• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.12-18
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• 2014

Objectives: This was a retrospective case series about the clinical effect of integrated approach with behavior therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: Medical records of twelve patients with OSA who were treated with behavior modification including nasal breathing with oral appliances and sleep in lateral position, oral administration of herbal medicines and acupuncture treatment between January and September of 2013 were reviewed. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), day time sleepiness, apneas and hypopneas counts during sleep, risk indicator (RI), oxygen desaturation index, average saturation during sleep, lowest desaturation, lowest saturation, snoring events ratio and number of desaturations (%) were assessed before and after treatments with the ApneaLink device, which is a portable diagnostic apparatus for monitoring airflows of the patient's breath at home. Results: After an average 62.67 (SD 37.16) days of treatment, AHI (from 17.67, 12.79 to 8.75, 8.25, p=0.007), RI (from 22.00, 13.26 to 12.09, 8.03, p=0.004), oxygen desaturation index (from 17.33, 12.17 to 8.17, 7.86, p=0.005), and number of desaturations (from 7.00 times, 9.79 to 0.92 times, 1.39, p=0.044) showed significant improvement. Daytime sleepiness improved from 6.5 (3.2) to 3.8 (1.8) but there was no significant difference after treatment (p=0.17). No adverse events related to treatment were observed during participation in the treatment. Conclusion: From this case series, we found that behavior modification with herbal medication and acupuncture may be effective for improving sleep apnea without serious adverse events. Future randomized controlled trials with larger sample size will be necessary for concrete evidence on the benefit of this integrated treatment for OSA.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.75-80
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• 2014

This paper proposed a method that can automatically classify sleep apnea by using features extracted from pulse rate variability(PRV) signals induced from piezo snoring sensor for patients with obstructive sleep apnea(OSA). We have extracted eight features(NN, SDNN, RMSSD, NN10, NN50, LF, HF and LF/HF ratio) based on time and frequency analyses of PRV. Sleep apnea was classified by a linear discriminant analysis(LDA). A performance was evaluated using snore recordings from 13 patients with OSA (ages: $54.5{\pm}10.5$ years, body mass index: $26.3{\pm}2.5kg/m^2$, apnea-hypopnea index: $19.2{\pm}6.0/h$). The sensitivity and specificity were $78.9{\pm}0.9%$ and $78.9{\pm}0.9%$ for training set and $77.7{\pm}10.9%$ and $79.0{\pm}2.8%$ for test set, respectively. Our study demonstrated the feasibility of implementing a piezo snoring sensor based on a portable device as a simple and cost-effective solution for contributing to the OSA screening.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.531-536
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• 2011

The precise measurement of human emotion is of pivotal importance in the field of emotion science. Based on the perspective of psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology, human emotion is now considered to be measurable by body fluid. The biological molecule cortisol, which is known for the stress hormone, has been widely investigated to help researchers to estimate the stress loaded on human body. Until now, several measurement techniques such as High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), fluorometric assay, and reverse phase chromatography have been developed. However, since these measurements are expensive, take relatively long time for an operation, and they are not portable, they are not appropriate for POCT (point of care testing). In this paper we demonstrate the performance of a miniaturized-microwave resonant device in the measurement of cortisol. Our method has many advantages in that it requires a small volume of sample, has fast response time, is easy to operate and needs no labeling process. Besides, it will shed a light on the measurement techniques for emotion science.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 1992

Bioelectrical Impedance method for measuring human body composition is based upon the principle that the electrical conductivity of the fat-free mass (FFM) is far greater than that of the (at. Deter- mination o( impedance was nlade in 30 healthy and obese men aged $40.9{\pm}14.7$yr (mean${\pm}$SD) and 25 healthy and obese women aged $44.0{\pm}10.2$ yr. A commercial impedance body fat analyzer was used with a four electrode arrangement that introduced a painless constant current(ImA at 50 kHz) into the body. Linear relationships were found between impudence values and FFM(r=-0.786) and between weight and FFM(r=0.837). Signigicant increases in the correlation coefficients were ob served when the predicator Hta/z was regressed against FFM(r=0.912) where Ht Is height and Z Is impedance. A linear regression equation, FFM=0.586(Htf/z) +0.317(Weight) -1.674(r=0.977), was found. The correlation coefficient of % body fat between the impedance and infrared methods was 0.898. These data Indicate that the bioelectrical impedance technique is a reliable and valld approach for the estimation of human body composition. This method Is safe, noninvasivr, prouides rapld measure menu, requires little operator skill and subject cooperation, and Os portable. Finally measurement of percent body fat was made possible using both the regression equation and a developed impedance measuring device which measures impedance between wrist and ankle.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.167-172
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• 1984

