• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.9-13
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the secondary tasks such as sending text message (STM) and searching navigation (SN) on skin conductance level (SCL) and deviation of vehicle speed during driving. The participants included 30 healthy adults; 14 males aged $25.2{\pm}0.9$ with $1.9{\pm}1.8$ years of driving experiences and 16 females aged $22.6{\pm}1.9$ with $1.2{\pm}0.8$ years of driving experiences. All subjects were instructed to keep a constant speed (80km/h or 100km/h). SCL and deviation of vehicle speed were measured during driving only and driving with secondary tasks. SCL and deviation of vehicle speed were more increased during the driving with secondary tasks than driving only. Secondary tasks increased an activation of sympathetic nerve system and decreased driving performance. However, there were no significant differences in the SCL and deviation of vehicle speed according to gender and speed.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.109-140
• /
• 2006

Background: In practicing qigong, People must achieve three Points : adjust their Posture, control their breathing and have a peace of mind. That is, Cho-Sin [調身] , Cho-Sik [調息] , Cho-Sim [調心] . Slow respiration is the important pattern of respiration to improve the human health. However, unsuitable breathing training have been occurred to mental disorder such as insomnia, anorexia etc. So, we think that the breathing training to consider the individual variations are desired. Objectives: We performed this study to examine the physiological effects of controlled respiration on the normal range of frequency domain electroencephalogram(EEC) in healthy subjects Also, to study examine individual variations according to the physiological effects between controlled respiration and Han-Yeol [寒熱] , respiration period, gender and age-related groups on the EEC in healthy subjects. Methods: When the subjects controlled the time of breathing (inspiration and expiration time) consciously, compared with natural respiration, and that their physiological phenomena are measured by EEC. In this research we used breathing time as in a qigong training (The Six-Word Excise) and observed physiological phenomena of the controlled natural respiration period with the ratio of seven to three(longer inspiration) and three to seven(longer expiration) . We determined, heat-cold score by Han-Yeol [寒熱] questionnaire, average of natural respiration period, according to decade, EEC of 140 healthy subjects (14 to 68 years old; 38 males, 102 females) by means of alpha, beta spectral relative power. Results: 1) In Controlled respiration compared with the natural respiration, ${\alpha}\;I\;(Fp2)\;and\;{\beta}$ I (Fpl, Fp2, F3, F4) decreased on the EEC. 2) In controlled respiration compared with the natural respiration, ${\beta}$ I (Fpl, Fp2, F3, F4) increased with cold group, ${\alpha}/{\beta}$(F3) decreased with heat group, ${\alpha}$ I (Fp2)increased with cold group in longer inspiration. But by means of compound effects, ${\alpha}$ II(F3) increased with cold group in longer inspiration, the other side ${\alpha}$ I (F3) decreased with heat group in controlled respiration on the EEC. 3) In controlled respiration compared with the natural respiration, ${\alpha}$ I (Fp2) decreased with decreased-respiratory-rate(D.R.R.) group, ${\beta}$ I (Fpl, Fp2, F3, F4) increased with D.R.R. and D.R.R. groups, ${\alpha}/{\beta}$(F3) decreased with D.R.R. group. But by means of compound effects, in controlled respiration compared with the natural respiration, ${\alpha}/{\beta}$(F3) decreased with D.R.R. group on the EEG. 4) In controlled respiration compared with the natural respiration, ${\beta}$ I (Fpl, F3, F4) increased with female cup, ${\beta}$ I (Fp2) increased with male and female groups, ${\alpha}/{\beta}$(F3) decreased with male group. But by means of compound effects, in controlled respiration compared with the natural respiration, ${\alpha}$ I (Fp2) increased with female group on the EEC. 5) Compared with the natural respiration, in longer expiration ${\alpha}$ I (Fp2) increased in their forties group, in longer inspiration ${\alpha}$ I (Fp2) increased in their fifties group. But by means of compound effects, in controlled respiration compared with the natural respiration, ${\beta}$ I (Fpl) decreased in teens group on the EEG.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.128-134
• /
• 2012

