• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.19 no.11
• /
• pp.1568-1574
• /
• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether group III muscle afferents play an important role eliciting abnormal blood pressure response mediated during passive muscle stretch in prehypertensive individuals. Eleven middle-aged prehypertensive men (average BP 133/80 mmHg) and nine middle-aged normotensive men (average BP 119/74 mmHg) participated in this study. After 1 min rest baseline data collection, the subject's foot was flexed (dorsiflexion) by an automated cybex for one minute. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance were continuously measured on a beat-by-beat basis from a finger via a Finapres device for 1 minute. To evaluate the role of mechanoreflex, a component of exercise pressor reflex, SBP, DBP, and MAP responses over the course of time were examined. The results showed that the pressor response mediated by the muscle mechanoreflex was faster in prehypertensive individuals compared to the normotensive individuals. The substantial pressor response was observed within mean 20 sec of the onset of passive stretch in prehypertension, while mean 45 sec in normotension (p<0.05). It is concluded that excessive pressor response produced during exercise in prehypertension may be due to the dysfunction of the mechano-receptors.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.72-78
• /
• 2021

Combined Western-Korean medicine treatments were given to a 67-year-old woman with late onset seizures who underwent surgical drainage of a subdural hematoma. Clonazepam and herbal medicine was prescribed. Acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, chuna, and physical therapy were also performed. The frequency and intensity of seizures was assessed using the Chalfont Seizure Severity Scale. The seizure index score improved from 25 at admission to 0 at discharge. Pain in the right upper extremity reduced from 10 to 0 on the visual analogue scale and muscle strength increased from Grade 3 to 5 in Medical Research Council Scale for the Manual Muscle Test. At the time of hospitalization, the manual muscle strength tests for the affected shoulder, elbow, wrist, and grip strength were 30%, 60%, 10%, 5%, respectively, which improved almost 100% by discharge. Further studies using combined Western-Korean medicine for seizures after strokes are necessary to determine the most effective treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.33-42
• /
• 2012

Background and Objectives : Dysarthria refers to speech disorder that causes difficulties in speech communication due to paralysis, muscle weakening, and incoordination of speech muscle mechanism caused by damaged central or peripheral nerve system. Pitch, strength and speed are influenced by dysarthria during detonation due to difficulties in muscle control. As evaluation items, alternate motion rate and diadochokinesis have been commonly used, and articulation is also an important evaluation items. The purpose of this study is to find acoustic characteristics on sound production of dysarthria patients. Materials and Methods : Research subjects have been selected as 20 dysarthria patients and 20 subjects for control group, and voice sample was composed of bilabial, alveolar sound, and velar sound in diadochokinetic rate, while consonant articulation test was composed of bilabial plosive, alveolar plosive, velar plosive. Analysis items were composed of 1) speaking rate, energy, articulation time of diadochokinesis, 2) voice onset time (VOT), total duration (TD), vowel duration (VD), hold of plosives. Results and Conclusions : The number of diadochokinetic rate of dysarthria was smaller than control group. Both control group and dysarthria group was highly presented in the order of /t/>/p/>/k/. Minimum energy range per cycle during diadochokinetic rate of dysarthria group was smaller than control group, and presented statistical significance in /p/, /k/, /ptk/. Maximum energy range was larger than control group, and presented statistical significance in /t/, /ptk/. Articulation time, gap, total articulation time during diadochokinetic rate of dysarthria group was longer than control group and presented statistical significance. The articulation time was presented in both control group and dysarthria group in the order of /k/>/t/>/p/, while Gap was presented in the order of /p/>/t/>/k/ for control group and /p/>/k/>/t/ for dysarthria group. VOT, TD, VD regarding plosives of dysarthria group were longer than control group. Hold showed large deviation compared to control group that had appeared due to declined larynx and articulation organ motility.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.65-70
• /
• 2017

