• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.59-63
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• 2012

Epilepsy has continued to provide challenges to epileptologists, as a significant proportion of patients continue to suffer from seizures despite medical and surgical treatments. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as a new therapeutic modality that has the potential to improve quality of life and occasionally be curative for patients with medically refractory epilepsy who are not surgical candidates. Several groups have used DBS in drug-resistant epilepsy cases for which resective surgery cannot be applied. The promising subcortical brain structures are anterior and centromedian nucleus of the thalamus, subthalamic nucleus, and other nuclei to treat epilepsy in light of previous clinical and experimental data. Recently two randomized trials of neurostimulation for controlling refractory epilepsy employed the strategies to stimulate electrodes placed on both anterior thalamic nuclei or near seizure foci in response to electroencephalographically detected epileptiform activity. However, the more large-scale, long-term clinical trials which elucidates optimal stimulation parameters, ideal selection criteria for epilepsy DBS should be performed before long. In order to continue to advance the frontier of this field, it is imperative to have a good grasp of the current body of knowledge.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.197-202
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• 2006

Devices in current market to perform electrical stimulation therapy of the urinary incontinence frequent in aging women are very much impractical to us ε due to the wired configuration. The present study implemented new wireless device to enhance self as well as in-hospital therapy with the easiest and the most convenient application. The therapy system consisted of two modules, called 'master' and 'slave', communicating with each other by the wireless Bluetooth protocol. The patient controls therapy processes on the master module in hand, transmitting the required informations to operate the slave module placed within her pants with the viginal electrode connected, delivering appropriate electrical stimulation. Wireless communication enabled self therapy with clothes on, leading to a great convenience for the patient. The stimulation output signal was comparable to commercialized products in both waveform and stimulation capacity.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제38권6호
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• pp.535-539
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• 2015

Olfactory stimulation activates multiple signaling cascades in order to mediate activity-driven changes in gene expression that promote neuronal survival. To date, the mechanisms involved in activity-dependent olfactory neuronal survival have yet to be fully elucidated. In the current study, we observed that olfactory sensory stimulation, which caused neuronal activation, promoted activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway and the expression of Bcl-2, which were responsible for olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) survival. We demonstrated that Bcl-2 expression increased after odorant stimulation both in vivo and in vitro. We also showed that odorant stimulation activated Akt, and that Akt activation was completely blocked by incubation with both a PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) and Akt1 small interfering RNA. Moreover, blocking the PI3K/Akt pathway diminished the odorantinduced Bcl-2 expression, as well as the effects on odorant-induced ORN survival. A temporal difference was noted between the activation of Akt1 and the expression of Bcl-2 following odorant stimulation. Blocking the PI3K/Akt pathway did not affect ORN survival in the time range prior to the increase in Bcl-2 expression, implying that these two events, activation of the PI3K pathway and Bcl-2 induction, were tightly connected to promote post-translational ORN survival. Collectively, our results indicated that olfactory activity activated PI3K/Akt, induced Bcl-2, and promoted long term ORN survival as a result.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제40권2호
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• pp.118-128
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• 2008

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of electrical stimulation on healing of impaired wound and alteration of mast cells in experimental diabetic rats. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups : incision (control), diabetes+incision (diabetes) and diabetes + incision + electrical stimulation (D/ES). Diabetes was induced in rats by streptozotocin (STZ) injection (60 mg/kg, one time) and 20 mm length incision wounds were created on the back after shaving hair. The electrical stimulation rats were treated with a current intensity of 30~50 V at 120 pps and $140{\mu}s$ for 10 days from 3 days after STZ injection. The lesion and adjacent skin tissues were fixed with 10% buffered formalin, embedded with paraffin. For wound healing analysis, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and picrosirius red staining were performed. Mast cells (MC) were stained with toluidine blue (pH 0.5) and quantified at ${\times}200$ using a light microscope. The density of keratinocyte proliferation and microvessels in skin tissues were analyzed using a computerized image analysis system on sections immunostained with proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and ${\alpha}$-smooth muscle actin (${\alpha}$-SMA), respectively. The results showed that the wound healing rate, collagen density and neoepidermis thickness, density of PCNA-positive cells and density of ${\alpha}$-SMA-positive vessels were significantly higher in D/ES rats than in diabetic rats. The density of MCs and degranulated MCs in D/ES rats were also significantly higher than those in diabetic rats. These findings suggest that the electrical stimulation may promote the tissue repair process by accelerating collagen production, keratinocyte proliferation and angiogenesis in the diabetic rats, and MCs are required for wound healing of skin in rats.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.110-113
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• 2001