Purpose: To design novel balance tests to assess FAI and evaluate whether these tests are affected by BMI or gender, with the goal of developing reliable FAI assessment tests that are not influenced by these factors. Materials and Methods: Participants included 20 young, healthy volunteers, 12 males and 8 females, with a mean age of $24{\pm}4$ years and a mean BMI of $23{\pm}2.28$. None of the subjects had known ankle instability. The following tests were assessed in each participant: single leg balance (SLB), percentage of leg press (PLP), single leg cycling (SLC), one leg squat (OLS), multiple direction reach-front/back/side (MDR-F/B/S), single leg hop (SLH), two leg jump (TLJ) and side step (SS). Data were analyzed using the SPSS 12.0 software program with ANOVA and t-test used. Results: When grouped by BMI, we found that despite differences in BMI, the performances of all subjects were equivalent except for the one-leg-squat test, for which the mean ratios for underweight ($1.69{\pm}0$), normal weight ($1.05{\pm}0.19$), and overweight ($0.93{\pm}0.30$) individuals were significantly different (p=0.02); ratios for SLB (p=0.273), SLC (p=0.903), PLP (p=0.664), MDR-F/B/S (p=0.498, 0.908, and 0.503, respectively), SLH (p=0.332) were not significantly different. When calculated according to gender, we found that the OLS (p=0.013) and MDRS (p=0.034) were significantly different, while parameters for all the remaining tests were not affected. Conclusion: We found that the SLB, PLP, SLC, MDR-F/B, and SLH ratios were unaffected by BMI or sex and, therefore, are reliable parameters for assessing ankle instability.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.631-634
• /
• 2010

This study was conducted to survey Dirofilaria (D.) immitis antigen, and Anaplasma (A.) phagocytophilum, Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi, and Ehrlichia (E.) canis antibodies among clinically healthy dogs in the Daejeon city and Kangwon province. Whole blood samples were collected from two hundred and fifty two dogs (127 females and 125 males, 147 outdoors and 105 indoors), and they were tested by using ELISA kit (SNAP 4Dx, IDEXX Laboratories, USA). Chi-squared analysis showed that A. phagocytophilum of female dogs in outdoors group was significantly higher prevalence than that of female dogs in indoors group (p < 0.05). In addition, infection rate of A. phagocytophilum of over 7 year-old-dogs in outdoors group revealed significantly higher prevalence than that of indoors group (p < 0.01). In E. canis, the under 4 year-old-dogs (p < 0.05), 4~7 year-old-dogs (p < 0.05) and over 7 year-old-dogs (p < 0.01) in outdoor group showed significantly higher prevalence than that of indoors group, respectively. In conclusion, this study is the large scale survey of canine D. immitis antigen, A. phagocytophilum, B. burgdorferi, and E. canis antibodies in the Daejeon city and Kangwon province, and it provides an useful reference for clinicians.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.103-113
• /
• 2011

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the degree of stress and social support among residents in a rural area. Methods: We used the baseline data of the Korean Genomic Rural Cohort (KGRC), a sub-cohort of the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study (KOGES) that collected data about relationships among environmental, genetic risk factors, and chronic illness in Korean adults since November 2005. The cases chosen for the study included 1737 men and women, aged 40 to 70, living in a rural area of Wonju-city, South Korea. A questionnaire interviewing method was addressed in 2006. The final participants consisted of 1349 participants, of which 589 were male (43.7%) and 760 were female (56.3%). We applied the hierarchical multiple regression analysis with three stages. The first and second stages include socio-demographic and health-related behaviour factors and the third stage includes more social support factors. Results: The main findings revealed that the amount of social support and health-related behaviour significantly influenced the level of stress the subjects reported. The degree of stress was shown to be significantly higher for the following individuals: females, those who were divorced, the bereaved, participants who suffer from chronic disease, and non-exercisers. Low social support was shown to be negatively associated with stress. Conclusion: Social support factors along with socio-demographic and health-related behavior had an influence on stress levels in Korean rural adults. It is necessary to relieve residents from stress through diverse social support programs and healthy living initiatives.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.27 no.3 s.67
• /
• pp.187-200
• /
• 2006