A 25-years-old woman with mandibular prognathism underwent a mandibular setback by way of mandibular sagittal split ramus osteotomy (MSSRO). After 2 days of operation, she developed difficulty of closing her right eye. The blink reflex test and motor nerve conduction study of the right orbicularis oris muscle were revealed right facial neuropathy of unknown origin and House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system (HBFNGS) grade V. For treatment, we initially prescribed oral prednisolone and nimodipine including physical therapy. The samples consisted of 11 facial nerve palsy patients caused by MSSRO and were analysed about onset of facial nerve palsy, postoperative HBFNGS, final HBFNGS, treatment method and recovery time. At 10 weeks of treatment of nimodipine, she had completely regained normal function (HBFNGS grade I) of the right facial nerve. The clinical results lead to assume a fast recovery of facial nerve function by the nimodipine medication, whereas average time of recovery is 16.32 weeks in references. Despite of the limited one patient treated, the result was very promising with respect to a faster recovery of the facial nerve function. Considering the use of nimodipine treatment for peripheral facial nerve palsy following a surgical approach with an anatomically preserved nerve can be recommended.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.85-91
• /
• 2004

Background: Needle electromyography (EMG) and motor evoked potential (MEP) of the genioglossus (tongue) are difficult to perform in evaluations of the craniobulbar region in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Therefore, we investigated the yields of needle EMG and MEP recorded from the upper trapezius, since it receives innervation from the lower medulla and upper cervical cord. Methods: Needle EMG and MEP of the upper trapezius were obtained in 17 consecutive ALS patients. The needle EMG parameters recorded included abnormal spontaneous activity and motor unit action potential (MUAP) morphology. An upper motor neuron (UMN) lesion was presumed when either response to cortical stimulation was absent, or the central conduction time was delayed (>mean+2SD). Results: Of the five patients with bulbar-onset ALS, four had abnormalities in the upper trapezius and four in the tongue by needle EMG. In contrast, of the 12 patients with limb-onset ALS, 11 had abnormalities in the upper trapezius, and only five in the tongue. When MEP was performed, it was found that three of the five patients with bulbar symptoms and three of the six patients with isolated limb involvement had abnormal MEP findings. Conclusions: Electrophysiological studies of the upper trapezius are more sensitive those of the tongue in patients without bulbar symptoms. Thus, needle EMG and MEP of the upper trapezius are alternative tools for assessing bulbar and rostral neuraxial involvement in the diagnosis of ALS.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.20 no.1 s.37
• /
• pp.106-112
• /
• 1999

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of Bee Venom Herb-Acupuncture on the jaw opening reflex evoked by tooth pulp stimulation. Rats were anesthetized with thiopental sodium given intraperitoneally in an initial dose of 80mg/kg. Maintenance doses of 5mg/kg thiopental sodium were given through a cannular in the femoral vein as required to maintain light anesthesia. To apply noxious stimuli, a pair of enameled wires were inserted into the tooth pulp of the lower incisor. The effects of conditioning stimuli were estimated as an indicator of the degree of suppression of the digastric muscle electromyogram(dEMG) in the jaw opening reflex. Bee Venom Herb- Acupuncture(0.2% solution 0.1ml/rat) was injected to Hapgok(LI4) loci. In addition, Normal Saline (0.1ml/rat) was injected to Hapgok loci so as to compare the degree of suppression elicited from Bee-Venom. By administration of Bee Venom Herb-Acupuncture, the amplitude of dEMG was maximally suppressed to $67.5{\pm}3.38%$ ipsilaterally, 73.33{\pm}8.00%$ contralaterally. Generally, the dEMG activities caused by electrical stimulation were gradually suppressed during the stimulation and maximal suppressive effect showed at 15min after its onset. However the dEMG activities by Be Venom Herb-Acupuncture were immediately suppressed after its onset and the suppressive effect continued for a long time compared to electrical stimulation. In conclusion, Bee Venom Herb-Acupuncture may have a different mechanism of analgesia from that of electro-acupuncture and contribute to the modulation of pain analgesia.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.149-158
• /
• 2014