In controlling chronic intractable pains, the current therapeutic methods used are exercise, over the counter medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, opioid medication, neural blockade, operation, etc., spinal cord stimulation being the last resort. Spinal cord stimulation was initiated when Shearly and others clinically tested the Gate control theory of Melzack and Wall. This had triggered the advancement of theoretic research on the mechanism and hardware necessary and has resulted in an accumulation of clinical experiences. This is known to be effective for treating sympathetic pain, arachnoiditis, failed back pain syndrome, radiculopathy, peripheral vascular disease, phantom limb syndrome, post-herpetic neuralgia, peripheral neuropathy, and angina pectoris. This report describes our experience in experimental spinal cord stimulation in patients with simultaneous post-herpetic neuralgia and herniated intervertebral disc. There wasn't any improvement in the post-herpetic neuralgia but the symptoms of a herniated intervertebral disc was much ameliorated. This was quite an unexpected result. The patient's back pain returned when the stimulation stopped.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.197-210
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• 2000

Suppressive role of $Na^+-Ca^{2+}$ exchange in myocardial tension generation was examined in the negative frequency-force relationship (FFR) of electric field stimulated left atria (LA) from postnatal developing rat heart and in the whole-cell clamped adult rat ventricular myocytes with high concentration of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ buffer (14 mM EGTA). LA twitch amplitudes, which were suppressed by cyclopiazonic acid in a postnatal age-dependent manner, elicited frequency-dependent and postnatal age-dependent enhancements after $Na^+-reduced,\;Ca^{2+}-depleted$ (26 Na-0 Ca) buffer application. These enhancements were blocked by caffeine pretreatment with postnatal age-dependent intensities. In the isolated rat ventricular myocytes, stimulation with the voltage protocol roughly mimicked action potential generated a large inward current which was partially blocked by nifedipine or $Na^+$ current inhibition. 0 Ca application suppressed the inward current by $39{\pm}4%$ while the current was further suppressed after 0 Na-0 Ca application by $53{\pm}3%.$ Caffeine increased this inward current by $44{\pm}3%$ in spite of 14 mM EGTA. Finally, the $Na^+$ current-dependent fraction of the inward current was increased in a stimulation frequency-dependent manner. From these results, it is concluded that the $Ca^{2+}$ exit-mode (forward-mode) $Na^+-Ca^{2+}$ exchange suppresses the LA tension by extruding $Ca^{2+}$ out of the cell right after its release from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in a frequency-dependent manner during contraction, resulting in the negative frequency-force relationship in the rat LA.

• 한국전기전자재료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국전기전자재료학회 1998년도 추계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.73-76
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• 1998

We give pressure stimulation into organic thin films and detect the induced displacement current. then manufacture a device under the accumulation condition that the state surface pressure is 15[mN/m]. In processing of a device manufacture. We can see the process is good from the change of a surface pressure for organic thin films and transfer ratio of area per molecule. The structure of manufactured device is Au/organic thin films(polyimide)/Au, the number of accumulated layers are 31,35, and 41. I-V characteristic of the device is measured from 0[V] to +5[V]. The maximum value of measured current is increased as the number of accumulated layers are decreased. The resistance for the number of accumulated layers, the energy density for an input voltage show desired results, and the insulation of a thin film is better as the interval between electrodes is larger.

