• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

Recently, the digital healthcare technologies including non-invasive diagnostics based on Internet of Things (IOT) are getting attention. Human exhaled breath contains a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can provide information of malfunctions of the body and presence of a specific disease. Detection of VOCs in exhaled breath using gas sensors are easy to use, safe, and cost-effective. However, accurate diagnosis of diseases is challenging because changes in concentration of VOCs are extremely small and lots of body factors directly or indirectly influence to the conditions. To overcome the limitations, highly selective nanosensors and artificial intelligent electronic nose (E-nose) systems have been mainly researched in recent decades. This review provides brief reviews of the recent studies for diabetes and lung cancer diagnosis using nanosensors and E-nose systems.

• Ceramist
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.38-48
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• 2018

This paper reports a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in research on the enhancement of sensing properties for the detection of gases in exhaled breath. Daily health monitoring and early diagnosis of specific diseases via the analysis of exhaled breath is possible. Because biomarkers in exhaled breath are emitted in a very small amount, it is necessary to develop highly sensitive gas sensors. In recent years, a number of researches have been carried out using various strategies for the enhancement of sensing properties such as doping, catalyst, hollow sphere, heterojunction, size effect. We introduced each strategy and summarized recent progress on sensing properties for detection of biomarkers in exhaled breath.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.219-222
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• 2013

The exhaled breath contains gases generated from human body. When disease occurs in the body, exhaled breath may include gas components released from disease metabolism. If we can find specific elements through analysis of the exhaled gases, this approach is an effective way to diagnose the disease. The lung function has a close relationship with exhalation. Exhaled gases from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) patients can be analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and a gas sensor system. The exhaled breath for healthy person and COPD patients had different components. Significantly more benzendicarboxylic acid was detected from COPD patients than in healthy persons. In addition, patients had a variety of decane. Phosphorous compounds with different isomers were detected from patients. The results obtained by gas sensor system were processed by PCA (Principal Component Analysis). The PCA results revealed distinct difference between the patients and healthy people.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.802-812
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• 2018

Disease discrimination using an electronic nose is achieved by measuring the presence of a specific gas contained in the exhaled breath of patients. Many studies have reported the presence of acetone in the breath of diabetic patients. These studies suggest that acetone can be used as a biomarker of diabetes, enabling diagnoses to be made by measuring acetone levels in exhaled breath. In this study, we perform a chemical sensor array optimization to improve the performance of an electronic nose system using Wilks' lambda, sensor selection based on a principal component (B4), and a stepwise elimination (SE) technique to detect the presence of acetone gas in human breath. By applying five different temperatures to four sensors fabricated from different synthetic materials, a total of 20 sensing combinations are created, and three sensing combinations are selected for the sensor array using optimization techniques. The measurements and analyses of the exhaled breath using the electronic nose system together with the optimized sensor array show that diabetic patients and control groups can be easily differentiated. The results are confirmed using principal component analysis (PCA).

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2013

Gas-sensor array technology, which has been much utilized in the field of food technology by the name of 'electronic nose' is drawing attention in diagnosing lung cancer based on the analysis of the exhaled human breath. Much understanding has been accomplished about the composition of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the human exhaled breath, in spite of some variations depending on research groups due mainly to lack of the standardization of the sensing procedures. Since VOCs may be produced during the process of cellular metabolism, difference in the cellular metabolism between healthy cells and lung cancer cells are expected to be reflected on the composition variation of the exhaled VOCs. Several studies have attempted to apply the gas-sensor array technology to lung cancer analysis using many different types of sensors including metal oxide, carbon black-polymer composite, surface acoustic wave, and gold nanoparticles. In this mini-review VOC as biomarkers, sensor array technology and application of the array technology for the diagnosis of cancer disease have been described.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2019

Significant progress has been made recently in detection of highly sensitive volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using chemical sensors. Combined with the progress in design of micro sensors array and electronic nose systems, these advances enable new applications for detection of extremely low concentrations of breath-related VOCs. State of the art detection technology in turn enables commercial sensor systems for health care applications, with high detection sensitivity and small size, weight and power consumption characteristics. We have been developing an intelligent electronic nose system for detection of VOCs for healthcare breath analysis applications. This paper reviews our contribution to monitoring of respiratory diseases and to diabetic monitoring using an intelligent electronic nose system for detection of low concentration VOCs using breath analysis techniques.

