• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.99-104
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• 2021

Treatment techniques that affect homeostasis by non-invasive regulation in peripheral organs will advance disease research. Here, we demonstrate a non-invasive method of conditioning within an organ using a low-frequency stimulator superposition of alternating microcurrent wave in stages. It is first applied to the inflammatory response in H3N2-infected sinusitis mice. To check the progress of the treatment, mice were sacrificed every week for 3 weeks, nasal tissue was removed, and the inflammatory response was investigated through H & E staining. The low-frequency stimulation treatment group was found to alleviate the proliferation of epithelial cells and invasion of inflammatory cells compared to the control group as the passage of treatment time. The reduction of inflammatory cytokines in the nasal lavage fluid was observed in H3N2-infected sinusitis mice treated with of low-frequency stimulation using superposition of alternating microcurrent wave compared to H3N2-infected sinusitis mice after 3 weeks. These data demonstrate that low-frequency stimulation device in the form of using alternating current wave superposition on within organs provides a new method to regulate specific physiological functions. Therefore, it is necessary to prove the inhibitory effect of low-frequency stimulation using alternating current wave superposition on inflammatory diseases by various methods through further studies and clinical studies.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.96-105
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• 2021

Background and Objectives Skin aging is reportedly associated with regulation in collagen and elastin synthesis. This study investigated the potential of combining light-emitting diode (LED) treatments using a 630-nm and 850-nm LED with simultaneous microcurrent application. Materials and Methods The dorsal skin of female pigs was treated with a home-use device. We examined the treatment effects using photography, thermocamera, microscopic pathology, and histological examination to determine the mechanism of action, efficacy, and safety of the procedure. A histological observation was performed using hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome, Victoria blue, and immunohistochemical staining. We also used the Sircol soluble collagen and elastin assay kit to measure the amounts of collagen and elastin in the porcine back skin tissue after 2 and 6 weeks. Results Evaluation by visual inspection and devices showed no skin damage or heat-induced injury at the treatment site. Histological staining revealed that accurate treatment of the targeted dermis layer effectively enhanced collagen and elastin deposition. Collagen type I, a protein defined by immunohistochemical staining, was overexpressed in the early stages of weeks 2 and 6. Combined therapy findings showed the superior capability of the 630-nm and 850-nm LED procedures to induce collagen; in contrast, elastin induction was more pronounced after microcurrent treatments. Conclusion The home-use LED device, comprising a combination of 630-nm and 850-nm LEDs and microcurrent, is safe and can be used as an adjunctive treatment for self-administered facial rejuvenation.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.8
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• pp.2958-2962
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• 2010

We developed a Microcurrent acupuncture point treatment equipment using micro-controller AVR. This equipment can generate a sine wave, triangle wave, square wave and DC. The frequency range of waves like the sine wave and the triangle wave is 1 - 320 Hz and the output range of DC is $40-200\;{\mu}A$. The duration is controllable between a minute to 30 minutes.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.51-62
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of microcurrent on fatigue of muscles in people who were flat-footed during gait. Methods: 10 flat-footed university students volunteered to participate in this study. 10 flat-footed subjects were divided into 2 groups, one group was experimental group of 5subjects(This group put on microcurrent induction shoes but the subjects were not able to feel the current.) and the other group was the control group of 5subjects(This group put on the general shoes which were similar in shape but microcurrent was not induced.) to perform double blind test and random sampling. Their gait muscle fatigue of 6 regions (vastus medialis, gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior, biceps femoris, erector spinae, and rectus abdominis muscle.) was measured by EMG MP150, Delsys Inc Boston, USA during walking and then they carried out the Harvard step with a platform (It was a arbitrarily made wooden platform of 100cm long, 50cm wide, 60cm high. They carried out climbing it for one second and descending it for one second by using the Metronome program, total 5minutes) for 5minutes. Right after that, the subjects walked on a treadmill at a speed of 4km/h for 10minutes and then their gait muscle fatigue of 6regions was assessed while they were walking on the ground as equally as before exercise. Results: The experimental group has resulted in lower average differences in gait muscle fatigue before and after exercise than those of the control group average 12.24Hz(P=0.009) at vastus medialis, average 8.52Hz(P=0.016) at gastrocnemius, average 9.16Hz(P=0.009) at tibialis anterior, average 8.66Hz(P=0.047) at biceps femoris, average 7.53Hz(P=0.016) at erector spinae, and average 7.80Hz(P=0.047) at rectus abdominis. All of the assessments of muscles have shown significant difference statistically. Conclusions: This result has shown that the use of micro current could decrease gait muscle fatigue of flat-footed people. It is recommended to use a microcurrent to reduce their gait muscle fatigue.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was to investigate how induced microcurrent shoes affect relief of feet pain, which often occurs to persons who are more than fifty years old and how they prevent fatigue of feet generated during everyday life. The subjects of this study were comprised af five males and five females, who agreed with this research and ate more than fifty years old. And they all have plantar faciitis and pain in their feet. Methods: Subjects ware the induced microcurrent shoes far more than 4 hours everyday during the test. When they wore those shoes, they also wore the specially produced shacks made of silver-mixed thread and they were asked to avoid serious exercise. Prior to starting test and after the test, assessments were carried out two times. In the examination before the test, general shoes were used and in examination after the test, induced microcurrent shoes used. Muscle fatigue was measured by electromyography(MP150, Biopac, USA). When the walking rate of subjects on a treadmill was increased from 2.Km/h to 3Km/h for 10 minutes, muscle activities of a lower leg were measured during the whale walking process by MP150 remote monitoring system(TEL 100C). And pain was measured by VAS. Results: The results are as follows. 1. Comparisons of VAS before and after experimentation showed that degree of pain was significantly decreased(p < .05). 2. Degree of fatigue of Tibialis anterior was significantly decreased after 6 weeks of treatment(p < .05). 3. Degree of fatigue of Soleus was slightly decreased after 6 weeks of treatment, but did not show significant difference (p > .05). Conclusion: The above results suggest that induced microcurrent shoes is helpful decreasing fatigue of feet and relief of feet pain.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.196-203
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• 2010

