• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.213-219
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• 2008

Pulse waves continuously change with respect to the characteristics and status of the cardiovascular system and in relation to the blood pressure (BP) and the pulse wave velocity (PWV). Monitoring the vascular condition by analyzing the variations in pulse waveforms has been used to diagnose vascular disorders and in drug treatment of arteriosclerosis and peripheral circulatory obstruction. In this paper, we investigated the vascular characteristic index with regard to the BP and classified by pulse wave signals. The pressure pulse wave and photoplethysmography (PPG) were measured simultaneously while subjects exercised, producing changes in the BP, to analyze the variation in the vascular characteristic index. We investigated the correlation between the BP and vascular characteristic index with regard to the classification methods of the pulse wave. The reflection index (RI) and vascular stiffness index were correlated with the diastolic BP, but no correlation was found between these parameters and the systolic BP. These results suggest the possibility of estimating BP through simple measurements of pulse waves.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.633-644
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• 2010

Purpose : This study was to investigate vascular dementia elders's activities of daily living, quality of life index and to determine how much vascular dementia elders is influenced by the 12 weeks combined exercise program with aerobic training and resistance exercise. Methods : Thirty patients with vascular dementia over 65 in B geriatrics hospital were recruited this study. Activities of daily living were measured by I-ADL(instrumental-activities of daily living) and B-ADL(basic-Activities of daily living) and quality of life index was measured by GQOL-D(geriatric quality of life scaledementia). Statistical analysis was used repeated one-way ANOVA to test mean difference by using SPSS 12.0 for windows. Results : After comparing the activities of daily living of experimental group that of control group according to the period of exercise, there were statistically significant differences in I-ADL, B-ADL score test and GQOL-D index test of both experimental and control groups. There was also a significant difference in comparing the results of 12 weeks exercise of the groups. Conclusion : 12 weeks combined exercise program had a good influence on vascular dementia elders's activities of daily living and quality of life index.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.599-610
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• 2013

This study was carried out to analyze the effect of a diet program for adult women on weight loss, BMI, eating habits, sleeping habits, health related indices. The subjects was 415 participants of the 10 weeks (20 time participation program). The data was collected by basic somatometry and HRV (Heart Rate Variability) / APG (Accelerated Plethysmograph) Analyzer. The average age, height, weight and BMI were 28.6 years, 162.1 cm, 62.8 kg and 23.9 $kg/m^2$, respectively. Their body types by BMI were under weight (1.2%), normal (45.8%), overweight (24.8%), mild obesity (22.7%) and obesity (5.5%). There were significant reductions of average weight (4.6 kg) and average BMI (1.75 $kg/m^2$) on the 10th week. There were positive changes in vascular age (50.4%), stress index (44.6%), fatigue index (43.9%), health index (54.5%) of the subjects during the program. There was a meaningful difference of the average variation for the vascular age, stress index, fatigue index, and health index between two groups; one improving the eating habit and the other did not (p<0.05), and also there was a meaningful difference of the average variation for the fatigue index in both groups improving the sleeping habit (p<0.05), but was not a meaningful difference of the average variation for the vascular age, stress index, and health index between two groups. There was a meaningful difference of the average variation for the vascular age, stress index, fatigue index, and health index between two groups improving both eating and sleeping habit (p<0.05). In conclusion, the weight loss program was effective on the weight loss and BMI reduction and health related indices.

• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2021

Purposes: This study investigated how saliva cortisol, blood vessel health type, and blood vessel health index changed after forest bathing with subjects in the Samdasu Forest. Methods: After the forest bathing, we measured cortisol change in saliva and heart rate variability with subjects. Results: In the experimental group who took forest bathing for two hours in the Samdasu Forest, the stress cortisol content secreted in saliva decreased significantly compared to the control group (p<.05). Besides, the vascular age type significantly increased (p<.03), and the vascular age index significantly decreased (p<.032).There were no significant results in the control group. Conclusions: It is evaluated that forest bathing in Samdasu Forest in Jeju Island had the effect of reducing saliva cortisol and increasing blood vessel age.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.434-446
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• 2020

Objectives: The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and ankle-brachial index (ABI) are non-invasive methods to evaluate cardiovascular disease and arteriosclerosis. This study investigated the relationship between CAVI, ABI, and factors related to arteriosclerosis. Methods: This study included 535 healthy adults who underwent health examinations in 2019. We analyzed the correlation between CAVI, ABI and clinical variables. Multiple regression analysis was performed on the independent clinical variables associated with CAVI and ABI. Results: The correlation analysis of CAVI showed that body mass index (BMI) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) had a negative correlation, and the other variables had a significant positive correlation. The correlation analysis with ABI on the right side showed that age, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), gender, and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) had a significant positive correlation, while HDL-C had a significant negative correlation. There was no statistical significance on the left. In the multiple regression analysis, DBP, age, BMI, gender, and HDL-C were proved to be independent factors in CAVI (right) (R²=0.365); DBP, age, gender, BMI, fasting blood sugar, and total cholesterol in CAVI (left) (R²=0.357); and age, gender, DBP, and systolic blood pressure in ABI (right) (R²=0.133). There were no statistically significant factors in ABI (left). It could be inferred that smoking and drinking are determinants that play an important role in CAVI. Conclusion: CAVI showed a high correlation with gender, age, and blood pressure. A significant correlation between CAVI and serum lipid values could be observed, but this showed a low correlation coefficient. ABI showed a high correlation with age and DBP. These results support the use of CAVI and ABI as primary diagnostic devices in medical treatment.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.54-65
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• 2019