In the present study, we developed a nuclear stethoscope interfaced with a personal computer (APPLE- II) and evaluated it's performances as compared with the gamma camera. This single-probe, ECG-gated system has been used for displaying the left ventricular time-activity curves, the peak ejection time and its rate, the peak filling time and its rate, and the R-R interval distribution. The radioactivity was measured at every 10msec around the ventricular region, where the activity curves shows the maximal peak to peak variations. The background activity was measured around the lung area showing its counts approximately 50% of the end-diastolic count with minimal variations. The average time-activity curves of 100 beats were used for analysis in the equilibrium study after intravenous injection of 15-20mCi of Tc. The ejection fractions measured by the nuclear stethoscope(Y) were compared with those measured by gamma camera(X) in 47 patients with various heart diseases. The correlation coefficient between two measurements was 0.766 with a relation of Y=1.04 x-8.48. Also, the high reproducibility was obtained for the same patient. Also, the high reproducibility was obtained for the same patient. From this study, we conclude that this device is useful for continuous monitoring in the intensive care unit, as it is portable, compact, and inexpensive.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.323-327
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• 2002

Chronic diabetic patients need to sample capillary blood for monitoring and controlling the blood sugar level. Frequent sampling requires to minimize pain during skin puncture. The present study developed mechanisms to minimize pain with effective sampling procedure. which consisted of tapered spring, guiding tunnel, and 30G needle Penetration depth was limited to within 2mm for pain reduction as well as for safety. Simple no-reuse mechanism also prevented the cross-patient and secondary infection possibility. Clinical experiments demonstrated the best convenience and safety with minimal pain in the diabetes, normal, and nursing students groups. Sing1e blood sampling was enough for successful blood sugar test by portable analyzer. The present sing1e use auto-lancet should be of great convenience in frequent capillary blood sampling for the diabetes.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.77-82
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• 2021

As malaria remains a major health problem worldwide, various diagnostic tests have been developed, including microscopy-based and rapid diagnostic tests. LabChip real-time PCR (LRP) is a small and portable device used to diagnose malaria using lab-on-a-chip technology. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of LRP for detecting malaria parasites. Two hundred thirteen patients and 150 healthy individuals were enrolled from May 2009 to October 2015. A diagnostic detectability of LRP for malaria parasites was compared to that of conventional RT-PCR. Sensitivity of LRP for Plasmodium vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. ovale was 95.5%, 96.0%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Specificity of LRP for P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. ovale was 100%, 99.3%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Cohen's Kappa coefficients between LRP and CFX96 for detecting P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. ovale were 0.96, 0.98, 1.00, and 1.00, respectively. Significant difference was not observed between the results of LRP and conventional RT-PCR and microscopic examination. A time required to amplify DNAs using LRP and conventional RT-PCR was 27 min and 86 min, respectively. LRP amplified DNAs 2 times more fast than conventional RT-PCR due to the faster heat transfer. Therefore, LRP could be employed as a useful tool for detecting malaria parasites in clinical laboratories.

• Journal of Digital Policy
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2022

Recently, the healthcare field is trying to develop a model that can improve service quality by reflecting the requirements of various industrial fields. In this paper, we propose an Internet of Behavior (IoB) environment model that can process users' healthcare information in real time in a 5G environment to improve healthcare services. The purpose of the proposed model is to analyze the user's healthcare information through deep learning and then check the health status in real time. In this case, the biometric information of the user is transmitted through communication equipment attached to the portable medical equipment, and user authentication is performed through information previously input to the attached IoB device. The difference from the existing IoT healthcare service is that it analyzes the user's habits and behavior patterns and converts them into digital data, and it can induce user-specific behaviors to improve the user's healthcare service based on the collected data.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.280-289
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• 2022

