. The differences in the other four parameters between the two groups according to patient age were not statistically significantly different. Bone thickness had the highest value of 4.89±0.93 mm in the 70s and the lowest value of 4.10±0.99 mm in the 10s. Bone thickness also significantly correlated with head width (p=0.038). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that the CT and direct measurements yielded consistent data. Moreover, CT enabled the measurement of bone sizes, including bone thickness, that are impossible to measure directly. CT measurements may complement direct measurements in the Size Korea data when used for developing bone conduction hearing devices (BCIs and headsets) for the Korean population.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2020

Background and Objectives: We aimed to measure the head dimensions on computed tomography (CT) images, to compare them to directly measured head dimensions, and to predict a new parameter of bone thickness for aiding bone conduction implant (BCI) placement. Subjects and Methods: We reviewed the facial and mandibular bone CT images of 406 patients. Their head sizes were analyzed using five parameters included in the 6th Size Korea project, and they were divided into age groups (ranging from the 10s to the 80s). We compared the head length, head width, sagittal arc, bitragion arc, and head circumference in the CT and Size Korea groups. We also added the parameter bone thickness for aiding BCI placement. Results: All the head size parameters measured using CT were significantly smaller than those measured directly, with head length showing the smallest difference at 7.85 mm. The differences in the other four parameters between the two groups according to patient age were not statistically significantly different. Bone thickness had the highest value of 4.89±0.93 mm in the 70s and the lowest value of 4.10±0.99 mm in the 10s. Bone thickness also significantly correlated with head width (p=0.038). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that the CT and direct measurements yielded consistent data. Moreover, CT enabled the measurement of bone sizes, including bone thickness, that are impossible to measure directly. CT measurements may complement direct measurements in the Size Korea data when used for developing bone conduction hearing devices (BCIs and headsets) for the Korean population.