This study aimed to examine the effect of microcurrent stimulation on expression of Bone Morphogenetic Protein(BMP) 4 after tibia fracture in rabbits. The twenty four adult 6 month old New Zealand white rabbits weighting 2.5~3.5 ㎏ were used. Twenty four rabbits with tibia fracture were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. Each group was divided into four subgroups, based on the duration of the experiment (3, 7, 14, 28 days). The experimental groups received microcurrent stimulation of 20~25 ${\mu}A$ intensity with surface Ag-AgCl electrode (diameter 1cm, Biopac, U.S.A.) for 24 hours a day. Cathode of the microcurrent stimulator located on the tibia directly, anode of it did on the gastrocnemius muscle. After evaluation, the test results are as follows: Comparisons of immunohistochemical observation of BMP-4 in 7 days after tibial fracture show that there was shown to be a moderate positive reaction (++) on concentric circles of Harversian system and the interstitial lamella in the control group, while there was a very strong positive reaction () on concentric circles of Harversian system and interstitial lamellain the experimental group. These results suggest that applying non-invasive constant microcurrent stimulation on fractured bone is helpful to bone healing.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.83-92
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• 2011

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease and is led to physical disability. Yet the development of effective disease-modifying treatments has lagged. In this study, I examined the effect of physical therapeutic intervention through microcurrent stimulation and attempt to find which degree of intensity, either 25 ${\mu}A$ or 500 ${\mu}A$ with a regular 5 pps pulse, is more effective in the osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis was induced with a mixture of 2% carrageenan and 2% kaolin in 26 male Sprague-Dawley rats. The mixture (0.1 $m{\ell}$) was injected into the intra-articular capsule of knee joint once a week for three weeks. Five animals did not show degenerative changes by radiological findings and excluded in the following experiment. Osteoarthritic animals were randomly divided into 3 groups ($n_1$, $n_2$, $n_3$=7/each): untreated, treated with 25 ${\mu}A$, treated with 500 ${\mu}A$. All experimental groups received microcurrent stimulation for four weeks (15 min/day, 5 days/week). The ethological inspection of foot print analysis on the walking corridor was accomplished every week. Histological preparations and immunohistochemical staining with insulin-like growth factor-1 were also done in the articular cartilages. All of these parameters were compared with those of osteoarthritic control group (n=7). The ethological inspection of foot print analysis revealed that changes of walking track (paw width) and stride length was significantly increased in both experimental groups. The better results were observed in experimental group treated with 25 ${\mu}A$ intensity without significance than group treated with 500 ${\mu}A$. Histological preparations disclosed that routine hyaline cartilage of articular surface were altered to fibrous cartilage in untreated group and experimental group treated with 500 ${\mu}A$ intensity. But a little changes were seen in experimental group treated with 25 ${\mu}A$ intensity. Immunolocalization of insulin-like growth factor-1 was simultaneously decreased according to the duration of osteoarthritis, and did not show significant difference among the groups. In this study discovered that the microcurrent stimulation, especially 25 ${\mu}A$ intensity, had a positive effect by the ethological inspection, histological and immunohistochemical stainings. These results suggest that microcurrent stimulation with low-intensity might be effective in the promotion of healing process for the osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.545-551
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• 2013