Objectives: Acupuncture has been applied in Asia for thousands of years, especially to rehabilitation after stroke. It has been reported that acupuncture increased cerebral blood supply and stimulated the functional activity of brain nerve cells shown by using brain imaging techniques. This study was to evaluate the effect of GB 34-GB 39 electro-acupuncture (EA) on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in stroke patients and normal volunteers using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Methods: The study procedure was divided into two parts: patients and volunteers studies. For the patients study, ten ischemic stroke patients (3 males, 7 females, mean age $68.5{\pm}8.9$ years old) were selected. Baseline brain SPECT was done with triple head gamma camera (MultiSPECT3, Siemens, USA) after intravenous administration of 1,110 MBq of $^{99m}Tc-ECD$. Fifteen-minute EA at GB 34 and GB 39 were applied on the affected limb. The same dose of $^{99m}Tc-ECD$ was injected during the EA, and the second set of SPECT images wasobtained. Using the computer software (ICON 7.1, Siemens, USA), 3 SPECT slices (upper, middle, lower) surrounding the brain lesion were selected and each slice was divided into 10-16 brain regions. Asymmetry indexes (AI) were analyzed in each brain region. We regarded over 10% changes of AI between before and after EA as significance. For the volunteers study, 10 healthy human volunteers (5 males, 5 females, mean age $28.1{\pm}6$ years old) were selected. In the resting state, $^{99m}Tc-ECD$ brain SPECT scans were performed. On the 7th day after the resting examination, 15 minute EA was applied at GB 34 and GB 39 on the right side of the subjects. Immediately after EA, the second SPECT images were obtained inthe same manner as the resting state. Significant increases and decreases of rCBF after EA were estimated by comparing their SPECT images with those of the resting state using paired t statistics at every voxel, which were analyzed by statistical parametric mapping with a threshold of p = 0.01, uncorrected (extent threshold: k=100 voxels). Results: In stroke patients, six of the eight (75%) had significantly increased perfusion in post-acupuncture scans compared to their baseline state. In normal volunteers, GB 34-GB GB EA increased rCBF in both hemispheres including right ventral posterior cingulate (Brodmann area (BA) 23), left superior temporal, anterior transverse temporal (BA 22, 41), left parastriate, peristriate (BA 18, 19), right occipitotemporal, angular (BA 37, 39), left rostral postcentral, caudal postcentral and preparietal (BA 2, 3, 5). However GB 34-GB 39 EA decreased rCBF in the right hemisphere including triangular and middle frontal lobes. Conclusions: The results demonstrated that OB 34-GB 39 EA increased cerebral perfusion in ischemic stroke patients and increased rCBF grossly in temporal lobes of normal volunteers. It is also suggested that there may be a correlation between the GB meridian and the territory of the middle cerebral artery.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.207-213
• /
• 1999

To examine individual variation in drug metabolism catalyzed by flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO), 179 Korean volunteers' urinary molar concentration ratio of theobromine (TB) and caffeine (CA) was determined. Their urine was collected for 1 hr (between 4 and 5 hrs) after they drank a cup of coffee containing 115 mg CA and analyzed by an HPLC system. The lowest TB/CA ratio obtained was 0.40, the highest ratio was 15.17 (38-fold difference), and the median ratio for all subjects was 1.87. The mean was 2.66 with 2.36 S.D.. In 134 nonsmokers, the mean ratio was $2.35{\pm}1.93,$ that of 51 males was $2.30{\pm}2.26$ and 83 females was $2.37{\pm}1.85,$ respectively. There was no significant gender difference in the obtained TB/CA ratio (Mann-Whitney test; p=0.518). There were no smokers among the 83 female volunteers. In the remaining 96 male subjects, the ratio obtained in 51 nonsmokers was $2.30{\pm}2.06$ and that of 45 smokers was $3.62{\pm}3.19.$ This indicated that the TB/CA ratio was increased significantly in smokers (p=0.007). However, when the TB/CA ratios (FMO activity) obtained in all 179 Korean volunteers are compared with the urinary concentration ratios of paraxanthine (PX) plus 1,7-dimethylurate (17U) to CA (CYP1A2 activity), there was a weak but significant correlation (Pearson's correlation coefficient test; $r^2=0.28,$ p＜0.0001). This indicates that, although the urinary TB/CA ratio mostly represents FMO activity, minor contribution by CYP1A2 activity cannot be ignored. In conclusion, the FMO activity measured by taking the urinary TB/CA ratio from normal healthy Korean volunteers shows marked individual variations without significant gender differences and the increased TB/CA ratio observed in cigarette smokers may have been caused by the increased CYP1A2 activity.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.25 no.8
• /
• pp.742-748
• /
• 2024