Objectives : The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of anxiety and depression on motor recovery of acute Bell's palsy to estimate how much psychological factors affect the clinical prognosis. Methods : A total of 20 inpatients with acute unilateral Bell's palsy within 1 week of onset participated in this study. The severity of participants' facial palsy was measured by Yanagihara(Y-system) score, FDI and House-Brackmann scale at the time of 1 week and 3 weeks from the onset. The motor recovery of acute Bell's palsy is defined as ${\Delta}Y$-system during 2 weeks. Beck anxiety scale(BAI) and the center for epidermiologic studies depression scale(CES-D) were adopted to assess anxiety and depression, respectively. Correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were conducted between ${\Delta}Y$-system and prognostic factors including anxiety and depression. Results : Significant associations were found between ${\Delta}Y$-system and depression(CES-D) but no significant associations were found between ${\Delta}Y$-system and other prognostic factors, hypertension, diabetes, postauricular pain, disgeusia, age, degree of initial palsy and anxiety(BAI). And a regression equation with 0.295 for coefficient of determination was obtained. Through this analysis, the ${\Delta}Y$-system can be predicted using regression equation which cover 29.5 % of depression index(CES-D). Conclusion : Depression is a significant clinical prognostic factor on motor recovery of acute Bell's palsy. So, Bell's palsy treatment should be combined with psychological care and support.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.69-73
• /
• 2003

To improve the sensory quality of sliced raw fish, the effect of cold brine temperature on the texture properties was investigated. Fishes were immersed in cold brine by various condition and killed instantly by spiking at the head. The onset of rigor-mortis was accelerated by decrease of immersion temperature. Also, the time reaching full rigor was shortened remarkably too. However, the rigor index of samples immersed in the cold brine decreased more than that of samples killed instantly. Rigor index was the highest in samples killed instantly, followed by $0^{\circ}C,\;-5^{\circ}C,\;-10^{\circ}C,\;-12.5^{\circ}C,\;-15^{\circ}C\;and\;-20^{\circ}C$ in that order. The breaking strength of samples immersed in the cold brine increased slowly but did not increase through all the conditions in the samples. Breaking strength of all samples immersed in the cold brine decreased significantly after reaching the maximum values (p<0.05). The lactate content of muscle was increased by the decreased brine temperature, however ATP content decreased. Minimum lactate and maximum ATP content in fish muscle showed at $-12.5^{\circ}C$. Those results demonstrate that optimal temperature for improvement of sliced raw fish quality by cold brine was $-12.5^{\circ}C.$

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.41-46
• /
• 1994

This study was undertaken to clarify the effect of killing methods on physical and rheological changes of plaice, Paralichthys olivaceus muscle at early period after death. Plaices killed by the four different methods(1. spiking at the brain instantly. 2. drowning in air. 3. dipping in 1,000ppm ethylaminobenzoate dissolved sea water as an anesthetic. 4. electrifying in sea water.) were stored at $5^{\circ}C$, and the rigor-index and breaking strength through storage were monitored. The longest onset time of rigor-mortis and full rigor was in the samples killed by dipping in sea water with dissolved anesthetic among all samples, where rigor-mortis began at 20hrs after killing and maximum tension was attained after 56hrs. However, in the cases of plaice electrified in sea water or drowned in air, the onset of rigor-mortis began just after killing and maximum tensions were attained after 9hrs and 13hrs, respectively. The level of breaking strength in the muscle of fish killed by spiking the brain instantly was $950.30{\pm}50.23g$, immediately after killing. The value and time reached around the maximum breaking strength for each of the samples were $1,230.60{\pm}30.32g$ and Ohr (immediately after killing) for samples killed by electrifying in sea water, $1,235.83{\pm}35.37g$ and 2.5hrs for drowning samples, $1,186.29{\pm}55.90g$ and 10hrs for spiking samples, and $1,189.67{\pm}50.32g$ and 15hrs for samples dipped in anesthetic, respectively. From the results above, it could be concluded that electrification in sea water is the most effective method in accelerating rigor-mortis and shortening times of reaching the maximum breaking strength of fresh plaice flesh of all the killing methods at early periods after death, whereas dipping in sea water treated with anesthetic was the most effective way in delaying those changes.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.38-45
• /
• 2005

This study was deigned to identify the effect of electromyographic activity of knee extensor during contralateral hip isometric adduction. six young adults who had not experienced any knee injuries were recruited. Their Q-angles were within a normal rage. They were asked to sit on the table. The EMG activities of the vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis oblique (VMO) were recorded in sitting by surface electrodes and normalized by MVC EMG values derived from manual muscle test. The EMG activity levels of the VL, RF, and VMO were the highest when foot was externally rotated. The EMG activity level of VMO/VL ratio did show significant differences(p<.05). The onset time of vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis oblique (VMO) was similar in contralateral hip isometric adduction(p<.05).