This study aimed to compare the effects of microcurrent stimulation and rest on the fatigue index by applying both to subjects who had accumulated fatigue after performing short-duration physical activity. The experiment was performed at S University from December 2012 to February 2013, on 22 healthy men in their 20s, who were right-handed, and without peripheral or musculoskeletal diseases. All subjects lifted a 10-kg box lift and lower 100 times in 15 minutes. Immediately after that, muscle fatigue index (Median Frequency: MF) and blood fatigue index (Creatine Kinase Lactate: CK, Lactate Dehydrogenase: LDH) were measured by using surface electromyography. The subjects were divided into two groups, and microcurrent stimulation and rest were mediated to the experimental and control groups, respectively, for 20 minutes. After intervention, muscle fatigue index and blood fatigue index were measured and the changes in the accumulated fatigue index were compared. Both groups manifested significantly decreased cumulative fatigue after applying the mediation compared to the pre-intervention level (p < .05), the only exception being the fatigue index of the left erector spinae in the rest group. Compared to the rest group, the microcurrent stimulation group showed a significant decrease in muscle fatigue index (p < .05) but no significant differences were found in the blood fatigue index. Given the results of this study, microcurrent stimulation is considered to be helpful in muscle fatigue recovery for workers who have to perform repetitive movements lifting weights, and additional studies on the correlations of the fatigue recovery with respect to the long-term follow-up of fatigue index and mediation time are necessary.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.81-89
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• 2008

Purpose: This study aims to examine effect of microcurrent electrostimulation on burn healing by electric intensity and of which the electric intensity on the acute burn being cured with microcurrent electrostimulation therapy. Methods: 28 Sprague Dawley Rats is classified into a control group of 8 rats, an experimental group I of 10 rats and an experimental group II of 10 rats. The control group is not cured, the experimental group I is exposed to 10 Hz, and $100{\mu}A$ with microcurrent electrostimulation, and the experimental group II is exposed to 10 Hz, $300{\mu}A$ for 15 minutes a day. The next day, 2th, 4th, and 6th day after rats is burned. Result: There are not significant differences of length change of the burn cure between the control group, the experimental group I, and the experimental group II by a period. However, systematically hair follicle cell on the 2th day and epidermal cell on the 6th day turn up in the experimental group I, and the experimental group II. Inquiry: Nancy(1994) did not obtain the desired result when the skin of a pig is exposed to 0.1 Hz, and $100{\mu}A$ for wound healing. In the result of the study, when burn length is measured on the 2th, 4th, and 6th to see the length change of acute burn, there is not significant differences among 3 groups. Conclusion: Statistically, there is not significant differences of the length change between 3 groups. However, systematically the burn is cured faster in the experimental group I, and the experimental group II than in the contrast group.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.36-50
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of high intensity, high frequency microcurrent electrical neuromuscular stimulation(MENS) of auricular and somatic acupuncture points and low intensity, low frequency microcurrent electrical neuromuscular stimulation(MENS) of auricular and somatic acupuncture points on experimental pressure threshold at the elbow according to the time. Fifty healthy adults, aged 19 to 26 years, were assigned randomly to one of five groups: 1) the high intensity, high frequency somatic group(n=10) received MENS to somatic acupuncture points, 2) the high intensity, high frequency auricular group(n=10) received MENS to auricular acupuncture points, 3) the low intensity, low frequency somatic group(n=10) received MENS to somatic acupuncture points, 4) the low intensity, low frequency somatic group(n=10) receive MENS to somatic acupuncture points, and 5) the placebo group(n=10) received placebo treatment and served as controls. Pressure threshold was measured before, after, 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes. Pressure threshold has increased significantly(p<.05) in the high intensity, high frequency auricular group following treatment after 5 minutes, with no statistically significant differences in pressure threshold change scores among five groups, Only the high intensity, high frequency auricular group demonstrated statistically significant change score in pressure threshold following treatment after, 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes after compared to the placebo group. The results indicated that MENS applied to the high intensity, high frequency auricular group increases pressure threshold.