• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between Ryodoraku and carbon monoxide concentration during expiration of smokers. This study was designed as an exploratory observational study. This study was based on the hypothesis that increased levels of carbon monoxide in the smoker's breath may affect indicators that reflect the respiratory and circulatory systems in the Ryodoraku test. Methods: The participants were 49 people who smoked for over a year. They were examined at least one hour after their last smoking. They were tested in a stable state. When examining carbon monoxide during expiration, they breathed deeply, kept breathing for 20 seconds, and slowly exhaled. The Ryodoraku test was performed on its representative points of twelve meridians. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to investigate correlation between the concentration of carbon monoxide in the breath and the current in the measurement points. Results: The higher the carbon monoxide concentration in the exhalation, the significantly greater the current value of Lt H1·both H2·Lt H3·Rt H5, deviation of Lt H1·Lt H2·Lt H3 current value and the laterality between right and left current of H3. Conclusion: The more cigarette smoked, the more changes in heart, lung, pericardium and triple energizer meridians were observed in the Ryodoraku test. I found that increased carbon monoxide in smokers could affect the results of the Ryodoraku test.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.555-568
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• 1995

Background: It is most physiologic to measure the diffusing capacity of the lung by using oxygen, but it is so difficult to measure partial pressure of oxygen in the capillary blood of the lung that in clinical practice it is measured by using carbon monoxide, and single-breath diffusing capacity method is used most widely. However, since the process of withholding the breath for 10 seconds after inspiration to the total lung capacity is very hard to practice for patients who suffer from cough, dyspnea, etc, the intra-breath lung diffusing capacity method which requires a single exhalation of low-flow rate without such process was devised. In this study, we want to know whether or not there is any significant difference in the diffusing capacity of the lung measured by the single-breath and intra-breath methods, and if any, which factors have any influence. Methods: We chose randomly 73 persons without regarding specific disease, and after conducting 3 times the flow-volume curve test, we selected forced vital capacity(FVC), percent of predicted forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume within 1 second($FEV_1$), percent of forced expiratory volume within 1 second, the ratio of forced expiratory volume within 1 second against forced vital capacity($FEV_1$/FVC) in test which the sum of FVC and $FEV_1$ is biggest. We measured the diffusing capacity of the lung 3 times in each of the single-breath and intra-breath methods at intervals of 5 minutes, and we evaluated which factors have any influence on the difference of the diffusing capacity of the lung between two methods[the mean values(ml/min/mmHg) of difference between two diffusing capacity measured by two methods] by means of the linear regression method, and obtained the following results: Results: 1) Intra-test reproducibility in the single-breath and intra-breath methods was excellent. 2) There was in general a good correlation between the diffusing capacity of the lung measured by a single-breath method and that measured by the intra-breath method, but there was a significant difference between values measured by both methods($1.01{\pm}0.35ml/min/mmHg$, p<0.01) 3) The difference between the diffusing capacity of the lung measured by both methods was not correlated to FVC, but was correlated to $FEV_1$, percent of $FEV_1$, $FEV_1$/FVC and the gradient of methane concentration which is an indicator of distribution of ventilation, and it was found as a result of the multiple regression test, that the effect of $FEV_1$/FVC was most strong(r=-0.4725, p<0.01) 4) In a graphic view of the difference of diffusing capacity measured by single-breath and intra-breath method and $FEV_1$/FVC, it was found that the former was divided into two groups in section where $FEV_1$/FVC is 50~60%, and that there was no significant difference between two methods in the section where $FEV_1$/FVC is equal or more than 60% ($0.05{\pm}0.24ml/min/mmHg$, p>0.1), but there was significant difference in the section, less than 60%($-4.5{\pm}0.34ml/min/mmHg$, p<0.01). 5. The diffusing capacity of the lung measured by the single-breath and intra-breath method was the same in value($24.3{\pm}0.68ml/min/mmHg$) within the normal range(2%/L) of the methane gas gradient, and there was no difference depending on the measuring method, but if the methane concentration gradients exceed 2%/L, the diffusing capacity of the lung measured by single-breath method became $15.0{\pm}0.44ml/min/mmHg$, and that measured by intra-breath method, $11.9{\pm}0.51ml/min/mmHg$, and there was a significant difference between them(p<0.01). Conclusion: Therefore, in case where $FEV_1$/FVC was less than 60%, the diffusing capacity of the lung measured by intra-breath method represented significantly lower value than that by single-breath method, and it was presumed to be caused largely by a defect of ventilation-distribution, but the possibility could not be excluded that the diffusing capacity of the lung might be overestimated in the single-breath method, or the actual reduction of the diffusing capacity of the lung appeared more sensitively in the intra-breath method.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.62-67
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• 2002