Objective: ¹⁸F-N-(2-(Diethylamino)ethyl)-5-(2-(2-(2-fluoroethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxy) picolinamide (¹⁸F-PFPN) is a novel positron emission tomography (PET) probe designed to specifically targets melanin. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic feasibility of ¹⁸F-PFPN in patients with ocular or orbital melanoma. Materials and Methods: Three patients with pathologically confirmed ocular or orbital melanoma (one male, two females; age 41-59 years) were retrospectively reviewed. Each patient underwent comprehensive ¹⁸F-PFPN and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) PET scans. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max) of the lesion and the interference caused by background tissue were compared between ¹⁸F-PFPN and ¹⁸F-FDG PET imaging. In addition, the effect of intrinsic pigments in the uvea and retina on the interpretation of the results was examined. The contralateral non-tumorous eye of each patient served as a control. Results: All primary tumors (3/3) were detected using ¹⁸F-PFPN PET, while only two primary tumors were detected using ¹⁸F-FDG PET. Within each lesion, the SUV_max of ¹⁸F-PFPN was 2.6 to 8.3 times higher than that of ¹⁸F-FDG. Regarding the quality of PET imaging, the physiological uptake of ¹⁸F-FDG PET in the brain and periocular tissues limited the imaging of tumors. However, ¹⁸F-PFPN PET minimized this interference. Notably, intrinsic pigments in the uvea and retina did not cause abnormal concentrations of ¹⁸F-PFPN, as no anomalous uptake of ¹⁸F-PFPN was detected in the healthy contralateral eyes. Conclusion: Compared to ¹⁸F-FDG, ¹⁸F-PFPN demonstrated higher detection rates for ocular and orbital melanomas with minimal interference from surrounding tissues. This suggests that ¹⁸F-PFPN could be a promising clinical diagnostic tool for distinguishing malignant melanoma from benign pigmentation in ocular and orbital melanomas.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.62 no.5
• /
• pp.365-373
• /
• 2007

Background: Smoking is one of the most important leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Smoking habit is recognized as nicotine dependence, which consists of physical and psychosocial dependence. To evaluate social nicotine dependence, the Kano Test for Social Nicotine Dependence (KTSND) working group developed a new questionnaire, which consists of 10 questions with a total score of 30 in Japan. We examined the social nicotine dependence among healthy adults using the new KTSND questionnaire and evaluated validity of the KTSND questionnaire in Korea. Method: We applied Korean KTSND questionnaire version 2 to employees of hospital, university students and people for medical examination and promotion test. Complete data obtained from the 741 responders were analyzed. Result: The mean age of responders was 31.8 years. Among them, males were 57.8%. Current smokers, ex-smokers, and non-smokers were 13.8%, 12.8%, and 73.4% respectively. According to smoking status, the total KTSND scores of current smokers were significantly higher than those of ex-smokers, and of non-smokers ($17.1{\pm}5.4$ versus $14.3{\pm}5.5$, and $12.3{\pm}5.5$, $p{\leq}0.001$). The total KTSND scores of males were higher than those of females, suggesting that males have a propensity for depending nicotine socially much more than females ($14.3{\pm}5.7$ and $11.7{\pm}5.4$ respectively, p<0.001). Eight of ten questions produced significantly different scores among three different smoking groups. When current smokers were sub-classified by heavy smoking index (HSI) that represented physical nicotine dependence, we did not find a significant difference of KTSND score between low HSI group (<4) and high HSI group (${\geq}4$), This finding suggested that the psychosocial dependence might play a different role from physical nicotine dependence in smoking. Most of the non-smokers (62.5%) had an experience of harmful passive smoking especially in public place. Conclusion: Our study suggested that the KTSND questionnaire could be a useful method to evaluate psychosocial aspects of smoking.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.723-728
• /
• 2010

The effect of abdominal respiration on electrocardiogram readings was examined using a 12-lead ECG in healthy young adults. Ten males and ten females without any cardiac and/or pulmonary problems participated in this study. ECG readings during periods of abdominal respiration and thoracic respiration were compared using a paired t-test. Results showed that the PR interval was longer in males compared to females during the period of abdominal respiration (p<0.05). There were no differences in amplitudes of the P, R, T waves, QTc, and degree of P axis between abdominal respiration and thoracic respiration in both male and female subjects. However, degrees of QRS axis in male subjects (p<0.05) and T axis (p<0.05) in female subjects were increased during the abdominal respiration. Therefore, abdominal respiration may cause positive electrical axis changes in the depolarization and relaxing re-polarization of the ventricles.