• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.125-131
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• 2016

Tongue image segmentation is critical for automation of the tongue diagnosis system. However, most image segmentation methods for tongue diagnosis systems in oriental medicine have been proposed as user-based manual types or semi-automatic types. This study proposed a new method for tongue image segmentation, which is the most important image processing stage for complete automation of the tongue diagnosis system in oriental medicine. The proposed method improved the conventional snake algorithm, by making improvement on the internal energy function so that, as the points move outward reversely, the snake energy function is minimized, by using the image characteristics of tongue images. To calculate external energy, hierarchical spatial filtering is applied to ensure resistance against noise. Also, The proposed method was tested by using sample images and actual images, and showed more robustness against the background noise than the conventional snake algorithm. And, when one selected point was moved by the improved snake algorithm, energy values at the starting, middle, and end points were analyzed, and showed robustness that does not fall in the local minima.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.427-431
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• 2006

From 51 monographs of case record in Qing Dynasty, we chose 29 monographs in which tongue diagnosis applied to Warm disease. Then extracted all the case records and got 488 cases from them. In according to the classification of tongue diagnosis in teaching material of TCM diagnosis of higher TCM schools education, we had a statistic analysis on the 488 cases. Results show that the recording rate of tongue coating was highest, 65.16%. From high to low sequentially, the frequency of different fur was yellow fur, white fur and black fur. During $1850{\sim}1911$ of Qing Dynasty, the description of tongue coating changed that the proportion of white fur, yellow fur and compound fur was increased. On the contrary, the proportion of black fur was decreased. The recording rate of the color of tongue was 23.16%, in which the rate of red tongue and crimson tongue were higher. The recording rate of fur character was 37.7%. During $1850{\sim}1911$ of Qing Dynasty, the recording rate of greasy fur was increased to the first. The application of tongue diagnosis involves the warm-heat species of Warm Disease, damp-heat species of Warm Disease and pestilence.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.51-65
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• 2016

Objectives This study was conducted to suggest a standard operating procedure (SOP) in order to improve the reliability of tongue-image analysis system. Methods An affecting-factors list was made, which may affect the diagnostic parameters of the tongue-image analysis system. They were sub-classified into two groups: controllable and uncontrollable. Only the controllable factors, which could affect the results and easily set-up, were included into the SOP draft. Affecting factors control experiment was performed to investigate the effects of controllable factors, whose influence on diagnostic parameters of the tongue-image analysis system is ambiguous: rehearsal for tongue extrusion; alignment of camera axis; and presentation of a guideline. Three subjects volunteered for this experiment. Each of three variables was implemented twice in a random order by two operators on the subjects. Finally, 96 tongue images obtained in the aggregate. The diagnostic parameter set as a primary outcome in this experiment was the percentage of tongue coating. Results All of the control variables were not significant in both operators; however, the presentation of a guideline was relatively more affect than two other variables. Interaction effects among the variables were also insignificant. Therefore, the presentation of a guideline was included in the final SOP and the other variables were not included. Conclusions We suggested the SOP which could be used for both experimenter and subject. Moreover, Each of the SOPs applied to various types of tongue-image analysis system should be developed in order to improve the reliability.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2011

Objectives: The objective of this study is to compare the colour intensity of tongue body and that of tongue coat under the visible light and the ultraviolet light. Methods: We selected 7 subjects with completely or partially peeled tongue coat among the recruited 94 adults for the experiment. We took each tongue picture under the visible light and the ultraviolet light (315-400 nm) and then extracted sample images from the tongue body and tongue coat regions. Mean, median and mode of colour intensity from the sample images were calculated in 256 RGB system. Results: The green and the blue colour intensities of the tongue coats were significantly higher than those of the tongue bodies under the visible light. In all channels, the red, green and blue, the colour intensities of the tongue coats were significantly higher than those of the tongue bodies under the ultraviolet light. The colour differences between tongue coats and tongue bodies under the ultraviolet light were significantly higher than the colour differences under the visible light. Especially the colour difference under the ultraviolet light was highest in the green channel. Conclusions: We suggested that green colour image of the RGB system taken under the ultraviolet light could be used for more easy separating tongue coat region from tongue body.

• The Journal of the Society of Stroke on Korean Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2008

Objectives : We questioned whether the tongue diagnosis is effective for judging seriousness of cerebrovascular accidents. This study is about the relationship between tongue diagnosis and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS) in acute stroke patients. Methods : 738 subjects were recruited from the patients admitted to the department of internal medicine at Kyung-Hee University oriental medical center, Kyung-Hee University East-West Neo Medical Center, Kyungwon university Incheon oriental medical center, Kyungwon university Songpa oriental medical center and DongGuk university Ilsan oriental medical center from April 2007 to August 2008. We looked at the tongue as in three dimensions of tongue color, tongue fur color and tongue body. And, we calculated NIHSS means according to the subtypes of three dimensions. Results : 1. In the Tongue color, from the most commom to least common colors were pale red, red, pale, bluish purple, and ect. The NIHSS mean score of red is significantly higher than pale and pale red. 2. In the Tongue fur color, white fur was the most common, and then yellow fur, etc. There is no significant difference among three subtypes in the NIHSS mean score. 3. In the Tongue body, etc. is the most common, followed by teeth-marked tongue, enlarged tongue, blood patchy tongue, and mirror tongue. The NIHSS mean score of teeth-marked tongue is significantly lower than blood patchy tongue and mirror tongue. Conclusions : The tongue color and the tongue body are useful indexes for judging seriousness of cerebrovascular accidents presented by NIHSS. But in our study, the tongue fur color was not useful. Further study is necessary on the tongue fur.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.67-74
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• 2010