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the age of onset and the prevalence of lactose malabsorption in early childhood in Korea. Methods: We conducted a study of lactose malabsorption by breath hydrogen test in healthy children aged between 25~96 months old. Standard lactose loading (2 g lactose/kg, maximum 40g) test was done in 129 children and cow's milk (10 mL/kg) loading in 126 children followed by breath sampling of 60 and 120 minutes after the loading. An increase above baseline of 20 ppm or more was used as a criteria for positive responses. Results: The prevalence of lactose malabsorption was 7% in 25~36 months old, 19% in 37~48 months old, 35% in 49~60 months old, 55% in 61~72 months old, 82% in 72~84 months old, 80% in 85~96 months old children. Only 1% of the children showed positive result in breath hydrogen test after the cow's milk challenge. Conclusion: The prevalence of lactose malabsorption was increased between 37 months and 60 months of age, reached to adult level of prevalence after 72 months of age. When physiological dose of lactose was used as the challenge, the number of lactose malabsorbers become clinically insignificant.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.271-276
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• 2007

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is common in korea and high incidence at gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. $^{14}C-urea$ breath test ($^{14}C-UBT$) is regarded as a highly reliable and non-invasive method for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnositc performance of a new and rapid $^{14}C-UBT$, which was equipped with Geiger-Muller counter and compared the results with those obtained by gastroduodenoscopic biopsies (GBx). One hundred sixty-eight patients (M : F = 118 : 50) underwent $^{14}C-UBT$, rapid urease test (CLO test), and GBx. The results of $^{14}C-UBT$ were classified as positive (>50 cpm), borderline (25$^{14}C-UBT$ or CLO test results with GBx as a glod standard. In the assessment of the presence of H. pylori infection, the $^{14}C-UBT$ global performance yielded positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of 93.3% and 83.3%, respectively. However, the CLO test had performance yielded positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of 76.9%, 50.0%, respectively. In this study $^{14}C-UBT$ is a highly accurate, simple and non-invasive method or the diagnosis of follow up H. pylori infection.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.5265-5272
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• 2016

Objective: The present study was conducted to evaluate invasive and noninvasive diagnostic methods for detection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in patients admitted with dyspeptic complaints and to compare sensitivities and specificities. Method: Sets of four gastric biopsy specimens were obtained from a total of 126 patients included in the study. The presence of H. pylori was determined by invasive tests including culture, rapid urease test, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and histopathology. Among noninvasive tests, urea breath test, serological tests and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed. Results: H. pylori was isolated in 79 (62.7%) gastric biopsy cultures, whereas positivity was concluded for 105 (83.3%) patients by rapid urease test, for 106 (84.1%) by PCR, for 110 (87.3%) by histopathology, for 119 (94.4%) by urea breath test, and for 107 (84.9%) by ELISA. In the present study, the culture findings and histopathological examination findings were accepted as gold standard. According to the gold standard, urea breath test had the highest sensitivity (96.5%) and the lowest specificity (30%), whereas culture and histopathology had the highest specificities (100%). Conclusion: The use of PCR invasively with gastric biopsy samples yielded parallel results with the gold standard. PCR can be recommended for routine use in the diagnosis of H. pylori.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.9 s.89
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• pp.1255-1259
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to elucidate incidence of $VO_2$ plateau by comparing data derived from different time averaging intervals during incremental cycling exercise to $VO_2max$. Seventeen subjects (age: $23.5{\pm}3.3$ years and $VO_2max$: $3.65{\pm}0.73$ L/min, respectively) completed $VO_2max$ tests on cycle ergometer which breath by breath gas ex-change data were obtained. These data were time-averaged into 11-breath, 15, 30 and 60 s sampling intervals. The incidence of plateau were 100, 35, 24 and 6% for the 11 breath, 15 s, 30 s and 60 s averaging, respectively. No correlation was between ${\Delta}$ $VO-2$ at $VO_2max$ and $VO_2max$ (r=0.008). 53% (maximal HR within 10 b/min) and 100% $(RER{\geq}1.15)$ of subjects met the criteria for attainment of $VO_2max$. This data indicate that shorter sampling intervals (11 breath) is the most suitable for de-tection of the $VO_2$ plateau and RER can be used for the criteria for attainment of $VO_2max$ but not maximal HR. Also, the incidence of a plateau is not related to training status or physical fitness of subjects.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers D
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.220-224
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• 2000