In this paper, we present a QRS-complex detection algorithm to calculate an accurate heartbeat and clearly recognize irregular rhythm from ECG signals. The conventional Pan-Tompkins algorithm brings false QRS detection in the derivative when QRS and noise signals have similar instant variation. The proposed algorithm uses amplitude differences in 7 adjacent samples to detect QRS-complex which has the highest amplitude variation. The calculated amplitude is cubed to dominate QRS-complex and the moving average method is applied to diminish the noise signal's amplitude. Finally, a decision rule with a threshold value is applied to detect accurate QRS-complex. The calculated signals with Pan-Tompkins and proposed algorithms were compared by signal-to-noise ratio to evaluate the noise reduction degree. QRS-complex detection performance was confirmed by sensitivity and the positive predictive value(PPV). Normal ECG, muscle noise ECG, PVC, and atrial fibrillation signals were achieved which were measured from an ECG simulator. The signal-to-noise ratio difference between Pan-Tompkins and the proposed algorithm were 8.1, 8.5, 9.6, and 4.7, respectively. All ratio of the proposed algorithm is higher than the Pan-Tompkins values. It indicates that the proposed algorithm is more robust to noise than the Pan-Tompkins algorithm. The Pan-Tompkins algorithm and the proposed algorithm showed similar sensitivity and PPV at most waveforms. However, with a noisy atrial fibrillation signal, the PPV for QRS-complex has different values, 42% for the Pan-Tompkins algorithm and 100% for the proposed algorithm. It means that the proposed algorithm has superiority for QRS-complex detection in a noisy environment.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.100-108
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• 2010

Objectives: "Internet-addiction" came into common use not only in clinical setting but also in everyday life. But, pathophysiology and diagnostic criteria of the internet addiction remain unknown. Because adolescents are in developing period, they might be vulnerable to the internet addiction, depression and sleep-related problem. The objectives of this study were to investigate the characteristics of internet addiction and its association with sleep pattern and depression in Korean adolescence. Methods: Subjects were 799 middle and high school students in Seoul, Korea. We administered a self-reported questionnaire including socio-demographic data, Korean versions of Young's Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PS-QI), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies for Depression Scale (CES-D) and questions about internet using patterns. Data of 696 subjects were included in analysis. Chi-square tests were used to analyze proportional differences, and ANOVA with post-hoc tests were used to analyze differences among groups. Partial correlation analyses were performed to analyze the correlation of internet addiction with other variables (two-tailed, p<0.05). Results: Of the 696 participants (grade 2 of middle school; M2 135 vs. grade 1 of high school; H1 238 vs. grade 2 of high school; H2 323), 2.0% (n=14) were internet-addicted (IA), 27.7% (n=193) were over-using (OU) and 70.3% (n=489) were not-addicted (NA). The mean scores of YIAS, PSQI and CES-D scores were 35.24${\pm}$12.78, 5.53${\pm}$3.04 and 16.72${\pm}$8.69, respectively. In higher grade students, average total sleep time was shorter (M2 426.20${\pm}$67.68 min. vs. H1 380.47${\pm}$62.57 min. vs. H2 354.67${\pm}$73.37 min., F=51.909, p<0.001), and PSQI (4.69${\pm}$3.14 vs. 5.42${\pm}$3.15 vs. 5.97${\pm}$2.83, F=8.871, p<0.001) CES-D (13.53${\pm}$8.37 vs. 16.96${\pm}$8.24 vs. 17.87${\pm}$8.84, F=12.373, p<0.001) scores were higher than those of lower grade students. Comparing variables among IA, OU and NA groups, computer using time not for study (96.36${\pm}$63.31 min. vs. 134.92${\pm}$86.79 min. vs. 213.57${\pm}$136.87 min., F=34.287, p<0.001) and portable device using time not for study (84.22${\pm}$79.11 min. vs. 96.97${\pm}$91.89 min. vs. 152.31${\pm}$93.64 min., F= 5.400, p=0.005) were different among groups. PSQI (5.26${\pm}$2.97 vs. 6.08${\pm}$2.97 vs. 7.50${\pm}$4.41, F=8.218, p<0.001) and CES-D scores (15.40${\pm}$8.08 vs. 19.05${\pm}$8.42 vs. 30.43${\pm}$13.69, F=32.692, p<0.001) were also different among groups. YIAS score were correlated with computer using time not for study (r=0.356, p<0.001) and portable device using time not for study (r= 0.136, p<0.001). PSQI score (r=0.237, p<0.001) and CES-D score (r=0.332, p<0.001). YIAS score and PSQI score (r=0.131, p= 0.001), YIAS and CES-D score (r=0.265, p<0.001), PSQI score and CES-D score (r=0.357, p<0.001) were correlated each other. Conclusion: These results suggested that adolescents' internet-addiction was correlated with not only computer and portable device using time not for study but also depression and sleep-related problems. We should pay attention to depression and sleep-related problems, when evaluating internet-addiction in adolescents.