• Ceramist
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.70-81
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• 2019

Breath analysis is rapidly evolving as a non-invasive disease recognition and diagnosis method. Metal oxide gas sensors are one of the most ideal platforms for realizing portable, hand-held breath analysis devices in the near future. This paper reviewed the recent developments in metal oxide gas sensors detecting exhaled biomarker gases such as nitric oxides, acetone, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrocarbons. Emphasis was placed on strategies to tailor sensing materials/films capable of highly selective and sensitive detection of biomarker gases with negligible cross-response to ethanol, the major interfering breath gas. Specific examples were given to highlight the validity of the strategies, which include optimization of sensing temperature, doping additives, utilizing acid-base interaction, loading catalysts, and controlling gas reforming reaction. In addition, we briefly discussed the design and optimization method of gas sensor arrays for implementing the simultaneous assessment of multiple diseases. Breath analysis using high-performance metal oxide gas sensors/arrays will open new roads for point-of-care diagnosis of diseases such as asthma, diabetes, kidney dysfunction, halitosis, and lung cancer.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.300-304
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• 2011

Exhaled breath gases include gases generated in the body. When there is disease in the body, exhalation can include gas components from the disease. If we can find these specific elements through analysis of the exhalation gases, this can be an effective way to diagnose the disease. The lung has a close relationship with exhalation. Lung cancer refers to malignant tumors which originate in the lungs. Exhalation from the lung causes direct jets of gas to be ejected through the mouth and nose, so by analyzing these jets it may be possible to diagnose lung cancer. In our study we attempt to diagnose lung cancer from patient's exhaled gases. Exhalation of lung cancer patients was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy(GC-MS) and the expiratory gas was also measured using a sensor system. The system was designed to use a metal oxide sensor and solid phase micro extraction(SPME) fiber. The GC-MS analysis of the healthy subject's and cancer patient's exhalation gases both showed the presence of decane in the breath of patients with lung cancer. In addition, the results from the sensor system showed significant difference between the lung cancer patients and the healthy subjects.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.291-294
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• 2014

In this study, a chemiresistive sensor based on one-dimensional $WO_3$ nanostructures is presented for application in non-invasive medical diagnostics. $WO_3$ nanostructures were used as an active gas sensing layer and were deposited onto a $SiO_2/Si$substrate using Pt interdigitated electrodes (IDEs). The IDE spacing was $5{\mu}m$ and deposition was performed using RF sputter with glancing angle deposition mode. Pt IDEs fabricated by photolithography and dry etching. In comparison with thin film sensor, sensing performance of nanostructure sensor showed an enhanced response of more than 20 times when exposed to 50 ppm acetone at $400^{\circ}C$. Such a remarkable faster response can pave the way for a new generation of exhaled breath analyzers based on chemiresistive sensors which are less expensive, more reliable, and less complicated to be manufactured. Moreover, presented sensor technology has the potential of being used as a personalized medical diagnostics tool in the near future.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.255-258
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• 2024

Exhaled breath analysis has emerged as a non-invasive and cost-effective approach in medical diagnostics, particularly for detecting biomarkers such as acetone. This study presents the synthesis and characterization of Cr-doped ε-WO₃ spheres designed to improve gas-sensing performance. These spheres were synthesized via ultrasonic spray pyrolysis, resulting in a material with a complex composition exhibiting high sensitivity and selectivity towards acetone over ethanol (response ratio = 13.2 at 325℃). The enhanced acetone sensitivity of the Cr-doped WO₃ sensor is attributed to the strong interaction between the spontaneous electric dipole moment of ε-WO₃ and the significant dipole moment of acetone. This sensor can detect exhaled acetone, facilitating effective monitoring of a ketogenic diet.