Objectives: Tongue moisture is one of major features in tongue diagnosis of Oriental Medicine. But with regard to the methods to qualify the tongue moisture level, there have been no adequate modalities to satisfy clinicians' needs. So we developed an novel device and method to quantify the tongue moisture level without contact. Methods and Materials: Ratio of saturated area to total tongue area in the image captured with a spot light at various angles was calculated. We regarded that ratio represented the moisture of tongue surface. To evaluate the performance of suggested method, we observed the correlation between conventional contact method and our method with 19 healthy subjects. Results: With comparison to conventional contact method (Schirmer test), the suggested method showed good correlation (R = 0.8602, R2 = 0.7399). Conclusion: This Method could be a convenient and robust method to evaluate tongue moisture.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2011

In traditional Korean medicine, inspection of the tongue is an important method of making medical diagnoses and determining prognosis. We surveyed the fluorescence characteristics of the tongue coat in the ultraviolet light. The tongue coat comprises micro-organisms, blood metabolites, leukocytes from periodontal pockets, large amounts of desquamated epithelial cells released from the oral mucosa and different nutrients. In the ultraviolet light tissues of the oral cavity generally emit weak red or green fluorescence, which is not easily seen by the human eye, but is readily detected. This fluorescence has been proved to be due to the production of porphyrins by oral micro-organisms. While the composition of motile micro-organisms on the dorsum of the tongue is not constant, variations also occur persistingly in the fluorescence characteristics of the tongue coat. But because live bacteria contain a variety of intracellular biomolecules that have specific excitation and emission wavelength spectra characterizing their intrinsic fluorescence, the tongue coat emits fluorescence. the tongue itself, on the other hand, emits very weak or not fluorescence. In conclusion, we suggests that the uncoated tongue area be eliminated from the coated tongue area with the difference between the fluorescence characteristics of the tongue and that of the tongue coat.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.96-101
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• 2015

A tongue coating evaluation method for WTCI(Winkel Tongue Coating Index) is proposed in this paper, which is used as the diagnostic criteria in the tongue diagnosis. This method uses the color channel analysis and tongue coating extraction from the ultraviolet tongue image. Proposed method analyzes the histogram distribution of the respective color channel for extracting a tongue coating, and performs the verification test from the selected color channel in the tongue coating extraction. Also, Objectivity of the tongue diagnostic criteria is verified by the artificial sample and real-tongue image experiments. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed Computerized Assistant WTCI Evaluation method, after verifying a measurement accuracy by using the artificial sample images, and applying to the various real-tongue image of subjects. As a result, the proposed WTCI method is very successful.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.157-174
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• 2014

Objectives : The aims of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic values of tongue coating thickness and sterno-costal angle as the quantitative diagnostic indicators in functional dyspepsia. Methods : We surveyed 60 functional dyspepsia patients recruited by the clinical trial, 'Clinical Trial for Evaluation on Availability of tongue diagnosis system (CTS-1000) : a Pilot study'. The patients were classified into three groups according to Rome III criteria for functional dyspepsia, and categorized into five groups according to Instrument of pattern identification for functional dyspepsia. Nepean dyspepsia index-Korean version (NDI-K) score, tongue coating thickness (percentage of tongue coating by tongue diagnosis system (CTS-1000), and weight of tongue coating by microbalance), sterno-costal angle, duration of illness and body mass index (BMI) were investigated. Results : Among the 5 types by instrument of pattern identification for functional dyspepsia, a significant difference of percentage of tongue coating was found. Percentage of tongue coating and weight of tongue coating showed significant correlation with total NDI-K score. Sterno-costal angle showed strong positive correlation with BMI and also showed significant difference between the non-overweight (BMI<23, n=32) and overweight ($BMI{\geq}23$, n=28) groups. Conclusions : Tongue coating thickness showed its potential as a new quantitative diagnostic indicator of functional dyspepsia. Further studies on the sterno-costal angle are anticipated to evaluate its potential as a new quantitative diagnostic indicator.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.14B no.2
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• pp.71-80
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• 2007

In this paper, We propose face type classification, tongue region extraction and tongue color analysis method for Oriental medicine diagnosis system to supply web based medical treatment information. This presents to construct system that takes super aging society and uses ocular inspection and longue diagnosis in web-based to embody this by an IT Technology as generalization and popularization of medical benefit are social requirement and supplies medical treatment information. Place that reflect living body signal of human body ordinarily and appear becomes iris or tongue, five sensory organs etc. This paper proposes classification of face type, extraction of five sensory organs for observing a person's shape and color among diseases diagnosis based on home health care that propose to develop and region extraction and color analysis etc, of tongue which intensively represents the bio-signals of human-beings. Finally, the effectiveness of this paper is verified by several experiments.