• 대한물리의학회지
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.21-27
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• 2020

PURPOSE: This study investigated the efficacy of interferential current (IFC) treatment on the improvement of pain, disability, and balance in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. METHODS: A double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted with 40 patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups: the IFC treatment group (n = 20) and the placebo treatment group (n = 20). The IFC group received 30 minutes of IFC treatment on the lumbar region, while the placebo group received IFC treatment without real electrical stimulation. The intervention was administered five days a week for two weeks. RESULTS: The primary outcomes of resting pain and pain during functional movement were measured by a visual analogue scale. The secondary measurements included the Oswestry disability index (ODI) for low back pain and postural sway. The measurements were performed before and after the two-week intervention period. Compared to the placebo treatment group, the IFC treatment group showed significantly greater improvement in pain during anterior trunk flexion in the standing position (p = .029), ODI (p = .039), and postural sway when subjects stood with their eyes closed (p = .010) at the end of the intervention. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that IFC treatment can improve pain, disability, and postural sway, thus, highlighting the benefits of somatosensory stimulation from IFC.

• 한국융합학회논문지
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.77-87
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• 2017

본 연구는 앞십자인대 재건술 환자를 대상으로 융복합기반 러시안전류와 경피신경전기자극을 적용하였을 때 통증, 근력 및 기능에 미치는 영향을 비교하고자 하였다. 본 연구는 앞십자인대 재건술 환자 40명(러시안전류 적용군 20명, 경피신경전기자극 적용군 20명)을 대상으로 실시하였다. 두 군은 1회 20분, 주5회 4주 동안 각각의 전기중재를 실시하였고, 냉치료와 기기를 사용한 연속수동관절가동운동을 무릎관절주변에 각각 20분간 실시하였다. 치료적 중재의 영향을 알아보기 위하여, 본 연구는 중재 전후에 시각적 상사척도, 무릎 굽힘 및 폄 근력, 무릎상해와 관절염 결과지수, 한국판 다리 기능척도를 측정하였다. 두 군 모두 시각적 상사척도, 무릎 굽힘 및 폄 근력, 무릎상해와 관절염 결과지수, 한국판 다리 기능척도 점수에서 치료적 중재 이후에 통계학적으로 유의한 개선을 보여주었다. 또한, 러시안전류 적용군은 경피신경전기자극 적용군보다 무릎 폄 근력과 한국판 다리 기능척도에서 중재 후 유의한 증가를 보였다. 본 연구의 결과를 바탕으로 앞십자인대 재건술 환자에게 있어 두 중재 방법 모두 효과적인 개선을 보였지만, 러시안전류가 경피신경전기자극보다 무릎근력과 다리기능을 개선하는데 더 효과적이라고 보고하며, 향후 임상에서 앞십자인대 재건술 환자의 재활에 러시안전류의 적용에 긍정적인 이점이 있다고 제언하는 바이다.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제20권9호
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• pp.127-132
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• 2019

주의 집중력은 워킹메모리에 속하며 경두개직류전기자극은 워킹메모리를 향상시키는데 효과적이다. 본 연구는 경두개직류전기자극(Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, tDCS)이 대학생들의 주의집중력에 미치는 영향에 대해 알아보기 위해 연구를 진행하였다. 본 연구는 대상자 37명의 대학생($23.08{\pm}3.33$세)을 대상으로 tDCS그룹과 대조군으로 두 그룹으로 나누어 2018년 9월 3일부터 28일까지 연구를 진행하였다. tDCS그룹은($n_1=19$) 2mA로 13분씩 2회 26분간 적용하였으며, 대조군($n_2=18$)은 패드를 붙인 후 작동을 시키지 않았고 13분씩 2회 26분간 적용하였다. 연구는 주 3회 총 4주간 총 12회 진행되었다. 주의 집중력을 확인하기 위하여 뇌전도(Electroencephalogram) 검사를 하였으며, 연구결과 tDCS그룹이 주의집중력이 증가할수록 증가하는 SMR파(Sensory motor rhythm, p<0.01, 95% CI: -1.955, -0.459), 중간 베타파(p<0.05; 95% CI: 0.027, 0.943) 그리고 파워 비율(SMR+중간베타파/ 세타파, p<0.01, 95% CI: -1.764, -0.315)에서 유의한 향상을 보였다. 그러나 집중력 하락시 증가하는 세타파는 유의한 감소를 얻지 못했다(p>0.05). 결과값과 같이 tDCS적용시 주의집중력의 유의한 향상을 보였으며 본 연구를 기반으로 발전시켜 주의력 결핍환자들에게 적용에 대한 기초 자료로 사용될 수 있을 것이다.