A new auscultation system for the detection of breath sound form trachea was developed in house. Small size microphone(panasonic pin microphone) was encapsuled in a housing for resonant effect, and hardware for the sound detection was fabricated. Pulmonary function test results were compared with the parameters extracted from frequency spectrum of breath sound obtained from the developed system. Results showed that the peak frequency and relative ratio of integral values between low(80∼400Hz) and high(400∼800Hz) frequency ranges revealed the significant differences. Developed system could be used for distinguishing normal subject and the patients who have pulmonary disease.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.96-103
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• 2016

Helicobacter pylori infection is acquired mainly during childhood and causes various diseases such as gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, and iron deficiency anemia. Although H. pylori infection in children differs from adults in many ways, this is often overlooked in clinical practice. Unlike adults, nodular gastritis may be a pathognomonic endoscopic finding of childhood H. pylori infection. Histopathological findings of gastric tissues are also different in children due to predominance of lymphocytes and plasma cells and the formation of gastric MALT. Although endoscopy is recommended for the initial diagnosis of H. pylori infection, several non-invasive diagnostic tests such as the urea breath test (UBT) and the H. pylori stool antigen test (HpSA) are available and well validated even in children. According to recent data, both the $^{13}C$-UBT and HpSA using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay are reliable non-invasive tests to determine H. pylori status after eradication therapy, although children younger than 6 years are known to have high false positives. When invasive or noninvasive tests are applied to children to detect H. pylori infection, it should be noted that there are differences between children and adults in diagnosing H. pylori infection.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.18 no.E4
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• pp.181-190
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• 2002

A novel portable device for the direct measurement of alveolar breath carbon monoxide (CO) was developed. The major components of the device include a mouthpiece, non-rebreathing two-way valve, Teflon tube, and CO dosimeter. An alveolar CO measurement can be completed within 1.5 min when using the proposed device and measurement protocol. Measurements could be read to the nearest 0.1 ppm. Humidity did not influence the CO measurements taken by the CO dosimeter, plus there were no problems associated with the recovery and carryover of CO through the device. The criterion for significance in statistical analyses was p< 0.05. The average recovery was 103 and 99% for recovery and carryover experiments, respectively. Test results using the proposed alveolar CO measurement system reflected a good reproducibility. This reproducibility was also supported by the finding that the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the data sets were less than 7％ for the loss experiment and less than 8% for the carryover experiment. Consequently, it would appear that the proposed device can be effectively applied to measure CO levels found in breath, thereby overcoming several disadvantages associated with the conventional bag and adsorbent tube sampling methods.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.249-254
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• 2021

The aim of this study was to raise awareness about smoking and to facilitate the induction of smoking cessation. The participants were 49 patients who showed intention to participate in the test. The participants who had done a questionnaire, were asked to quit smoking for about an hour. After taking the breath deeply, they stopped for 20 seconds and measured breathing slowly. Carbon monoxide in the exhalation was higher when the daily smoking amount was higher and the smoking duration was longer, but not significant. In the case of smoking after meal and smoking in bed in the morning, the carbon monoxide level was significantly higher than that in the case of not smoking. It was significantly associated with skin allergic symptoms. The usual exercise habits, drinking and the respiratory disease were not correlated with carbon monoxide levels.