To develop a biomarker predicting tumor treatment efficacy is helpful to reduce time, medical expenditure, and efforts in oncology therapy. In clinics, microvessel density using immunohistochemistry has been proposed as an indicator that correlates with both tumor size and metastasis of cancer. In the preclinical study, we hypothesized that vascular morphometrics using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) could be potential indicators to estimate the treatment efficacy of breast cancer. To verify this hypothesis, a 13762-MAT-B-III rat breast tumor was grown in a dorsal skinfold window chamber which was applied to a nude mouse, and the change in vascular morphology was longitudinally monitored during tumor growth and metronomic cyclophosphamide treatment. Based on the daily OCTA maximum intensity projection map, multiple vessel parameters (vessel skeleton density, vessel diameter index, fractal dimension, and lacunarity) were compared with the tumor size in no tumor, treated tumor, and untreated tumor cases. Although each case has only one animal, we found that the vessel skeleton density (VSD), vessel diameter index and fractal dimension (FD) tended to be positively correlated with tumor size while lacunarity showed a partially negative correlation. Moreover, we observed that the changes in the VSD and FD are prior to the morphological change of the tumor. This feasibility study would be helpful in evaluating the tumor vascular response to treatment in preclinical settings.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.659-666
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• 1990

We evaluated 68 patients with mitral valve disease who underwent mitral valve replacement from April, 1986, to December, 1988. Among them 20 patients showed increased systolic pulmonary arterial pressure greater than 60 mmHg and postoperative hemodynamic data were obtained in 19 patients average 13 months after mitral valve replacement. The results were as followings. 1. Average pulmonary systolic pressure decreased from 84.8$\pm$4.5 preoperatively to 33. 0$\pm$1.9mmHg postoperatively[P<0.001]. 2. Average pulmonary vascular resistance index decreased from 1425$\pm$148 preoperatively to 287+35.8 dyne * sec * cm2 * m postoperatively[P<0.001]. 3. Average cardiac index rose from 1.927$\pm$0.169 preoperatively to 2.625$\pm$0.159 L/min/m2 postoperatively [P <0.005]. This study shows that pulmonary hypertension and the increased pulmonary vascular resistance index due to mitral valve disease can regress significantly after mitral valve replacement.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2023

Smoking is one of the three major risk factors for vascular disease along with hypertension and hyperlipidemia. It is true that smoking has a negative effect on the circulatory system, and the frequency of coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease is significantly increased in smokers. Many epidemiological studies report that smokers have an approximately two-fold increased risk of coronary artery disease compared to non-smokers. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between cerebral blood flow change and depression index after acute smoking. Cerebral blood flow tests were performed before and after smoking in 8 subjects. Changes in blood flow after smoking were correlated with the depression score and negatively correlated with the depression score. In particular, there was a strong correlation with changes in blood flow in anterior cerebral artery. It is well known that changes in blood flow after smoking have a negative effect. In addition, considering the study that smoking aggravates the symptoms of depression, it was found that smoking and depression are factors that negatively affect each other.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.68-72
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• 2015

Background: The effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on cerebral vessels have not been clarified until now. Thus we investigated the efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs supplementation on cerebral blood flow velocity and vascular resistance via transcranial doppler (TCD). Methods: Consecutive twenty patients (13 male and 7 female) with at least 1 cerebrovascular risk factor or a known cerebrovascular disease were enrolled. Patients were treated with omega-3 PUFAs (1 g, two times per day) for 12 weeks. Cerebral blood flow velocity, resistance index, and pulsatile index were checked before and after 12 weeks of treatment using TCD. Results: The change of resistance index in right MCA (from $0.58{\pm}0.07$ to $0.55{\pm}0.07$, p = 0.042) and left PCA (from $0.56{\pm}0.07$ to $0.53{\pm}0.06$, p = 0.037) showed significant improvement after 12 weeks of omega-3 PUFAs treatment. The changes in other vessels, however, failed to show any significant changes compared to the baseline. Conclusions: Omega-3 PUFAs treatment showed feasible efficacies for cerebral vascular resistances in this open label trial. To confirm these results, larger samples of patients and longer period of follow-up is warranted.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.575-589
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to provide the baseline data for conservation and management of the ecosystem of Gyeongju National Park by surveying and analysing the vascular plants distributed in Mt. Manhongbong (522 m). The vascular plants were surveyed form May 2012 to August 2017. The vascular plants on this site was classified as follow. Based on voucher specimens, the vascular plants of this site consisted of 91 families, 292 genera, 397 species, 4 subspecies, 48 varieties and 8 forms. The 2 taxa of threatened species, 11 taxa of rare plants and 14 taxa of Korean endemic plants were investigated. The specific plants by floristic region were totally 39 taxa, which were 3 taxa of grade V, 5 taxa of grade IV, 2 taxa of grade III, 11 taxa of grade II and 18 taxa of grade I. The naturalized plants were identified as 33 taxa and the percentage of naturalized index (NI) was 7.2%, and urbanized index (UI) was 10.3%, respectively. The invasive alien plants were 2 taxa, such as Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. and Aster pilosus Willd.